How Nebraska volleyball star Harper Murray is putting a troubled offseason behind him
LINCOLN, Neb. – Harper Murray laughs every day. And she’s playing her best volleyball in two seasons at Nebraska.
This alone is raising spirits among Murray’s teammates. Her happiness is important to them. The Huskers saw Murray spiral last spring amid public struggles with her emotional health. Two legal incidents derailed her offseason after Murray was named the top freshman in the Big Ten and a third-team All-American.
But her path is about more than rejuvenation.
The college volleyball community and Nebraska’s legion of fans took note of Murray’s bond with Nebraska coach John Cook this fall.
“The connection he has with Harper is extremely special,” senior co-captain Lexi Rodriguez said. “I think everyone can see it, whether you’re on the field or not.”
Murray’s recovery is partly defined by her unusual relationship with the 68-year-old coach who stood up for her, like the father she lost 13 years ago. Murray, 19, brings out a soft side in Cook that few have seen. He cares for her like a daughter.
“It’s unconditional love,” said Cook, a four-time national champion coach in his 25th season at Nebraska. “That’s really what it is. Nowadays, with this generation, you have to have that if you start coaching.”
They star in TikTok videos together. She created an account for him and manages the content using his phone. He enjoys the millions of views.
“He always asks what are we going to do next?” Murray said. “He loves it.”
GO DEEPER
From cowboy to coach: Nebraska’s John Cook is making waves in volleyball
If the Huskers want to make a request of the coach – perhaps it’s an adjustment to their uniform or an adjustment to the schedule – Murray will be nominated. “Just ask,” teammates tell her, she said, “because he will say yes to you.”
Cook isn’t saying Murray is his favorite. But the Huskers know it’s true. And it’s okay. She needs him in her life.
@coachjohncook1 it’s not easy being a cowboy 🤠#nebraskavolleyball #fyp #nebraskatok ♬ original sound – coachjohncook1
No. 2 Nebraska enters the final week of the regular season at 28-1 and perfect in the Big Ten. It has won 54 of 59 sets in league play and plays at No. 4 Penn State on Friday, followed by a visit to Maryland on Saturday. The postseason bracket unveiling is on Sunday.
Murray’s 3.29 kills per set and 27 service aces lead the Huskers. She is the No. 1 offensive option on the most balanced offensive team in the country. Her back-row defense as a six-rotation player has improved more than any other part of her game.
But three months ago, Murray was terrified to walk onto the field in front of Nebraska fans for the Red-White preseason scrimmage. She wondered what people would think, Cook said. What would they say about her? Would she be booed?
Make an eight-month backup. Last December, Texas defeated top-seeded Nebraska in the national championship game. Murray did not play well, especially when receiving the Longhorns’ serves.
At the press conference that followed the loss, she was despondent. A reporter asked her about the future.
“I think we’re going to win three national championships in the next three years,” Murray said.
The comment blew up on social media. Murray digested the reactions and delved into negativity. She fell into a depression that lasted for months. On April 5, she was cited for driving under the influence in Lincoln. Less than a month later, she was caught on a security camera shoplifting $65 worth of jewelry from a sporting goods store.
ESPN highlighted Murray’s rise and fall in an hour-long documentary, “No Place Like Nebraska.” It aired in August and followed the Huskers’ 2023 season and the months following.
Murray lost her spot on the U.S. U21 women’s team. Family members feared she would physically harm herself. Her mother, Sarah, feared Cook would fire Harper from the Nebraska team. Every time Cook spoke to Sarah for weeks, she sought reassurance about Harper’s roster status. There was public pressure to dump her.
“The thought occurred to me,” Harper said. “But I think deep down I knew he wouldn’t give up on me that easily.”
Murray was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023 and her success on the court continued with the support of head coach John Cook. (Courtesy of Nebraska Athletics)
Cook and Nebraska assistant coach Jaylen Reyes began recruiting Murray before she entered high school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She attended the Huskers’ Dream Team camp as an eighth-grader and fell in love with everything about the Nebraska program
As Murray developed into the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2023, her recruitment intensified. She was named Gatorade Player of the Year and had her choice of top schools. But she valued her first impressions of Nebraska, and Cook won over her mother in part by making sure she knew he would watch over Harper and let Sarah know if her daughter made bad decisions.
It’s a message Cook tells the parents of every player he recruits.
“It’s one thing to say that,” Harper said. “It’s another thing to act on it.”
When her life went off the rails this year, Cook didn’t hesitate.
“I learned a long time ago that you have to do everything you can before you give up on these kids,” the coach said.
Murray’s struggles strengthened Cook’s devotion to her – which should not be construed as an easy task for her. In the coach, Harper said, she saw a role model. He supported her, she said, “when other people probably wouldn’t have.”
“I look up to him,” Murray said, “and the way he approaches every day of his life. It’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”
Cook helped Murray create a checklist of items needed to restore her good standing with the Huskers.
She completed extensive community service and more than 100 hours of therapy, which continues in addition to court-ordered probation. Within the team environment, Murray worked to regain trust.
Cook often hears from former athletes and observers that they admire Murray’s growth. He marvels at her determination. Many athletes in her situation, he said, would have left this year in search of a fresh start.
She couldn’t leave. Not after everything Cook had done to help her.
“He wasn’t happy with me,” Murray said. “But at the same time, he promised my mother that he would be there for me. And that’s exactly what he did. He held me accountable. But he gave me grace.
“I have a lot of love and respect for him. Without him I wouldn’t be the person or the player I am. And I know I owe him a lot. One of my biggest goals in life is to make him proud, especially since I’ve been through our program a lot. At one point I put us in the gutter.”
Murray’s father, Vada, died when she was six. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008 and lived with the disease for three years until he was 43. Vada was a standout on the Michigan football team from 1987 to 1990, playing in three Rose Bowls. . He graduated to work as a police officer in Ann Arbor.
Harper has only fragmented memories of Vada. But her father’s absence haunts her. She wears his No. 27 jersey, just as her sister, Kendall, did in Michigan volleyball from 2020 to 2023.
The loss Harper experienced has influenced Cook’s approach to their relationship.
“There’s a coach-player relationship,” Cook said, “but I also think there’s a … I don’t want to call it father-daughter because I’m not her father. But it is built on trust.”
Harper has seen their bond grow the most in the way they communicate. The public can get a glimpse through the TikTok videos. But the roots of their connection lie much deeper. On the court, she said, he is tough on her. Harper asked Cook before this season, as she struggled with self-confidence to slow down and show more compassion.
He complied. But it was temporary.
“He can really make me angry,” she said. “But I know it’s because he wants the best for me.”
The moment last year that caused Murray’s flop comes on his first anniversary. Cook said he isn’t concerned she will suffer in a similar way again if the Huskers fall short in December. She’s more mature, he said. Her perspective has changed.
Murray said she is as driven as ever to win a national championship.
“I feel like I have something to prove,” she said.
Murray wears tape on her left hand during matches. She marks the pinky finger with an “8” in honor of Rodriguez, a guiding principle for Harper, and the ring finger with “27,” Murray’s family number. Harper writes ‘JC’, her coach’s initials, on her index finger.
“He’s the closest thing I have,” she said, “to a father figure.”
(Top photo: Dylan Widger / Imagn Images)
