Dani Busboom always wanted to be a Husker.

Growing up, she was motivated by Nebraska’s 1995 national champions and never missed the Huskers’ summer camps as she matured into a standout athlete.

In August 2001, before even starting her junior year in high school, Busboom told Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook she would accept a scholarship offer. It was the earliest oral commitment in the history of the tradition-rich NU program, but just another step toward what Busboom has looked forward to for all these years.

Finally this month, Busboom made her non-binding commitment official by signing a national letter-of-intent. And next fall, she’ll have a chance to wear that Nebraska uniform she knew she’d look good in all these years.

After two straight recruiting classes without any in-state talent, the Nebraska volleyball program’s 2003 freshman class will have a marked Big Red flavor.

Husker fans will get to know the two Danis — Busboom of Freeman High School in Adams and Omaha Gross middle blocker Dani Mancuso — and Christina Houghtelling of Cambridge. Libero Amanda McCormick of Muncie, Ind., is the fourth member of Nebraska’s largest scholarship recruiting class in several years.

And it’s an important recruiting class, replacing this year’s seniors — All-Americans Greichaly Cepero, Amber Holmquist and Laura Pilakowski and team captain Lindsay Wischmeier.

By all indications, Nebraska went all out to bring in the top in-state talent.

“Coach Cook took me and my parents down to the locker room, and they had a name plate with my name on it over one of the vanities and a game jersey draped over a chair with my name on it,” Mancuso said, recalling her recruiting visit. “He said they wanted to offer me a scholarship, and I said, ‘I want to come here.’ "

When Cook’s early recruiting classes to Nebraska were void of the talented high school standouts from the Cornhusker State, some wondered if the NU program had taken a change in direction.

Cook had landed Nebraska’s first recruits from volleyball-rich California in several years — not to mention winning a national championship — but there were critics of his program for not signing an in-state recruit.

In the two years where Nebraska didn’t sign a home state byproduct, schools like Missouri, Kansas State, Indiana, Pacific and Creighton did. High School standouts from Nebraska are being sought all across the country as talented well-coached athletes who have been raised watching the sport at its highest level.

“In the old days, a lot of kids would walk-on, but now they’re getting offers to good schools . . . so there’s some great opportunities out there,” Cook said. “These Big 12 schools have figured out they can come in and get Nebraska kids, and that’s a way to be successful. Kansas State really started that.

“Everybody asks me the question, ‘why don’t you recruit this kid?’ Well, we only have 12 scholarships, and we can only recruit so many Nebraska kids.”

With Emily Schroeder of Laurel-Concord expected to join the Huskers as a walk-on next year, Nebraska’s 2003 roster could include six Nebraskans out of 14 roster spots.

Busboom’s club teammate, Mancuso was weighing an offer from Kansas last spring, when Cook trumped that. She had 431 kills, 80 blocks and 246 digs for Omaha Gross as a junior.

At Nebraska, the 6-foot-2 Mancuso may play as an outside hitter.

Busboom, too, is looking at a position change in college. After playing her first three seasons in high school as an outside hitter — she had 285 kills as a junior — she was recruited to NU as a setter.

At 5-foot-9, she’s fallen in love with the position and even played some as a setter her senior year. She got the news the first week of practice.

“My eyes just lit up,” Busboom said. “I was hoping for the chance, but I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get it.”

Houghtelling’s switch involved sports. The Cambridge standout wasn’t even considering playing volleyball in college before her senior season, instead planning on a basketball career.

But after her high school coach compared Houghtelling favorably to former Husker volleyball stars Jenny Kropp, Kim Behrends and Mandy Monson, things changed.

“When the volleyball scholarship came available, it was too good an offer to turn down,” Houghtelling said.

That sentiment, it seems, is universal. McCormick was downright giddy after accepting a scholarship offer from NU in September.

“Nebraska has an incredible volleyball program with an awesome tradition,” McCormick said. “I wanted to find a school that had a balance of great athletics and great academic support. Nebraska has all that.

“And the Coliseum is awesome. It’s every athlete’s dream to play there.”