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John Cook Named AVCA National Coach of the Year
Another honor for the 2023 Nebraska volleyball team.
Coach John Cook was announced as the 2023 AVCA Division I Women’s Coach of the Year on Thursday. Cook has been selected as the national coach of the year for the third time in his career, as he also took home the honor in 2000 and 2005.
Cook has led Nebraska to a 32-1 record heading into tonight's NCAA semifinal against Pittsburgh.
Also the AVCA North Region and Big Ten Coach of the Year, Cook led Nebraska to the program's best regular-season record (28-1) since 2005. That regular-season record included winning the first 27 consecutive matches.
Nebraska is in the Final Four for 11th time under Cook, including appearances in six of the last nine. He ranks second in NCAA history in postseason victories, including an 88-19 record in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach.
Cook's latest honor comes on the heels of one of his most successful efforts in terms of helping to grow the sport. He helped bring the NCAA regular-season attendance record back to Nebraska with August's Volleyball Day in Nebraska and 92,003 packing Memorial Stadium. The event gained worldwide attention as the crowd set a record for the largest to attend a women's sporting event anywhere in the world.
Cook and Nebraska play Pitt in the Final Four tonight at 6 p.m. CST, followed by Texas-Wisconsin. The matches will be broadcast on ESPN, with the Husker match also being carried on the Huskers Radio Network, including 1400 AM and 99.3 FM KLIN in Lincoln.
