After months of uncertainty, Nebraska finally has clarity on Kayla Caffey’s future. The All-American middle blocker received a waiver from the NCAA for a seventh season of eligibility in the spring, but she will not use it at Nebraska. Coach John Cook announced late Thursday night that Caffey had entered her name in the NCAA transfer portal.
“Kayla’s situation has been unlike any other we’ve ever dealt with before because of her medical redshirt, her transfer and the COVID year,” Cook said in a release. “Obviously, we took our time with this to make sure it was the right decision for everybody.
“Ultimately, Kayla has chosen to move on from Nebraska, and I support her and am proud of her and the accomplishments she’s achieved both on and off the court at Nebraska. She has a lot of options on the table whether that be play one more year in college, become a professional volleyball player or begin her career in education, which she has worked very hard at preparing for over the years earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Kayla will do big things, and I wish her all the best.”
Cook said back in the spring after the NCAA initially cleared Caffey for a seventh season that there were strings attached that both sides had to work through before making a final decision, but he declined to elaborate any further and pushed the announcement down the line each time he spoke publicly throughout the spring and summer.
In an Instagram post on Friday, Caffey shared that the coaches informed her recently that they were unable to offer her a scholarship for the fall.
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Caffey earned second-team AVCA All-America honors this past season after averaging 2.41 kills and 1.11 blocks per set while hitting a team-high .363. She put up 15 kills and four blocks in the five-set loss to Wisconsin in the national championship match.
Caffey averaged 2.04 kills per set on .380 hitting and 1.09 blocks per set in 17 matches during the 2020-21 spring season, her first at Nebraska. She spent her first four seasons at Missouri before transferring to Nebraska.
Caffey’s departure leaves Nebraska with three middle blockers on the roster: Penn State graduate transfer Kaitlyn Hord and freshmen Bekka Allick and Maggie Mendelson. Allick enrolled in January and went through the spring beach and indoor training seasons with the Huskers, starting in the team’s exhibition match against Kansas in Grand Island.