John Cook’s daughter, Lauren Cook, age 32, was a star collegiate volleyball player. Cook got the chance to coach his daughter from 2010 to 2012 when she transferred from UCLA.
Lauren chose to return home after not being able to fit herself into the LA culture, but it wasn’t a bad decision. Whether it was Lincoln, UCLA, or Nebraska, her volleyball talent continued to shine wherever she went.
But Lauren decided against becoming a professional volleyball athlete. The oldest child of volleyball head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, you can catch Lauren talking about the sport she loves with her father on Huskers Radio Network.
Recently, the father-daughter duo combined for another episode, discussing the arrival of three-time Olympian Jordan Larson as an assistant coach.
John Cook Daughter, Lauren Cook, Is A Former Volleyball Player
John Cook’s daughter, Lauren Cook, began her volleyball journey at Lincoln Pius X. A star player, Lauren led Pius to three straight Class B state titles.
The oldest child of John and his wife, Wendy Cook, Lauren, was born in 1991 and is 32 years old. During her time at Lincoln, Lauren was named in the first-team all-state honors in her last three seasons.
She was also honored with the title All-American by Volleyball Magazine and held the state record with 4,399 assists while playing as a setter. After graduating from Lincoln, Lauren enrolled at UCLA and continued her volleyball career.
Lauren might have only played one year of volleyball at UCLA, but she didn’t fail to leave her mark. She was named the 2009 AVCA National Freshman of the Year, averaging 10.69 assists, 2.44 digs, 0.77 kills, and 0.40 blocks per set. She also became the first-ever Bruins player to win the award.
After leaving UCLA, Lauren joined her father at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Lauren bid goodbye to UCLA due to academic reasons. UCLA didn’t provide the event planning major, and Nebraska added it during Lauren’s sophomore year.
Lauren expressed that LA culture also played a role in her returning home. A self-described small-town Nebraska girl, Lauren later played the entirety of her three years at Nebraska.
At Nebraska, Lauren shared the role of setter with two-time All-American Sydney Anderson. In her senior year, in 2012, Lauren was named the co-captain and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.
She earned several accolades during her time at Nebraska and remains affiliated with the Nebraska Huskers. With her father, Lauren runs the podcast Kicking Back with the Cooks. The YouTube channel Nebraska Huskers shares the podcast with the viewers.
Lauren tied the knot with Jason West in 2018, and the couple share a daughter, per Lauren’s Facebook page.
John Cook Son Taylor Cook
John Cook’s son, Taylor Cook, has kept himself out of the public spotlight. The youngest child of the Nebraska women’s volleyball coach was a former athlete.
If Taylor’s sister was a star volleyball player at Lincoln Pius, then Taylor was also a football player. In 2012, Taylor got a second chance at a senior year at Lincoln after he sat out the 2011-12 school year after being diagnosed with stress fractures in his lower back.
In an interview with Lincoln Journal Star in 2012, Taylor said he quit baseball due to the problems in his lower back but had hoped to join the golf team next spring.
Taylor added that during the break he got his pilot’s license and took a trip to Europe with his father. Previously, in an interview, John admitted it was always a challenge to be at Taylor’s activities due to their conflicting schedule.
The interview with the volleyball coach shared by Big 10 Central in 2019 stated that Taylor, at the time, lived in Boise, Idaho.