I think it’s shaping up really well I feel like even with the little
practices we’ve had throughout the summer I feel like everyone’s kind of
meshing really well together. It’s a fun group of girls, and I think everyone’s just
ready to get back on the court, which is something that’s really cool and you don’t always see that in the summer. But I feel like cohesively you can feel that, that everyone’s just ready to get in
the gym and start playing together. [Taylor Landfair, Outside Hitter,
Transferred to NE from Minnessota] So, I actually played club with her
when I was like 13 and 14 years old, so I’ve known her when we were growing up. Knew her when she was at Minnesota, we always stayed in touch and stuff, and now she’s my roommate. But yeah, I think even just getting more of that experience with her before
stepping onto the Nebraska court, I think, was good for her,
for myself, and for Merritt I think for all of us just getting a little
more chemistry under our belt before we start. Yeah, I think one of the biggest things was that and we talk about it even
when we reflect on the year but just that like, we had an incredible year and we accomplished so much together as a team and for women’s sports and for Nebraska Volleyball, it was just a really successful year. And I think at the end of the day, we didn’t
get the final achievement that we wanted, but we were still there, which
was a very hard place to get to. Only two teams make it there,
and we were one of two. So I think after that just kind
of reflecting and acknowledging that we did do some really hard things last year, and we should be proud of what we did, and at the same time we were a very young team. We didn’t graduate any seniors We had some transfers that transferred out, but we also got some new additions and we have two amazing freshmen also. So I think just taking that
as like, ‘ok it happened,’ we have a lot to get better at, a lot to learn. But at the same time, we had a really good year and we can keep building on that
year with a similar roster this year. I think especially as a leader, I can have a bigger voice. That’s kind of been my goal every single year
since I was a freshman, and being a captain, I think it’s really important that my teammates
can trust me, and they can rely on me. I think just having a bigger vocal presence
could be really useful for this team. I think I’m a very steady person, emotionally
and just how I play, too, so that helps. But definitely bringing more of the
vocal side would be, I think, beneficial, and then on the court I think
there’s always places to get better. I think I can be more aggressive I can try and take more balls in whatever aspect
I can, and just continue to lead by example. I think that's kind of... Coach has always said that the team that wins the
serve and pass battle is probably going to win. We’ve known that from day one I’ve known that since I was a freshman,
and I think we are prepared very well. At the end of the day, I think it just comes down
to trusting ourselves, believing in our abilities that we can still perform, even at that level,
even when we’re being tested and challenged. And I think that was kind of
the biggest thing—as a team I just don’t think we had as much belief
as we had throughout the entire year. I think they’ve helped a lot. I think they
give us a lot of opportunities to connect with the community, connect
with our fans, and give back. There are other NIL things that we obviously do, but I think the things they align for
us are to help us become better people And to have those experiences that will hopefully
be beneficial when we get into the real world. I think the biggest and most memorable one
was partnering with Adidas and becoming, kind of like, "the face of volleyball for Adidas." I feel like that’s a brand that you dream of working
with, especially at Nebraska, and in the volleyball world, where Adidas is
very well known and one of the top brands. And I think just doing that
and then partnering with... aside from others and then Volleyball Day In Nebraska, I think all of that coming together at
the same time was really, really special.