Nebraska Adds Another Elite Setter From South Dakota

When it came time to make a decision on where she wanted to play volleyball in college, Josalyn Samuels didn’t have to look far for inspiration.

Hanging on her bedroom wall is a collage of her wearing Husker gear from the past few years. She has plenty of other photos from her childhood in Nebraska clothing. Her father, Shane, was a standout athlete at Polk-Hordville in central Nebraska and her grandparents still live in Polk.

The Harrisburg, South Dakota, native followed her heart and committed to Nebraska on Monday evening, announcing the decision in a social media post.

Samuels has attended multiple Dream Team camps and several Husker volleyball matches over the years, including Volleyball Day in Nebraska, last year’s match in Minnesota, and the spring match a short trip away in Sioux Falls. The 6-foot-2 setter said she felt comfortable with the coaching staff and wants to be part of a program that strives to win a national championship every season.

“We’ve just been a Nebraska family, and I just had that feeling in the back of my head this whole process,” she said. “Nebraska is my dream school, and I want to live that out, if that’s possible. I’m so grateful for that being on the table for me, and I was just excited to see where I can go with this.”

Samuels joined middle blocker Shayla Rautenberg as the first members of the Huskers’ 2028 class. She is the No. 4 overall prospect according to PrepDig and No. 6 by PrepVolleyball. Both services rank her as the second-best setter in the class.

Even though her relationship with Nebraska began when John Cook was the head coach, Samuels quickly connected with Dani Busboom Kelly, who took over for Cook last year. Samuels was familiar with the former Louisville coach through the National Team Developmental Program, where Busboom Kelly provided the young setter with feedback during a training session.

She got to know Busboom Kelly during the Dream Team camp last summer and is excited to work with her at Nebraska. Even though she first pictured herself at Nebraska with Cook as the coach, she’s excited to work with Busboom Kelly.

“I was nervous for a little bit, but Dani’s a great person,” she said. “She’s really bought into this team and wants them to be successful. For me, I was like, okay, Dani’s the coach now, so there still is going to be a great coach. I’m excited that Dani’s here.”

Samuels is also quite familiar with Busboom Kelly’s current protégé, Bergen Reilly — the three-time Big Ten Setter of the Year. They both played for Kairos Elite Volleyball, and Samuels’ older sister, Morissen, who now plays at Northern State, was on the same team as Reilly.

She’s watched Bergen for years, attended summer training camps, and said the Husker All-American is her biggest role model.

“She’s just been someone who I’ve always looked up to and admired her work ethic and just everything that she does,” Samuels said. “She opened up that door for me of realizing it’s possible to follow your dreams and dream big and go for what I’ve always wanted.”

Last year, Samuels averaged 10.4 assists while leading Harrisburg (S.D) to its fourth straight state title with a win over Reilly’s alma mater of Sioux Falls O’Gorman.

Samuels won her first championship as an eighth-grader, starting for the Tigers, and has gone 97-2 over the past three years, with their only losses coming to teams from San Antonio and San Diego last fall. Harrisburg finished last year as the No. 9-ranked team in the nation according to On SI.

Samuels was the MaxPreps national freshman and sophomore of the year the last two years. In her three years of playing varsity, she has amassed 2,974 assists, 491 digs and 246 kills.

“She doesn’t have (a ceiling),” Harrisburg coach Ronette Costain said to MaxPreps. “I think I’m going to see her one day have the pick of her Big Ten or Division I college, and then I’m sure I’ll cheer her on at the Olympics or as a pro. The sky is the limit.”

Samuels said the Nebraska coaches said they appreciate her resilience and ability to maintain her focus. At summer camps, she said associate head coach Jaylen Reyes will try to overload her with information or push her out of her comfort zone to see how she handles it.

She said the coaching staff was impressed last year when she tried out for the U19 national team, but didn’t make the final squad. The following day, Samuels still had to play in a tournament and performed at a high level despite the disappointing news.

While she has already picked out her college destination, Samuels still has work to do in high school. She wants to get stronger, improve her back-setting technique, and play more aggressively on offense.

She has the chance to make the U19 team this year and will play in Nationals in Indianapolis in June. Also, after winning three state championships so far, she wants to finish her prep career by going 5-for-5 in state championships and help the Tigers’ title streak reach six.

“My sister was the one that started it off, and then I got to pick it up where she left off, and I’m going for five,” Samuels said. “I want to contribute and lead as much as I can to the Harrisburg team. We have a lot of new girls this year, younger girls that I’ve played with less people, so I’m excited to see where that goes and how it all plays out.”

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