Kicking Back with the Cooks | January 2025

Welcome back listeners to the first KBWTC episode of 2025! Coach and Lauren dive into the 2024 National Semifinal, Spring ball, and hosting the AVCA First Serve Showcase!
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[@danrose3233]

I'm with coach. When I catch a game with online video I turn off the audio and turn on HRN!

[@DonFord-my2dh]

Regarding the mute for Lauren during games. I grew up with a father in radio, so when John would throw to Lauren and there was a missed connection I noticed. I assumed it was a remote technical issue. As Paul Harvey would say, "and now you know the rest of the story" with Lauren getting through while going through another pregnancy. Count me as one of the TV watchers with the mute on and radio coverage synced up. Lauren, you and John are awesome and I can't imagine going through a season without your coverage. Thanks so much for the commitment to get the coverage of the Huskers this season and giving us a bit of BTS of the broadcast. GBR!

[@stephenfromm223]

Pretty good poker face john cook. Watching this no one would have thought in just eight days you would retire out of the blue. Going to be interesting if this was in the works already or if he just woke up and was like yeah I'm done.

[@gladysgreen2]

I live in Canada and the Husker games aren’t available to watch live, so I started listening to the radio online with Lauren and JB, and their work has really cemented me as a Husker fan.

[@KellyK1000]

And YES - we need to work on mental toughness for sure!!

[@corbieone]

As always, great show. Thanks for doing it.

[@KellyK1000]

WE WERE THE BEST TEAM IN THE COUNTRY!!! AGREE 100% - SUCH A DISAPPOINTING LOSS IN FINAL 4!!! Always appreciate Cook's honesty and humility

[@michpackfan]

They "were" the best team in the country. Cook is way overrated as a coach. He couldn't come up with some quick offensive plays to beat Penn State. Instead he kept his players hammering into a double block instead of some quick sets, back row hitting, slide plays, etc. Hes way overpaid for coming up short two years in a row. Look for the same thing this year!

[@josiahterry3767]

​​@@michpackfan you know how hard it is to take a team back to back years inside the Final Four? You don't see many teams do that unless ur a damn good coach😂 so not sure what u mean here, Nebraska may be able to get rocky and play bad😅 but they are not a team to have in the back of your mind plus they'll be back there just you wait n see.

[@michpackfan]

@josiahterry3767 look at Penn State with Russ Rose

[@michpackfan]

@@KellyK1000 not with his coaching they weren't! On paper, they were the best tho.

[@LoveLearning521]

@@michpackfanever heard of Jalen Reyes, Kelly Hunter, Jordan Larson?

[@dough5186]

Love the show, but really wish you would have asked him about his thoughts on the opposite position this year, where the only official OPP on the entire roster is a true freshman coming off ACL reconstruction who hasn't played in over a year.

[@vanessafulton3190]

Oh coach Cook 🫶 happy to hear both your voices! Love the theme for the year 🔥

[@anthonycarr9062]

Following coach Cook's love for the cowboy life, next year the huddle chant should be: R-O-B! -- Rider over Bull!

[@ndomingo2906]

Congrats, Lauren!

[@brettisaacs3639]

how does the show continue? :O i need it!!

[@janabeckman545]

It is obvious why Merritt struggled. Lauren pointed out over and over, match after match that Merritt was not getting good sets. Birgen set her too close to the net or too far off the net. Merritt was hitting the ball from behind her head or pushed against the block restricting the angles of available swings. Sets were often off for Andi as they are not high enough for her to make a full swing. Watch Kait Hord. Now that she is being given high enough sets, she is able to take full swings, go over the block.

[@josiahterry3767]

I agree, bergen did not play a good route system like game like she usually does.. 😂😂

[@michpackfan]

@@janabeckman545 a good hitter adjusts to an average set, like a good setter adjusts to an average pass. Reilly is pretty good

[@janabeckman545]

@@michpackfan I'm not dissing on Birgen. The connection was off the last half of the season. Merritt did adjust her route, however, sets too close to the net result in tips and dinks. Those are 100% on Birgen. Sets off the net is timing and communication. When the hitter is having to constantly adjust, hitting efficiency drops. Getting sets high enough for AJ is something Kelly and Birgen need to work on to capitalize on all the ways AJ can dominate. Watch Kait Hord play. Valentin-Anderson sets her balls at a height that Kait can get a full swing. Last year with the Fury, many of the sets to Kait were too low. Kait's stats are much better this season. Watching Merrit with the Vibe setters, she is consistently getting well placed balls that she can take a full swing. Whatever the cause of the missed connections, that is why she is being an efficient hitter for the Vibe.

[@LoveLearning521]

Interestingly, some believe it’s time for Kelly Hunter to move on. I just don’t know, but who came to Nebraska as a highly touted setter and seemed to go backward… Orr? Reilly?

[@GilKreul]

Any chance the the Red White match could be held at PBA? Love the podcast. Great season last year, & looking forward to next year.

[@randistrunk6329]

Who can I throw money at to get a strength and honor. Unleash hell! T-shirt for 2025?

[@corbieone]

IKR

[@anthonycarr9062]

The before the battle scence from "Gladiator" employed a bit of Hollywood script writing license. The Romans prided themselves on being silent right before battle so they would sure of hearing their commander's orders (e.g., "Testudo"). There is little evidence that the phrase "Virtus et Honos" was.commonly used before battles. It has been recorded that the Romans would sometimes chant "Barritus" in the 4th century AD. The soldiers would hold their shields in front of their mouths to amplify the sound of the chant. The word "barritus" in Latin means "to make the sound of an elephant." The chant would begin wth a soft hum that gradually intensified into a thundering sound. Just tryng to keep it real.

[@sherrymurphy330]

I know this is a weird question. John, you look like some of my relatives. Do you know your from where your family came form? My Grandma was a Cook also. just curious. I love Nebraska Volleyball. And I can't wait for you and the girls get back at it. Go Big Red!!!

[@Nieveen05]

Congrats, Lauren! Do you live in Wyoming or where do you call games from? I didn’t know you did it remotely.

[@josiahterry3767]

"I believe, We were the best team in the country" bold statment coach 😂

[@LoveLearning521]

Overall maybe, yes…. But Jess Mruzik took over and kicked Everyone’s butt! Just as Madi Skinner did in 2023. Nebraska laid an egg! Penn State had the mojo with coach sick. See what happens next year…. And they had our number. Eight (8) matches prior, NU had PennState’s number. Reverse sweep at Penn State. Motivation and momentum are the biggest influencers in VB. In My humble Opinion. Hats off to Penn State. How close was Nebraska to winning the match. It was a matter of luck…. Could have gone the other way. We’ll see what happens next year without Jess!?!?😮

[@lisaoswald7860]

They should look into playing the Air Force Academy!!

[@andyalvarez4397]

Lauren, the glasses make you look older and we re the same age. We need a trendier shape.

[@ccn8987]

Keep Caroline instead of Merrit -- It was a mistake to redshirt her.

[@spicera37]

They are both great players. Merritt was a huge leader on the team. It wasn’t an either/ or. Redshirting Caroline her freshman year was the best decision at the time. She would have competed for a spot the next season.. she had lots of ties to Penn State- lots of reasons she transferred. They are both great players- Caroline just happens to be her best when she plays against Nebraska - at least this last season.

[@LoveLearning521]

AS IT TURNED OUT! Yes! Bad to lose Caroline….. interesting how she plays lights out against NU. Was she a Big Ten All American ? And word has been, coaches didn’t ask her, just redshirted her! Can’t do that! Is possible that by the end of last year, if Caroline would have begun playing from the get-go, she might’ve taken over for Merritt towards the end of the season and been the Opposite for this season… but just don’t know.

[@danrose3233]

Here comes the Monday morning QB. Caroline was dominate in the regular season but was kept in check in the semis. I would still take Merritt over Caroline everyday. Merritt brought leaderships intangibles that helped the team. Just swapping out 2 players does not change the outcome of a single match.

[@danrose3233]

@@LoveLearning521 Look at the season long results. Caroline was not all conference. She just played lights out against NU.

[@LoveLearning521]

… and where did Jess come from…Ah! Michigan. Why did she leave? Bad coaching? Hummm…

[@youthought1343]

It sounds like MLV is backed by the Nebraska™️ brand 🥸

[@GilKreul]

Any chance the the Red White match could be held at PBA? Love the podcast. Great season last year, & looking forward to next year.