From Jordan Larson to Rachel Schwartz to Kayla Banwarth, all the Nebraska volleyball players volunteered to play setter this spring.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Cornhuskers' situation was rather desperate after All-American setter Rachel Holloway announced early in January that she was leaving the program, transferring to Alabama and ending her volleyball career.

Moving one of his other players to setter for the spring season was not a good option. A football coach usually wouldn't want to move a wide receiver to quarterback. Cook felt the same way about his players.

"I'm not excited about having some of them be our setter," Cook said. "It's a very difficult position. It's important to have Maggie help out and Jessica to be here to get some good training time in."

Maggie Griffin and Jessica Yanz will be important players this spring even though there's a good possibility that neither will be eligible to play in the fall. Griffin certainly won't. She completed her eligibility last year, but is still a student at Nebraska.

Yanz, a transfer from Penn State, still may become eligible, but as a transfer she must receive a release from Penn State to be eligible to compete in exhibition matches this spring or next fall.

If she isn't released, she will have to sit out next season. Cook would love to have Yanz eligible this fall, but he's not too optimistic at this point.

Yanz played sparingly in her two seasons for the NCAA champions, but she did see considerable playing time and delivered 22 set assists when the Nittany Lions were swept by the Huskers in September at the Qwest Center in Omaha.

"She was looking at other schools, but having a scholarship available for a setter after Holloway left, it was a good fit for her," Cook said. "She's a very talented player. We feel very lucky this has kind of worked out."

The Huskers will likely have Sydney Anderson, a former Utah setter, here in the fall, but Anderson still must complete some class work before she is eligible.

In the meantime, the Huskers need setters for their spring practice that begins March 16. That's where Griffin comes in.

Because she is still a student at Nebraska, Griffin is eligible to compete in any exhibition matches the Huskers would have this spring. Cook says there is only going to be one on the schedule, and that's on April 12 when former Husker assistant Craig Skinner brings his Kentucky volleyball team to the NU Coliseum.

Cook says the importance of Griffin's contribution cannot be overestimated.

"I think Maggie is certainly making a statement that she's all about Nebraska volleyball," Cook said. "It's a tremendous example of doing whatever she can to help Nebraska volleyball and her teammates that she cares deeply about. It's a very nice thing for Maggie to be able to help us out.

"She understands the importance of spring practice. We have to develop the younger players."

All in all, Cook says the Huskers have handled the loss of their All-American setter about as well as possible.

"I think it has brought them very close together," Cook said. "They have welcomed Jess with open arms and embraced her. They are refusing to let the actions of one player who decided not to come back impact their season. They're going to make the best of it."