Freshman Haverly leaves Huskers

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BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star

Suddenly, depth has joined experience high on the list of concerns for the Nebraska volleyball team.

With word Monday that freshman Jordan Haverly had left the team for personal reasons, NU is down to just two healthy outside hitters — senior Jordan Larson and sophomore Tara Mueller — with the start of the season less than two weeks away.

Nebraska head coach John Cook said that redshirt freshman Brooke Delano, recruited as a middle blocker, would train on both the left and right sides as he tries to settle on a starting lineup.

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“Brooke can do some nice things,” said Cook, mentioning her name along with two past All-Americans — Allison Weston and Christina Houghtelling — who switched positions during their Nebraska careers.

The other player still in the jumble for a starting spot is sophomore right-side hitter Lindsey Licht.

Haverly, ranked as the 20th-best player nationally among last year’s high school seniors, was expected to see some playing time with the Huskers this year.

In a statement released by the university, Haverly said, “... my personal decision to leave Nebraska was done for the best interests of my family.”

Haverly informed Cook of her decision over the weekend and later announced it to the entire team.

She’s been in Lincoln since early July and attended classes during the second five-week summer session.

Cook said Monday that he sensed there were problems from the first day of practice this month, but stated that the reasons were not volleyball-related.

“We gave it a week, and now that’s the result,” he said.

In the statement,  Cook added, “Although we are disappointed that she has decided to leave our program, we appreciate the maturity she showed in her decision-making process.”

Although Nebraska has released Haverly from her scholarship, allowing the Rockford, Ill., native to transfer to another school, it’s uncertain if NU could shift Haverly’s scholarship to a walk-on player this fall.

By next year, Nebraska should have two more outside hitters in the fold, having already secured commitments from talented high school seniors Gina Mancuso of Papillion-La Vista and Hannah Werth of Springfield, Ill.

Freshman outside hitter Kaitlynn James is currently sidelined following shoulder surgery.