Nebraska Volleyball Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly spoke to College of Business leaders, advisory board members, alumni and friends at the Partnership Summit Luncheon in September. Reflecting on her path from Husker player to head coach, she discussed her coaching style and the values that shape her leadership.
“Growing up in a small town, especially on a farm (near Cortland, Nebraska), work ethic is huge,” she said. “Everybody takes so much pride in each other. I think that really helps as you grow up, knowing that you’re tied to so many people, and you represent more than just yourself.”
Busboom Kelly won a state volleyball title playing for Adams Freeman High School, two state basketball championships and a state hurdles gold medal. Recruited to play volleyball for the Huskers as a sophomore, she learned many important lessons under legendary coach John Cook. One defining moment came during what she called her sophomore slump.
“I was the only setter on the Husker roster and was going through a sophomore slump. I felt like John was too hard on me and thought maybe volleyball was something I didn't want to do anymore,” she said. “I told my mom my sob story, thinking she was going to say, ‘Oh, it's okay, honey, John is being mean.’ Instead, she literally looked me in the eyes and said, ‘If you think this is a tough time in your life, you're going to live a good life.’”
Busboom Kelly’s senior season became transformational when Cook asked her to change roles.
“The transition to libero led me to want to be a coach and taught me how to be a great leader. A libero has one of the most selfless positions on the court, and everything they do sets up somebody else’s success,” Busboom Kelly said.
Voted captain her senior year, she learned more about sacrifice. During a heated team discussion, teammate Lauren Cook, John’s daughter reminded players of his investment.
“She told us that we had no idea how much time he spends on us and away from his family, because he loves his players and this sport. You have to be selfless to be a leader,” Busboom Kelly said.
The Huskers captured the 2006 championship before Busboom Kelly graduated. In 2009, she began her coaching career as an assistant at the University of Tennessee.
“The number one goal is to make the people around you better,” she said. “Athletes don’t want to hear about mistakes they can’t control. We can hold each other accountable for the controllable things like body language, effort and communication.”
Her coaching path included setbacks. When she applied for an assistant position at Nebraska, Cook didn’t hire her.
“I certainly would not be the coach I am today if I had not gone to Louisville first,” she said. “I worked for a woman (Head Coach Anne Kordes) who had more energy than the entire team combined, and she was an expert at tough conversations. I learned so much, and again, it was a great example of just enjoying the process and being great where you are right now.”
In 2017, Busboom Kelly became Louisville’s head coach. Her first priority was building the right staff, hiring Dan Meske to balance her strengths and weaknesses. Together, they removed two players who weren’t committed to the program and appointed their best player, and most difficult, as captain.
“We were serious about turning the program around and knew if we could give her some power to be a better leader, we could also hold her more accountable when she wasn’t being a great teammate,” Busboom Kelly said.
She also introduced “role meetings,” where players and coaches discuss individual responsibilities openly in front of the whole team. She now uses the same practice at Nebraska.
“With trust comes transparency,” she explained. “I’m very transparent with our team, and I don’t want them to ever go into a practice or match wondering what I’m thinking. Authenticity and consistency have always been important to me,” she said. “It’s important for me to be myself, and I want our players to ask me tough questions and feel like there’s a comfort level to be open and honest.”
Her leadership quickly produced results. In 2021, Louisville ranked No. 1 for the first time, finished the regular season undefeated and advanced to the program’s first Final Four.
“I’ll never forget how John treated me when we came to Nebraska to play. He was ticked off that Nebraska didn’t win, but so proud we did and played so well. The impact of that moment of leadership was huge for me,” she said.
After that season, she signed a new contract at Louisville with a special clause allowing her to leave for the Nebraska head coaching job without penalty. She credited that advice to Cook.
“John said if you want to come back to Nebraska, make sure that you get that buyout taken out,” she said. “They were going to take that out if I stayed, so I think that played a little bit into the timing with John, as he didn’t want Nebraska to pay a buyout.”
Now, as the fourth head coach in Husker volleyball history, Busboom Kelly has already achieved something rare by retaining every player on the roster and the entire incoming recruiting class for the 2025 season. Leading one of the deepest rosters in program history, she is instilling the same selfless mindset she learned as a player.
“This year, it’s about a banner, not a name,” she said. “Nebraska is notorious for having All-Americans due to great stats. This year, we might have to sacrifice some stats because we want to hang a banner and to do that, it’s going to take all of us.”
