Lincoln, Neb. — The Nebraska volleyball program and Head Coach John Cook announced the 2021 signing class on Wednesday. The Huskers’ class is ranked No. 1 by PrepVolleyball.com and all six signees are ranked in the top 70 nationally by the site. The stacked class includes five of the top 16, four of the top 10 and all of the top three recruits. Nebraska is the only school that is expected to sign more than two top-16 recruits this signing period, according to PrepVolleyball.com. The class also includes three Nebraska natives, something Cook boasted about.
“The state of Nebraska produces some of the best volleyball talent in the country,” Cook said. “We are committed to keeping the top kids here to play at home.”
Outside hitter Ally Batenhorst (Houston, Texas), middle blocker Rylee Gray (Elkhorn, Neb.), outside hitter Lindsay Krause (Papillion, Neb.), outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein (Waverly, Neb.), setter Kennedi Orr (Eagan, Minn.) and defensive specialist/libero Lexi Rodriguez (Sterling, Ill.) make up this year’s signing class.
“In the summer of 2017, we decided to run a camp and call it the Dream Team Camp,” Cook said. “We invited our top recruits in the class of 2021. Well, a little over three years later, their signing day has now arrived. All of them have taken different paths to get to this point and some verbally committed at the camp or soon after. The three days of camp were awesome. Bonds were formed and intensity was high. We had a blast coaching the kids at the camp. We have enjoyed watching their development over the last three years and getting to know them as student-athletes.
“Because of their accomplishments on the national and world stage, the expectations will be very high, but that is why you go to Nebraska. When they start in 2021, they will be freshmen, figuring out how to be away from home, adjust to college life and Husker volleyball. We will make sure they ‘Dream Big’ and understand the song lyrics, ‘To whom much is given, much is tested.’
“We look forward to getting them all on campus and start building a team that embraces working together and building ultimate trust. At Nebraska we get everybody’s best shot and that is why we say, ‘the only easy day was yesterday.’
“Husker Nation will have fun following the journey of this large recruiting class. They are talented, passionate and driven to excel on and off the court.”
