November 19, 2008, was a rough night for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Texas had defeated NU in four sets. More importantly, though, Kori Cooper’s season was over.
Her .396 hitting percentage in 2008 wouldn’t help her team anymore, and her 79 blocks were no longer a part of the Nebraska lineup, but Cooper wasn’t going to let that stop her from being a positive influence on her team.
“I did have a choice of whether I wanted to embrace my new role or feel sorry for myself,” Cooper said.
The 6-foot-2 middle blocker, NU’s only senior this season, spent the early part of the 2009 season rehabbing from the season-ending knee injury.
Her work back to the NU lineup has been a journey in itself, and Cooper said her injury wasn’t going to be a reason for not making a difference in her final season as a Husker.
“I don’t choose that cop-out,” Cooper said. “I don’t make that excuse.”
Nebraska is currently on a five-match winning streak, but the struggles the Huskers faced earlier in the season coincided with Cooper’s rehab. NU coach John Cook said that the early season woes were because his team was made up of a group of individuals.
“Six weeks ago, we were too immature,” Cook said. “They were more worried about themselves than being a great team.”
Cooper’s injury forced her to be more focused on herself, Cook said. She wasn’t put in an ideal situation because of her injury, but the way she worked through it set an example for her teammates.
“At some point, she decided it’s about the team,” Cook said. “I think since then, that’s been one of the keys to us turning the corner.”
Cooper had led the Huskers in kills four times this season and leads the Big 12 Conference in attack percentage at .369. Cooper said her rehab was a challenge, and the individual emphasis was something she had to work around.
“There is a certain component of rehab where you have to focus on yourself,” Cooper said. “But the motivation to do it for your team is always what drives me.”
Cook said Cooper had a choice coming into the 2009 season when it wasn’t certain whether she would see the court again. She made the choice to work hard and now is a force in the middle for Nebraska.
“Of course there was that doubt, but I knew that I had come back from it before, and here I am, having blown out both my knees, and still playing Division I college volleyball,” Cooper said. “That, for me, is an incredible feat.”
The No. 8 Huskers have six losses this season – the same number that Cooper suffered in her first three years at Nebraska. Both Cook and Cooper said the tough losses early in the season were growing experiences for the Huskers.
The momentum Nebraska holds now wasn’t so prevalent six weeks ago.
Back then, Cook found himself asking a troubling question.
“‘Is this going to be the worst team ever at Nebraska in the last 10 years?’” Cook said “There was just a lot of doubt and fear and anxiety.”
When the Huskers were humbled by a loss to Iowa State in October, Cook said despite the fact he thought the parts of Nebraska were better than ISU, it’s the sum that matters.
That was the low point for NU this season, Cook said, but it was also the turning point. It showed the Huskers the importance of playing as a team.
Cooper has persevered through a lot since that Nov. 19 game against the Longhorns, and she’s having fun again. Cook said she might be playing the best volleyball of her life right now.
The perseverance that Cooper showed translated to the rest of the Huskers. Nebraska has won its last 15 sets, and when Cook was asked how his team has changed since that low six weeks ago, he said he never expected the difference to be so drastic.
“They’re back on a magic carpet ride,” Cook said. “They’ve found the fun, and now the athleticism is coming out. It’s just a completely different feel. They are playing for the right reasons, and they are playing for each other.”
Cooper said she has learned to deal with the ups and downs, and the injury has been part of her journey as a player.
The Huskers only have two regular-season matches left, and just more than a year after her 2008 season abruptly ended, Cooper said she isn’t ready for this one to finish.
“That’s crazy to hear it’s all kind of coming to an end,” Cooper said, “But I couldn’t imagine being with a better group of people to have my last match at the Coliseum.”
dougburger@dailynebraskan.com
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