Honors
• 4 National Championship teams (2000, 2006, 2015, 2017)
• 8 NCAA Finals appearances
• 11 NCAA Semifinals appearances
• 23 NCAA Regional appearances in 24 years at NU
• 13 Conference Titles at NU
• 68 AVCA All-Americans at NU
• 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans at NU
• Nation’s best win percentage while at NU
• 850 career wins (689 at Nebraska)
• 21 top-10 final rankings since 2000
• Sixth-winningest coach in NCAA history
• AVCA Hall of Fame inductee (2017)
• USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award (2008)
• AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year (2000, 2005, 2023)
• Volleyball Magazine National Coach of the Year (2008, 2018)
• AVCA Division I Region Coach of the Year (1997, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2016, 2023)
• Big 12 Coach of the Year (2001, 2005, 2008, 2010)
• Big Ten Coach of the Year (1997, 2016, 2017, 2023)
• NACDA/USOC Collegiate Coaches Award (1997)
The philosophy of John Cook can be summarized in two simple words: Dream Big.
When Cook took over the reins of the Nebraska volleyball program in 2000, the challenge facing him was daunting. Cook replaced one of the sport’s legendary coaches in Terry Pettit, who won 694 matches and guided the Huskers to 18 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and six national semifinals. Cook, who left an emerging power in Wisconsin to guide the tradition-rich Husker program, had his own vision for Nebraska volleyball. He saw a program that had even more potential to grow.
When others saw risks, Cook saw opportunities.
Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has guided the Huskers to four NCAA Championships, 11 NCAA Semifinals appearances, nine Big 12 titles and four Big Ten titles. His teams have compiled a 689-100 record, owning the nation’s top winning percentage during his tenure. Cook is a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year (2000, 2005, 2023) and three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2016, 2017, 2023). In 2017, Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame, joining Pettit as former Husker head coaches in the hall.
In 2023, Cook coached a team with no seniors to the NCAA Final and a 33-2 final record. The Huskers won the Big Ten Championship, and Cook was named AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year. Cook did more for the growth of the sport of volleyball in 2023 than possibly any other year in his career. Cook took on the challenge of having his Huskers play a volleyball match outdoors in a football stadium, which was an overwhelming success story as 92,003 packed Memorial Stadium for Volleyball Day in Nebraska on Aug. 30. The event gained worldwide attention as the crowd set a record for the largest to attend a women's sporting event anywhere in the world.
“It is a reflection of Nebraska volleyball and the program, and not about one person or one player,” Cook said when accepting the AVCA Coach of the Year Award in 2005. “We’re trying to be a leader in the sport. We’re trying to take risks and dream big, and fortunately I’m surrounded by a lot of people who have that vision. I’m really proud of what we’re doing to try and enhance the sport.”
Former Husker volleyball standout Lindsay Peterson is in her 12th year as Director of Operations for the Nebraska volleyball program. A former Husker volleyball captain, a 2000 national champion, and one of the greatest defensive players in school history, Peterson was hired in 2006 after serving assistant coaching stints at Northern Colorado and Virginia Tech.
Jaylen Reyes joined the Nebraska volleyball program as an assistant coach in March 2018. Reyes coaches the Husker liberos and defense while helping coordinate game plans and scouting reports and assisting with other positions. He also serves as the Huskers’ recruiting coordinator.
In 2022, the Huskers hit a new milestone, leading the nation in opponent hitting percentage at .128, the Huskers’ best defensive effort since the 2005 season. Rodriguez was an AVCA All-American for the second straight year.
Serving as the Huskers’ recruiting coordinator, Reyes helped Nebraska land the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class for both 2021 and 2023 according to PrepVolleyball.com, as well as the No. 2-ranked class for 2022.
Prior to Nebraska, Reyes was an assistant coach for the BYU men’s volleyball team from 2016-18. He handled player development and was the recruiting coordinator for the Cougars, who reached the NCAA Championship match in 2016 and 2017 and were NCAA semifinalists in 2018. A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Reyes is the son of Tino Reyes, who was the head women’s volleyball coach at the University of Hawaii at Hilo from 2010-15 and spent 17 years as associate head coach on the Hawaii men’s volleyball coaching staff.
Kelly Hunter, a three-time Husker All-American and two-time national champion, was promoted to assistant coach on Dec. 22, 2021. Hunter previously spent three seasons on the Husker staff as a graduate assistant (2019) and a volunteer coach (2020-21). She also served as an interim assistant coach from January to August of 2020.
Overall, Hunter has spent nine of the last 10 seasons with the Husker program as either a player (2013-17) or coach (2019-22). In those nine seasons, Nebraska has posted a top-10 finish every year, winning two national championships, playing in three NCAA Finals and making four trips to the final four.
Hunter was named a first-team AVCA All-American, the Big Ten Setter of the Year and an All-Big Ten selection for the second time in her career following her 2017 senior season. She received numerous honors from volleyball publications, including National Player of the Year and All-America first-team honors from PrepVolleyball.com and VolleyMob.com. Hunter was also named co-Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship with teammate Mikaela Foecke after the Huskers beat Florida in the national title match in 2017.
Nebraska volleyball and U.S. Women’s National Team legend Jordan Larson was named a full-time assistant coach for the Nebraska volleyball program in June of 2023.
One of the greatest American volleyball players in history, Larson was the team captain, Best Outside Hitter and Most Valuable Player when the U.S. won its first Olympic women’s volleyball gold medal in Tokyo in 2021. After the Olympics, she continued to play club volleyball in China and Italy but planned to retire from international competition.