At Lincoln South Rotary Club on April 29, we heard from Nebraska Women's Volleyball Assistant Coach Kelly Hunter.
It started with a Friendship Bracelet.
Kelly took us on a journey - her journey - of a dream to play volleyball for UNL to becoming an assistant coach.
When she was in 8th grade she participated in volleyball camp. She reminded us that girls of that age were making friendship bracelets out of yarn and exchanging them. She wore one to the camp - it was red, white and black to represent her support of UNL.Coach Cook noticed her bracelet and asked her about it. She explained the purpose and then offered it to Coach. She mentioned that he still has the bracelet and has displayed it frequently when she received recognition and awards.
Kelly comes from an athletic family. Her mother and father were both UNL athletes - her mother in volleyball and her father played baseball. She has a sister that played volleyball for Missouri and a brother that played baseball.
As she was growing up she participated in tennis, basketball, softball and volleyball. The team aspect of volleyball - the relationships the team members - was what she appreciated and so she focused on that when she went to college. Later she mentioned that it is not good to focus on just one sport when you are young. Instead, because there are many different skills in each sport, it is best to be as diverse as possible at least until you get to college.
Her first year was rocky and then she was injured. She spent 6 weeks on crutches and another 6 weeks in a boot. She said that time was very difficult for her. As an athlete at UNL, practice and playing is your life - it is what identifies you. So, without that she was lost. Physical therapy was the only physical thing that she was able to do. Going to those sessions helped her stay positive.
Kelly talked about being red-shirted, the various seasons on the team, and her final year on the team (2017). They went to the Final Four in Kansas City and she was able to end her playing career with a win taking home the National Championship.
She played one year in professional volleyball in Turkey. She loved her time in Turkey, but did not enjoy the sport as much. As a professional you move away from the team aspect and focus more on your individual statistics.
She never forgot that "there is no place like Nebraska" and she returned. She enrolled back in school to finish her MBA and, during that time, was able to be a graduate assistant for the volleyball program.
In 2020, Coach Cook asked her to be an interim coach. They had 8 months to fill before the arrival of Assistant Coach Tyler Hildebrand. She was able to be an assistant coach which included some recruiting. Then came COVID - lock down - so she was only able to serve in that position for about 3 months.
When the were able to bring the team back together, she decided she did not want to be a grad assistant again. As a grad assistant she was not able to interact with the team - not able to coach. They could set up drills but then had to stand back and just watch. She pointed out that, during that time, while she was standing in the back, she met Bruce Remington who visits her each match now.
Kelly was invited by Coach Cook to apply for the position of Assistant coach when Tyler Hildebrand reported he was leaving. She invited one day, interviewed and the next day they offered her the position. She did not hesitate to accept.
She enjoyed recapping the story of how she got to her position. She enjoys working with the athletes and staff. She is really excited for the next season as they reinvent the team. They have many new, young players with a lot of talent and they are hungry for a National Championship.
BIO
Kelly Hunter, a three-time Husker All-American and two-time national champion, was promoted to assistant coach on Dec. 22, 2021. Hunter previously spent three seasons on the Husker staff as a graduate assistant (2019) and a volunteer coach (2020-21). She also served as an interim assistant coach from January to August of 2020.
Overall, Hunter has spent eight of the last nine seasons with the Husker program as either a player (2013-17) or coach (2019-21). In those eight seasons, Nebraska has posted a top-five NCAA finish every year, winning two national championships, playing in three NCAA Finals and making four trips to the Final Four.
As a volunteer coach in 2021, Hunter helped Nebraska finish as the national runner-up. The Huskers finished with a No. 2 final ranking after a memorable run to the National Championship match as the No. 10 seed. In her first season as a volunteer coach in 2020, Hunter and the Huskers had their season disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic postponed the season until the spring and despite a limited Big Ten-only schedule, the Huskers made an NCAA Regional Final. Hunter was a graduate assistant coach for the Huskers in the 2019 season following a professional playing career overseas.
Hunter was named a first-team AVCA All-American, the Big Ten Setter of the Year and an All-Big Ten selection for the second time in her career following her 2017 senior season. She received numerous honors from volleyball publications, including National Player of the Year and All-America first-team honors from PrepVolleyball.com and VolleyMob.com. Hunter was also named co-Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship with teammate Mikaela Foecke after the Huskers beat Florida in the national title match in 2017.
The Papillion, Neb., native earned CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team accolades and was named a semifinalist for the Senior CLASS Award. She ended her career with 4,125 assists, the second-most in Husker history, and she totaled 699 career postseason assists, the highest total in school history. Hunter finished her career with a 16-1 record in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s starting setter, posting the most wins and highest postseason winning percentage by a starting setter in Husker history.
Hunter earned her bachelor's degree in management and marketing in May 2017. She graduated with her master’s degree in the arts of business administration from Nebraska in December 2019
