“I went hard, and now it’s Dani’s turn,” former Nebraska Huskers head coach John Cook told Hurrdat Sports a couple of weeks ago. Dani Busboom Kelly will get her first chance to shine at the Spring Game in Ord in a little more than a week’s time. So what changes has the former Louisville coach made to how things work at Nebraska? Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly had the answer.

The biggest advantage DBK had was being familiar with how things work in Nebraska. As the Huskers’ former assistant coach, she was well aware of how John Cook ran the ship. And while she had every opportunity to steer things in a different direction, Kelly has done nothing drastic. However, that doesn’t mean that she works exactly the same way as her predecessor, as she has, after all, added her own zing to things.

Harper Murray divulged some details while speaking to the media ahead of their spring game. “Some of the drills are pretty similar, but she does mix things up a little bit more than Coach,“ said Murray. One thing Kelly has focused on is sharpening the Huskers’ offense. “I think Coach was more a routine type of guy and stuck to that,“ the 20-year-old said. A small change, but exciting!

Murray’s teammate Bergen Reilly explained exactly how DBK has mixed up their team’s attack. “It’s just speeding things up a little bit. It’s been really fun… It’s different, and it’s new, and sometimes new is kind of exciting,” said the Nebraska volleyball setter. Thankfully, the Huskers haven’t found it hard keeping up with the changes.

“I’m adjusting to it,” said Harper Murray. She also reiterated that John Cook’s blueprint remains intact at Nebraska. However, DBK is switching things up and making the team run some “new” routes and plays. Well, that covers Harper Murray’s take on the changes. As for DBK herself, she also spoke in quite some detail about how she has been approaching her new gig.

Harper Murray’s new coach wants to make sure all aspects are covered

Dani Busboom Kelly revealed how she approached her role as a coach at Nebraska. While offense is something she’s working on alongside the rest of the coaching staff, DBK is personally looking at the setters more. “I really wanted to coach setters and be in charge of that. And I think even as a head coach, you’re always going to have your hand in the setters,” DBK told Jeff Sheldon and Lincoln Arneal.

Meanwhile, Kelly (Hunter) Natter, who had been taking care of the setters until last season, has been working with the liberos. Under Cook, that gig had been Jaylen Reyes’, who is now the point person for outside hitters under DBK, while third assistant Brennan Hagar has been looking after the middle blockers. The idea behind these divisions is simple—ensuring the needs of every position are met. That doesn’t mean that there’s not going to be any overlap. In fact, John Cook’s successor insists on having every player interact with every coach. “It’s more of a point person and then maybe 10-15 minutes of practice you’re working with just one coach. Other than that, everybody’s involved with everybody so it’s not as maybe black and white as football,” she explained during what was her first media availability since taking over.

With a number of Husker icons like Merritt Beason, Lexi Rodriguez, and others graduating last year, another aspect the coach is paying attention to is the team’s serving prowess.

“Moving forward, serving is one of the toughest things to train,” confessed DBK. She said it’s especially tough to stay focused on serving when setting up new practice routines. “Serving is like the first thing to get cut, and it should be the absolute last thing to get cut…” said Coach Kelly. So she’s also working to help the team achieve “great serving performances towards the end of the year.”. Yet, with all that being said, DBK is building on what John Cook already established, and so the change isn’t too jarring.