Hunter at Home as Husker Coach

It was a December to remember for Kelly Hunter. But it wasn’t her first.
 
There was December of 2015, when Hunter set Nebraska to a national championship in Omaha in front of what was then the largest volleyball crowd in NCAA history.
 
Two years later in December of 2017, another national title in front of another record crowd in the final match of her career.
 
This past December, Hunter found herself back in another National Championship match. Only this time she was on the Husker staff as a volunteer assistant coach.
 
Nebraska’s five-set battle with Wisconsin was one of the most memorable matches in NCAA history. It was an emotionally draining 3-hour and 15-minute thriller that featured 230 rallies, 116 of which were won by Wisconsin and 114 by Nebraska. It was a dramatic conclusion to the season, but more drama still awaited Hunter.
 
‘Emotional’ 48 Hours Ends With Assistant Coaching Spot
The NCAA Final between Nebraska and Wisconsin was played on Saturday, December 18, in Columbus, Ohio. By Sunday afternoon, Associate Head Coach Tyler Hildebrand had been announced as the head coach at Long Beach State, his alma mater. By Monday night, Hunter had landed her first full-time coaching job.
 
It was a hectic 48 hours for Hunter, which began with her sitting on the team bench in Ohio for the National Championship match and culminated with her sitting at a restaurant in Lincoln accepting John Cook‘s offer to join his staff.
 
“The best way I can describe it in one word is ’emotional’,” Hunter said of those 48 hours. “We made it to the Final Four and that in itself is very emotional. Making it to the National Championship match and the way our match went, very back-and-forth, that was very emotional and the end to a magnificent season was a lot to take in.
 
“Then we got back Sunday and had the ‘Welcome Home’ party at the women’s basketball game. We actually met as a team before we all went over there. That was when Tyler announced that he was leaving, so that was emotional. I went home and spent time with family before coming back to meet with Coach Cook on Monday.”
 
At first, she expected the meeting to be rather mundane, but it quickly evolved into an interview for Nebraska’s vacant assistant coaching position.
 
“We were texting and Coach was like, ‘Get ready. Interview,'” she said. “I had no idea. I didn’t expect it. I anticipated we would talk about Tyler leaving and what’s the plan, and I was ready for that, but then it was like ‘you’re meeting with x, y and z’.
 
“I had meetings all day and then Coach and I went to dinner, and we were just talking about plans and what I want to do, and he offered me the job at dinner, and I accepted.”
 
An Elite Leader, Hunter Has Championship Pedigree
Although she is the newest member of Nebraska’s full-time coaching staff, Hunter is no stranger to the Husker program. She has been involved with the program as a player (2013-17) or coach (2019-21) for eight of the past nine seasons, impressing Cook every step along the way.
 
“We have seen over and over again how special Kelly is, and she has stepped up to the challenge of every role she has had in our program,” Cook said. “She is one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around, and she knows what it takes to be a national champion, which only benefits our student-athletes.”
 
Hunter has already been a benefit to the Husker program. To judge her impact on Nebraska volleyball, one needs to look no further than the results. In her eight seasons with the program, Nebraska has posted a top-five NCAA finish every year, winning two national championships, playing in three NCAA Finals and making four trips to the Final Four.
 
As a player, Hunter led Nebraska to the NCAA Semifinals each of her three years as the starting setter, including two national championships. A three-time All-American, Hunter helped the Huskers to a 16-1 NCAA Tournament record as NU’s starting setter. She also performed in the classroom, earning her bachelor’s degree in management and a master’s degree in business administration.
 
Hunter was a three-time captain, and her leadership abilities were only strengthened by her role as setter.
 
“Setters typically take on a leadership role because they’re always out there, they touch the ball almost every single rally, they have a lot of control over the game emotionally and physically,” Hunter said. “Being a good leader, being able to manage people and being able to cater to different people’s needs, that’s what makes a good coach. It’s similar to the way a setter has to be on the court.”
 
As she has transitioned from player to coach, Hunter has been driven by a desire to help her players experience the success she enjoyed.
 
“Being an athlete who’s been there, that’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced,” Hunter said of winning two national titles. “Knowing that feeling is amazing, so on the coaching side, I want that for my players. I want that for my team and my program because you know what it was like.
 
“It makes you want it for your players more when you’ve been there before, and you know what it feels like. You really want it for them, too.”
 
Following in Former Coaches’ Footsteps
In Hunter’s quest to lead Nebraska to a national championship as a coach, she will seek to follow in the footsteps of two other Husker alumni Hunter knows well. Hunter is the third Husker to play for Cook and later join his full-time coaching staff. The previous two – Dani Busboom Kelly and Kayla Banwarth – won national titles as Husker assistants, both with Hunter as the starting setter.
 
Busboom Kelly, who was the starting libero on the Huskers’ 2006 national championship team, was an assistant coach for Nebraska’s 2015 NCAA title. Busboom Kelly has been the head coach at Louisville the past five seasons, where she has won three ACC titles. This past season, Busboom Kelly was the National Coach of the Year after leading the Cardinals to an undefeated regular season, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and the program’s first trip to the NCAA Semifinals.
 
Banwarth, a former Husker All-American and Olympic medalist, was an assistant on Nebraska’s 2017 national championship team in Hunter’s senior season. Banwarth has been the head coach at Ole Miss the past two seasons and in 2021, she led her team to a 21-9 record and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years.
 
Busboom Kelly and Banworth have set a high bar for Hunter, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, Nebraska volleyball’s mantra is “Dream Big”.
 
“They were both my coaches so of course I’m going to look up to them,” Hunter said. “But I think the biggest thing is our program and the expectations we have every single day. Coach Cook, he’s the one who sets those high standards.
 
“Even today, I walked into Coach’s office and said ‘Good morning’, and he said ‘Morning, how are we getting better today?'”
 
While Busboom Kelly and Banworth are excellent examples for Hunter to follow, she has always had a mentor in Cook. After all, he knew Hunter would go into coaching even before she did.
 
“Coach always tells the story that when I was a player coaching at camps, he would tell me I was going to be a coach. I was like ‘maybe, I don’t know.’ He was right,” Hunter said.
 
“I think I just realized that throughout my whole life I’ve always been passionate about volleyball and teams and Nebraska. I just realized I could never picture myself doing anything else.”