‘Phenomenal accomplishment’: First-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelly leads Huskers to history

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — It’s been 25 years since Husker fans have witnessed an undefeated regular season.

But under first-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelly, Nebraska has turned back the clock with a dominant, history-making run.

“It feels really sturdy. It feels like we have a lot of tailwinds, and we’ve got the perfect person running the program,” said John Baylor, one of the Nebraska volleyball broadcasters.

Busboom Kelly, once a Husker national champion libero and assistant coach, returned to Lincoln to take the reins from former head coach John Cook.

And in just one season, the Nebraska native already paved her own path.

“She truly has the magic touch,” Baylor said. “For her to be willing to give up the comfort and the success at Louisville that she really created, and come here with all of these expectations, even though it’s home, is really an act of courage. It’s thrilling and not surprising that she’s had this early success.”

After sweeping Ohio State, the Husker team finished the regular season with a perfect record of 30-0.

The team is also the first to go unbeaten in the Big Ten since 2009.

“This is a phenomenal accomplishment. It is not easy to do,” Baylor said.

SEE ALSO: No. 1 Nebraska volleyball completes perfect regular season, sweeping Ohio State

Baylor has kept up with Busboom Kelly since she played for the Huskers in 2003.

And he believes that seeing her set these records so early in her head coaching career with the Huskers goes to show how solid the team and her coaching are.

“She really keeps everyone engaged, happy, the chemistry is phenomenal,” he said. “She has some tactical idiosyncrasies that are pretty particular for her. As far as her personality, she just is the most relatable person in volleyball.”

And for the future, just like Busboom Kelly says, the team isn’t finished just yet.

“Job’s not done,” Baylor said. “I mean, I love Dani’s honesty with all of this. One thing she says is ‘look, Big Ten title is nice, but it’s not the gravy, that’s not the goal.’ What happens in December makes you forget about the regular season pretty quickly.”