Three of the six players in the Nebraska volleyball team’s recruiting class for the 2021 season are planning to graduate from high school early and join the Huskers in January.
The players won’t be eligible to play in Nebraska’s rescheduled season, which will begin in January, but Husker coach John Cook says it will still be a great opportunity for the new players.
“They’re going to be around All-Americans, great players,†said Cook during a news conference last week. “It’s just going to force them to go to another level. So to me, it’s a great opportunity for them to get a head start.â€
Due to NCAA rules, Cook isn’t able to make public comments about specific recruits until they sign a national letter of intent on Nov. 11. But the families of Husker recruits Kennedi Orr (a setter from Minnesota), Ally Batenhorst (outside hitter from Texas) and Lexi Rodriguez (defensive specialist from Illinois) have each told the Journal Star that those players plan to graduate from high school early and join the Huskers in January.
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By coming early they’ll be in the program for about eight months before they play their first college match in the fall of 2021.
“With that, they get over being homesick, they learn how to be on their own, they learn how to train properly in our weight room,†Cook said. “We can actually build their bodies up instead of just throwing them in the fire and getting them ready. They get to learn a lot about volleyball. Just think who those players are going to be around every day.â€
The early-arriving freshmen will get a lot of training reps both in regular drills and on the scout team.
“We hope they raise our level of play, the ones that want to come in early,†Cook said. “We’ll train them, just like we train all of our players. You’ve seen our practices. Everybody is going. They’re going to get great training, for free.â€
During a normal year, when the freshmen arrive in the summer, they only get about three weeks of training with the coaches before the season begins.
Seniors could return
The NCAA Division I board of directors previously voted that all athletes in fall sports will get an additional year of eligibility due to concerns about COVID-19, meaning the seniors on the volleyball team could return next season.
The decision on if any of Nebraska’s seniors — Lauren Stivrins, Lexi Sun, Jazz Sweet and Hayley Densberger — will return for next season may not come for several months.
“The interesting thing will be how many players are going to return of our senior class,†Cook said. “I haven’t had those conversations yet. We’re too early, and too far out to know. We’ve got players graduating in December, players graduating in May. So at some point, we’ll have those conversations. It’s going to be challenging for coaches and programs depending on where you’re at in your roster management on how to do all of this, and then support it (with scholarships).â€
Which players return may also affect future recruiting classes, because freshmen who may have played in 2021 may now consider a redshirt year.
Briefly
* Former Nebraska walk-on middle blocker Abby Johnson, who left the Huskers during the first week of practice, has transferred to Bradley, where she’ll have a chance to be on scholarship.
* Teams in the ACC, Big 12, SEC and Sun Belt have begun playing matches for this season and will play a split season with matches in both the fall and spring. The matches in the fall count for the conference standings and the NCAA Tournament selection process. The Big Ten will only play matches during the spring.