Lincoln North Star senior Delainey Volkmer was primed for an exceptional final season following a breakout junior year.
She led the Navigators with 403 kills, and head coach Jeremiah (J) Kroll noted that she was by far the team’s top performer in serve receive and passing.
Coming off a successful club season, Volkmer was set to key a deep run for the 2025 Class A runner-up in 2026.
Sometimes, the plan changes.
Volkmer isn’t playing volleyball this season.
During the second week of July at Creighton’s team camp, Volkmer landed awkwardly after jumping for an outside swing in the second set of the Navigators’ first match. She felt her knee give out — a torn ACL.
Her immediate reaction was denial rather than shock; she was convinced she could play through the pain.
“I told J, ‘I cannot be hurt. This is not gonna happen, I’m fine,'” Volkmer recalled. “I tried to mentally convince myself that I could play through it and everything would turn out okay. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.”
Since the injury, Volkmer has taken on a new role. Now she sees the game a different way, more as a personal coach to freshman outside hitter Kya Krzycki, who is filling her spot in the rotation.
“I’ve been able to coach her,” Volkmer said of her and Krzycki’s relationship. “I tell her things that I’ve learned and to see her grow, it makes me feel like I’m still helping our team and helping her become the best player she can be.”
Lincoln North Star Senior Delainey Volkmer sits on the bench with teammates at the 2026 NSAA State Volleyball Championships. Photo by Jackson D. Luethje.
It’s the small details of being an outside hitter that Volkmer has taught Krzycki, whether it’s rolling to the donut or seeing the court.
She’s helped with non-technical things as well.
“I worked with her on the mental side, especially during our match against Southwest at (the Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament),” Volkmer said. “After getting pulled in the third set, we talked, and she came back to deliver a great performance in the fourth set.”
Watching from the sidelines during the Navigators’ quarterfinal win over city rival Lincoln Southwest, Volkmer’s desire to compete on the floor was clear.
Yet, she has developed a fresh perspective and appreciation for the game.
“I obviously would give anything to be out on the court,” she acknowledged. “Even just to be here watching volleyball. I have just a passion for everything throughout volleyball, so I’ve learned that, even though I’m not playing, I can still do stuff to help my team.”
The hardest part of her recovery hasn’t been physical rehabilitation or relearning to walk and run.
Instead, it’s been watching her teammates enter postseason play without her on the court.
“This is where it gets most competitive, and this is where you find your drive,” she said. “I love saying that pressure is a privilege. I loved being under pressure in these games. That was my joy. Being able to be on the bench and still find happiness and joy through literally all of this — when I’m sad, I make people laugh. That’s just how I do it.”
Delany Volkmer reacts after a play in the 2025 NSAA State Volleyball Semifinals. Photo by Braden Cochran.
Family support has also sustained her. Her brother, Jaxon, underwent knee surgery a week before hers. She’s learned to lean on her family if she’s feeling down.
“Talking about our pain together, so we’ve been able to connect through that and laugh about it,” she said. “I was helping him for a while, like, put ice on his leg, and then he kind of was helping me. We’re kind of a family affair going through this.”
“Knowing that there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “There’s not ever gonna be a day where it’s easy. I feel like I have every emotion every day.”
The injury accelerated her mental maturity. Recognizing that dwelling on setbacks changes nothing, she chose to focus on what she could control.
“That’s what’s gonna make the difference,” she said. “I could go out and be upset every day. That was me for a while. I was definitely very Debbie Downer every single day, all day, for a while.”
She also learned the importance of seeking joy rather than temporary happiness.
“I learned that the joy isn’t gonna just come to me; I have to go find it,” Volkmer said. “I found it in very small things and it’s slowly been coming back to me. I’ve had more days where I feel like I will actually get through this. There are days where I was like, I might never be able to play volleyball again. I’ve had that worry, but at the end of the day, you have to find what will bring you joy and just keep finding it.”
There is the light at the end of the tunnel once Volkmer gets through the rehab.
She will play volleyball again. Next season, she will be a freshman at Concordia University in Seward, Neb., and she’ll be back better than ever.
“The drive to want to be back is stronger for me than it has been, really, ever,” she said.
