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Steven M. Sipple: Cook’s crew comes up just short, but young guns will be back in hunt soon | Volleyball



And make no mistake, Nebraska will be back in title contention soon. Probably next year. The Huskers will lose ample firepower but will return starting freshmen Lexi Rodriguez, Ally Batenhorst and Lindsay Krause. Freshman Whitney Lauenstein played well at times this season. 

Meanwhile, sophomore Keonilei Akana’s driving serves will continue to rattle teams in 2022, and the Huskers have Kennedi Orr waiting at setter. The Minnesota native was ranked the No. 1 overall prospect in her class by PrepVolleyball.com.

Cook, at age 65, has his program in a wonderful spot. The fact he considered Nebraska’s athletic director’s job this past summer indicates a willingness to work long hours for at least a few more years. This was his 22nd at NU. I’d like to see him match Tom Osborne’s 25 years in charge of NU’s football program. 

No question, though, Cook will have to replace some serious talent, including possibly senior setter Nicklin Hames, a defensive wizard at her position.

Middle blockers Kayla Caffey and Lauren Stivrins were consistently powerful forces, and Lexi Sun was one of the most popular players in program history who started only 11 matches this season as the young guns moved their games to a higher level.  

Removing Sun from the lineup couldn’t have been an entirely comfortable situation for Cook and his staff. But he’s a Hall of Famer with four national championship rings and an incredible amount of credibility. His players trust his decisions. Same goes for the program’s adoring fans.



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