(upbeat music) - Volleyball experienced exponential growth last season and 2024 aims to showcase the sport even more.

It's an exciting time across our state where volleyball reigns supreme.

Fall camp is in full swing and tonight we preview the season, digging into several programs across the state, including the perennial national powers, Creighton and Nebraska.

(upbeat music) - Hello and welcome to a Nebraska Public Media sports special on the state of volleyball in Nebraska.

I'm your host, Ana Bellinghausen.

And coming up later in the show we visit with Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth, and we'll also be joined by Matt Buttermore of Omaha, coaches from division two in Powerhouses, Wayne State and Nebraska-Kearney, the head coach of the Omaha Supernovas, but first we're pleased to be joined in studio by four time national championship head coach John Cook.

John, thanks so much for joining us.

- Thank you, Ana.

It's an honor to be here.

- I appreciate it.

Well thanks so much for taking the time.

And we have to start off with the 2023 season and I know you told your team you have to be the most motivated team out there.

How do you balance looking back at last year's loss versus trying to keep that motivation coming into 2024?

- Well, we're kind of using that, you know, how we ended our season wasn't great, we didn't play great and there's a couple ways you can end your season.

You can win.

If you lose, you want to play your best.

And you know, it came up short, but when we played the way we did, it's just been, hasn't felt good ever since then.

So I think there's a drive and motivation that, you know, we want to try to have another opportunity to prove what we can do and play our best match in the finals.

- Well, there's plenty of opportunities to do that in the Big 10, especially with the realigned conference.

What are your views on that and how that adds so much more competition to volleyball?

- Well, the Big 10 is gonna be a brutal schedule and it's going to really test teams and you're gonna have to be very resilient and have a lot of grit.

And I'm just looking at, you know, people's schedules and it's... adding those four teams in the West Coast is not easy for them or for us or the other Big 10 teams.

But it's gonna be the Premier conference and I think it's gonna be really exciting for fans.

And we're playing every night but Mondays, so it's gonna be like Big 10 volleyball almost every night of the week and on Sundays.

And then now we're gonna be on NBC, ABC... and so it's really becoming big time and it doesn't feel like the old Big 10 or the old Big 12 anymore.

This feels like a whole new adventure.

- Okay, well one of the biggest storylines of the off season, maybe not has to do with volleyball, but rather your horse Rev.

Can you give us an update on that front?

- Rev is living the country club life in Alta, Wyoming right now.

He has a nice big pasture with beautiful grass out there.

Flies aren't very bad up in Wyoming and there's no mosquitoes but he's doing great.

Of course I haven't...

I've been..

I was up there a few weeks ago and got to ride him and my son's riding them now and... but yeah, he's a great horse and he's loving the attention and he loves... 'cause you know, he was on a ranch, even those ranch horses are just kind of kicked out there or they're, they don't have the best lifestyle now he's got the country club life, so he's, enjoying it.

- I love it.

Alright, well one of the other big storylines of the off season, your contract was extended through 2029.

Coach, I'm just curious though, you could retire and be one of the most decorated coaches of all time, but you decide to keep coaching.

Why?

- First of all, I love this group.

I love our leaders.

I love the group.

I'm having as much fun coaching as I've ever had.

I'm in this decade of my life right now, which is in the sixties.

You know, we've played for four national championships in the last seven years.

I've never had a run that good.

So I feel like I'm... as you go to the School of Education, they did a big research paper, they call it the "Wonder Years".

And as you get to a certain point where you just kind of have wisdom, you have experience, you know, kind of better feel what to do and, and when to do it and things like that.

So I'm just, I'm really, really enjoying it and, I'm mainly I'm gonna give credit to our team because I've got a really awesome group of young women who want to be great and they're working really hard and I've got an awesome staff and now Jordan's back.

And I know Jordan is, she's just an inspiration to be around every day.

- Well, you have to be excited because last season you had zero seniors and now you go to a team with so many experienced sophomores with national championship experience now.

And six seniors.

How have you seen that maturity shine through so far?

- Yeah, it does feel like we have a veteran team and what I kind of, what I've noticed is we just, we know how to take care of business.

They, what I am seeing though is they, they've got really high standards, so I see some frustration once in a while when they're not hitting 'em.

But what's really cool is our two freshmen, Olivia and Skyler, I mean, they are right there with everybody just playing great.

So you feel like you've got this very veteran team and those two, it's not like, oh those guys are freshmen.

They're doing really, really well.

So I think that's helped them to be able to go in there and perform at a high level and compete really hard.

And, but yeah, it does feel like, you know, Lexi's been there four years... and so I don't know.

They just, yeah, they're just kind of a, they take care of business now.

They kind of know what to do before we ask them.

- Yeah.

You mentioned that Lexi's been there four years.

How has she led this team so well with so much grace and joy?

- Well, she loves volleyball and I think she eats sleeps, dreams volleyball.

And she's got a great personality.

She can, she just, she's somebody you can't say no to or you can't, you know, it's whatever.

She says, okay Lexi, we'll do it and we understand Lexi, let's go.

And so she's just got that a way about her that she's able to communicate really well with people and make them, uplift them.

And that's why they asked me in the Big 10 meeting days, who's the funniest person?

Of course Lindsay and Kennedy are there and they think they're the funniest.

But I said, no, Lexi, because every time you have a conversation with her, whether it's a good conversation, bad conversation, she's smiling.

So she's just a happy kid.

- How about the two transfers you bring in Taylor Landfair and Layla Blackwell?

What do you hope they bring to this team?

- Well, Layla is emerging and getting comfortable and how we do things and she's just blossoming in front of our eyes.

It's been amazing in just two weeks now where she started and where she is now.

And I, again, I think anytime you get a athlete like that and you put 'em around other great athletes, that's the best.

They improve the fastest when they're around these other great athletes.

'cause they know how they have to go.

And Taylor just does things that nobody else can do.

I mean, she's 6'4", hits really high.

She's really smooth and she's got a lot of experience.

She sees the block really well.

She's does everything really, really well.

And of course she's still trying to figure things out and we train a little bit differently than she did at Minnesota, but I think she's really enjoying it.

I, the other night she gave her speech on why she plays volleyball.

We asked them for their why and she pulls out her phone and it's literally like a page and a half.

She said it took her a couple hours to write it all out.

I mean, I was, I was blown away.

And I think our team was too.

How much all this means to her.

So that validates everything that this was a good decision.

And Layla is just a great fit.

It feels like Layla's been here for four years.

I don't know.

It's just that kind of personality as well.

Girls love her and that she gets along with everybody and I was gonna, I actually called Lauren Stivrins today and said, "Hey Lauren".

'cause Lauren just got back into Nebraska and she's gonna be training.

And I said, "Hey, will you spend time with Layla?"

She goes, "Coach, I already am".

So they've been talking all summer and hanging out and you know, 'cause I want Lauren to kind of help her, you know, with the transition to Nebraska.

- How about your young setter in Bergen Reilly too?

I know she spoke yesterday at the press conference and talking about how she feels so much more free.

How have you seen her evolve as a setter?

- She's just got her freshman year outta the way.

She knows what needs to be done.

She had a great experience with USA, played a really high level and then they hit crazy numbers.

I just think she's a year older, wiser and really confident now.

And she's gone to another level.

- And the outside hitter position group I think will have so much competition.

How have you seen that just raise the bar every single day in the gym?

- Yeah, it's war.

I mean it's, they're battling maybe war's not the best answer, but it is a high level competition and we're just rotating 'em right now.

And again, the biggest thing to me is Skyler is like right there with them and she does not back down.

So when you think, okay, there's gonna be a drop off there, there's no drop off.

And so these guys are really battling and I don't know who would start, if we played a match tomorrow.

- You could maybe say that for the middle position as well with Rebekah and Andi Jackson.

How much has Andi grown though, just in her development and growth?

- So Andi last year was always worried about, am I good enough to play here?

She now knows she's good enough to play here and now you just see her like taking over.

It's been awesome to watch.

And I think she played on that USA team and had a great USA experience with them and played at a really high level.

So I think she's got a lot of confidence from that and it's really, she's brought into the gym.

So she's just a different player.

Completely.

I mean, like I said, you know, all year last year.

I don't, I'm not sure I'm good enough to play here, you know, and now I think she's got big dreams.

- What do you think that is just about the culture of success and what's been laid here foundationally at Nebraska?

I know there's tons of alumni coming back and I think you even had players do presentations about alumni.

What's just been laid here that's worked so well for Nebraska and just continuing that culture?

- Well, we have a great tradition and we want our players to understand that tradition and what it means to be a Nebraska Volleyball player.

I mean, when you have three of the 12 Olympians from Nebraska, we've got all these players around living in Lincoln and coming back.

So we want to tap into that.

And that's why we had 'em do that alumni thing.

And again they did PowerPoints it was unreal.

I mean, you guys should be playing that stuff on Nebraska public television and it's was really, really impressive.

They really, really dove into it.

But I, you know, I'll share with you, we saw the ESPN documentary last night and I was talking to the producers afterward and I said, "So why'd you wanna do Nebraska Volleyball"?

And she says, "Because I want to know about Nebraska Volleyball culture".

And I thought that was one of the greatest compliments we could ever get.

And that's not me, that's not our coaches or this current team.

That is Nebraska Volleyball and the culture of the state and everything we've done from all the players that have played here.

And one of the other things that they were fascinated with is Jordan's coaching here, Kelly's Coaching here, Lindsay Peterson's coaching here.

And so why do these former players want to come back and be a part of this program?

So they know there's something special here and again, it all starts with our culture and it's something we work really hard at.

- Well the show's called the "State of Volleyball".

So coach, where would you say that is in terms of the entire sport and the growth that we've seen over the past years?

- Nebraska is the epicenter of volleyball in this country.

I mean, we're gonna, and this is what I always like to say, I don't know if you've ever heard me talk about this, but last year, all three division one teams made the NCAA tournament.

Think of that happening in men's basketball.

People would be losing their minds thinking, you know what the heck's going on with the universe?

But just think about that.

And that was one of my dreams way back when UNO went division one, you know, we went up there and played when Kirsten took over Creighton, you know, it was not a very strong program.

And so we started playing them, just try to help build that up.

So to me that was a awesome moment to see all three teams make it.

And then you look at high school, I think we had five or six teams ranked in the top 100.

Omaha Skutt was third at the end of the year.

Look at Wayne State was ranked number one all year last year.

I think Kearney was ranked five most of the year.

NAIA we got top teams in the top 20.

So you see that it's not just Nebraska or Creighton, it's all across all levels of volleyball in this state.

And I don't know if you're gonna ask me about being the grand marshal at Burwell Rodeo.

- That was next.

- Okay.

So I won't jump the gun on that for that part of it.

But the biggest thing that surprised me is how many volleyball fans are in the western part of the state.

And I've been doing this cowboy thing with them and it's been great.

They love it.

But the people that know about volleyball in the state, in those small towns, I mean it just blew me away how big and how important volleyball is and, and how much pride they have even in their little high school teams and the players that are playing and out there and it's just... so I think volleyball's the epicenter.

We have two pro teams now in Nebraska and we've done things that... you know, the stadium match and this ESPN E60 and this show right here, I mean, how many other college volleyball programs and you guys are doing it on the state of volleyball.

Where else is this happening?

But you know what it, people love it and it's gonna drive good ratings.

- Well coach, not only the head coach at Nebraska, but also the Grand Marshall at the Burwell Rodeo.

Thank you so much for the time today.

We really appreciate it.

And best of luck in this '24 season.

- Thank you.

Good to be here.

- Joined now by head coach of the Creighton Bluejays, Kirsten Bernthal Booth.

Coach so much for joining me today.

- Oh, my pleasure.

- Well, I wanna start first with your trip to Paris to see Taryn Kloth, one of your former athletes.

How special of a moment was that?

- Yeah, it was pretty amazing.

Went with my associate head coach, Angie Behrens and then our former senior women's administrator and then actually a big supporter of Taryn's went.

So four of us went, you know, and if people didn't watch it was right next to the Eiffel Tower.

All of our games were at 10:00 PM so it was at night.

And the Eiffel Tower starts sparkling every hour.

So the atmosphere and what they did atmosphere wise from an energy standpoint really at any venue that we went to was incredible.

And we saw Taryn have three wins, but really, you know, you become maternal to these young women, you know.

So I gave her mom a hug and I was like tearing up and I was like, I feel so much pride so I can only imagine how she feels.

So quite a ride.

I mean Taryn's story is remarkable.

It's a long story.

It would be a great piece at some point just because you know, how quickly she's ascended to that level is pretty amazing.

- Yeah, I mean her plan wasn't even to do sand volleyball whatsoever.

How much did you see her growth throughout her pro career and even throughout college?

- Well, I think the interesting thing is had PVF or LOVE been around, these professional teams that just have started, I think she'd be playing indoor volleyball still.

But she didn't really wanna go live abroad long term.

She'd been abroad, but she didn't wanna do that you know, for a year.

She is really academically focused.

It was an opportunity to get her MBA and then Covid hits.

So she gets an additional year.

And so, you know, she's three years into playing this sport and by the end she is, you know, on the number one team... her partner and her are the number one pair in the country.

So really fast.

And I don't know beach, I don't wanna act like I know the game very well, but it was fun watching and even from my eyes be able to say she's gonna get so much better.

I mean her, you know, she's like, "Every time I play I'm learning things".

I, you know, I understand the IQ of the game, the execution of the game.

So I think it's exciting to think what her potential is too.

- Well let's talk about the 2023 season for your team.

I remember speaking to you after you just advanced to the Sweet 16 in Omaha and there was, you know, tears in your eyes just because you were so emotional, it hadn't happened since 2016.

And to do it in Omaha in front of all these fans and just get that monkey off the back.

How important of a moment was that for you in this program?

- Yeah, I think it was important for us to get there.

'cause we'd been hosting the last few years and so you're supposed to get to the Sweet 16 and we'd lost some...

I think some years we beat ourselves and other years we got beat, you know, you're playing great teams at that point.

And you know, for us to come in and and dominate Minnesota, a team that was playing really, really well, you know, a big 10 team, all those different things was huge.

And I do think it felt like a little bit of a monkey off our back.

Maybe the players felt it but I can tell you the coaches felt it, or at least us longtime coaches, you know, why are we not getting through this, you know, through this step at home.

We've done everything right from a preparation to get the opportunity to earn this.

We've got incredible fans, so how do we take the pressure off our players so they can just play?

And I thought that's what the group did is they just played the way they were capable of playing and good things happen and you know, and then we go and play a great Louisville team, you know, lose in five, which was a heartbreaker for sure.

And you know, I think that has driven this group a little bit, you know, that we were so close to moving on even further and not getting there.

- Yeah, you know, what have been those emotions and vibes around preseason camp and just knowing that team was so close of advancing even further.

- Yeah, I mean I feel like a little bit of a broken record, but I just love this group.

I mean they just really are they, they've worked really hard since January.

You know, we kind of start in January, that's when season starts and you know, they've done the things on and off the court I think to have a great season.

You know, there's always some luck, you gotta stay healthy.

You know, things have to go your way sometimes.

But I think we've done the preparation to have success.

We've spent a lot of time talking, you know, we really lean into culture on our team, right?

Like of making sure we protect that but, but how do we create maybe a little bit, I don't even wanna say it as anger, but like we're gonna, we're gonna get this done type of idea.

So we've really spent a lot of time this spring and preseason so far of like end game situations of we're gonna be great all the time, but at end game watch out, we're even gonna be better.

- Well I know one player that'll have a lot of a say in that is Norah Sis and you saw her struggle through injury last season and missing 11 matches.

But then, you know, picking up right where she left off.

How important of a piece is she to this team, not only on the court, but also off the court with her leadership?

- Yeah, I mean, Norah is such a great role model for this team.

I think, I don't know if I've coached a kid that loves volleyball as much as she does.

I mean she gets taken out of a drill and she's like, can I go in?

And we've limited preseason a little bit more.

It's our longest preseason ever.

We have some preexisting in injuries.

We have a veteran group, so we've gone to a little more than one practice a day during preseason, but maybe a little bit less.

And she's, you know, texting me what is going on with preseason?

I want two a days.

Like most kids don't say those things.

So I think, you know, she's just got an infectious personality with the way that she works and that's in strength and conditioning.

That's what she does off the court.

And then obviously in the gym she's just gonna set a tone of hard work, but being grateful, you know, you're never gonna have Nora approach something of, I mean she just likes everything.

I mean I can't even express how refreshing it is to have someone as a leader in one of your best players that just finds the bright side of everything.

- It feels like Kendra Wait is in that same category as well.

Another All American returning and the Big East preseason player of the, or excuse me, Big East Player of the Year last year.

- Yep.

- How big of an advantage is that just to have two leaders on your team that can really set the tone?

- Yeah, I mean Kendra and Norah are different, but they're both the same in the sense that they are just wired to love the game.

They want to go as hard as they can every single day.

They show up every day.

They're both incredible teammates.

They're fiercely competitive.

But it's not just Kendra and Norah.

I mean we've got veterans.

I mean Kiara Reinhardt's played her entire career.

She's gonna be a fifth year this year.

You know, Ava Martin, some of these kids that have played a lot, we've got some transfers in, I know you're gonna talk about some of those guys, but it is not just those two.

It is a core group that lead the charge every single day in practice so that the younger players can hopefully follow and they have been of what is our expectation in the gym every day to get better that will hopefully reap rewards once we're playing other teams.

- And Ava Martin too, I mean she's not the young player anymore.

- Yeah - She is, you know, into that junior role and a bigger role on this team.

How have you seen her grow since the day she stepped in the gym?

- Yeah, Ava, you know, wasn't starting at the beginning of her freshman year, we were trying to put her on the right side and by middle of her freshman year she was playing three rotations.

And then, you know, what happened was last year when Norah got injured, we threw her into the sixth rotation role and man, that kid stepped up and now statistically she's one of our best passers.

You know, her serve had been erratic early and then she became one of our best servers.

I think the thing that's impressive about Ava is when given the opportunity, she has stepped up consistently, you know, after the Louisville match she was like, she said I wanted to do more, I wanna do more, I wanna do more.

And I love that mentality.

I think she's a kid that still has a lot of growth in her and wants to do more.

So that's exciting.

She, you know, made the USA collegiate team, I think that was really big for her confidence of saying, okay, I am in this mix.

So, you know, I think what makes us hopefully a difficult challenge and I think we have other outsides too, but between those two and then you know, you know we've got Destiny Naadam Simpson, you know Sophia, Wedndlick is new this year.

Some kids that can go into Ava TeStrake in that outside slot that can all go six rotations.

So you know, one kid goes to the back row, another kid comes up, but we still have offense coming from the back row too.

- You also bring in two talented transfers.

First one I wanna bring up Elise Goetzinger out of Kentucky who has experienced not only in the NCAA tournament but also in national championship match.

How important will that be just for experience on this team?

- Yeah, Elise has been a great addition.

Like you said, she played at Kentucky four years, had a wonderful experience.

There was a starter on that national championship team.

I think the thing that has been, well first of all she's just a delight.

I mean she's a high, you'll see when you watch her play, she's a high energy kid, but she like pretty early in the spring grabbed the team and said, you know enough with this like Sweet 16, like let's win this thing.

We are talented.

So someone that has been in the room to say we can do these things, I think gives some credibility that no one else in our gym has.

And so that's been great, you know, she and Kiara Reinhardt were club teammates so I think that made her transition, you know, and we've played Kentucky every year of her career.

So she was pretty familiar with the Creighton program and just has really eased in nicely to the team.

- And then Penn State's Maddie Bilinovic what do you think she brings in, especially with that Big 10 experience?

- Yeah, you know, Maddie was down to Creighton and Penn State when she came through the recruiting process.

So another kid that was pretty familiar with the program.

Had a phenomenal career at Penn State.

Sometimes as a DS, sometimes as a libero.

If you watch Maddie in the gym, she's just got a feistiness about her.

You know, she is that kid that's just like, let's go, you know?

But in a good way.

Like I think the team has really responded to her well.

So she's brought a nice edge and again, you know last year they were a Sweet 16 team.

I think that's as far as she's been, but a kid that has consistently been in the NCAA tournament and know what knows what that feels like.

- How about the four freshmen incoming as well?

What have you seen from them early on?

- Well, two of them came early.

Emersen Strain and Nora Wurtz came in January and then Alivia Hausmann and Sophia Wendlick came this summer.

So really great women.

Emersen's a setter, Nora's out of the Omaha area is, a middle blocker, Sophia is a pin, and then Alivia's a DS/Libero.

So you know, we kind of hit every position.

I think each of them have already shown great strides.

It was huge for Nora and Emersen to be able to get in the weight room in the spring and kind of get that going.

But as far as just fitting in culturally, they've been great assets to the program.

- Well let's talk that non-conference schedule, because you do not make it easy on your team whatsoever.

All 11 non-con opponents were top 61 RPI last season.

Why do you do this number one, but how important is that early test for your team?

- Yeah.

Well I think it is, you know, ultimately we want to make a run in the NCAA tournament.

And so everything that we do, you know, we get to determine our non-con schedule, right?

The Big East, the schedule is set every year we get determined that non-con and I wanna put together as many as we call 'em resume builders as we can.

So every single team we're gonna play this fall builds that resume if it goes in front of the NCAA committee for us to A, get in that large bid to host, potentially host a regional.

And so those are all things that we're trying to give ourselves an opportunity to earn.

And it's fun, you know, every kid on this team got recruited with, we're gonna play one of the toughest schedules in the country.

You know, we recruit against the Big 10 a lot, the Big 12 a lot.

And they're gonna say our conference is better than the Big East Conference.

And numbers wise it is.

Big East is great.

We were sixth in the country last year out of 30 some conferences.

So we are a great conference, but right now the Big 10 and the Big 12, SEC and the ACC are ahead of us.

And so they use that in the recruiting world.

Well, what we'll talk about is we just flip the script, you know, so our tough, tough schedule is at the get go and we get after it and then we get into a very rigorous good Big East league with an opportunity to potentially win it if we play well.

So, and go into the NCAA tournament with confidence.

So it's just a different order to a lot of those games, but it'll be fun.

I mean, there's no rest for the weary.

- I mean, in that Big East talk too, you're always the number one and or number two between yourself and Marquette.

But how is that a point of emphasis for you when you're talking to these recruits of, "Hey, you can win a conference championship here", and there's always going to be that standard and expectation at Creighton to be in that one/two conversation?

- Well, I think it's, you know, a lot of times I bring recruits in and say, "Have you ever won a championship?".

And some have.

I won a state championship or I won a club national championship.

But most haven't.

I mean, it's hard to win a championship and a lot of the teams that we'll recruit against will say, Hey, if we finish eighth in the Big 10, we're gonna go to the NCAA tournament.

And I'm like, yeah, we have a chance to win the Big East.

And we've been to 12 straight NCAA tournaments.

So winning is fun.

I mean I'm going through the recruiting process with my daughter, I'm like, don't underestimate how fun winning is.

So keep that in mind as you start looking at schools.

So, you know, we lean into the fact that we're gonna, I mean, again, last year we weren't picked to win the Big East, you know, a lot of times we haven't been able to, but we did, you know, we had opportunities and we won the tournament title and we tied Marquette for the regular season title.

So those are experiences that not every person gets to experience in their life and they have that opportunity here.

- Well, I also wanna touch on the growth of volleyball because I know you're very passionate about that.

You're the president of the AVCA.

How much have you seen within that growth?

There's four nationally televised Creighton matches and maybe even more upcoming.

Nebraska Public Media will have three matches.

How important is that to you and just your mission?

- Oh, I could go on a little rant here, Ana, for a long time, but you know, volleyball is booming right now, and I think it is awesome that people are starting to see how much people love this sport.

And we're seeing, last year we just busted attendance records nationally.

That's people's butts in the seats.

That's television eyes.

All these things that are showing.

And the unique thing with volleyball is I mean, pretty much all sports unfortunately are kind of standing on the back of men, right?

They get that time because men's sports get it.

Volleyball is the only sport that is standing, that women's volleyball is watched more than men's volleyball.

And we wanna grow men's volleyball.

But given the runway, given the opportunity, people are watching.

I mean the Big 10 led this, the BTN and I think you guys, you know, really led the way to say, Hey, we're gonna put this on tv.

And people have shown up.

I mean, your viewership is, you have a lot of people watching.

And so I think that's the, the message that we continue to try to, to pound is that give us the opportunity.

Put us on major networks, you know, our NCAA tournament.

We're not getting every match on.

We're not on linear television.

We need every match on linear television.

And we need you guys to tell the story.

You know?

Human interest stories.

I mean the Olympics just did this.

They tell a two minute human interest story and all of a sudden you're invested.

Well, given that opportunity for volleyball, we think our viewership can even jump more.

- Well coach, if you build it, they'll come.

Thank you so much for your time and best of luck this season.

- Thank you so much.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - Pleased to be joined by the head coach of the Omaha Mavericks, Matt Buttermore.

Coach, thanks so much for joining us today.

- Good to be here.

- Well, I wanna start first on that 2023 season and just reflecting back, it was a tough start in non-conference, but your team remained resilient.

How do you think back on that 2023 season?

- I haven't been thinking about it a lot lately, to be honest.

Let me think.

You know, we had a lot of highlights.

We had some pretty, we had highs and lows was really what it was.

You know, we went to the tournament for the first time.

We had volleyball day.

And we had the losing streak.

So, and we learned a lot through all of that.

It was a good process for our team, for our young team and to go through a lot of adversity and really in a lot of ways come out on top at the end.

So that's probably the biggest thing to remember from that season.

- Yeah, I think it can all be encompassed by that five setter in the championship.

How do you think back on that moment of overcoming all that adversity to win the first title in program history?

- Yeah, I looked bleak there for a little bit and I was just proud of our group for hanging tough there at the end of that third set.

And you know, we really, as a staff thought if we could grab one set that would be, you know, we just needed to win one set.

We hadn't won any in the last couple, so a lot of close sets, sets we were ahead in and we just needed to grab the one set and that I was so happy for that group.

I was happy for the seniors, I was happy for all of our alumni and just, you know, like I said, happy for our young group is, you know, our goal is to get back there and, and win games this year.

- Yeah.

And now this group has a taste of getting to the NCAA tournament.

How will that serve this team?

So well heading it into this next year.

- I think we understand the importance of the non-conference even more.

And not even just in terms of kind of getting ready for anything, but in terms of RPI, in terms of building confidence against the kinds of teams we'll need to beat in the NCAA tournament and learning from those and really taking those lessons, transferring 'em through conference play.

And so we're ready for the postseason of our conference tournament as well as as potential postseason - Coach, when you look at your roster and talk about those impact returners, who comes to mind first and those impact players that will really, I think, make their mark this season in 2024.

- Ooh, we got quite a few, you know, Ivy's back at Setter, she's doing a great job.

Ivy Leuck.

Kenna's back for her fifth year.

She's doing a lot of good things.

She's playing a lot of all around volleyball, not just in the middle right now.

So we will look to see how that develops throughout the rest of the fall.

Amanda's doing a nice job on the outside and you know, Emily had a setback.

Huss had a setback with a shoulder in spring ball, but she should be back here at some point.

And then she was our, you know, down the stretch leading blocker in the conference.

(upbeat music) Oh, Shayla is, you know, going on year four, feels like year seven.

She's been playing just about every game.

Shayla McCormick for us.

And we look for her to have a big impact too.

So I'm sure I forgot somebody in there.

Well, Kali.

Kali Jurgensmeier.

She missed a lot of last year with the knee injury.

Came back at the end, really provided a lift for our team and has been healthy all spring and into the fall here.

So, you know, one thing, you know, as a staff we're really working on figuring out the right lineup 'cause it's not always apparent with it's a good problem to have 'cause we gotta figure out where to, where to put everybody.

- Well, and now this team is trying to defend that Summit League title.

What is your message heading into this 2024 season to your squad?

- Oh, same as always.

You know, our goal here is always to go a little faster than we did the year before in terms of curriculum.

So how are we doing in the gym?

Can we learn faster this year?

You know, are we... and the thing that we learned at, we talked about the '23 season are our values.

So today at practice we're gonna kind of grade how we've been doing our values and what, and these are the values that the team has come up with that they think will be really important to them this semester.

And, you know, those, those are really the messages.

We know the goals, we know what's in front of us.

We've talked about kind of a great opportunity.

We had Italy, we have a lot of returners, we have some talented freshmen, so we have a great opportunity ahead of us, but we gotta make sure we take advantage of it, right?

It doesn't just happen.

So we've gotta keep, you know, accelerating what we're doing, keep learning, you know, having courage in practice, in big games no matter where it is.

Practicing, going for it.

Practicing making big mistakes and to take advantage of some of the positives we have going for us this year.

- Well coach, we appreciate the time.

Thanks so much for joining us and best of luck this season.

- Alright, thank you.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - Excited to be chatting with Rick Squiers, who's been at the helm of Nebraska-Kearney for 26 seasons.

Coach, appreciate the time today.

- Well I appreciate you having me.

It's an exciting time of the year.

- Absolutely.

Well, thinking back to last season, how do you reflect on 2023 as a whole and going to the NCAA tournament once again?

- Yeah, I mean it was kind of an interesting season in that, you know, we started with the outdoor game and you know, all the attention was on the stadium game.

So we had a couple of weird transitions and then we tried to, well we actually did break the NCAA Division II record with our first home match.

So there was all kinds of things going on before we even played a Division II opponent in a real game.

So it felt like our team got a little bit better every week and it felt like for a lot of the season we were trying to pull a little bit more out of 'em, especially on the defensive component.

But down the stretch, especially in the NCAA tournament, I thought we played some of our best volleyball.

And so that was satisfying to see.

We were really competitive at the end, felt like we had a team that, you know, in a lot of regions we could have come out, but you know, it takes some doing to get out of this region, that's for sure.

- Yeah, this team just fell short to Wayne State in five sets.

What does that say though, just about the level of talent for volleyball in Nebraska at that DII level?

- Yeah, I mean it's a little bit like Coach Cook says it's in our DNA here.

And that goes from, you know, the ten and unders all the way up through the college programs and at every level.

I mean NAIA, junior college, Division II, Division I, you know, the expectations are always high and volleyball's a major sport on everybody's campus and in everybody's school.

And so it's also really satisfying when you can have some homegrown talent on your roster, which most of our programs do.

But we're also seeing a little bit of an expansion with some of the bordering states trying to follow suit.

And I think that now it's more, a little bit more of a Midwest thing than just in Nebraska thing.

So there's great volleyball everywhere.

- Of course there's always a high standard at UNK, but with your culture that you've instilled at the university, where would you say that is right now and just where you want that culture to continue to grow?

- Yeah, I think it starts with, you know, high expectations and continuing to recruit the kind of people who wanna be challenged and who are comfortable being uncomfortable because you know, you're gonna play a lot of matches where the expectation is winning.

And so it really starts with continuing to try to recruit the right kind of people who aren't afraid of that kind of challenge.

And so we're fortunate that we've been able to do that for a long time.

I like the fact that this year's team has some upperclassmen who have really decided to take on some of those leadership roles.

And so I think we'll enter the season with all of the same lofty goals that we usually have as far as competing for an MIAA championship and trying to be back in the NCAA tournament and making a run at a national championship.

So, you know, it's one thing to say that, but you have to come in the gym every day and, you know, put in behaviors that give you a chance to make those things happen.

I think our team is willing to do that.

- Yeah, there's plenty of experience on this team.

Of your returners, who are some of those faces that you look to make a big impact this year?

- Yeah, I mean it's gonna be a, I think a balanced team but you know, probably starts with the fact that you have a returning All American setter in Peyton Neff who's continued to get better every season.

She'll be a third year starter.

Now she's already a college graduate, so she's in graduate school, so she's a mature individual anyway, but I think she's really gained confidence.

She played well down the stretch last year.

Asher Regier, who will be a senior this year for us, had a really good postseason and we'll look to her to kind of carry a heavy load offensively and maybe even play some back row for us this year.

And then we have a fifth year player, Lauren Taubenheim, who we asked to play Libero last year because we got a grad transfer who came in and played in what was her position as a right side.

And so she played a great Libero for us last year and she'll kind of be back in the mix this year competing for a right side position.

Either way she's gonna do something important for us as far as being an all around player and you know, especially the ball control and service receive and things like that.

So it's a little bit more of a veteran feel on this year's team than maybe we've had for a couple of years, maybe just because we have more upperclassmen.

We've got a grad transfer who was an All American libero coming to us from Hillsdale and so I think it's gonna be a little bit of an older team and that always makes you feel a little bit better as a coach.

- Well coach, lastly, what's your message to your squad in heading into this 2024 season?

What do you tell 'em?

- I think we say, you know, embrace the challenge.

The league is already tough but we were dealt maybe a little bit of a tougher break than usual because we have a new schedule this year, so some teams play home seven times and away nine times and yeah, the rest of the league it's nine at home and seven in away.

So we've got a little of a weird schedule.

We play two more road conference matches than we'd like.

So there's a handful of things like that.

The league is good, we've got a new team from Arkansas, of course we gotta go there this year.

So there's gonna be a lot of those types of things that maybe don't set up as favorably as you would like.

So we're gonna ask him to say bring it and we'll face all comers, all challenges and we wanna play the best and we wanna be one of the teams that's fighting down the stretch.

- Well coach thanks so much for the time and we look forward to watching your squad here in 2024.

- Appreciate you having me.

Go Lopers, (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - We're pleased to be joined by Scott Kneifl, the head coach at Wayne State.

Coach, thanks so much for spending some time with us.

- Absolutely.

Thanks for having me.

- Well let's start with the '23 season.

Your team makes it to the Elite Eight.

How proud are you of that group and how do you reflect back on what year was.

- Extremely proud.

It was a great, great season.

Winning the Northern Sun without, you know, without a loss was a huge feat.

Making the Elite Eight was another one as well.

Ultimately our goal is to win a national championship here and we really feel like our team was, you know, three points away last year, which is unfortunate.

But very proud of, of the steps they took and the way they did it.

- Well we have to give some props to you as well.

You won National Coach of the Year at the Division II level.

What did it mean to receive that honor?

- It was a great honor.

Obviously we really know those individual honors, I mean, they're a team award.

We really feel that way here at Wayne State.

I mean I have two great assistants in Kim DePew and Katie Morris.

They're phenomenal and it makes it really easy when you're coaching great players and a great team.

So those awards, they mean a lot, but at the same time the team awards mean a lot more.

- Well I know the standard is so high at Wayne State and the culture is a huge part of that.

How would you say that culture leads to success at your school?

- I mean, I think it's everything.

We try to run everything here like a family.

It is a big family and you know, we have a lot of players that are really good volleyball players, but they're great people, you know, they're great in the community, they're great in the classroom and it carries over to the court.

They're obviously, you have to be a great volleyball player to play here, but you know, they're just great people and you know we don't do drama here at Wayne State and you know, they just carry that over to the court and it's just, they're pleasure to coach.

- Well, speaking of great volleyball players, who are some of those impact returners you look to in this 2024 season?

- I mean we have Taya Beller and Maggie Brahmer, both two time first team All Americans back, which is in the middle, which is super exciting.

Two of the best players in the country and they're very, very physical at the net.

They do great things.

They do it in different ways, but we're excited about having both of those two back.

We also have Channatee Robles on the outside who played a key role in last year's team and she's, you know, looking to expand her role this year as a six rotation player.

So we do have some depth back from last year's team along with some transfers and, and some very talented freshmen that are fighting for a job right now.

And right now we're just trying to put this team together and see how far we can make it.

- Well coach for the 2024 season, I know the expectations are always there to be great for this team, but what kind of message do you give your squad heading into those first few matches?

- You know, I mean we just wanna get better every day and we wanna get better every match and you know, in the last two years I believe, you know, we've lost six times.

I mean, I think for something like 60, 61 and six over the last two years and this team, we know we could lose, you know, six times in the first three or four weeks, you know, hopefully not, but it could happen now.

We just want to continue to get better and peak at the end of the year.

We have a lot of newcomers like we talked about, so, you know, we're just hoping that we can come out, you know, obviously we wanna play well early but it's just about getting better every day.

- Well coach thank you so much for the time.

We appreciate you hopping on this show and best of luck in 2024.

- Thanks so much.

We appreciate it.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - We're joined now by the head coach of the Omaha Supernovas.

Coach, thank you so much for being with us today.

How are you doing?

- Yeah, I'm great.

It's good to be back.

I feel like we're starting to get almost live again and - You're wearing the championship shirt so we have to start there.

- Yes, yes.

- How amazing was that championship run?

- It was so fun.

I think just for our sport of volleyball to be a part of that inaugural season and with this group of Supernovas, that team was so special.

And to be able to host it in Omaha, I mean there were so many elements that made it special for us.

- And one key player will return to Omaha, Brooke Nuneviller.

How important and impactful is that for this team?

- Yeah, I mean Brooke obviously had a huge impact on so many different levels as a captain, as a player, just as a competitor.

And then just what she brought for the organization and the team.

So we're excited to have her back.

Obviously Naty, she's back as a setter and Sophie our young middle, you know.

But it's cool to have a core group that kind of experienced that and started with us.

- And one new face to this team, Reagan Cooper, she was the rookie of the year last season.

How important will that be to add another threat on the offensive end?

- I was excited for multiple reasons.

Reagan and I kind of built a relationship last year going into the first season 'cause she was coming out of KU.

And so I loved seeing her succeed and be so successful this first season.

And so to have her in Omaha now, it's special for her as well as us 'cause her dad obviously played at Nebraska.

So it's cool on that - Everyone somehow has ties to Nebraska.

- Somehow some way.

- And so do other players on this team.

Can you take us through some of those Nebraska ties specifically to the Cornhuskers?

- Yes.

So Kaitlyn Hord, Kayla Caffey, those two are huge pieces in the middle position.

They're gonna be impactful but their energy about coming back is so huge.

So we're excited to have that.

- And also Allison Whitten at Creighton University joining.

How awesome is that too, to not only have the Nebraska ties but also the Bluejays.

- I mean to be from Omaha and I talked to her multiple times.

Obviously she knows a lot of the players that were on our team last season.

And so to get her tied back in and her just being in Omaha, it was a great fit.

Obviously Briana Holman's also coming back and that was fun just because that was kind of during season then I started talking to her.

But it's so nice to feel the energy of the people that want to come back to Nebraska because of the sport.

I mean our sport is so special and the network in the community.

But to talk to those players that are so excited about Nebraska and coming back to Omaha, it makes it special.

- Well, I mean you can see how much this community cares about volleyball, not only at the collegiate level, but obviously it's translated to pro as well and just the thousands of people that would come out to Supernovas' matches.

How inspiring is that to you just to see the success in that inaugural year in terms of the fans?

- I think as coaches and players, we kind of take it for granted because you're in the grind and you're doing things, but the community involvement and the support that we felt made this special the whole season.

And I think working with the young, the youth but also the parents of those kids and when they would come out and see us, you could just feel the energy and that's what makes it special, especially being in Omaha.

- Well, another special part of this team, Gina Mancuso Prososki just had her first baby, Charlotte May.

How exciting is that for this team to welcome in a little one for the organization?

- Yeah, talk about, talk about full circle.

Gina like started with our program.

She's been a huge piece of our organization just even through all of the, you know, changes throughout the season.

And she will continue to be and now Charlotte, I can't wait to go meet her.

I haven't met her yet, but we're so excited for them and that's such a special time and it was such a special kind of timing situation for Gina.

So it's huge for us to have that as a kind of momentum going into the season.

- Well coach, we'll leave you on this expectations for this season.

What's your message to your team in terms of those?

- I think this season there's always the wins and losses that people wanna measure a season on, but it's really gonna be the growth again.

I mean we're gonna have a really new group but their a special talented group and so it's gonna be building that chemistry and trying to repeat.

- Absolutely.

Well Supernovas are trying to go back-to-back.

Coach, thank you so much for your time and best of luck this next season.

- Thank you.

It's great to be back.

(upbeat music) - We now welcome in volleyball beat writer Lincoln Arneal and it's crazy to think Lincoln the fall season is right underway.

Lincoln, just thinking about these three Division I programs starting with Nebraska, what are some of the biggest storylines for that program?

- I think it's how Nebraska rebounds from that loss in national championship match too.

They bring back a lot of experience.

Who is gonna step up and kind of take control of this team?

And really they added a lot more talent.

So the gym's gonna be a lot more competitive and how they're gonna deal with that motivation of improving on that.

I mean there's only one spot that they can improve upon.

Can they reach it and also deal with a lot more pressure of expectations because I don't know if that was there last year.

They were a very young team and I think they've surprised a lot of people by going undefeated as long as they did so they got a target on their back.

How are they going to really focus on that and kind of elevate their play and deal with the expectations that comes with being a target.

- How about the competition internally as well?

Where do you see the biggest position battles at?

- I think that the two question marks are also tie into where they got transfers to.

I mean I don't think outside hitter was a big area of need, but then they go add the 2022 Big 10 Player of the Year in Taylor Landfair to the returning starters.

Lindsay Krause who was playing like All American before she got hurt and Harper Murray who was an All American as a freshman.

So I'm really gonna be interested to see how they do that.

I mean and then you look at the other transfer, Leyla Blackwell and Middle Blocker Nebraska returns two starters in that position.

And Rebekah Allick and Andi Jackson.

How does she, how does she fit into that mix?

Are they gonna rotate them more just to keep them fresh?

'Cause it's a physical grind to play in the middle and now they have a lot more bodies and a lot more depth that they can work with there.

- How about someone that might surprise fans this season?

Who would you say that would be this season?

- I think this would be Olivia Mauch.

I mean as a freshman we talked to John Cook after the spring match out in Kearney and he said he kind of had plans to red shirt Olivia and kind of, they have a lot of depth.

They have Lexi Rodriguez, Laney Choboy, but she forced her way into that conversation.

It's gonna be fun to see how they use her, whether serving specialist or kind of as an emergency back row and really kind of figuring out what her role in the team is too.

'cause she's too good to sit on the bench all season.

She's already proved that in her short time here at Nebraska.

- Well, thinking of Big 10 expansion, who are some of those teams of that four do you think will be the biggest competition for Nebraska?

Or what kind of dates are you circling if you're a Husker fan?

- I think of the four former Pac-12 teams, the one I think is the most challenging is gonna be Oregon.

They lost a lot.

They lost I think seven seniors who graduated off the team, all signed professional contracts, but they had a lot of talent in the wings.

(upbeat music) And Mimi Colyer is one of the best players in the league on day one, when she joins the program at Oregon.

So I think they're gonna do it.

But also don't forget about USC.

A lot of familiar faces there.

Ally Battenhorst is there.

Tyler Hildebrand is a former assistant coach at Nebraska, so they're gonna be fun to watch as well too.

And then I think as far as the rest of the Big 10, Wisconsin they're always locked and loaded.

Purdue was one of the, also one of the youngest teams in the Big 10.

They return all of their players and Penn State's gonna be fun to watch too with their kind of mix of returning players in Jess Mrzuik and more familiar faces and some transfers to their team.

- Well let's move on to the Creighton Bluejays.

A team that made it to the Sweet 16 last season.

Where do you feel those biggest storylines lie with the Bluejays?

- I think, can Creighton get over the hump?

They've been knocking on the door so long.

They have, they have the talent to be a Final four.

Norah Sis, Kendra Wait, they're gonna be the ones leading that charge.

And they proved last year when Norah was out with her injuries, they got a lot of depth on the roster as well too.

So you hope one of these years they finally get to break the Hump one can they beat Nebraska?

They've never done that.

So I think that's one of the doors they're knocking on.

But two, can they make a Final Four?

And they have the talent and experience to be able to do that this year.

And so I think can they do that?

And it's hopeful that they can, - It's been such a consistent program for Coach Booth.

Why do you think that is with just the culture that's been set there at Creighton?

- I think it's the standard she sets.

I mean she's very particular about the athletes.

She recruits, the training they go through and the level of coaching that she provides.

And if she's had a lot of stability on her staff there as well too that the kind of, it's easy to teach and preach kind of performing at a high level when it's the same people preaching that message every single year of your career.

So they get a lot of high caliber athletes in there, a lot of local products and they're really coaching them up and to be able to perform to be one of the, the Big East juggernaut.

- Well, let's move on to the Summit League with the Omaha Mavericks, a team that's fresh off its first ever NCAA tournament appearance.

How impressive, first of all is has the job been that Matt Buttermore's done at Omaha and just what he continues to do with this team?

- Yeah, I mean he's got a lot of, there's a lot of competitions.

Not only just in town with Creighton, but a lot of other, I mean, Nebraska's also taken up a lot of the air in the conversation, but a lot of the Division II teams as well too.

So he's being able to figure out what it takes to compete at the Division I level and done it at a really high, 'cause in their league there's no margin for error.

You need to peak in November, in December, so you could win their conference tournament 'cause it's a one bid league and they, they fell short a couple of the past years.

They, they could be on their second or third straight appearance too, but they finally broke through last year.

It was really exciting to see.

But Matt Buttermore has done a great job of building that culture up and kind of following the culture of Nebraska and really again, done it with a lot of local products.

And that's fun to see when you see players from Omaha, Skutt, players from the Lincoln area, players from small towns really kind of build up and achieve success at Omaha.

- Well, beyond the collegiate level, it's also very evident in the professional scale as well in Omaha that fans are here and ready for it.

Now there's two teams in Omaha.

How big is that just for the sport of volleyball and its growth?

- I think it gives something for players and fans to stay in sync with volleyball.

Not just from August to December.

December you can go into hibernation and start thinking about spring football.

No, you can't do that.

You gotta follow, there's the Supernovas and then the League One is also starting to team up next year too.

So it's fun to continue to go to volleyball matches all year round and make it kind of, make it more part of the culture even more than it is too.

So I mean, it was fun going up to the CHI Center and, and seeing those huge crowds, those more than 10,000 people there to watch volleyball on a random March evening.

So it's fun.

It adds more and it's always great to see the sport continue to grow.

- Yeah.

In your time covering the sport of volleyball, how much have you seen it grow from your first days to right now?

- It's grown a lot.

I mean, I've covered volleyball for 20 years and just kind of from the days of the Coliseum to even the last six years when I've done it more on a full-time basis too.

I mean, we started a podcast where we talk about volleyball on a weekly basis during the fall too.

But again, all year round we're talking about volleyball and it's fun to see and connect with fans who really enjoy the sport and enjoy following it.

It's, yeah, people out there can't get enough and that's why they're watching this program too.

- Absolutely.

Well, we are excited for the fall season.

Lincoln Arneal, thank you so much for joining us.

- Thank you.

- And as the fall season gets underway, we want to wish all these programs the best of luck and we look forward to bringing you exciting matches this fall.

A special thanks goes out to John Cook, Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Matt Buttermore Rick Squiers, Scott Kneifl, Laura "Bird" Kuhn and Lincoln Arneal for joining us to discuss the state of volleyball.

I'm Ana Bellinghausen and we'll see you back here soon on your home for volleyball, Nebraska Public Media.

(upbeat music)