Husker Spotlight: Kori Cooper

On the Huskers’ practice shirts, each player has a word that highlights their most important trait. For Kori Cooper, the word is intensity, but that word could easily be substituted for dedication.

Cooper and her family showed that dedication to volleyball, as Kori and her mother Janie traveled 13 hours round trip from Amarillo to Colorado Springs to play with the Colorado Juniors program. Cooper co-captained the U.S. Youth National Team in 2005 with Rachel Holloway, helping Team USA to a fourth-place finish at the Under-18 World Championships.

The Husker middle blocker also showed that dedication in the classroom, graduating high school a semester early to enroll at NU in January. The move was beneficial, as she recovered from a torn ACL that sidelined her for much of her senior year.

“It was a huge advantage,” Cooper said of graduating early. “To be here and train and work with the medical staff to almost get back to full strength. It helped me competitively, but also personally.”

Cooper has appeared in eight matches this fall, averaging 1.54 kills and 0.46 blocks per game while hitting .474. She made her first career start against Texas Tech on Saturday, totaling five kills on .455 hitting and a block in a sweep fo the Red Raiders.

Cooper said the biggest adjustment has been the amount of scouting and work off the court in player development.

“At this level, there is so much time that goes into preparation,” Cooper said.

While the challenge is new, Cooper said that her favorite memories have been the friendships she has developed with her teammates.

“The thing that you remember when you are in a program is not how many games you played or how many points you scored, but it is the teammates you play with and that is a great thing,” Cooper said.

Side Out with Kori Cooper
Full name: Kori Marie Cooper
Parents: Rick and Janie Cooper
Place of birth: Plainview, Texas
Childhood ambition: Play college sports like my parents
Proudest athletic moment: Watching my team win the Duncanville championship after I went down with a torn ACL
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Indulgence: Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies
Soundtrack: Coyote Ugly
Inspiration: My dad
Favorite vacation spot: Holden Beach, N.C.
Favorite athlete: My brother
Favorite sports team: West Texas A&M men’s basketball team
Where I will be in 10 years: Hopefully out of school and maybe playing some beach volleyball