In Adams, Nebraska, a small farming community of about 600 residents, a towering name in college volleyball is more than a legend—it’s a living, guiding force for a town that proudly watched one of its own follow a storied path to the pinnacle of the sport. Dani Busboom Kelly, a Freeman Public Schools alum who grew up in the same tight-knit orbit as current Freeman volleyball coach Lexi Holland, has become the “top secret weapon” neighbors and former teammates say they lean on when the Huskers need a nudge toward excellence.
Holland, who also teaches second grade in the district, often taps into Busboom Kelly’s memory to motivate her players. “Her jersey’s in our gym,” Holland says. “We hang her picture up sometimes and ask, ‘If Dani was here watching, how would you practice?’” It’s a reminder that the hometown girl who left Adams with a championship pedigree is now shaping champions on Nebraska’s biggest stage.
Busboom Kelly’s career arc is a hometown fairy tale with a few extraordinary twists. A standout multi-sport athlete in Freeman Public Schools, she was a captain on the 2006 Huskers NCAA championship team and later helped Nebraska win another title in 2015 as an assistant coach. Her early life on a farm outside Adams—where her chores included rounding up pigs for castration (an experience she still jokes about)—is part of the backbone of the public persona she now carries: disciplined, humble, relentlessly competitive.
Her journey to the Nebraska head coaching job began long before she wore Scarlet and Cream as the head of the Huskers’ program. Busboom Kelly spent time as an assistant coach at Louisville and Tennessee, carving out a reputation as a coach who could guide elite players and raise a program from the brink to national relevance. In Louisville, she led the Cardinals to a remarkable run: a 24-7 first season, an Elite Eight appearance by year three, and in 2021 an undefeated regular season—the first time a woman head coach had steered a D1 team to that mark. By 2022, Louisville reached the national championship game in Omaha, a moment that had Freeman elementary students sending a viral video to the internet, celebrating a hometown hero who had become a national figure.
As the profile rose, so did the questions about when she might return home to Nebraska. Louisville’s acceptance of Busboom Kelly’s continued success was clear, but the ties to her roots in Adams and the surrounding communities remained strong. The bond between Busboom Kelly and her hometown was reinforced by family, friends, and a shared sense of possibility. Bonnie Busboom, her mother, recalls the pride and the tight-knit connection: the sense that Adams and Freeman would always claim Dani as their own, no matter how far her achievements carried her.
Her career at Louisville culminated in a high-profile moment in 2024 when the Cardinals advanced to the national championship match in Omaha. As the season drew to a close, the university signaled interest in extending her tenure—but for Nebraska, an exception to a buyout clause appeared to offer a clean path back home. A six-year contract extension at Louisville included a buyout clause that would have kept her tied to the Cardinals unless Nebraska offered an exception. As the Huskers explored a transition plan, conversation between coaching legends and university leaders intensified, touching on a “top secret-type” approach that reflected the delicate balancing act of keeping two programs, two communities, and two sets of fans invested and informed.
The transition became a community affair. On Jan. 24, Busboom Kelly was in town for a Lovb match and ran into John Cook, the longtime Nebraska coach who had decided to retire after the season. The two discussed a plan that would eventually bring Busboom Kelly back to Lincoln as the next leader of the Huskers. The following day, Cook and university administrators formalized the plan, with a quiet confidence that allowed Busboom Kelly to consider the opportunity in parallel with Louisville’s own plans. By Jan. 31, the decision was public, and the Adams-Freeman community watched with anticipation as the university, the students, and families prepared to welcome her.
The excitement in Adams amplified in February as the university announced a Devaney Center welcome event. Nebraska sent chartered buses, and Freeman’s district opened space to accommodate the overflow of fans who wanted to witness the moment when a Freeman alumna would take the helm of the program she’d once cheered on from the stands. The response from the community was overwhelming: 700 Freeman T-shirts were sold, and the gym in the old school district—where Busboom Kelly had once played and learned—felt like the whole town had converged to celebrate a girl who never forgot where she came from.
Even as the national spotlight followed Busboom Kelly into her new role, Adams and Freeman kept faith with the personal story: a girl who mowed four hours’ worth of lawn, who kept the same hard work ethic that helped her achieve success in high school sports, who later brought that grit to the sport’s highest levels. The family connection remained strong: Busboom Kelly’s sister-in-law, Karli Busboom, is part of the local school community, a reminder that the family’s footprint has deep roots in Freeman’s classrooms and hallways.
Busboom Kelly’s approach in Lincoln has matched the expectations of a town that has long celebrated its own. She has expressed gratitude for the support from Freeman and for the chance to lead a program with a storied history of success and a tradition of turning young athletes into champions. Her first season as Huskers head coach has begun with the optimism that comes from a player who has spent years at the top of her sport, coupled with the discipline and resilience that small-town upbringing can foster.
As the Huskers prepare for the Aug. 22 season opener against No. 3 Pitt, Busboom Kelly has emphasized the importance of teamwork, preparation, and the belief that great things are possible when players stay focused on fundamentals and support one another. “Being in a small town doesn’t handcuff you to small things,” she has said, underscoring a philosophy that resonates with both her roots in Adams and her aspirations for Nebraska.
What this means for Freeman and Adams goes beyond a single coach’s success. It reinforces a narrative of hometown sustainability in high-level athletics—the idea that small communities can nurture talent that reaches national stages and then return to impact those same communities in meaningful ways. The Busboom Kelly story is as much about the power of local pride as it is about a coach who has spent a lifetime refining her craft to give players the best possible chance to achieve their dreams.
Additions worth noting for readers and community stakeholders:
– The Adams-Freeman connection to Nebraska volleyball is now part of local legend, giving young athletes a tangible example of how hard work and a clear sense of purpose can carry you far from home.
– The Devaney Center welcome ceremony highlighted not just a coaching hire, but a reaffirmation of community support for the Huskers and for a hometown alumna who embodies the program’s values.
– The 2024 national championship run by Busboom Kelly’s Louisville team was a pivotal moment, illustrating the competitive experience she brings to Nebraska and the potential for the Huskers to build on a championship culture.
Overall, the Bosboom Kelly arc is a narrative of roots and rise: a small-town girl who excelled at every level, returned to the state that first shaped her, and now leads a storied program with the potential to translate that hometown grit into sustained national success. Her story also serves as a reminder to communities like Adams and Freeman that the dreams demonstrated on big stages often begin in the backyards, classrooms, and gym floors of small towns, where every practice and every game is part of a larger dream to reach the brightest lights in college sports.