Lauren Cook glances over at the opposing bench as she prepares for a teammate to serve and sees her father coaching the opposition.
“I would glance over there and be like, “˜Oh, that’s really weird,'” she later said.
The freshman setter then distributes the ball to one of her hitters and … point Bruins.
An NCAA record 13,870 fans fill Nebraska’s Devaney Center.
About 50 of them are cheering for the eventual winners of that Sept. 13 match between No. 8 UCLA and No. 5 Nebraska.
And there are two on the court that are father and daughter ““ only they are on opposite sides of the net.
Lauren never thought she would be playing against her father John, who is also the Nebraska women’s volleyball coach.
“At the end of it I was like “˜alright this is kinda special to be able to come back to my hometown and win in front of a crowd that big and win against my dad,'” Lauren said.
And with the Bruins scheduled to play Nebraska next season and likely for at least two more after that, Lauren will be getting used to seeing her father on the opposing bench.
“Everybody kind of made a big deal about it,” John said. “My daughter was playing at UCLA and I was coaching at Nebraska. But to be honest with you, I think, when the match started, she was focused on playing for her team and I was focused on coaching my team.”
But the freshman sensation, who came in to replace four-time All-American setter Nellie Spicer and has drawn numerous comparisons to her predecessor already, has made her impact at UCLA just weeks after her arrival to campus.
Last Tuesday, Lauren was named the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association National Player of the Week, becoming only the fifth freshman to receive the award in NCAA history. The award was such a surprise for Cook that she had to ask UCLA coach Andy Banachowski to explain what it is she had won.
Making her own impact has been her goal from day one of high school volleyball.
When Lauren arrived at Pius X High School in Lincoln, Neb., volleyball coach Jake Moore was well aware of the freshman’s father, Big 12 Champion Nebraska’s women’s volleyball coach.
“When Lauren first came as a ninth grade to Pius, I’m not gonna lie, “¦ I was like, “˜oh boy, here we go,'” Moore said. “But never, in four years, did (her dad) try to say “˜I think you need to this, I need you to do that.’ … He really allowed her to do her own thing.”
With a very successful high school career in the works, the inevitable conversation of collegiate volleyball came up. Even with that very first discussion, Lauren continued the attitude of creating her own path.
Lauren spoke with Moore and her mother Wendy about playing collegiate volleyball during her junior year of high school.
“Wendy and I … were like, you can go to Nebraska and play there, but … people will always be questioning “˜is she really playing because she’s good enough or is it just because of her dad?'” Moore said.
Lauren quickly eliminated Nebraska from her list.
“We talked about her coming to Nebraska, but very early on she said “˜I don’t want to live under my dad’s shadow, I want to make my own path,'” John said.
With Nebraska out of the question and Lauren receiving numerous recruiting offers and making various college visits, she eventually had an offer from UCLA.
Born in San Diego, Lauren carries a strong bond with the West Coast. She said she always dreamed about returning to the West and had a strong desire to play for a top-10 volleyball program.
With UCLA meeting those two requirements, she set out for an official visit.
“I committed literally two days later,” she said.
“I’ve gone on previous college visits and they just didn’t feel right. UCLA just felt right.”
Moore said Lauren’s UCLA aspirations began early.
“She started telling me, when she was a junior, that UCLA was her dream school,” he said. “And when it kinda opened up, during the club season of her junior year, once they offered, it was done.”
“She said it’s the school she said she always envisioned herself going to and playing for.”
With the letter of intent signed, Lauren was ready to leave the Midwest and move back to the West Coast. Over a year later and now starting at UCLA, Lauren Cook’s young collegiate career has been surprising for most but expected for others.
When asked what he thought of Lauren’s MVP performance at Nebraska last week, Moore said, “Not lying ““ I’m not surprised.”
“She seems to rise to the occasion so I was not surprised in the least. It kinda solidified what I always thought. I always thought she was a great player.”
Though always having the full support of her high school coach, Lauren believed that coming to UCLA and having a significant role with the team early on has gone a long way to show doubters her true capabilities.
“Coming to UCLA and actually playing and helping this team do good, I think, it shows that I don’t get places because of my dad,” Lauren said. “I’m actually trying to work hard and make my own path.”
For her current coach, Lauren’s early accolades are earlier than he expected.
“She might be ahead of schedule on things,” Banachowski said.
With future contests between Lauren’s Bruins and John’s Huskers likely, John is still working on getting the full scouting report on Lauren.
“She’s very difficult to scout because she has the whole package. She has great vision. She’s crafty. She’s smart. She knows how to take advantage of her size,” he said.
Lauren said she hopes to use that to her advantage in future matchups against her father.
As for a potential NCAA Championship meeting?
“It would be unbelievable,” John said. “I’ve actually had dreams of that happening.”