Email Coach Busboom
The University of Tennessee and head volleyball coach Rob Patrick announced the hiring of Dani Busboom as the team[apos]s new assistant coach in March 2009.
A former standout player at Nebraska, Busboom brings a wealth of experience to Rocky Top, having guided the Huskers to three conference championships, two NCAA finals appearances and a national title during her four-year career in Lincoln.
Busboom works with all facets of the UT volleyball team, including training the team[apos]s setters, coordinating its travel and equipment needs and running the school[apos]s summer volleyball camps. She also has additional responsibilities with recruiting and tape breakdown.
Busboom was the ultimate team player during her career at Nebraska, transitioning to libero during her senior campaign after starting at the setter position the previous three seasons. A four-year starter, she concluded her career as one of only two players ranked among the top-10 in NU history in both digs and assists, finishing second on the digs chart with 1,281 and third in career assists with 2,925. The Cortland, Neb., native guided the Huskers to a 124-10 record, the best four-year mark in school history, three Big 12 titles, two NCAA finals appearances and a national title in 2006.
During her senior season, Busboom set the Nebraska single-season digs record with 580 scoops in her first year as the team[apos]s starting libero. She was named the 2006 Big 12 co-Libero of the Year after leading the conference with 5.04 digs per game and reaching double figures in digs in 32 of 34 matches, including a 21-dig performance in the national championship win over No. 2 Stanford.
Not all of her accolades came on the court, however, as she also excelled in the classroom. In addition to earning a spot on the Big 12 Commissioner[apos]s Honor Roll on six different occasions, Busboom also claimed First-Team Academic All-Big 12 honors three times and was named to the 2006 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII Team. She earned a bachelor[apos]s degree in communication studies from Nebraska in 2007.
Following her graduation, Busboom spent time with the U.S. Women[apos]s National Training Team before moving on to a career as a sales representative for an Omaha insurance company. She also has worked as the sideline reporter for radio broadcasts of Nebraska volleyball matches on the Husker Sports Network and has assisted with the Elite Volleyball Youth Development Program in both Lincoln and Omaha.
Dani and her husband, former Nebraska football player Lane Kelly, were married in the summer of 2010 and reside in Knoxville.
UP CLOSE WITH DANI BUSBOOM
What do you like most about coaching?
[quote]My favorite things about coaching are the relationships you build and the team atmosphere. I love working in a group setting when there is a common goal.[quote]
What is something that would surprise people about you?
[quote]I grew up on a farm and graduated high school with 20 kids in my class...five boys and 15 girls.[quote]
What is your favorite book and why?
[quote]Well, right now I am definitely on a Twilight kick, but I really do enjoy most movies and books.[quote]
Who do you feel has been the biggest influence in your life and why?
[quote]First and foremost, I would say my parents. They both are very hardworking and great all-around people. If I end up just like them, I will have a pretty good life.
What, in your opinion, are the essential attributes necessary for a player to have in order to be successful?
[quote]To be successful you have to have the desire and drive to be great. I think the mental game is just as important as the physical game. At the Division I level all kids are physical; it[apos]s the ones who have the mental edge that end up on top.[quote]
