"They were going to steal our thunder"- Harper Murray picks the best dressed Nebraska volleyball player during Halloween costume practice

Nebraska Volleyball's Harper Murray picked the best-dressed player from the day they celebrated Halloween with costume practice. Murray channeled Papa Smurf alongside Ryan Hunter during the practice ahead of their match-up with Wisconsin on October 31, 2025.

Harper Murray and her team have been enjoying an undefeated season, sitting at No.1 in the NCAA Division I women's volleyball. The Huskers recently swept Oregon 25-21, 25-20, 25-12 in front of a crowd of nearly 8,500 at the Bob Devaney Sports Arena. Taylor Landfair led with 10 kills, and Murray trailed with nine kills and nine digs, followed by Rebekah Allick, Andi Jackson, and others.

Following the victory, Murray attended a press conference where she was asked to pick the best-dressed player from the costume practice session held during Halloween. She was quick to name herself and Ryan Hunter, who twinned in Papa Smurf costumes. She also shared how Campbell Flynn and Taylor Landfair had considered dressing up as Smurfs, but she and Hunter had already made the decision beforehand.

"Me and Ryan. It was me and Ryan. Personally, T and Campbell. They actually wanted to do they wanted to do uh Papa Smurf, but me and Ryan had kept our costume a secret for a month and a half, and then we found out that they wanted to do it, and we had to tell them not to do it because they were going to steal our thunder."

Landfair was dressed as Doc McStuffins, while Flynn and Teraya Sigler drew inspiration from Ratatouille. Keri Leimbach and Laney Choboy dressed up as Oompa Loompas from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Nebraska Volleyball's Harper Murray talked about switching her mentality to help her team win against Oregon

Nebraska Volleyball's Murray at the 2024 Division I Women's Volleyball Semifinals - Source: Getty

Nebraska Volleyball's Harper Murray was having a tough time when Oregon's Alana Clemente was keeping her grounded. Despite that, she switched her mentality to force her opponent into errors and ultimately recorded nine kills and digs to help the Huskers take the win. Reflecting on that, the outside hitter said:

"I honestly think it was just a switch in my mentality early on in the game. That setter was getting me, and I was struggling to be there on time. So I think that was just a switch in mentality for me, and really focusing on being early and being on time to my block because we have a good defense back there, but it's not always going to be there to save you sometimes. So that's on me. But I think I got better throughout the game." (via press conference; beginning 1:06)

Earlier this year, Nebraska Volleyball's Harper Murray signed an NIL deal with Adidas and has been campaigning for the brand since.

Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder