"I was so shocked"- Nebraska volleyball's Campbell Flynn gets real on receiving major honor from Olympic champion April Ross

Nebraska volleyball freshman Campbell Flynn recently reflected on the moment when Olympian April Ross presented her with the 2025 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award. The surprise honor took place at Flynn’s high school, surrounded by her family, coaches, and teammates on January 10, 2025.

Flynn joined Nebraska volleyball’s 2025 class alongside Ryan Hunter, Teraya Sigler, Keri Leimbach, and others. The American athlete recently made her first appearance for the Huskers in spring exhibitions and helped the team secure dominant wins over Kansas and South Dakota State.

Recently, speaking with Jessica Coody on The Newcomers podcast, Campbell Flynn shared her honest reaction to receiving the 2024–25 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award from Olympic champion April Ross. The Nebraska volleyball player expressed that she was shocked and surprised to see Ross present her with the trophy.

“I was so surprised, and it was so special. My school said we were going to do a newspaper thing for the school because I was already out of school, but everyone else was still in school, taking their finals. So they brought me back, and I remember walking into the gym doors, and everyone just surprised me, and April Ross surprised me with the trophy. I was so shocked. Everyone, my family and friends, were surrounding me, so I was really happy as well,” Flynn said. (7:30 onwards)

Nebraska volleyball freshman further described the moment as surreal, especially hearing her name from someone she grew up watching.

“It was insane. Even her saying my name was crazy because I always remember watching her in the Olympics too, it was just so surreal.”

Back in January, Flynn, in collaboration with Gatorade, shared some glimpses with Ross on Instagram.

April Ross is one of the most decorated American beach volleyball athletes. She boasts three Olympic medals in beach volleyball. Ross was a standout indoor player at USC and led the Trojans to back-to-back NCAA titles before transitioning to beach volleyball in 2006.

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Nebraska volleyball freshman Campbell Flynn shares thoughts on the program’s fan base

Campbell Flynn reflected on the Nebraska volleyball fan base following the final spring exhibition match. She spoke about the large crowd turnout during the spring exhibition matches, especially at the final game held at Ord High School last month. She said via Hail Varsity on YouTube:

“Even just Nebraska as a whole—I didn't know it was this big. I knew it was big, but this is just… there’s nothing like this else in the country. So I'm just really proud to be here.” (2:50 onwards)

Flynn played the entire match as setter for the Nebraska volleyball team. She recorded 23 assists and three digs in the first match, followed by 44 assists and 8 digs in the final match.

After the summer break, Flynn, along with the team, will start preparing for its 2025 season, which will start with its Annual Red-White Scrimmage in August this year.

Edited by Sumeet Kavthale