Lincoln, Neb. - Nebraska assistant coach Dani Busboom Kelly was selected as a recipient of the 2014 Thirty Under 30 Award, as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Friday.
Busboom Kelly is an assistant coach for the Huskers, aiding head coach John Cook with Nebraska’s setters, liberos and outside hitters. In 2013 she helped guide a young Husker squad to a 26-7 record, second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference and a berth in the NCAA Lincoln Regional Final. She helped train the Husker defensive specialists and liberos, a group that included three true freshmen, to one of Nebraska’s most successful recent passing and defensive campaigns. Justine Wong-Orantes led the Huskers defensively in her freshman season, posting 399 total digs on the year and an average of 3.50 digs per set. She ended the season ranked ninth in the Big Ten in digs and tied the school record for digs by a freshman in a season and tied for ninth on Nebraska’s single-season record list. In addition, Busboom Kelly is Nebraska’s recruiting coordinator and helped usher in the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2013.
The Thirty Under 30 Award was created in 2009 to honor up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of the sport. To qualify for the award, nominees had to be 30 years old or younger in 2013. Of the thirty recipients, 18 are head coaches and 12 are assistant coaches. 11 are NCAA Division I coaches (one men’s), four in Division II, three are NCAA Division III (two men’s), four are in high school, three are in the NAIA and club and two are Two Year College coaches.
Thirty Under 30 Award Recipients
RJ Abella, Assistant Coach - Indoor + Sand
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (NCAA Division I)
Jenifer Bahner, Head Coach
Cowley College, Arkansas City, KS (NJCAA Division II)
Amanda Berkley, Head Coach
University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS (NCAA Division I)
Jenni Bolduc, Assistant Coach
Miami University (OH), Oxford, OH (NCAA Division I)
Dani Busboom Kelly, Assistant Coach
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (NCAA Division I)
George Chapell, Head Coach - Men
Endicott College, Beverly, MA (NCAA Division III)
Erika Chidester, Assistant Coach
Long Beach State University, Long Beach, CA (NCAA Division I)
Jessica Cortese, Head Coach
McDaniel College, Westminster, MD (NCAA Division III)
Julie Darty, Assistant Coach
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (NCAA Division I)
Jon Daze, Assistant Coach - Sand
Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA (NCAA Division I)
Brittany Dildine, Assistant Coach
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (NCAA Division I)
Meredith Fear, Head Coach
Harding University, Searcy, AR (NCAA Division II)
Evin Giglio, Head Coach – Men + Women
Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA (NCAA Division III)
Brett Gillen, Assistant Coach
Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, CA (NAIA)
Julie Hopkins, Head Coach
Marist High School, Chicago, IL (High School)
Anna Howle, Head Coach
Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, OK (NAIA)
Mark Hulse, Assistant Coach - Men
Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL (NCAA Division I)
Kaman Hung, Head Coach + Co-Director
Radiant Suns Volleyball, Flemington, NJ (Club)
Elizabeth Manly, Head Coach
Kings Park High School, Kings Park, NY (High School)
Erin McClanahan, Head Coach
Prosper High School, Prosper, TX (High School)
Stevie Mussie, Assistant Coach
Penn State University, State College, PA (NCAA Division I)
Shellane Ogoshi, Head Coach
Long Island University – CW Post College, Brookville, NY (NCAA Division II)
Jessica Peters, Head Coach
Allen County Community College, Iola, KS (NJCAA Division II)
Patricia Plummer, Head Coach
Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, CA (High School)
Ashlee Pritchard, Head Coach
Marian University (IN), Indianapolis, IN (NAIA)
Lindsey Schlegel, Head Coach + Club Director
VolleyFX Volleyball Club, Fairport, NY (Club)
Jonathan Scott, Assistant Coach
Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA (NCAA Division II)
Daniel Sempkowski, Head Coach
Georgian Court University, Lakewood, NJ (NCAA Division II)
Kendra Wilson, Head Coach + Director of Operations
NYC Juniors Club, New York, NY (Club)
Marie Zidek, Assistant Coach
2013: University at Buffalo; 2014: University of San Diego (NCAA Division I)