Husker Walk-on Q-n-A: Hayley Densberger

Malcolm native Hayley Densberger is a junior walk-on defensive specialist/libero who has played in 79 career matches, including 17 this season. In 2018, she tallied 124 digs, including a career-high 11 at Penn State, and served an ace in the NCAA regional final win over Oregon. Before Nebraska, Densberger played outside hitter for Malcolm High School and led the Clippers to a 34-1 record her senior season. She visited with Brian Rosenthal of Huskers.com about how and why she joined the Huskers in this week's Huskers walk-on QnA.
 
BR: How did your recruiting relationship with the Nebraska coaching staff begin?
Hayley: "My club coaches were Dan Mader and Maggie Griffin, and Maggie obviously played here, and Mader coached here as a graduate manager. I was playing under them my junior year, when we made it to nationals and went really far there. He was talking to Dani (Busboom Kelly) the whole time and was like, 'I have this girl, she can pass, she's a good kid,' and what not. I actually stayed in Florida after the tournament got over and I got a call from Dani, and she was like, 'Yeah, I think we have a walk-on position if you want it.' So yeah, that's pretty much where it all got started."
 
BR: What other opportunities did you have, and why did you accept the walk-on offer?
Hayley: "I think my next top pick was Wayne State, a scholarship and everything there. I was going to be an outside, because that's what I used to be, was an outside. The biggest thing for me was, do I give up hitting and just become a DS, and go somewhere bigger, or do I stick with being an outside and go somewhere smaller? Then once this opportunity came, it took a while to think everything out and talk through it all with my family, but I'm glad I chose here. I just couldn't pass up this opportunity."
 
BR: How did you become involved in volleyball?
Hayley: "I have two older sisters, and they're quite a bit older than me, so I went to my first volleyball game at like 2 weeks old. I just grew up going to all their games, and as soon as I could start catching a ball, I was passing, and then me and my sisters would be outside or in a building and we'd try to see how many passes we could get back and forth without dropping it."
 
BR: How much did Nebraska's program success inspire you to want to play volleyball as a young girl?
Hayley: "I came to a lot of games when I was growing up. Everyone says it's everyone's dream to come here, and I was watching and I was like, 'Wow, it'd be really cool to play here' type of thing. It was a dream, but who knew if it would happen. And I knew how rich the tradition is here, winning program, Final Fours, championships."
 
BR: How much of a responsibility do you feel in knowing that other young girls across the state are looking up to you in the same way?
Hayley: "I think it's really cool, if I'm going to be honest. I see a lot of people, 'Oh, my daughter really loves volleyball and she loves you guys.' Initially, I don't think you do realize what an impact and influence you really do have on all of them, but once you go through the camps and are talking with kids after the games, or wherever. …  And when I'm out of town, I'll talk to people, and it's cool the amount of influence you can have on someone, just doing what you love."
 
BR: Do you feel a sense of pride representing Malcolm as a Husker walk-on?
Hayley: "That is a cool thing, and I think it's one of the coolest experiences about all of this. Malcolm is such a tight-knit community. Everyone supports everyone. You know everyone, and I still have a ton of people I'm in contact with from there, who are supporting me from there. That's pretty cool that even though I'm here now and it's a lot bigger than Malcolm, it's cool."
 
BR: What's your primary role on the team and what do you do to embrace it?
Hayley: "I think my primary role is to be ready for anything my team needs, whether I need to go in for serve receive, whether I need to go in and serve, whatever it is. Just always being ready for that. Even if I'm on the bench and cheering the team on, looking at things from a different angle. I think just always being ready to take on that role, being confident in that role has helped me."
 
BR: What's your favorite sport outside of volleyball?
Hayley: "I did track and basketball, and recently I was talking to someone, and I actually miss those, playing other sports, too. I don't know if I have a favorite. Maybe track."
 
BR: What's been the highlight of your career here?
Hayley: "I would say the national championship."
 
BR: What was your favorite part of the trip to China?
Hayley: "I think getting to know everybody on a different level. Just because everything is so new and weird and uncomfortable there. We all got to know each other on a different level a lot more than if we had just stayed in Lincoln and hung out."
 
BR: You're a Big Ten distinguished scholar and an honor roll student. How do you balance volleyball and school?
Hayley: "Growing up, school and sports were always a big priority in my family. I guess ever since I can remember, my parents prioritized school for me. So then I learned to adopt that and knew that needed to be a strong suit for me. I'm good at time management. I plan out everything. I know exactly what I'm going to do, when I'm going to do it. I just make times for those things."
 
BR: What career path do you want to take?
Hayley: "I would say be a sports psychologist. I love psychology; that's my major. To be around sports and have that background and everything, I think I could be really good at helping athletes overcome obstacles that I overcame as an athlete, as a person."
 
Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.