Brooke Delano's family had doubts.

Same thing for her coaches.

When she's honest, Delano admits she wavered and waffled, too.

The question, really, was never whether Delano could cut it as a volleyball player at Nebraska. John Cook knows an athlete when he sees one. And when he watched Delano dominate at Bellevue West, the coach knew he was recruiting a kid who could thrive in his program.

But would she ever live up to her potential with the Huskers? Could she see the bigger picture when times got tough? How much patience did she possess, and how far was she willing to buy in?

When second-ranked Nebraska opens the season Saturday on Delano's home turf, the answers will be there for the Qwest Center Omaha crowd to see. As the Huskers hit the court against No. 14 Kentucky, Delano will be standing tall on the big stage — a returning All-America middle blocker; a junior focused and fixated on an NCAA title; a team captain for the first time.

“Brooke's freshman year, it was 24-hour, minute-by-minute wondering if she would stay here at Nebraska or not,” Cook said. “She's emerged from that to be a leader on this team, and she really has matured into a great player and a great person. But if you would've told me a few years back that she was going to be a captain of this program one day, I would've bet my mortgage against it.”

Delano helped Bellevue West win four straight state volleyball titles, and the 6-foot-4 standout was a force in the paint as the Thunderbirds claimed the school's first basketball championship during her senior year. She was recruited to play basketball by Creighton, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas State and Duke. Most of those schools also coveted her as a volleyball player, so she definitely had to sort through some options.

Delano had played basketball since she was 5. She hadn't taken up volleyball until she was a high school freshman. Her father, Bill, played basketball at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and her older brother played hoops at Wayne State. The choice looked like a slam dunk.

“I have to say, we did not sway her one way or the other,” said Delano's mother, Tammy. “Me and my husband, we told her, ‘Brooke, this is your decision.' We were a little surprised when she did pick volleyball, to be honest. But we told her, ‘That's OK, it's up to you to do the work.' ”

And when it came time to get to work with the Huskers in 2007, it wasn't long before Delano began wondering whether she'd made the right choice. She redshirted as a freshman, the first time in her life she had to watch her teammates from the bench. Her outlet, she said, was “loving the college life” — so her focus at the time wasn't entirely on sports and school work.

Her inner wheels started spinning in the direction of giving up volleyball and going back to basketball. She talked with her family about making the switch, but they urged her to be patient. She'd need to be, because the first half of her career at Nebraska would feel like an eternity.

Delano watched as the Huskers' 2007 team — one of the most talented in NCAA history — battled through chemistry issues and imploded before it got to the final four.

NU's 2008 club was a joy for Cook to coach as it made an inspired run to the national semifinals. Delano appeared in 13 matches that year and was beginning to show flashes of promise. Then she was forced to the sidelines again during the second half, this time for a non-sports related season-ending surgery.

“There are situations that come up, and there's adversity everybody has to deal with,” Delano said. “They are all lessons. You go through things, and you learn from them. And then the more things happen, the more you know how to deal with them. That's been a big part of the process for me.”

Delano worked her way into the starting rotation in 2009. It was where she always wanted to be — but even that development would lead to some soul-searching and second-guessing. During the first two months of the season, the Huskers weren't playing the volleyball their fans expect to watch. NU got routed by Michigan right out of the gate. The Huskers endured their worst start by far under Cook, losing six matches before Halloween.

Nebraska finally began to click in November and December. The Huskers swept 10 straight. They came one victory short of making it to the final four, running into the Texas buzzsaw in the NCAA regional final. Delano, who averaged 2.34 kills and 1.09 blocks per set, played a huge role in the team's turnaround, and she earned second-team All-America honors in her first full season.

“We came to a point early in Brooke's career — you're either going to be here and get it done or it's time to go somewhere else,” Cook said. “When players start to figure out what Nebraska volleyball is all about, they want to be a part of that. Brooke made the decision to go for it, and it's been a great thing to watch.”

Cook praised Delano for taking advantage of the support systems, both athletic and academic, in place at Nebraska. He said it's remarkable how hard she's worked to become an all-around volleyball player. In fact, Delano will be a key part of NU's two-setter system this year in the front and back rows.

Delano's mother said her daughter gained a bigger perspective on sports when she recently began helping coach volleyball at the youth level. Senior libero Kayla Banwarth said Delano emerged as a clear-cut team leader by the way she opened up and offered support during the Huskers' offseason trip overseas.

“It was really special for us to see the way Brooke stepped up in China,” said Banwarth, who also was picked as a team captain. “We've seen her emerge into a dominating player, a great teammate, a great leader — she's been on that journey, and she's such an important part of our team in so many ways.”

In 2006, Delano, then a high school senior, cheered in the Qwest Center stands as the Huskers won their last NCAA title. Four years later, hopes are high that Nebraska — which boasts an impressive mix of veterans and newcomers — has all the pieces in place to hang another championship banner from the Coliseum rafters.

Delano visualizes making a resounding stuff block on the final rally of the NCAA season. She imagines how amazing it would feel to win college volleyball's top prize — and do it not too far from home in Kansas City, the site of this year's final four. She wants more than anything to play well for seniors Sydney Anderson, Lindsey Licht, Tara Mueller and Banwarth. Delano arrived at NU a part of that class, and she's hungry to send them out in style.

When she thinks hard about every possible outcome to the 2010 season, she's refusing to believe there's any way another team can get in the Huskers' way.

“We're not going to be cocky,” Delano said, “but at the same time, there's no doubt in my mind that we're going to win the championship. We know we have a chance to do something special, and we've all been working so hard since last season ended.

“So, yeah, we're going to get it done.”

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com

« Sports - Big Red Today

Share