Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball

The Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball team competes as part of NCAA Division I, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten. Nebraska plays its home games at the Bob Devaney Sports Center and has sold out every home match since 2001.^[2] The team has been coached by John Cook since 2000.

Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball
Founded	1975; 49 years ago (1975)
University	University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Athletic director	Troy Dannen
Head coach	John Cook (24th season)
Conference	Big Ten
Location	Lincoln, Nebraska
Home arena	Devaney Center (capacity: 8,309)
Nickname	Cornhuskers
Colors	Scarlet and cream^[1]
AIAW/NCAA Tournament champion
1995, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2017
AIAW/NCAA Tournament runner-up
1986, 1989, 2005, 2018, 2021, 2023
AIAW/NCAA Tournament semifinal
1986, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023
AIAW/NCAA Tournament appearance
1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Conference tournament champion
Big Eight 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995
Conference regular season champion
Big Eight 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 Big 12 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 Big Ten 2011, 2016, 2017, 2023

The program was founded in 1975 and is one of the most decorated in women's volleyball, with more wins than any other program and five national championships.^[3] Nebraska has been ranked in every weekly poll since the introduction of the AVCA National Poll in 1982 and has spent more weeks ranked number one than any other program. The Cornhuskers' ninety-nine All-Americans are the most in the country.^[4][5] Nebraska regularly leads the NCAA in average attendance and has participated in several of the highest-attended women's volleyball games ever played.^[6] On August 30, 2023, Nebraska and Omaha played at Memorial Stadium in front of 92,003 people, the highest-attended women's sporting event in the United States.^[7][8]

History

Pat Sullivan (1974–76)

Until the 1972 passing of Title IX, Nebraska's volleyball program existed for four years as an "extramural" sport operating as a part of the school's physical education department.^[9] Pat Sullivan was hired in 1974, and she led the program's first season of varsity competition. Though the school offered its first scholarships for female student-athletes to members of this team, which went 25–10–1 and placed sixth in the AIAW's Region VI tournament, the university recognizes 1975 as its inaugural season due to "a lack of records [from 1974] and tradition."^[10] Sullivan compiled an 83–21 record over two official seasons, including an AIAW regional final appearance in 1975 and NU's first Big Eight championship in 1976.^[11] Sullivan would later go on to coach volleyball at George Washington University for nine seasons, as well as be a professor there.^[12][13]

Terry Pettit (1977–99)

Terry Pettit was hired as Nebraska's second head coach in 1977.^[14] Pettit, an Indiana native, was an English teacher and volleyball coach at Louisburg College in North Carolina^[15] when a fellow coach found out about Nebraska's open job and directed Pettit to apply.^[16] From 1977 to 1999, he led the Cornhuskers to a record of 694–148, winning twenty-one conference championships and the 1995 national championship.^[17]

In his twenty-three years as head coach,^[18] Pettit built the program into a national power. Under his guidance, Nebraska appeared in nineteen consecutive NCAA tournaments, including six national semifinals, two national runner-up finishes, and NU's first national title. Pettit's teams won a conference championship in all but two seasons during his tenure. His list of honors includes induction into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2009, USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award, and several national and regional coach of the year awards from various publications.^[19][20] Under Pettit, Nebraska became one of the first schools to offer scholarships to female athletes. In 1978, Terri Kanouse and Shandi Pettine were the first players to receive full scholarships for volleyball, and just three years later, the university allowed Pettit to offer up to twelve scholarships.^[21] Pettit coached thirty-six AVCA All-Americans at Nebraska, the highest number of any school in that time span.^[17]

Pettit's only national championship as a head coach came in 1995.^[15] After dropping an early-season match to Stanford, NU swept twenty-two consecutive opponents and won thirty-one straight matches. Nebraska defeated Texas 3–1 to win the title, and AVCA National Player of the Year Allison Weston was among three Huskers named first-team All-Americans. Before the 1999 season, Pettit hired former assistant John Cook as associate head coach. Following Nebraska's loss in the national semifinals, Pettit retired and Cook became head coach. In 2020, Pettit was inducted into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame.^[22]

John Cook (2000–present)

 

Nebraska's 2000 NCAA Tournament championship team was honored by President George W. Bush at the White House on May 31, 2001

Cook succeeded the retiring Pettit before the 2000 season after a seven-year stint as head coach at Wisconsin. He was Pettit's assistant coach from 1989 to 1991.^[18] In twenty years at Nebraska, Cook has guided the Huskers to four national championships, five other national semifinal appearances and an NCAA tournament berth in each season. Cook was named National Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2005, Central Region Coach of the Year four times, and conference coach of the year six times. He was awarded the USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award in 2008, and was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017. Under Cook, Greichaly Cepero, Christina Houghtelling, and Sarah Pavan won AVCA National Player of the Year, and Pavan won the Honda-Broderick Cup in 2007 as the Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year.

In his first year as NU's head coach, Cook guided the Huskers to their second national championship. After starting the season outside the national top ten, Nebraska went 20–0 in Big 12 play and defeated Cook's former team, Wisconsin, in a five-set national title match to cap a 34–0 season and become the second undefeated team in NCAA volleyball history.^[23] Sophomore setter Greichaly Cepero was named National Player of the Year and won the Honda Sports Award as the best female athlete in collegiate sports.^[5] Nebraska finished the 2001 and 2002 seasons 20–0 in conference play, but lost late in the tournament to Stanford and Hawaii, ending both seasons 31–2. Nebraska's seventy-seven game Big 12 winning streak ended with a loss at Kansas State in 2003 as the Cornhuskers failed to make it out of a regional.

 

No. 4 Nebraska defeated No. 10 Texas 3–2 at Gregory Gymnasium on Oct. 20, 2004

Nebraska earned the number one overall seed in the 2004 NCAA tournament, which began an NCAA-record eighty-eight consecutive weeks the Cornhuskers were ranked atop the AVCA weekly poll. The Huskers fell to two-time defending champion USC but freshman Sarah Pavan was named AVCA National Freshman of the Year. Pavan became one of the most decorated players in volleyball history, including four First-Team All-American honors and the 2006 National Player of the Year award. Nebraska was again the top seed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament and swept through the first five rounds, but was upset by Washington in the national title match.^[24]

Nebraska lost only once in the 2006 regular season as its streak at the top of the rankings continued. The Cornhuskers were the top seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year and returned to the national title match after a five-set win over Minnesota.^[25] Nebraska dropped the first set to Stanford but won the next three to win the school's third championship in front of a then-NCAA volleyball-record crowd of 17,209.^[26] Nebraska swept twenty-four of its thirty-three opponents and lost just fourteen sets all season and became the first team to win the championship while hosting the finals since UCLA in 1991.^[5] Pavan won numerous awards after the season and sophomore Jordan Larson was named a first-team All American.^[27][28]

 

Nebraska's 2006 NCAA Tournament championship team was honored by President George W. Bush at the White House on Jun. 19, 2007

Nebraska's season opener in 2007 marked the program's 1,000th game, a sweep of Tennessee in the AVCA Showcase.^[29] The Cornhuskers' eighty-eight week streak at number one came to an end in October, but NU won its fourth straight Big 12 title. After surviving an upset bid by unseeded Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament, Nebraska fell to California in the regional final.^[30] Pavan joined Texas softball pitcher Cat Osterman as the only repeat Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year and Nebraska placed a then-record five players on All-America teams.^[31] Nebraska won its fifth consecutive Big 12 title in 2008^[32] and advanced through the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament to face Washington.^[33] After losing the first two sets, Nebraska came back to tie the match, and used a nine-point run to win set five.^[34] Nebraska met undefeated Penn State in the national semifinal and again fell behind 2–0. The Huskers rallied to deal the Nittany Lions their first two set losses of the season, snapping their NCAA-record 111 consecutive set wins, but lost the match in five sets.^[35]

Nebraska's NCAA-record ninety-game home winning streak came to an end at the beginning of the 2009 season.^[36] In the 2009 NCAA Tournament Texas became the first team to beat NU three times in one season after ending the Huskers' five-year stretch atop the Big 12.^[37] In 2010, the University of Nebraska announced it would be ending its fifteen-year relationship with the Big 12 and joining the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers won the Big 12 in 2010, departing with an all-time conference record of 278–22.

Move to the Big Ten

The University of Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference in 2011. This meant for the first time NU would regularly play longtime rival Penn State along with other nationally relevant programs including Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The Huskers won the Big Ten in their first year of competition but failed to make a regional semifinal for the first time since 1993.^[38] Nebraska did not win another Big Ten title until 2016 and failed to make the national semifinals in six straight seasons, the longest stretch for the program in over thirty years. Nebraska's drought ended in 2015 when the Cornhuskers swept former Big 12 rival Texas to win the program's fourth national championship in front of an NCAA-record crowd in Omaha. Mikaela Foecke had nineteen kills in the title game and became the third freshman named the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The Cornhuskers spent much of the following season ranked number one in the country and won the program's first conference title since 2011.^[39] In the 2016 NCAA Tournament, Nebraska fought off two match points to defeat Penn State in the regional semifinals^[40] but fell to Texas in the national semifinals.^[41]

Nebraska's 2017 season opened with consecutive losses to Florida and Oregon, but the Cornhuskers finished the regular season with just two more losses, ultimately sharing the Big Ten title with Penn State. NU defeated the top-seeded Nittany Lions in five sets to advance to the national title match, defeating Florida 3–1 to win the school's fifth national title in front of a then-record crowd of 18,516.^[42] Outside hitter Mikaela Foecke was again named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, making her one of four players to win the honor more than once. NU made a program-record fourth straight trip to the national semifinals in 2018 but fell to Stanford in a five-set national title match.

After a pair of regional final losses in 2019 and 2020 (though the 2020 Tournament was held in the spring of 2021), NU defeated No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Pittsburgh in the 2021 Tournament to reach the school's tenth national title match; Nebraska's five-set loss to Wisconsin set a new NCAA volleyball attendance record.^[43] Following the season, freshman libero Lexi Rodriguez became the second Cornhusker and first libero to win AVCA National Freshman of the Year.

On August 30, 2023, Nebraska hosted "Volleyball Day in Nebraska" at Memorial Stadium, with a temporary court on the football playing field. The event featured an exhibition between two of the state's three Division II schools, Nebraska–Kearney and Wayne State, followed by a regular-season match between the Cornhuskers and Omaha. The event was declared a sellout on April 27, three days after tickets went on sale. The official attendance for Nebraska's 3–0 victory was 92,003, the highest ever for a women's sporting event in the United States. It also set an all-time attendance record for a sporting event in Memorial Stadium history.^[44][7]

Coaches

Coaching history

No.	Coach	Tenure	Overall	Conference	Achievements
1	Pat Sullivan	1975–76	83–21 (.798)	5–0 (1.000)	Conference champion (1976) Conference tournament champion (1976)
2	Terry Pettit	1977–99	694–148–12 (.820)	244–15–1 (.940)	National champion (1995) Conference champion (1977–92,1994–96,1998-99) Conference tournament champion (1977–86,1988–91,1994-95) AVCA National Coach of the Year (1986,1994) AVCA Hall of Fame (inducted 2009)
3	John Cook	2000–	689-100 (.873)	419-56 (.882)	National champion (2000,2006,2015,2017) Conference champion (2000-02,2004–08,2010-11,2016-17,2023) AVCA National Coach of the Year (2000,2005,2023) AVCA Hall of Fame (inducted 2017)

Assistant coaching history

Russ Rose (1978–79) Linda Luedtke (1980) John Corbelli (1981) Barry Janzen (1982–83) Jay Potter (1984–87) Jeff Nelson (1986) Terri Killion (1988–89) John Cook (1988–90,1999) Cathy Noth (1988–98)

Brian Begor (1991–92) Val Novak (1993–94) Todd Raasch (1995) Nikki Best (1996–99) Staci Wolfe (2000–02) Craig Skinner (2000–04) Charlene Johnson-Tagaloa (2003–06) Lee Maes (2005–07) Lizzy Stemke (2007–10)

Erik Sullivan (2008–10) Dan Conners (2010–11) Dan Meske (2010–14) Dani Busboom Kelly (2012–16) Chris Tamas (2015–16) Kayla Banwarth (2017–19) Tyler Hildebrand (2017,2020–21) Jaylen Reyes (2018–) Kelly Hunter (2020–) Jordan Larson (2023–)

Coaching staff

Coach	Position	First year	Alma mater
John Cook	Head coach	2000	San Diego
Jaylen Reyes	Assistant coach / Recruiting coordinator	2018	BYU
Kelly Hunter	Assistant coach	2020	Nebraska
Jordan Larson	Assistant coach	2023	Nebraska

Venues

 

Nebraska Coliseum logo

Nebraska Coliseum

NU compiled an all-time record of 511–36 at the 4,030-seat Nebraska Coliseum, losing just three home matches in thirty-three seasons of conference play. In 1991, the Cornhuskers played home games at the Bob Devaney Sports Center while the Coliseum was being renovated specifically to host volleyball matches. NU has hosted at least one NCAA Tournament match every year since 1984, including a 52–4 postseason record at the Coliseum. Nebraska established an NCAA record with their 88th consecutive home win in 2009,^[45] a streak that ended at ninety when UCLA defeated NU in front of an NCAA regular season-record crowd of 13,870.^[46] In 2008, the AVCA's Kathy DeBoer described the Coliseum as "the epicenter of volleyball fandom".^[47]

The Coliseum was one of few collegiate arenas designed specifically for volleyball. It is noted for its classical architecture and intimate atmosphere. At the Coliseum, the Huskers began an NCAA record for most consecutive sellouts in a women's sport, a streak that continues at the Devaney Center.^[48] The Coliseum was the subject of a CBS Sports documentary in 2011.^[49]

Bob Devaney Sports Center

Nebraska's volleyball program moved to the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2013, which was vacated when Pinnacle Bank Arena was built for NU's basketball teams. The Devaney Center's capacity was decreased from 13,596 to 7,907 with luxury suites on the south side of the court.^[50] The capacity was modestly increased to 8,309 prior to the 2023 season.^[51] Despite the increase in capacity from the Coliseum, the Huskers' sellout streak still continues and stands at 303, the longest in any NCAA women's sport.^[52] Nebraska has led the country in attendance every year since moving to the Devaney Center,^[a] averaging over 8,000 fans per game each season.^[53] The move to the Devaney Center has made Nebraska's volleyball program profitable each year, a rarity in women's college athletics.^[54] With no financial support from tax dollars, tuition, or student fees, the team is entirely self-sufficient.^[55]

Highest-attended matches

 

A Nebraska National Guard flyover of Memorial Stadium prior to a volleyball match that set a women's sporting event attendance world record

Nebraska has played in eleven of the twelve highest-attended matches in NCAA volleyball history.^[b][56]

Highest-attended NCAA volleyball matches

Rank	Attendance	Date	Winner	Loser	NCAA round	Venue
1	92,003	Aug. 30, 2023	No. 4 Nebraska	Omaha	Regular season	Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE)
2	18,755	Dec. 18, 2021	No. 4 Wisconsin	No. 10 Nebraska	National final	Nationwide Arena (Columbus, OH)
3	18,516	Dec. 16, 2017	No. 5 Nebraska	No. 2 Florida	National final	Sprint Center (Kansas City, MO)
4	18,374	Dec. 14, 2017	No. 2 Florida	No. 3 Stanford	National semifinal
			No. 5 Nebraska	No. 1 Penn State
5	18,113	Dec. 15, 2018	No. 1 Stanford	No. 7 Nebraska	National final	Target Center (Minneapolis, MN)
6	17,808	Dec. 13, 2018	No. 1 Stanford	No. 4 BYU	National semifinal
			No. 7 Nebraska	No. 3 Illinois
7	17,561	Dec. 19, 2015	No. 4 Nebraska	No. 3 Texas	National final	CHI Health Center (Omaha, NE)
8	17,551	Dec. 17, 2015	No. 4 Nebraska	No. 9 Kansas	National semifinal
			No. 3 Texas	No. 2 Minnesota
9	17,430	Dec. 18, 2008	No. 2 Stanford	No. 3 Texas	National semifinal
			No. 1 Penn State	No. 4 Nebraska
10	17,345	Dec. 16, 2016	No. 6 Stanford	No. 4 Texas	National final	Nationwide Arena (Columbus, OH)

Awards

National Player of the Year

• Karen Dahlgren -- 1986
• Allison Weston – 1995
• Greichaly Cepero – 2000
• Christina Houghtelling – 2005
• Sarah Pavan – 2006

National Freshman of the Year

• Sarah Pavan – 2004
• Lexi Rodriguez – 2021

National Coach of the Year

• Terry Pettit – 1986, 1994
• John Cook – 2000, 2005, 2023

All-Americans

Nebraska has had 53 total players account for 102 AVCA All-American selections, including 50 First-Team AVCA All-American selections.^[57][58]

First team Cathy Noth – 1983 Annie Adamczak – 1985 Karen Dahlgren – 1986 Lori Endicott – 1988 Virginia Stahr – 1988 Val Novak – 1989, 1990 Janet Kruse – 1989, 1990 Stephanie Thater – 1991, 1992 Allison Weston – 1993–95 Christy Johnson – 1994, 1995 Lisa Reitsma – 1995, 1996 Fiona Nepo – 1996, 1998 Nancy Metcalf – 1998, 1999, 2001 Laura Pilakowski – 2000 Greichaly Cepero – 2000, 2002 Amber Holmquist – 2001, 2002 Melissa Elmer – 2004, 2005 Sarah Pavan – 2004–07 Christina Houghtelling – 2005 Jordan Larson – 2006, 2008 Brooke Delano – 2010 Gina Mancuso – 2011 Lauren Cook – 2012 Kelsey Robinson – 2013 Kadie Rolfzen – 2015, 2016 Justine Wong-Orantes – 2016 Kelly Hunter – 2017 Mikaela Foecke – 2018 Lauren Stivrins – 2018, 2020 Lexi Rodriguez – 2021, 2023 Merritt Beason - 2023

Second team Cathy Noth – 1984 Karen Dahlgren – 1985 Enid Schonewise – 1986 Tisha Delaney – 1986 Lori Endicott – 1987 Virginia Stahr – 1989 Stephanie Thater – 1990 Chris Hall – 1991 Janet Kruse – 1991 Kelly Aspegren – 1994 Fiona Nepo – 1997 Lisa Reitsma – 1997 Megan Korver – 1998 Amber Holmquist – 2000 Jenny Kropp – 2001 Greichaly Cepero – 2001 Laura Pilakowski - 2002 Melissa Elmer – 2003 Jennifer Saleaumua – 2004 Tracy Stalls – 2006, 2007 Christina Houghtelling – 2007 Rachel Holloway – 2007 Sydney Anderson – 2008 Tara Mueller – 2008 Brooke Delano – 2009 Lindsey Licht – 2010 Hannah Werth – 2010, 2012 Gina Mancuso – 2012 Amber Rolfzen – 2015 Kelly Hunter – 2016 Annika Albrecht – 2017 Mikaela Foecke – 2017 Lauren Stivrins – 2019 Nicklin Hames – 2020 Kayla Caffey – 2021 Lexi Rodriguez - 2022 Bergen Reilly - 2023

Third team Jennifer Saleaumua – 2005 Rachel Holloway – 2006 Jordan Larson – 2007 Sydney Anderson – 2009 Kadie Rolfzen – 2013, 2014 Justine Wong-Orantes – 2015 Amber Rolfzen – 2016 Kenzie Maloney – 2018 Lexi Sun – 2019, 2020 Madi Kubik – 2021 Harper Murray - 2023

National records

Team^[59][60]

• Wins: 1,433
• Winning percentage in a season: 1.000 (2000, tied with four others)
• Consecutive winning seasons: 48 (1975–2022)
• Consecutive non-losing seasons: 48 (1975–2022)
• Assists in a match: 116 (Nov. 5, 1988 vs. Texas)
• Blocks per set in a season: 4.18 (2001)
• Weeks ranked No. 1: 102
• AVCA All-America athletes: 50
• AVCA All-America awards: 99

Individual

• Hitting percentage in a match (min. 10 kills): 1.000 (Tracy Stalls – Nov. 24, 2007 vs. Texas Tech; Megan Korver – Sep. 25, 1998 vs. Iowa State; Lauren Stivrins – Sep. 28, 2018 vs. Northwestern)
• Assists in a match: Lori Endicott, 109 (Nov. 5, 1988 vs. Texas)
• Blocks in a season: Melissa Elmer, 250 (2005)
• Blocks per set in a season: Melissa Elmer, 2.17 (2005)

Season-by-season results

National champion

Regular season champion^[c]

Regular season and tournament champion

Year	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason	Final rank^[d]
Big Eight Conference (1976–1995)
1975	Pat Sullivan	34–8	^[e]		AIAW Regional Final
1976		49–13	5–0	1st	AIAW Tournament
1977	Terry Pettit	42–12–7	6–1–1	1st	AIAW Regional semifinal
1978		35–25–2	3–0	1st	AIAW Runner-up
1979		41–8–3	6–0	1st	AIAW Regional Final
1980		35–15	5–0	1st	AIAW Regional Final
1981		29–10	12–0	1st
1982		27–6	8–2	1st	NCAA Division I Regional semifinal	15
1983		29–4	10–0	1st	NCAA Division I first round	16
1984		27–4	10–0	1st	NCAA Division I Regional Final	7
1985		28–3	10–0	1st	NCAA Division I Regional Final	6
1986		29–6	10–0	1st	NCAA Division I Runner-up	6
1987		30–5	12–0	1st	NCAA Division I Regional Final	10
1988		28–5	11–1	1st	NCAA Division I Regional semifinal	5
1989		29–4	12–0	1st	NCAA Division I Runner-up	5
1990		32–3	12–0	1st	NCAA Division I Semifinal	2
1991		27–5	12–0	1st	NCAA Division I Regional Final	7
1992		22–6	12–0	1st	NCAA Division I Regional semifinal	7
1993		25–6	10–2	2nd	NCAA Division I second round	8
1994		31–1	12–0	1st	NCAA Division I Regional Final	1
1995		32–1	12–0	1st	NCAA Division I Champion	1
Big 12 Conference (1996–2010)
1996	Terry Pettit	30–4	19–1	1st	NCAA Division I Semifinal	3
1997		27–7	16–4	T–2nd	NCAA Division I Regional Final	8
1998		32–2	19–1	1st	NCAA Division I Semifinal	3
1999		27–6	17–3	1st	NCAA Division I Semifinal	11
2000	John Cook	34–0	20–0	1st	NCAA Division I Champion	1
2001		31–2	20–0	1st	NCAA Division I Semifinal	3
2002		31–2	20–0	1st	NCAA Division I Regional Final	5
2003		28–5	17–3	2nd	NCAA Division I Regional semifinal	13
2004		30–2	20–0	1st	NCAA Division I Regional Final	5
2005		33–2	19–1	1st	NCAA Division I Runner-up	2
2006		33–1	19–1	1st	NCAA Division I Champion	1
2007		30–2	19–1	T–1st	NCAA Division I Regional Final	5
2008		31–3	18–2	T–1st	NCAA Division I Semifinal	3
2009		26–7	16–4	3rd	NCAA Division I Regional Final	5
2010		29–3	19–1	1st	NCAA Division I Regional semifinal	7
Big Ten Conference (2011–present)
2011	John Cook	25–5	17–3	1st	NCAA Division I second round	12
2012	26–7	15–5	T–2nd	NCAA Division I Regional Final	7
2013	26–7	16–4	2nd	NCAA Division I Regional Final	7
2014	23–10	14–6	4th	NCAA Division I Regional Final	8
2015	32–4	17–3	2nd	NCAA Division I Champion	1
2016	31–3	18–2	1st	NCAA Division I Semifinal	4
2017	32–4	19–1	T–1st	NCAA Division I Champion	1
2018	29–7	15–5	T–3rd	NCAA Division I Runner-up	2
2019	28–5	17–3	T–2nd	NCAA Division I Regional Final	5
2020^[f]	16–3	14–2	3rd	NCAA Division I Regional Final	6
2021	26–8^[g]	15–4	2nd	NCAA Division I Runner-up	2
2022	26–6	16–4	2nd	NCAA Division I Regional Semifinal	9
2023	33–2	19–1	1st	NCAA Division I Runner-up	2
Overall: 1,466–269–12 (.843), Conference: 678-71–1 (.905)

Beach volleyball

The Nebraska Cornhuskers women's beach volleyball team began play in the spring of 2013 as the school's twenty-second intercollegiate sport. In 2016, the NCAA began sponsoring a beach volleyball tournament (previously the sport was run by the AVCA), but Nebraska did not attempt to qualify. Despite the sport's increasing popularity, Nebraska, nearby Wayne State, and Eastern Illinois fund the only volleyball programs in the Midwest. NU generally plays the bulk of its season during a spring break trip to California and Hawaii, and its beach roster is made entirely of players from its indoor program. John Cook, who coaches both programs, has said the school views beach volleyball primarily as a training and recruiting tool for its indoor team. Beach volleyball competes as an independent, making it one of only three programs at Nebraska not affiliated with the Big Ten.

On March 8, 2017, Nebraska hosted Missouri Baptist at the Hawks Championship Center. The match, closed to the public due to space limitations, was the first collegiate beach volleyball match held in the state of Nebraska. The Cornhuskers swept the Spartans 5–0.

In 2007, Jordan Larson and Sarah Pavan defeated student-athletes from seven other schools to win the Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship, an invitational tournament featuring two players per school.^[61]

Coaching history

No.	Coach	Tenure	Overall	Achievements
1	John Cook	2013–	85–78 (.521)

Season-by-season results

Year	Coach	Overall	Postseason	Final rank
Independent (2013–present)
2013	John Cook	4–5		7
2014		3–2		7
2015		6–2
2016		5–5
2017		5–7
2018		4–14
2019		12–12
2020		7–3	Canceled^[h]
2021		Did not compete^[i]
2022		8–12
2023		15–5
2024		16–11
Overall: 85–78 (.507)

Notes

1. Excluding the 2021 spring season in which many arenas did not host fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2. The NCAA lists the same attendance for national semifinal matches
3. Neither the Big 12 nor the Big Ten play conference tournaments
4. The AVCA began weekly polling in 1982
5. The Big Eight did not sponsor a regular season or conference tournament in 1975
6. Season played in spring 2021
7. Does not include Nebraska's forfeit win over Rutgers
8. Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
9. Nebraska did not compete in the 2021 beach volleyball season as the indoor season, typically in fall, was moved to spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic

References

1. Nebraska Athletics Brand Guide (PDF). July 1, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
2. Brent Wagner (30 October 2018). "Nebraska volleyball program's sellout streak set to reach another milestone". AP.
3. . NU Athletics. August 22, 2007. Archived from the original on October 8, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
4. "Huskers Finish Fifth in Final AVCA Coaches Poll". Huskers.com. 2009-12-22. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
5. "2009 Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
6. "Nebraska volleyball leads nation in attendance for seventh straight season". Omaha World Herald. 2020-04-01. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
7. Bill Wilson (7 December 2018). "Mexico 1971: When women's football hit the big time". BBC News. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
8. Michael Voepel (30 August 2023). "Nebraska volleyball sets world record for women's sports attendance". [sic] ESPN. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
9. "Title IX and Sex Discrimination". U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
10. "Rewriting History - Huskers Illustrated". huskersillustrated.com. 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
11. Babcock, Mike. "NU Volleyball: A Championship Tradition" (PDF). Nebraska Huskers. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
12. "GW Hall of Fame: Pat Sullivan". George Washington Revolutionaries. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
13. "SUNY Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame: Pat Sullivan". SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
14. "The Architect of Nebraska Volleyball". Nebraska Public Media. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
15. Strnad, Andrew. "Pettit credits family, friends and players for successful career". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
16. Babcock, Mike. "NU Volleyball: A Championship Tradition" (PDF). Nebraska Huskers. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
17. Williams, Pat; Babcock, Mike (26 November 2016). Tom Osborne On Leadership: Life Lessons from a Three-Time National Championship Coach. Advantage Media Group. ISBN 978-1599323794.
18. "After Building Powerhouse Program, Pettit Pleased To See Sustained Success Of Husker Volleyball". central.newschannelnebraska.com. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
19. Babcock, Mike. "NU Volleyball: A Championship Tradition" (PDF). Nebraska Huskers. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
20. Voepel, Michelle (10 December 2010). "Huskers attract die-hard following". ESPN. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
21. Wagner, Brett. "Nebraska volleyball program had many changes in 40 years". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
22. "Terry Pettit announced as first member of Nebraska's 2020 athletic hall of fame class". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
23. "2000 NCAA Champions". NU Athletics. 2002-07-29. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
24. "Omaha breaks NCAA ticket sales mark". NU Athletics. 2005-12-17. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
25. "Huskers headed to Omaha". NU Athletics. 2006-12-09. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
26. "Nebraska wins NCAA volleyball title". USA Today. 2006-12-18. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
27. . AVCA. 2006-12-15. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
28. "Nebraska's Sarah Pavan is Honda-Broderick Cup winner". Honda. 2007-06-18. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
29. "No. 1 Huskers Roll Past Tennessee". Huskers.com. 2007-08-24. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
30. "California stuns Nebraska to advance to final four". AVCA. 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2008-08-01.^{[permanent dead link]}
31. "Pavan named 2008 Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year". NU Athletics. 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
32. "Huskers Beat Baylor, Share Big 12 Title". Huskers.com. November 29, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
33. "Huskers Advance to Elite Eight". Huskers.com. December 12, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
34. "On to Omaha!". Huskers.com. December 14, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
35. "Nittany Lions Nip Nebraska in NCAA Semifinals". Huskers.com. December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
36. "Huskers Fall in Front of NCAA Record Crowd". Huskers.com. 2009-09-13. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
37. "NCAA Omaha Regional Homepage". Huskers.com. December 11, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.^{[permanent dead link]}
38. "2011 Nebraska Volleyball". www.huskers.com. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
39. Brent Wagner. "Huskers drop in poll after first loss". JournalStar.com. Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
40. "Nebraska volleyball team sweeps to keep repeat in view". York News-Times. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
41. "Nebraska defeats Washington 3-0". NCAA.com. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
42. "Nebraska beats Florida to capture fifth volleyball championship". Associated Press. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
43. Myers, Jacob (December 22, 2021). "Women's sports remain a hit in Columbus with record crowd at NCAA volleyball championship". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
44. "Volleyball Day in Nebraska Tickets Sold Out" (Press release). Nebraska Cornhuskers. April 27, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
45. "Huskers Sweep Creighton; Set NCAA Mark". Huskers.com. September 1, 2009.
46. "Huskers Fall in Front of NCAA Record Crowd". NU athletics. September 13, 2009.
47. "NCAA site should rotate". USA Today. 2008-12-16. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
48. "Huskers Sweep Bears, 3–0". NU Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
49. "Nebraska Coliseum". NU athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
50. . Nebraska Athletics. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
51. Merrill, Elizabeth (August 29, 2023). "How Nebraska volleyball plans to pack Memorial Stadium". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
52. Wagner, Brent (2016-08-21). "Move to Devaney nets profit for volleyball program". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
53. "Nebraska volleyball program consistently generating a profit". Washington Times – Associated Press. August 21, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
54. Star, Brent Wagner | Lincoln Journal. "Move to Devaney nets profit for volleyball program". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
55. writer, Henry J. Cordes / World-Herald staff. "Net gains in Lincoln: Volleyball is a revenue generator for NU". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
56. "Women's college volleyball all-time attendance records". Retrieved 2023-09-07.
57. "Three Huskers Named AVCA All-Americans". University of Nebraska Athletics. April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
58. "2020-21 Nebraska VB Media Guide" (PDF). University of Nebraska Athletics. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
59. "2012 NCAA women's volleyball records" (PDF). NCAA. 2012.
60. "Huskers Ranked No. 1 in AVCA Preseason Poll". Huskers.com. August 15, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
61. "Volleyball Field Set for Collegiate Nationals". Huskers.com. University of Nebraska Athletics. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 2021-04-14.