No matter what happens in tournament, 2017 is already one of John Cook’s favorite seasons

John Cook said on August 7 that this season would be a reinventing year.

More than half of the offense, digs and about everything else from the 2016 team were gone once the Rolfzens, Justine Wong-Orantes and Andie Malloy graduated from the program.

There were no real expectations. Yes, Nebraska is always be able to reload. They were ranked fifth in the preseason poll.

The Huskers were expected to be good, but not this good in 2017.

To take a leaf from Bill Moos’ book, Nebraska went from being the hunted in 2016 to being the hunter in 2017.

Nebraska will soon be the hunted again if the regular season was any indication.

“We’re in hunt mode right now,” Cook said. “We’re going after it. Last year, I think we felt like we were the hunted. We had something to lose last year. This year, you can’t lose anything you haven’t won yet. I think that’s their mindset.”

The Huskers outscored their Big Ten opponents this year by 320.5 points (1248.5 – 920); the widest margin recorded since joining the conference.

“Statistically, in the last five years, this is the best team we’ve had stat-wise and point-wise,” Cook said. “There’s no reason why they shouldn’t see themselves as competing (for) and winning a national championship. We certainly have played the level of volleyball throughout the year to warrant us to say that, and now we’ve got to go get it.”

Cook has said it time and again; winning the Big Ten is harder than winning a national title. The Huskers have now won the nation’s toughest conference in back-to-back years.

The Big Ten fielded eight teams in this year’s NCAA tournament; more than any other conference.

“I’ve said it before, (winning the Big Ten) was kind of something that we had so much fun doing, and it was really rewarding,” Kelly Hunter said. “Just like last year, we were expected to win, so it was kind of a different feeling, but I think every game, all of us came out and had fun and tried to play our best and play loose and play for each other. Those wins were what came from that, so it was, like I said, just a rewarding feeling.”

Hunter has had many rewarding feelings in her storied Nebraska career. She was named Big Ten Setter of the Year this week. She’s a national champion and now one of only eight Huskers to hold the distinction of being a two-time Big Ten champion.

If she adds another national title to her arsenal, this one would feel more rewarding than any of the other accomplishments mentioned above.

“I think we’re just excited to prove people wrong,” Hunter said. “We’ve had a lot of different sayings this year, and a lot of different quotes that just kind of say, ‘Why not us?’ It’s just kind of fun to shock people.”

In his 18th season, Cook, who’s now Big Ten Coach of the Year in consecutive years, doesn’t shock anyone with his continued success. It’s become a source of comfort, bragging rights, stability and routine for fans, especially on days (and years) when football doesn’t satisfy those needs.

While this year has been more impressive by the stat sheet, it doesn’t appear all that different than any other season under Cook, at least record-wise.

Why does this one feel more rewarding than the others?

“I had to work so hard building a new staff, building a new team and pulling all of this together,” Cook said. “Volleyball camps, and (director of operations) Lindsay (Peterson) had a baby. Literally, I was running everything, and trying to coordinate all of this. I’ve worked harder this year than I’ve ever worked.”

“But, through that comes out a great energy of teaching and reinventing and working with these people. (Assistant coaches) Tyler (Hildebrand) and Kayla (Banwarth) have unbelievable passion, they have great ideas, they’re both world class coaches and players, and they’re young. So, it’s been really, really cool.”

Cook is putting this season in his top two favorite seasons since coming to Nebraska. Along with 2008.

Nebraska went 26-2 in 2008, won a conference title, were a four-seed in the NCAA tournament, and ended up losing in five heart-pounding sets to No. 1 seeded Penn State in the Final Four.

“This team reminds me a lot of the 2008 year,” Cook said. “Kayla was on that team. She said the same thing.”

Penn State is a one-seed again in 2017. Nebraska will have to go through them in order to reach the championship in Kansas City.

Whether this season ends like 2008’s did in the Final Four, whether it ends tonight, tomorrow, next week, or with a fourth championship ring, 2017 will be cemented at the top of Cook’s all-time favorites, all because of what it took to get it done: a reinvent.

“I’m putting this in the top two of the best seasons in my career here,” Cook said. “I don’t care what happens in the next three weeks, but it’s one of the most rewarding, fulfilling seasons that I’ve had.”

Thursday Press Conference Audio

Discussion with Jeff Sheldon of the Omaha World-Herald

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