Former Ann Arbor volleyball star making impact on and off the court at Nebraska

Ann Arbor Skyline’s Harper Murray (2) celebrates with her teammate Kate Maley after scoring a point against Bloomfield Hills Marian during the MHSAA Division 1 state championship at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. Bloomfield Hills Marian defeated Ann Arbor Skyline in four sets to win the state championship. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com

It would be hard to find a college athlete who has had a more eventful start to their career than Harper Murray.

The former Ann Arbor Skyline volleyball star was a part of Nebraska’s record-setting win over Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after her collegiate debut.

It didn’t stop there as Murray used her NIL deal to make a significant donation to her former high school team.

The reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year recorded six kills and an ace in Nebraska’s win over Omaha, which set the world record for the largest crowd to ever attend a women’s sporting event.

Murray, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter, earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after she had 14 kills, 10 digs and three aces to help the Cornhuskers go 3-0 at the Ameritas Players Challenge in her first collegiate competition.

While Murray’s performances on the court were impressive for the young standout, she also made an impact off the floor by giving back to the program that helped her get to where she is now.

Nebraska volleyball freshman Harper Murray donated shoes to her former high school program Ann Arbor Skyline this month. Harper starred at Skyline and was named National Player of the year last season. (photo provided by Juliet McNamara)

Murray signed an NIL deal with start-up brand Avoli in July, and donated more than 40 pairs of Avoli signature shoes and additional apparel to Skyline’s program.

Avoli, which is exclusively dedicated to performance needs and aspirations of women and girls volleyball players, chose Murray to be one of the brand’s ambassadors and Murray has taken advantage by giving back to her former program.

It was quite the memorable start for Murray, who was the nation’s top-ranked high school player a year ago.

During her time at Skyline, Murray led the team to a state runner-up finish as a junior and was named an All-American last fall in addition to Player of the Year honors nationally and in Michigan.

She capped her high school career with more than 2,400 kills, 1,400 digs and 377 aces.

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