Pac-12 | Amanda Gil: still waiting

UW star—and nation’s leading blocker—keeps busy while waiting for a final decision on her appeal for one more year.

NCAA | What we learned from Washington’s Sweet 16 loss to Nebraska

Nebraska 3, Washington 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-23)

OMAHA—There was a point, more than halfway through the second set, when the Washington Huskies came alive.

Summer Ross departure: initial thoughts

She promised to be a sportswriter’s dream: talented, charismatic; an unmistakable one-of-a-kind personality more complicated than she might first seem.

Summer Ross wore jersey #99 because it’s “a big number for a big player.” Somehow, she uttered those words without a hint of arrogance.

During endless August workouts in Hec Ed Pavilion, the gym echoed with excited exclamations: Summer! Summer! Her teammates all but squealed as they marveled at her uncanny ability to keep the ball in play, and to flash a grin that often bordered on goofy.

Summer Ross (right)
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Ross has a quality that coaches love: the ability to leave behind the previous play—good or bad—and focus entirely on the moment. She never seems to dwell, she never wastes energy gloating.

Some will say she isn’t the offensive force she needs to be to excel in the indoor game. But her full range of skills are a joy to watch: serving, serve-receiving, digging, blocking. Her sand volleyball experience trained her to pursue any ball—and find a way to put somewhere that a teammate can make a play. Some of her defensive saves were flat-out amazing.

If she had stayed in Seattle, it would have been fun to watch her grow. It seemed her skills might be the perfect complement to the fierce power of fellow freshman Krista Vansant.

How much will her departure hurt the Huskies? Keep in mind that USC lost last year’s Freshman of the Year, Falyn Fonoimoana, yet won the Pac-12 and reached the NCAA Final Four. Two seasons ago, UCLA lost two previous Freshmen of the Year--Lauren Cook (who transferred to Nebraska) and Amanda Gil (to Washington)--yet went on to win this year’s National Championship.

Washington can win without her. But those of us in Seattle have all lost a little now that we won’t see Summer each autumn in the gym.

Nebraska's Lauren Cook cuts deal, might play

Yesterday, newspapers in Nebraska were reporting that it might take up to three weeks for a Lincoln judge to decide whether Nebraska setter Lauren Cook could enter a pretrial diversion program rather than face felony charges. 24 hours later, the legal system seems to be moving rather quickly. From the Lincoln Journal Star ...

Lauren Cook accepted into pretrial diversion

By CORY MATTESON / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, November 9, 2011 12:05 pm

Nebraska volleyball player Lauren Cook has been accepted into pretrial diversion, according to a news release from the Lancaster County Attorney's Office.

Cook was charged Tuesday with leaving the scene of an injury accident. On Wednesday, the case was dismissed.

Lauren Cook

Lincoln police say she sideswiped a motorcycle parked on the shoulder of Humphrey Avenue just before noon on Oct. 30 as she drove westbound toward North 14th Street.

The driver of the motorcycle, Nathan Kollars, 30, suffered a broken leg. His passenger was treated for scrapes.

Lancaster County Attorney Joe Kelly said Tuesday his office looked at the police incident report from the crash, which indicated she was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs when her SUV hit the motorcycle. That she has a clean criminal record also was a key factor in recommending her case be dismissed to pretrial diversion, Kelly said.

If Cook fails to complete any of the requirements listed in her pretrial diversion agreement, the felony charge could be refiled.

On Tuesday, Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said Cook -- who sat out the Huskers' two matches last weekend -- could play again once she is admitted into the diversion program.

Nebraska plays Friday at Indiana, the last-place team in the Big Ten, before facing 10th-ranked Purdue on the road Saturday.

Nebraska's Lauren Cook charged with felony, seeks deal

Nebraska setter Lauren Cook today asked a judge to allow her to avoid a felony prosecution by entering a pre-trial diversion program.

Earlier in the day, Cook was charged with a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident. On October 30, 2011, Cook was driving her parents' SUV in Lincoln, Nebraska, when it allegedly struck two people, sending one to the hospital with a broken leg. Cook's license had been previously suspended following numerous previous speeding infractions.

Cook's father is John Cook, head coach of the Nebraska Volleyball program since the 2000 season. He suspended his daughter from last weekend's Big-10 matches against Michigan and Michigan State, pending resolution of criminal charges.

The proposed pre-trial diversion program would include community service, a promise not to drive for one year, and avoiding other violations.

At a press conference in Lincoln, Lauren Cook said, in part:

"I am a firm believer that there is a reason for the events that happen in your life and there is a reason all of this happened. This has been a defining moment in my life and I'm going to use this experience and my time in diversion to become a better person, a better driver."

Lauren Cook
[WOWT.com]

Nebraska Athletic Director, Dr. Tom Osborne, also spoke at the press conference. He addressed whether Cook could return to the team this season.

"This is dependent upon entering into the pre-trial diversion at which time charges will be suspended or dropped so she would not be under charges."

NBC affliliate WOWT reports that the judge may take three weeks to decide whether or not to accept the proposed diversion plan.

See also:
Nebraska setter Lauren Cook arrested after car accident
John Cook/Lauren Cook: When a dad coaches his daughter

John Cook/Lauren Cook: When a dad coaches his daughter

Our son and daughter played a lot of sports growing up. Like many parents, we were occasionally their coach.

It’s tough to coach your own kid.

Nebraska head coach John Cook

Nebraska’s John Cook was reminded of that lesson the hard way Sunday when his daughter, Lauren—who is also his team’s star setter—was arrested in Lincoln. Lauren Cook, 20, is scheduled to be arraigned next Tuesday on charges of driving with a suspended license (reportedly her penalty for numerous previous speeding violations) and of leaving the scene of an accident, in which a man on the side of the road ended up with a broken leg. (It appears uncontested that, soon after the incident, Lauren Cook called her mom and then the police.)

Revered in Nebraska for his string of success and tough-guy image, John Cook strikes many opposing fans and coaches as arrogant and, on occasion, condescending and sarcastic. John Cook is not a cuddly guy.

But as a fellow parent, I certainly feel for the Cook family. And that said, I wonder whether John Cook will have the chance to contemplate a couple of likely lessons from his incredibly difficult situation.

LESSON ONE: KEEP AN EYE ON THE REAL VICTIM

John Cook: daughter Lauren will not play this weekend

During his weekly radio program Tuesday, Nebraska coach John Cook made the following statement about the playing status of his daughter, Lauren:

“I have made the decision that Lauren Cook will not play in our matches this weekend against Michigan and Michigan State," John Cook said. "As the legal system continues to progress, we will make further determination on Lauren’s playing status. Lauren is still a member of our program and will continue to train and practice with our team.”

Lauren Cook is the starting setter for the 18-2 Cornhuskers, currently the second-ranked team in the country. (Nebraska was #1 the previous week, before losing to #6 Penn State.)

Lauren Cook is scheduled to be arraigned November 8, facing possible charges of driving with a suspended license and leaving the scene of an accident.

According to numerous reports in the Omaha World-Herald, Lauren Cook was behind the wheel of her parent’s SUV Sunday morning when her car struck two motorcyclists on the side of the road. One of those struck suffered a broken leg.

Reports attributed to the Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department say Lauren Cook left the scene without stopping. Several minutes and several blocks later, she reportedly pulled over to call her mother, and then called police. She was arrested, booked, and soon thereafter made bail.

Nebraska media report that Lauren Cook, 20, was driving with a suspended license. She reportedly has been issued four speeding tickets over the past four years.

Although John Cook held a press conference Monday and spoke during his weekly radio program on Tuesday, he has refused subsequent requests for interviews. A Nebraska media spokesman told the World-Herald that members of the volleyball team "were not being made available to the media this week."

_____________________________

Lauren Cook has competed three times against the Washington Huskies. During the 2009 season, she was the starting setter for UCLA, and was eventually named national freshman of the year. Washington defeated UCLA twice that season.

John Cook (left) and Jim McLaughlin (purple shirt) after
the 2010 Sweet 16 match in Seattle
[photo by Matt Miller]

At the end of the 2010 season, Nebraska travelled to Seattle to face Washington in a Sweet 16 match. The Huskies won that contest, in dramatic fashion. Lauren Cook, who had transferred from UCLA to Nebraska, was one of two setters in the Cornhuskers’ 6-2 offense.

At the end of that Sweet 16 match, John Cook and Washington coach Jim McLaughlin exchanged harsh words after Cook complained during the post-match handshake about an earlier referee’s call. Two seasons earlier, Nebraska won a gripping five-set Elite 8 match in Seattle. In 2005, Washington swept heavily-favored Nebraska in the national championship match.

Nebraska setter Lauren Cook arrested after car accident

[INFORMATION IN THIS REPORT HAS BEEN UPDATED]


Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook answered questions at a news conference today about the arrest of his daughter, Lauren Cook, on Sunday. Lauren Cook is the starting setter for John Cook's team.

Lauren Cook
[Lincoln Police Dept./AP]

According to a report in today's Omaha World-Herald, Lauren Cook was driving her parents' car at noon on Sunday when she allegedly hit two motorcyclists on the side of the road and then fled the scene. The newspaper says Cook drove several blocks, then called police. The World-Herald says Cook told police she "just panicked" after the incident.

The newspaper reports that Cook was driving with a suspended license, and that she has been found guilty of four traffic violations since 2007.

According to the World-Herald:

John Cook, her father and head coach of the top-ranked volleyball team, said Monday that his daughter remains on the team, but he would not address her status for this weekend's matches against Michigan and Michigan State. He said he had been in contact with Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne about athletic department procedures on dealing with arrests.

The motorcyclists were reported to have minor injuries.

[THANKS TO TERRY WOOD FOR THE HEADS-UP ON THIS BREAKING NEWS]

UPDATE: According to a report in the Lincoln Journal Star, the injuries to one of the motorcyclists was more than "minor." Lincoln police say one accident victim apparently suffered a broken leg:

According to a Lincoln police report, Cook was driving west on Humphrey Avenue near North 14th Street when she collided with a Honda motorcycle that was parked on the edge of the street around noon Sunday. 

Witness William Umana, 23, was driving east on Humphrey Avenue when he saw the black Toyota 4Runner hit the motorcycle. He said he saw the driver of the SUV as she continued to head west on Humphrey Avenue. Umana said she appeared to be panicking as she drove away. 

"She looked at me, and was freaked out," he said. 

Umana said he helped tend to the driver of the motorcycle, Nathaniel Kollars, 30. Lincoln police said Kollars suffered a broken leg. A passenger on the motorcycle was treated for abrasions. 

Cook drove about half a mile away, and, after calling her mother, called police, according to a probable cause affidavit for her arrest. Officer Katie Flood said Cook called at 11:59 a.m., six minutes after police first received word of the crash. An officer found her alone in the 2007 4Runner, its front right tire shredded, according to the affidavit.