It was always Nebraska for Dani Busboom Kelly

It was never a matter of if Nebraska was where Dani Busboom Kelly wanted to be. It was only a matter of when.

Nebraska prepares to face New Hampshire in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016. Dani Busboom Kelly, an assistant coach at the time, is on the court (bottom left in red pants) hitting a ball in warm ups. (Photo by Erin Sorensen)

There is a series of photos saved on my phone from an NCAA tournament first round match on Dec. 9, 2016. Nebraska was preparing to face New Hampshire at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

If you look toward the bottom left of the photos — focusing on the baseline specifically — there’s a woman wearing a black top and red pants spiking a ball toward players opposite of her. She has a wide smile on her face as she hits the ball toward libero Justine Wong-Orantes.

The woman is Dani Busboom Kelly.