No. 3 Huskers Take on Missouri

Missouri (12-12, 6-8 Big 12)
at No. 3 Nebraska (23-1, 14-1 Big 12)
Wednesday, Nov. 12 ? NU Coliseum ? 7 p.m.

Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
TV: NET Television (Ch. 12 and Ch. 112 in HD) and CBS College Sports (DirecTV Ch. 613; DISH Network Ch. 152)
Live Video:  Huskers.com (free video)

Nebraska at Kansas (12-12, 6-9 Big 12)
Saturday, Nov. 15 ? Lawrence, Kan. ? 7 p.m.

Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
TV: None
Live Video:  TBA

The Nebraska volleyball team looks to extend a three-match win streak on Wednesday night, as the No. 3 Huskers play host to Missouri at the NU Coliseum. First serve between the Huskers and Tigers is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on the Internet at Huskers.com. John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall will call all of Wednesday’s action on the network.

Wednesday’s match will also be carried statewide on NET Television (Ch. 12 and Ch. 112 in HD) and on CBS College Sports (Ch. 613 on DirecTV; Ch. 152 on Dish Network) with Larry Punteney and Kathi Weiskamp. Huskers.com will also carry the NET feed for free on the website. It is the 14th of 15 regular-season matches televised this season.

The Huskers (23-1, 14-1 Big 12) used one of their best offensive performances of the year in sweeping No. 15 Kansas State Saturday night. The Huskers hit .352 as a team - their best effort in league play this year - behind a career-high 20 kills from sophomore Tara Mueller. She was one of three Huskers in double figures, as Lindsey Licht added 12 kills, while Jordan Larson had 10 kills and 14 digs for her ninth double-double of the year. NU out-dug Kansas State, 46-34, as Larson and Kayla Banwarth combined for 28 digs in the sweep.

Missouri (12-12) comes to town riding a two-match winning streak following an impressive sweep of Oklahoma on Saturday. The Tigers were led by outside hitter Lauren Nuckolls, who drilled a career-high 19 kills on .436 hitting to pace a solid Missouri effort. Julianna Klein has been the Tigers’ go-to performer, ranking eighth in the Big 12 with 3.44 kills per set.

Quick Sets
?-NU and Missouri are the only programs in the Big 12 to appear in the last eight NCAA Tournaments.
?-With Saturday’s win, the Huskers improved to 6-0 against ranked teams this season.
?-Tara Mueller’s 20 kills against Kansas State were the most by a Husker since Jordan Larson had 21 at K-State on Sept. 17.
?-NU’s .352 hitting against K-State marked the 10th time the Huskers have hit .300 or better in a match.
?-Following Wednesday’s match, the Huskers will play three of their final four regular-season matches on the road.

Worth Noting
?-Nebraska is 92-13 (.876) against ranked opponents under John Cook, including 17 wins over top-five teams.
?-The Huskers are a perfect 6-0 against ranked opponents in 2008, including wins over No. 2 Stanford and No. 4 Texas.
?-Wednesday’s match against Missouri will be the 117th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum, dating back to 2001. NU is 110-6 during the streak, including 74 consecutive wins in the Coliseum.
?-The Huskers have won their last 53 Big 12 home contests dating back to the 2003 season and are 86-2 (.977) in conference home matches under John Cook.
?-Nebraska will be gunning for its 93rd consecutive win inside the state on Wednesday against Missouri. The Huskers have not lost in the state of Nebraska since September of 2004.
?-The Huskers are 93-4 (.959) in conference action dating back to the end of the 2003 season.
?-With her 14 digs against Kansas State, Jordan Larson passed Dani Busboom for sole possession of second place on NU’s career digs list. Larson now has 1,283 digs, while Busboom, who split time between setter and libero, finished with 1,281 digs.
?-The Huskers lead the Big 12 in four team categories, including kills (14.53/set), blocks (2.62/set), assists (13.36/set) and opponent hitting percentage (.135) and also rank in hitting percentage (.266) and third in service aces (1.33/set).
?-Wednesday’s match is a homecoming for three Tiger volleyball players from Nebraska. The group, the Tigers’ largest contigent from any state, includes juniors Amanda Hantouli (1.77 k/set and 0.91 b/set), Megan Wilson (1.95 k/set) and sophomore Catie Wilson (1.49 k/set).
?-Tara Mueller saw her streak of three straight double-doubles snapped on Saturday, but drilled a career-best 20 kills against K-State. Over NU’s last four matches, Mueller is averaging 4.00 kills and 2.88 digs per set.
?-The Huskers have swept 16 of their 24 opponents during the 2008 season.
?-Nebraska reached the 20-win plateau with its win at Oklahoma on Oct. 25. The Huskers have won at least 20 matches every year in program history (a total of 34 years). The second-longest active streak in the Big 12 is four by Texas.
??Nebraska’s senior class of Amanda Gates, Jordan Larson and Rachel Schwartz will go for their 120th career win on Wednesday against Missouri. The trio has helped NU to a 119-6 record (.952 winning pct.) over the last four years. Of the previous 125 matches, NU has been ranked lower than third for only two of them.
?-NU’s nine non-conference opponents are a combined 153-66 (.699) entering this week’s action. All nine teams have winning records, while Stanford, Tulane and Oral Roberts have already won at least 20 matches. New Mexico could join that club with a pair of matches this week.
?-The Huskers were ranked third in the latest NCAA’s RPI rankings released on Nov. 10. NU is 6-0 against top-20 teams in the RPI, including wins over No. 2 Stanford and No. 5 Texas.

Scouting Missouri
Head Coach Wayne Kreklow (72-43 in four seasons at MU) has helped the Tigers reach the NCAAs in each of the past eight years. MU is 12-12 on the season and 6-8 in the Big 12 with six regular-season matches remaining. Sophomore Julianna Klein paces the Tigers with 3.44 kills per set, while Weiwen Wang adds 2.47 kills per set. Sophomore libero Caitlyn Vann is second in the Big 12 with 4.91 digs per set and comes off a 20-dig effort against Oklahoma on Sunday.

Series History: Nebraska leads the all-time series, 66-3-1, dating back to 1975, and has won the last 10 meetings dating back to 2003. NU is 24-1 since the start of the Big 12 and has lost only once to the Tigers in the last 55 meetings dating back to 1982. Missouri has taken the Huskers to a fifth set in two of the last three matchups in Lincoln.

Last Meeting: Tara Mueller totaled 14 kills on .364 hitting to lead the second-ranked Nebraska volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-21, 25-18) at the Hearnes Center on Oct. 12.  Sydney Anderson guided a solid Husker attack, dishing out 39 assists and adding four kills on eight swings to help the Huskers hit .316 on the afternoon. Jordan Larson totaled nine kills and 15 digs, while middle blockers Amanda Gates and Kori Cooper combined for 13 kills on .440 hitting. Cooper finished with seven kills on 14 swings, while Gates totaled six kills and a match-high five blocks, as the Huskers enjoyed a 7-3 advantage at the net.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #17 Amanda Gates: 6-2, Sr., Columbus, Neb. - Gates is in her first year as a full-time starter for NU after being the Huskers’ top backup at both spots. She averages 1.61 kills and a team-best 1.17 blocks per set, ranking fifth in the league in blocks and 10th in hitting percentage (.300). She has led NU in blocks 12 times, including an eight-block effort against Texas A&M on Oct. 22. Gates had eight kills and a pair of stuffs in the win over No. 15 Kansas State on Nov. 8 and eight kills and five blocks versus Iowa State on Nov. 1 with eight kills and five blocks. Gates had eight kills on a career-high .700 hitting and four blocks at Oklahoma on Oct. 25. She had 11 kills on .571 hitting at Texas Tech on Oct. 1 and totaled a personal-best 11 kills at Iowa State on Sept. 27. It is the second time she has tied or bettered her career high this season, as Gates tied career highs in both blocks (10) and kills (eight) at Kansas State on Sept. 17. Last year, she averaged 1.29 kills and 0.81 blocks per set over 16 matches. Gates appeared in 23 matches as a sophomore and had a career-high 10 blocks against San Diego in her first career start in 2006. Gates will also contend for academic honors, carrying a 3.96 GPA in communication studies.

MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Jr., Amarillo, Texas - A preseason All-Big 12 selection, Cooper is averaging 2.09 kills on .390 hitting and 0.93 blocks per set, ranking second in the Big 12 and 18th nationally in hitting percentage and ninth in blocks. Cooper has hit .500 or better seven times in 2008, including a season-best .875 against New Mexico on Sept. 13. She has reached double figures in kills three times, including 10 kills at Colorado on Oct. 29. Cooper tied her season high with six blocks and added nine kills on .467 hitting in a win over Iowa State on Nov. 1. She also had six blocks in wins over Creighton (Oct. 5) and USC (Aug. 31). Cooper had a season-best 12 kills on .524 hitting at Iowa State on Sept. 27.  Cooper dominated the inside at K-State on Sept. 17, pounding 11 kills without an error and five stuffs. She had her best weekend of the year, averaging 2.50 kills on .636 hitting and 1.50 blocks per set at the Players Challenge to earn all-tournament honors. Last year, Cooper averaged 2.31 kills and 1.01 blocks per set, ranking seventh in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.356). Her career high for kills is 14, set against Missouri in 2007. Cooper was one of NU’s starting middle blockers as a freshman, averaging 1.67 kills and 0.95 blocks per set in 30 contests. She also carries a 3.81 GPA in speech language pathology.

S - #1 Sydney Anderson: 6-0, So., Salt Lake City, Utah - Anderson is in her first season at NU after spending 2007 with the U.S. National Team in Colorado Springs. The Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, Anderson averages 11.68 assists, 1.99 digs, 0.60 blocks and 0.32 aces per set, tying for first in aces and ranking seventh in service aces. She is fifth in the country in assists and has five double-doubles, including 43 assists and 14 digs at Colorado on Oct. 29. She has helped NU rank in the top 20 in kills, assists and hitting percentage, as the Huskers have hit .300 or better 10 times. Anderson had 42 assists and two blocks in helping NU hit .352 against K-State on Nov. 8. She dished out 51 assists and had four blocks and four kills against Iowa State on Nov. 1. She totaled 40 assists, four kills and four blocks while helping NU hit .340 at Oklahoma on Oct. 25, and had 48 assists, 10 digs and five blocks at Iowa State on Sept. 27.  Anderson dished out a season-high 53 assists and added 10 digs while helping NU hit .319 in a win over No. 3 Texas on Sept. 20. Her other double-doubles came in wins over nationally ranked Kansas State and Cal Poly. Anderson was a member of the U.S. A-2 National Team at the USA Open in both 2007 and 2008. Anderson began her collegiate career at Utah, earning first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors in 2006. That year, she averaged 12.45 assists, 2.77 digs and 0.76 blocks per set en route to being named both the MWC Setter and Freshman of the Year.

L - #2 Kayla Banwarth: 5-10, So., Dubuque, Iowa - Banwarth is in her first full season as NU’s libero, averaging 4.34 digs and 0.77 assists per set, ranking third in the Big 12 in digs. She has reached double figures in digs 21 times and in 29 of her 3 2career starts after recording 14 digs against No. 15 Kansas State on Nov. 8. Banwarth enjoyed a career night at Texas A&M on Nov. 5, setting personal bests in both digs (27) and aces (three) and chipping in four assists. Banwarth has nine matches with at least 15 digs, including 20 digs at Creighton on Oct. 4 and against USC on Aug. 31. She has topped NU in digs 19 times and has had at least nine digs in every match this season. Banwarth earned a spot on the Runza/AVCA Showcase All-Tournament team after averaging 4.85 digs per set in wins over No. 2 Stanford and No. 4 USC. Banwarth closed the 2007 season as Nebraska’s libero and averaged 2.75 digs, 0.45 assists and 0.17 service aces per set on the year. She was a three-time all-state selection at Wahlert Catholic High School in Iowa and was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection.

OPP - #4 Lindsey Licht: 6-5, So., Aurora, Colo. - Licht is in her first year as a full-time starter, averaging 2.57 kills and 0.88 blocks per set this season. Licht has hit .450 or better five times, including a season-high .667 with nine kills on 12 swings at Texas Tech on Oct. 1. Licht picked up her fourth consecutive double-digit kill effort with 11 kills against No. 15 K-State on Nov. 8.  She turned in a strong effort in the win over Iowa State, coming up with 12 kills on .435 hitting and two blocks. She had team bests in both kills (14) and blocks (six) at Colorado on Oct. 29 and had eight kills and five blocks, including three solo stuffs, at Oklahoma on Oct. 25. Licht turned in a strong effort against Colorado on Oct. 4, finishing with 11 kills on .533 hitting. She established personal bests in kills (17) and attempts (30), hitting .500 against No. 3 Texas on Sept. 20. She tied her then-career high with 10 kills and added four blocks against LSU on Sept. 12. She had 10 kills on .450 hitting against No. 2 Stanford and had a career-high eight blocks against No. 4 USC. As a freshman, Licht appeared in 13 matches, averaging 0.59 kills per set in 25 contests. Licht was a two-time Mizuno/Volleyball Magazine All-American and was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection.

-or- - DS - #5 Rachel Schwartz: 5-9, Sr., Lincoln, Neb. - Schwartz is one of NU’s primary defensive players, averaging 1.95 digs and 0.12 service aces per set. Schwartz had 15 digs and a service ace in the win over Texas A&M on Nov.  and had 11 digs off the bench in the win over Iowa State on Nov. 1. She has eight matches with at least eight digs, including nine digs against Baylor (Oct. 15) and at Iowa State (Sept. 27). Her best performance of 2008 came at No. 18 Kansas State on Sept. 17, when she had a season-high 17 digs while handling nearly all of the Huskers’ passing duties. In 2007, Schwartz ranked 11th in the Big 12 in digs, averaging a career-high 3.66 digs and 0.16 service aces per set. She totaled double figures in digs 17 times, including a career-best 21 digs against MU.

OH - #10  Jordan Larson: 6-2, Sr., Hooper, Neb. - A two-time All-American and 2008 Big 12 Preseason co-Player of the Year, Larson averages 3.75 kills, 3.07 digs and 0.35 service aces per game, ranking among the league leaders in aces (third), points (4.44, fourth) and kills (fifth). She has a team-high nine double-doubles, including 10 kills and 14 digs in a win over No. 15 K-State on Nov. 8. Larson totaled 17 kills, 18 digs and a career-high eight blocks in the win at Texas A&M on Nov. 5 and match-high 17 kills and 15 digs in a win over Iowa State on Nov. 1. Larson was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Oct. 27, averaging 4.17 kills and 2.67 digs per set in sweeps of Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Larson had 13 kills on a season-best .407 hitting in a sweep of Texas A&M on Oct. 22. She totaled 16 kills on .355 hitting and seven digs against Baylor on Oct. 15. Larson totaled a team-high 17 kills on .355 hitting in NU’s sweep of Colorado on Oct. 4. She was named AVCA National Player of the Week on Sept. 22, as she averaged 5.00 kills on .319 hitting, 2.62 digs and 0.50 blocks per set in wins over Texas and K-State. Larson had a match-high 19 kills and 10 digs in the win over the Longhorns on Sept. 20. Larson carried the Huskers to a win at K-State, matching her career best with 21 kills and adding 10 digs. She was named to the all-tournament teams in each of NU’s first three events and was chosen as MVP of the Players Challenge after averaging 3.83 kills, 0.60 aces and 0.67 blocks per set. Larson was a third-team AVCA All-American in 2007 after averaging 3.45 kills, 3.18 digs, 0.51 aces and 0.63 blocks per set. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2006, Larson averaged 4.13 kills and 3.50 digs per set as a sophomore and was the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top 10 in kills and digs.

OH - #19 Tara Mueller: 6-0, So., Scottsdale, Ariz. - Mueller is in her first year starting at outside hitter and averages 3.58 kills and 2.42 digs per set, ranking sixth in the league in kills per set. Mueller is second on the squad with six double-doubles, including three in her last four contests. Mueller established career bests in kills for the second straight match, finishing with 20 kills on .613 hitting against No. 15 Kansas State on Nov. 8. She set personal bests with 19 kills and 16 digs in the five-set win at Texas A&M on Nov. 5. All six of Mueller’s double-doubles have been in Big 12 action, including 12 kills and 12 digs against Iowa State on Nov. 1 and 13 kills and 12 digs in the loss at Colorado on Oct. 29. She had strong effort against Texas A&M on Oct. 22, drilling 13 kills and setting career bests in hitting percentage (.478) and blocks (five). Her career high of 16 kills came at Iowa State on Sept. 27, when she also added 10 digs. Mueller also collected double doubles against Oklahoma on Oct. 8 (13 kills and 10 digs) and No. 3 Texas (14 kills and 11 digs). She was selected to the Cal Poly all-tournament team after averaging 3.67 kills, 1.67 digs and 0.78 blocks per set. Mueller opened the year with 15 kills in a sweep of No. 2 Stanford on Aug. 29.  As a freshman, Mueller averaged 1.27 kills and 0.95 digs per set. A Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, Mueller was the 2005 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona and started for the U.S. Junior National Team in 2007.

Last Time Out: Huskers Sweep Wildcats
Behind a career night from Tara Mueller, third-ranked Nebraska rolled to an impressive sweep of No. 15 Kansas State, winning by scores of 25-23, 25-22 and 25-17 Saturday night.

Mueller, a sophomore outside hitter, established a career high for the second straight match, drilling home a match-high 20 kills on a career-best .615 hitting. She was one of three Huskers in double figures.
Jordan Larson and Lindsey Licht finished with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, as the Huskers posted their best offensive night in league play, hitting .352 against the Wildcats. Larson picked up her ninth double-double with 14 digs, tying Kayla Banwarth for match-high honors. Sydney Anderson dished out 42 assists and had two blocks and five digs, as NU hit .410 in the opening set and closed the sweep by hitting .387 in the finale.

Three Huskers Earn Academic Honors
Three NU players were honored Thursday, as Kori Cooper, Amanda Gates and Jordan Larson were chosen to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VII team.

It is the first time that any of the three were named first-team academic all-district, and all three are eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. Nebraska is the only Division I program with three first-team all-district selections in 2008.

Cooper, a three-year starter at middle blocker, carries a 3.82 GPA in speech-language pathology. On the court, she is among the Big 12 leaders in hitting percentage and blocks and has hit better than .400 in 14 matches.

Gates earns her second academic all-district award after being a third-team choice in 2006. She lead NU in blocks at 1.17 per set, ranking fourth in the league in that category and 10th in hitting percentage. A communication studies major with a 3.96 GPA, Gates has been named to the Big 12 Community of Champions Good Works team in both 2007 and 2008.

Larson picks up her second academic all-district award and is among the Big 12 leaders in kills, aces and points. A two-time AVCA All-American, Larson holds NU’s career record for aces (175) and is second in digs (1,283) and sixth in kills (1,451). In the classroom, A two-time academic All-Big 12 honoree, she has a 3.31 GPA in communication studies.
   
Larson and Mueller Provide 1-2 Punch
Nebraska’s outside hitting duo of Jordan Larson and Tara Mueller has been one of the nation’s top outside hitting duos. The pair combines for 7.33 kills per set, as Nebraska and Kansas State are the only two Big 12 schools with multiple hitters in the top 10 in kills. In fact, the Husker duo joins Penn State’s All-American duo of Megan Hodge and Nicole Fawcett as the only pair of hitters averaging more than 3.50 kills apiece for ranked teams.

Either Larson or Mueller has led the Huskers in kills in 23 of 24 matches this season, as Larson has topped NU 13 times, while Mueller has enjoyed team-high honors in 12 contests. They have tied on two occasions, most recently against Texas A&M on Oct. 22. Lindsey Licht is the only other Husker to lead NU in kills, as she totaled 14 at Colorado on Oct. 29.