University of Nebraska’s John Cook Named
2005 Tachikara/AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year^SM

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 15, 2005) – John Cook, the head women’s volleyball coach at the University of Nebraska, has been selected the 2005 Tachikara/AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year^SM.

Cook has led the Huskers to a 32-1 overall record and spot in the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Tournament national semifinals. The Huskers posted a 28-0 start to the season and finished the Big 12 with only one loss in the regular season finale.

Nebraska has been ranked first in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll^SM the entire season, despite playing a schedule that has included 13 ranked matches and three top-five teams. Cook switched the Huskers’ offense from a 5-1 to a 6-2 going without a libero prior to the season. Offensively, NU has attacked at a .324 clip as a team going into the national semifinals, the second-highest total in school history.

The Huskers have five players averaging better than 2.64 kills per game. NU averages a national-best 4.10 blocks per game, nearly a block per game better than any other NCAA Division I school.

Cook played in an instrumental role in getting the AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase to Omaha, where it drew two crowds of over 10,000 per game. Omaha, with strong backing from Nebraska, hosted a NCAA Division I Tournament regional and the crowds averaged 14,804 per night including a NCAA volleyball postseason record attendance of 15,119 fans in the Elite Eight round.

Cook earned the Tachikara/AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year^SM also in 2000 during the Huskers last NCAA Division national championship season. He holds a 347-85 overall record, including a 186-12 record in six years at Nebraska. Cook has been honored as Big 12 Coach of the Year twice, and Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year once during his tenure at Wisconsin. He led the Badgers from 1992-1998 with a 161-73 record.

With Cook at the helm of the Nebraska volleyball program, the Huskers have produced one Olympian, one AVCA Division I National Player of the Year, one NCAA Top Eight Award winner, one AVCA Division I National Freshman of the Year, one Honda Award winner, 17 AVCA All-Americans, one CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, seven CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, three Big 12 Players of the Year and three Big 12 Co-Players of the Year.

Cook’s award was presented to him on Dec. 15 at the Tachikara/AVCA Coach of the Year and Victory Club Awards Banquet^SM, held in conjunction with the AVCA Annual Convention in San Antonio.

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