Dani Busboom Kelly Named New Nebraska Volleyball Coach, Replacing John Cook
![Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly answers questions the day before the 2022 national championship match in Omaha. Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly answers questions the day before the 2022 national championship match in Omaha.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4188,h_2355,x_0,y_260/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_huskers/01jjt4wekwvedxb8q9q6.jpg)
Dani Busboom Kelly is coming home.
Just minutes after John Cook officially announced his retirement after 25 years of leading Nebraska volleyball, Busboom Kelly was named the fourth head coach in program history. Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen made the announcement Wednesday.
"We are excited to welcome Dani and her family back to Lincoln to continue our tradition of excellence in our volleyball program," Dannen said. "She has demonstrated outstanding leadership at the highest levels of the sport and I am confident that our program will remain among the nation’s elite for years to come. This is a special place that needs an exceptional coach, and we have her. Welcome to Dani and her family!"
A Husker homecoming for DBK.
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) January 29, 2025
Introducing the 4th Head Coach of Nebraska Volleyball, Dani Busboom Kelly. pic.twitter.com/IIWtL7C2k3
Busboom Kelly has spent the last eight years building Louisville into a national power. The Cardinals have reached two NCAA Championship matches, three NCAA Semifinals, five regional finals and have won four ACC titles.
In eight seasons as a head coach, Busboom Kelly has compiled a 203-44 (.822) record.
A Cortland, Neb., native, Busboom Kelly has agreed to a six-year contract to return home to lead her alma mater. She will be formally introduced as the Huskers’ head coach on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The welcome event will be open to the public, with an introductory press conference to follow.
"The opportunity to come home to Nebraska is more than a dream come true," Busboom Kelly said. "I want to thank Troy Dannen, Dr. Jeffrey Gold, and Kristen Brown for their trust in me to continue the legacy of Nebraska volleyball. A huge thank you to John Cook. I would not be here without his mentorship and support. I’ve gotten chills listening to the roars in the Coliseum and now Devaney since I was nine years old. Nebraska is the greatest place in the world to play volleyball and I am honored to be a part of it once again! My family and I can’t wait to get to work and bring more championships home. Go Big Red!"
As a Husker, Busboom Kelly moved from setter to libero in 2006 to help Nebraska’s defense and finished her career as one of only two players to rank among NU’s all-time leaders in both digs (1,281) and assists (2,873). She was a four-year starter for Cook, guiding NU to a 124-10 record, three Big 12 titles, two NCAA Final appearances and a national title in 2006.
After graduating, Busboom Kelly spent time at Tennessee and Louisville before joining Cook's staff in Lincoln in 2012. She worked with Nebraska's setters, liberos, outside hitters and recruiting.
One of the best recruiters in the nation, Busboom Kelly helped Nebraska's resurgence to the forefront of college volleyball. The Huskers captured the 2015 NCAA Championship at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, the same place Busboom Kelly won the national title as a player for the Huskers in 2006.
Dani and her husband, former Nebraska football player Lane Kelly, were married in the summer of 2010 and have a son, Boone.
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