Nicklin Hames announced on Twitter on Sunday that she will be returning to Nebraska for her fifth and final season of eligibility. Hames has been the Huskers starting setter for the previous four seasons but said she will take on a new position in 2022.

The three-time team captain also said in the announcement that she will be a graduate assistant at Nebraska in 2023.

Jason Hames, Nicklin's father, said on a podcast called If you can't handle the heat that Nicklin would be returning to Nebraska in a different role.

Nicklin was off-screen and told her father he could share the news.

"In terms of her setting and what she has done there, yeah she can do that if that's what is necessary but she had her time and I think Kennedi (Orr), it's going to be her time," Jason said on the podcast that premiere on Jan. 7.

Orr was the No. 1 recruit in the 2021 class and will seemingly be taking over Hames' setting responsibilities.

As for Hames, she will likely become a defensive specialist/serve specialist. Hames was one of the four "elite defensive players", as head coach John Cook said, on Nebraska's team during the 2021 season when she helped lead NU to the national championship match against Wisconsin.

During the 2021 season, Hames had 388 digs and had 32 service aces. She will also bring back years of experience to assist her teammates and Orr in learning to play in the Big Ten.

Current Nebraska volleyball assistant coach Kelly Hunter took a similar path as she played one year of professional volleyball overseas and then returned to Nebraska, her alma mater, in 2019 to become a graduate assistant.

The former setter was a volunteer assistant coach in 2021 and was promoted to assistant coach when associate head coach Tyler Hildebrand took a job as Long Beach State's head women's volleyball coach. Jaylen Reyes was promoted to the lead assistant coach.

"It's going to be a grad assistant year, maybe the year after that where she is a grad assistant and gets some coaching experience under a guy like coach Cook and Jaylen (Reyes) and kind of learns the ropes and ins and outs from that side," Jason said on the podcast.

Jason added he doesn't think Nicklin has a plan yet for playing volleyball professionally after college.

Hames is one of three Huskers that had the opportunity to return for a fifth season. Middle blocker Callie Schwarzenbach entered the transfer portal. Middle blocker Kayla Caffey hasn't announced her decision on whether she will return for her third season at Nebraska and seventh in college.