How Nebraska hitter Whitney Lauenstein went from Waverly JV to all-Big Ten

One of the defining moments in Whitney Lauenstein’s life stemmed from disappointment.

Today, Lauenstein is a sophomore starter for the Nebraska volleyball team at the right-side hitter position. She wows fans with her explosiveness. She jumps high, snaps her arm down quickly and crushes kills to the floor.

You can buy her T-shirt now at sporting goods stores in Lincoln and online.

But a few years ago, Lauenstein wasn’t good enough to make the varsity team at Waverly.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that — many college athletes weren’t varsity athletes as freshmen. But most Nebraska volleyball players are.

When Lauenstein found out she’d spend her first year of high school on the junior varsity volleyball team, she was crushed. She remembers riding the bus home that day, and seeing her parents waiting on the patio to hear her news.

It was that moment that started an obsession to get better as an athlete and volleyball player.

Asked where her explosiveness comes from, Lauenstein quickly goes back to when high school volleyball didn’t start out like she’d wanted it to.

“That comes from my hard work,” Lauenstein said. “My freshman year when I didn’t make varsity I really wanted to quit volleyball. I was like, ‘This isn’t for me.’ My mom said I wasn’t allowed to do that. She said, ‘You have to see it through.’ She said I just needed to work harder.”

That’s when her family put a plan in place. They got more serious about club volleyball. During parent-teacher conferences, they…