“You are not in a program where nobody cares”

One of the first sentences Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball head coach John Cook speaks in the new ESPN E60 documentary, “No Place Like Nebraska,” sets the tone for what comes next. The latest ESPN documentary from Jennifer Karson-Strauss and Madeline Rundlett takes a behind-the-scenes look at both the good and bad sides of John Cook’s team in the spotlight.

Women’s sports in general have seen an absolute surge in popularity in recent years. One could argue that the sector has never been bigger than it is in 2023. And Nebraska volleyball has both driven and benefited from this explosion of interest. Its popularity is as high as that of Nebraska football in the state, thanks in no small part to Cook, who has brought his team to the top of the sport at a time when the rest of the athletic department has struggled greatly.

However, the documentary also makes it clear that the popularity of the Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball team today is not necessarily a positive for a generation of players growing up in the age of social media.

“No Place Like Nebraska” premieres Sunday, August 25 at 5 p.m. on ESPN, just days before the Huskers open their 2024 regular season against Kentucky on August 27. To say the E60 documentary is a must-see would be an understatement.

The hour-long show has something for everyone, and loyal fans can relive the ride that saw NU beat Stanford for the first time since 2008, finally defeating bitter Big Ten rival Wisconsin and capping off a not-so-perfect but still incredibly impressive 27-0 start.

In between the overwhelmingly exciting and joyful moments, there are also a few quiet moments of reflection. “No Place Like Nebraska” gives Husker fans a glimpse into John Cook’s evolution as a head coach. From someone who was admittedly “hard as steel” to someone who understands that his players need a head coach, but also someone who cares about them.

And then there are the long, painful sections that focus on Harper Murray, describing how her family had to cope with the death of her father and how Harper had to deal with the aftermath of losing the national championship game. More specifically, Harper had to deal with “fans” and supporters who were coping with the loss even worse than she was.

One of the things No Place Like Nebraska does is not offer any excuses for Harper Murray’s struggles this past offseason, but it does offer an explanation. Anyone who watches the documentary can take that however they want.

Some may still be upset that she won’t miss a single minute of the regular season after all of her legal troubles this spring. But even if you’re one of those who think Cook was a little too lenient on Murray (I was one of those, I’m not sure I’m still around), the show explains in detail why Murray did what she did and why her head coach handled it that way.

“At the end of the day, it’s a privilege,” Lexi Rodriguez says at one point. “If you want to be on the big stage in Nebraska, you have to live with it,” Cook adds.

And yet, it’s hard to imagine going through what these Nebraska Cornhuskers players are going through because they’re on the biggest stage of all. I won’t go into detail about what all happens or why. Every fan should watch it. And if you don’t come away with a new understanding, then you haven’t been watching or listening properly.