LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Dani Busboom Kelly has been named the 2025 Big Ten Coach of the Year in her first season as Nebraska\u2019s head volleyball coach. It is the first time she has received the award.<\/p>\n
Under Busboom Kelly, Nebraska (30-0, 20-0 Big Ten) finished the regular season undefeated<\/a> for the third time in school history (1994 and 2000), dropping only seven sets overall and one in Big Ten play.<\/p>\n On Sunday, Nebraska earned the No. 1 overall seed<\/a> in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. The Huskers will play Long Island University in the opening round on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n Nebraska is seeking its first NCAA championship with Busboom Kelly and sixth overall in program history.<\/p>\n Most recently, Busboom Kelly joined League One Volleyball (LOVB) Nebraska as an official ambassador<\/a>, a role centered on community engagement, athlete development and advancing professional volleyball across the state.<\/p>\n Busboom Kelly is the fourth head coach in Nebraska volleyball program history. She was the starting libero on Nebraska\u2019s 2006 national championship team and later served as an assistant coach when the Huskers won the 2015 national championship in Omaha.<\/p>\n Before returning to Nebraska, Busboom Kelly spent eight years building Louisville into a national power. During her tenure, the Cardinals reached two NCAA championship matches, three NCAA semifinals, five regional finals and won four ACC titles.<\/p>\n In 2021, Busboom Kelly was named AVCA National Coach of the Year and VolleyballMag.com<\/a> National Coach of the Year. She has earned numerous other AVCA honors, including East Region Coach of the Year (2017, 2020, 2021, 2022), National Assistant Coach of the Year (2016) and the AVCA Thirty Under 30 Award (2014).<\/p>\n In addition, Busboom Kelly was named ACC Coach of the Year (2020, 2021, 2022) and served as USA Collegiate National Team head coach for the Europe Global Challenge, winning a gold medal in 2018.<\/p>\n