January 9, 2007

Lincoln, NE (CSTV U-WIRE) -- "Dream big. Dream like a champion."

That's the text message Nebraska Coach John Cook received the night before he led the Cornhuskers to their second volleyball national championship in six seasons.

It was from Dani Mancuso.

"I was sicker than a dog, up all night," Cook said. "And I knew at that moment when I got that text that we had done everything possible for her and she was going to play great."

Mancuso, a senior outside hitter, was a roommate in Omaha with the only other senior on the team - libero Dani Busboom.

Both faced the same situation. They knew there was only one match left in their collegiate volleyball careers.

"We were going to bed, and it was just something inside of me that came up," Mancuso said of the text message. "When it came, I sent it to the players and coaches."

Who's to say if that text message was a main motivator in Nebraska's 3-1 win over No. 2 Stanford the next night? Cook did say, though, that it's a memory he will have forever.

Mancuso and Busboom leave Nebraska with many memories of their own. They traveled different paths before arriving on Nebraska's campus in 2003.

Mancuso thrived at Omaha's Gross Catholic High School in the state's largest city, while Busboom came out of rural Cortland.

They shared a common bond, though - both were dominant on a volleyball court.

Mancuso said the bond she and Busboom formed during their freshman year came full circle this season.

"We were typical freshman jumping on the bed and taking funny pictures," Mancuso said. "Our relationship has had ups and downs, but this last season I think we really came together on and off the court."

On the night of the championship game, they made sure they were going to come together one last time on the court during the celebration immediately after the final point.

"I'm not exactly sure what we said or what we didn't say," Mancuso said. "I was just so excited, so happy to have won."

And win they did.

"Right now, I don't think it's fully hit me yet," Mancuso said. "I think when I'm not going to the gym every day it will keep hitting me more and more."

In a way, Busboom sounds like she almost doesn't want her Nebraska volleyball career to end.

"I'm going to miss the relationships a lot and stuff off the court," Busboom said. "But I'm also going to miss competition and the intensity of the game."

Busboom and Mancuso were the only seniors on this year's squad, with four new recruits slated to don the scarlet and cream in the fall.

The early outlook on the 2007 season is bright, but losing Mancuso and Busboom will require younger players to take on bigger leadership roles.

What does the future hold for these two seniors? Both said it's hard to tell.

"Honestly, the past three-and-a-half years I haven't really thought about it because I just live in the moment," Mancuso said. "Next step is graduation and taking this semester to find out what I want to do. Maybe I'll end up coaching some day."

Busboom also said she's still debating the next step in her life.

After four years of pouring their hearts into the Husker program, the two seniors embraced on the court one final time after beating Stanford.

So what did Mancuso and Busboom tell each other? The only thing either could remember saying to each other were three words: "We did it."

(C) 2007 Daily Nebraskan via CSTV U-WIRE