It's been an interesting off season for John Cook and the Nebraska volleyball team.
The Huskers knew they were going to lose All-Americans Sarah Pavan, Christina Houghtelling and Tracy Stalls to graduation. They didn't know that All-American setter Rachel Holloway would be gone, too.
Holloway announced in early January that she was transferring to Alabama and ending her volleyball career. It was a move that seemed to catch Cook and all his players by surprise.
Cook said there is more to the Holloway story that even the players don't know.
"The Holloway thing, there's a very personal side to that," said Cook, who was in Grand Island on Monday to speak at the FCA Influence Luncheon at the Mid-Town Holiday Inn. "They really don't know all of that. They know they miss her. That's been kind of an unusual thing that we've all had to go through."
The Huskers went through another unusual situation after a story by UNL journalism student Katelyn Kerkhove indicated that Pavan, the 2006 AVCA player of the year, didn't have a good relationship with many of her teammates.
The story was originally written for the student magazine "Redwire" and was later published by the Lincoln Journal-Star.
There were Internet reports that Cook had banned Pavan from the program. Cook said that wasn't true.
"The Sarah thing became much bigger than it really was," Cook said. "That was blown way out of proportion. Sarah works out with our team. She still has her locker and still hangs around.
"But she's moving on right now. She'll be ready to graduate and go to Italy. She's already signed a contract and was over there to train with them over spring break. She's in a much different phase of her life right now."
The Husker program is in a different phase as well. The past few years, Cook's team has been loaded. This year, senior Jordan Larson, a first-team All-American in 2006 and a third team pick last season, is the only returning All-American.
This year, Cook and his staff have to do more teaching.
"It's been a much different spring than the last couple because we've had such a large turnover on our team due to graduation," Cook said. "You have new faces and the energy that comes with doing something new and exciting.
"I've really enjoyed this spring. We're going into our last two weeks now. They're working hard trying to figure out their roles and estable their position on the court so there's great competition going on as well."
The Huskers, who will host Kentucky in an exhibition match Saturday at the NU Coliseum, played at the College Volleyball Challenge last weekend in Denver.
Nebraska defeated New Mexico 25-16, 25-23 but lost to Colorado State 25-23, 25-23.
Maggie Griffin, who has completed her eligibility, has been the Huskers' only setter in spring competition. Griffin agreed to help out this spring after Holloway announced she wasn't returning.
Setter Jessica Yanz, a transfer from Penn State, is working with the team but is not eligible to compete in exhibition matches because she has not yet received her release from her former school.
In volleyball, an athlete can be eligible for competition immediately if the school she is leaving releases her.
Cook said he has talked with Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne several times about Yanz' situation.
"We're still pursuing every avenue we can with the NCAA because we felt there was some unfairness that was directed toward Jess and Nebraska," Cook said. "We feel like we need to continue to pursue all our options on this."
The Huskers also have former Utah setter Sydney Anderson scheduled to join the program. Cook hopes to have Anderson for what is called the "bridge program" this summer so she can get acclimated to Lincoln and the Husker volleyball program before fall practice starts.
"She's working on graduating from her junior college in Salt Lake," Cook said. "Right now she's setting up her summer school classes that she can take on line. We're hoping to have her here for our second five weeks."
The Huskers also have Grand Island's Brigette Root coming as a walk-on, but NCAA rules prohibit Cook from talking about a walk-on until they actually join the program.
Cook indicated that if things don't work out with Anderson, he does have a back-up plan.
"You always have to have a back-up plan," Cook said. "We have a walk-on setter coming in but I can't talk about that.
"We have other plans as well, but that's part of managing a team. It's never going to be smooth sailing. I don't care what team you're coaching or what sport you're coaching. That's part of coaching."
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