The Nebraska Huskers are preparing to kick off 2025 against South Dakota State in Ord. Making that match happen was the last thing John Cook did before his sudden retirement. Naturally, people are absolutely hyped to watch how his successor, Dani Busboom Kelly, does in her first outing. Yet, with less than two weeks left before the May 3rd clash, Kelly just pulled a stunning move.

“Officially, official!” wrote Nebraska volleyball, announcing Gilbert, AZ native Kenna Cogill “is headed to The Good Life!” The Perry High School senior became the first talent to join the Huskers under Coach Dani Busboom Kelly. “We are thrilled to add Kenna to our roster,” said the new Nebraska volleyball head coach. Kenna Cogill is equally excited to join Big Red.

How do we know? Well, that’s because the Arizona native switched camps to land in Nebraska. The 6’4 middle blocker originally committed to joining Oregon back in June 2023. However, Oregon went through a massive shakeup, with players transferring shortly after head coach Matt Ulmer departed after the 2024 NCAA season. The turmoil at the new BIG10 Conference team shook her faith.

Weirdly, Nebraska went through a similar scenario in late January when John Cook shocked the volleyball community. The only difference was that this move had been in the works for a while. Dani Busboom Kelly took the reins immediately after Cook’s departure. Another confidence booster for Kenna Cogill was the fact that not a single Husker entered the transfer portal despite Cook’s departure.

The 39-year-old head coach also welcomed the newcomer with praise. “She was a very skilled blocker and attacker at the prep level and will add great depth to our talented middle blocker position. Kenna is a great human being and will fit in perfectly with our culture,” said Kelly. Cogill indeed has the numbers to back up the hype.

The No. 24 PrepVolleyball prospect finished her career with the Pumas, averaging 2.5 kills/set, 0.443 hit% % and 1.3 blocks/set. That being said, there’s more than just stats and opportunities behind Cogill joining Dani Busboom Kelly’s camp.

A dream come true

The volleyball star from Arizona took to social media to officially confirm the move. “Due to recent changes, I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my education and play volleyball at the University of Nebraska,” the middle blocker announced on Instagram. It was a statement that she’d dreamed of making from the time she picked up a volleyball.

“This has been a dream of mine since I started playing volleyball,” added the newest Huskers member. Huskers Illustrated’s Lincoln Arneal explained just how much the culture that Dani Busboom Kelly’s mentor created at NU left a mark on Cogill. While she always wanted to go to Nebraska, the middle blocker got the opportunity to get a taste of how things work in her sophomore year in high school.

Arneal explained how the young player’s mind went to Nebraska volleyball when his high school teacher told the class to write an essay on what was meaningful in their lives. It was all thanks to a Huskers Dream Team camp she had attended. “When I went to the camp, it put everything into perspective,” Cogill said about the Nebraska Huskers.

Kenna Cogill also explained that the first volleyball camp she ever attended was also one by Nebraska. So it’s safe to say that getting the opportunity to join Big Red is nothing short of a full circle for the player. Now we’ll have to wait for Dani Busboom Kelly to utilize the player in the upcoming NCAA season, or maybe even the spring game in Ord.