Scrimmage Highlights Red/White Evening Festivities

Lincoln ? For Nebraska volleyball fans, Saturday’s annual Red/White Scrimmage will give Husker volleyball fans a sneak peek at the upcoming season as well as a chance to look back and honor one of the greatest players in program history.

Action commences from the historic NU Coliseum beginning at 7 p.m. with a special retirement ceremony taking place prior to the match. Legendary coach Terry Pettit will be on hand to introduce the sixth Husker player to have her jersey retired.

“When talking to Coach Pettit earlier this year about retiring our next jersey, we thought that this player would be an ideal choice,” Nebraska Coach John Cook said  “She had not only been one of the most dominant players at her position in school history, but also played on the national team following her college career.”

While the jersey retirement ? the first by the Huskers since 2004 ? will highlight the pre-match festivities, fans will also see a new display highlighting Nebraska’s 62 AVCA All-Americans outside the Coliseum court and will have a chance to see the Huskers’ 2007 Big 12 Championship banner.

Tickets for Saturday’s Red/White Scrimmage are on sale now at Huskers.com and at the NU Ticket Office and will be on sale prior to the scrimmage beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for youth.

One new part of Saturday’s match is that members of the Lil’ Red Spikers will participate in a drug free pledge between the second and third sets on Saturday.  Husker co-captains Amanda Gates, Jordan Larson and Rachel Schwartz will lead the kids in the pledge.

The Huskers, who were ranked seventh in the CBS College Sports/AVCA preseason poll, will hit the court in match action for the first time this fall, and Cook is excited to see what the team can do in match conditions.

“We’ve had two good weeks of practices, but it is different playing in front of a crowd for the first time,” Cook said.  “Many of our veterans have told me that the most nervous they have felt was in their first Red/White Scrimmage because of the atmosphere in the Coliseum. We are hoping for a good crowd, so they get those first-match jitters out of the way.”