Cook Named AVCA National Coach of the Year

Dec 14, 2023 / NU Athletics

Photo Credit: NU Athletic Communications

Nebraska head 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 this season heading into an NCAA Semifinal matchup with Pittsburgh. The Huskers lead the nation in wins and winning percentage, and Nebraska won an outright Big Ten Conference title and was selected as the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Cook, who was also the AVCA North Region and Big Ten Coach of the Year, led Nebraska to a 28-1 record in the regular season, the program’s best regular-season record since 2005. The Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season.

Nebraska’s success has come despite a young roster that features no seniors for just the second time in Cook’s 24 seasons. Nebraska’s regular rotation features four true freshmen and one first-year transfer. The Huskers’ top three leaders in kills are all in their first season at Nebraska, while NU has a true freshman at setter for only the second time in Cook’s tenure.

Cook has guided Nebraska to an NCAA Semifinal for the 11th time and for the sixth time in the last nine years. He ranks second in NCAA history in postseason victories, including an 88-19 record in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach.

The 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Cook has done more for the growth of the sport of volleyball this year than possibly any other year of his career. Cook took on the challenge of having his Huskers play a volleyball match outdoors in a football stadium, which was an overwhelming success story as 92,003 packed Memorial Stadium for Volleyball Day in Nebraska on Aug. 30. 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.