Huskers Host Ameritas Players Challenge this Weekend

Following a successful weekend in Louisiana, the Nebraska volleyball team returns home for the 2009 Ameritas Players Challenge, beginning Thursday, Sept. 10. The four-team field includes a pair of top-10 teams in No. 5 Nebraska and No. 8 UCLA, along with Virginia and BYU.

2009 Ameritas Players Challenge

No. 5 Nebraska (5-1) vs. Virginia (4-2)
Thursday, Sept. 10 ? NU Coliseum ? 7 p.m.
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)

No. 5 Nebraska (5-1) vs. BYU (4-3)
Friday, Sept. 11 ? NU Coliseum ? 7 p.m.
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)

No. 5 Nebraska (5-1) vs. No. 8 UCLA (5-1)
Sunday, Sept. 13 ? Bob Devaney Sports Center ? 2 p.m.
TV: NET (Ch. 12 and Ch. 112 in high definition)
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Video: Huskers.com (free video)

The Huskers, who jumped to fifth in the AVCA poll released Monday, are 5-1 on the season following a perfect 4-0 week. NU went 3-0 at the LSU Tiger Classic, including a five-set win over the host Tigers. In the Huskers’ final test before Big 12 action, NU will take on Virginia Thursday night at 7 p.m., BYU Friday at 7 p.m. and will square off with UCLA on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Fans can follow all three matches on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on the Internet at Huskers.com. Thursday and Friday’s matches will be carried on HuskersNside, while Sunday’s contest against UCLA will be free on Huskers.com. That contest will be shown statewide on NET Television with Larry Punteney and Kathi Weiskamp calling all of the action.

The 2009 Ameritas Players Challenge features three of the winningest programs in NCAA volleyball, as UCLA (1,087) and Nebraska (1,065) rank first and second in wins among all Division I programs. With 1,035 wins, BYU checks in fourth on the all-time list, as three of the six Division I programs with 1,000 or more wins are in Lincoln this weekend.

Scouting this Week’s Opponents
Virginia: The Huskers and Cavaliers are squaring off for the first time Thursday night. Former NU assistant coach Lee Maes is in his second year at Virginia and brings the Cavaliers to town with a 4-2 record and a four-match win streak. Maes was an assistant at NU from 2005 until 2007, helping the Huskers to a pair of NCAA title matches, including a national title in 2006.  UVA is led by senior outside hitter Lauren Dickson, who leads UVA with 3.80 kills per set and is hitting at a .318 clip. Sophomore outside hitter Simone Asque is also chipping in 3.25 kills per set, as UVA’s two outsides combine for more than seven kills per set as well as half of the Cavaliers’ swings. 
Series History: The two teams have never met.
BYU: One of the traditional powers in college volleyball, the Cougars are 4-3 in 2009 under second-year head coach Shay Goulding. BYU returns three starters and its libero from last year, but has gotten off to a slow start. Right side hitter Kayla Walker leads BYU with 3.82 kills per set, while Christina Meason is the only other player averaging more than two kills per set. BYU has already played a pair of Big 12 teams in the first two weekends, taking on Missouri and Kansas State, but is looking for its first win over a Big 12 foe.
Series History: Nebraska leads the all-time series with the Cougars, 5-2, but the teams have not met since a five-set Husker win in 1996. Cook has never faced BYU at NU or in his seven years at Wisconsin.
UCLA: Under legendary coach Andy Banachowski, UCLA comes to Lincoln with a 5-1 mark and No. 8 national ranking this weekend. The Bruins’, who have been on the road in each of the first two weeks, went 3-0 to sweep UNLV’s tournament last weekend. Outside hitter Dicey McGraw leads UCLA with 3.67 kills per set on .302 hitting through the first two weeks. She is one of three Bruins averaging better than two kills per set. Amanda Gil has been a force in the middle, averaging 2.50 kills on .385 hitting, while also leading UCLA with 1.67 blocks per set. Freshman Lauren Cook - the daughter of NU head coach John Cook - has earned the starting setter job and is averaging 10.28 assists and 1.69 digs per set.
Series History: The Huskers lead the all-time series, 8-4, and have won the last three matchups, all of which have come in Omaha (2005 regional; 2006 NCAA semifinals; 2007 AVCA Showcase). The last time the Bruins played in Lincoln, they took a four-set win over the Huskers in the 2003 NCAA Lincoln Regional.

Quick Hits
 ?-With three wins over the weekend, Nebraska upped its mark to 24-2 on the road competing in regular-season tournaments under John Cook. The Huskers have won the last six tournaments they have participated in dating back to 2002.

 ?-The Huskers held Tulane to -.064 hitting on Saturday, the 21st time that Nebraska has held an opponent to a negative hitting percentage under John Cook. In all, the Huskers held their three opponents to .054 hitting on the weekend.

 ?-Nebraska started four freshmen in Friday’s match against UL-Lafayette, as Megan Pendergast (DS) and Allison McNeal (MB) both made their first collegiate starts, while both Hannah Werth and Gina Mancuso started at the outside hitter spots. Freshmen combined for 30 of NU’s 42 kills against the Ragin’ Cajuns, as Werth (13), Mancuso (10), McNeal (6) and redshirt freshman Kaitlynn James (1) all had career highs.

Husker Potential Starters
 MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Sr., Amarillo, Texas - Senior co-captain who is easing her way back into the lineup following knee surgery. She is averaging 1.33 kills and 1.00 blocks per set in three matches She totaled six kills on .455 hitting and four blocks against No. 16 Michigan on Aug. 28. Cooper was named first-team All-Big 12 and honorable-mention All-American after averaging 2.09 kills  on .396 hitting and 0.88 blocks per set. She has a career .366 hitting percentage, which ranks sixth among all players with at least 500 kills. Cooper has 40 career matches where she has hit .400 or better (with a minimum of 10 swings) and hit a personal-best .396 in 2008 to rank second in the Big 12 and 10th nationally.

-or- MB - #6 Jordan Wilberger: 6-1, So., Scottsbluff, Neb. - Walk-on who has split time with Cooper at the middle blocker spot, averaging 1.56 kills  per set on .420 hitting and 0.72 blocks per set. She had a career night against Creighton on Sept. 1, coming up with 10 kills on .467 hitting. Wilberger came off the bench against No. 11 Minnesota on Aug. 29 to deliver six kills on .625 hitting and three blocks in her first action of the year. She started NU’s last seven matches at middle blocker and averaged 1.12 kills on .338 hitting and 0.85 blocks per set in 2008. Wilberger had a season-high seven kills on .700 hitting against Liberty in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

MB/RS - #8 Brooke Delano: 6-2, So., Bellevue, Neb. - Sophomore who has started at middle blocker for most of the 2009 campaign and averages 2.26 kills on .348 hitting and a team-high 1.37 blocks per set to rank third in the Big 12 in blocks. Delano averaged 2.00 kills on .424 hitting and 1.88 blocks per set in two matches at the Tiger Classic. She had nine kills on .389 hitting and a career-high nine blocks (including four solo stuffs) against LSU on Sept. 4, and followed up with seven kills on .467 hitting and six blocks in a sweep of Tulane. She earned a spot on the AVCA Showcase All-Tournament team, as she averaged 2.62 kills on .348 hitting and 0.88 blocks per set. Delano had career bests in kills (14), blocks (five) and hitting percentage (.400) in the victory over No. 11 Minnesota. Delano appeared in 13 matches in 2008,  averaging 1.00 kill, 0.67 blocks and 0.81 digs per set before undergoing season-ending surgery.

 RS - #4 Lindsey Licht: 6-5, Jr., Aurora, Colo. - Licht returns for her second year on the right side and is averaging 2.32 kills and 1.18 blocks per set to rank seventh in the league in blocks. Licht comes off a strong performance in Louisiana, averaging 2.91 kills and 1.18 blocks per set in three contests. She put together her best match of the year against LSU with a season-best 15 kills and six blocks, highlighted by four kills and two blocks in the fifth set. Against Tulane, she came back with 11 kills on .409 hitting and five blocks in a sweep of the Green Wave.  She started on the right side in 2008, averaging 2.56 kills and 0.90 blocks per set to rank among team leaders in both categories. She reached double figures in kills in 14 matches, including a career-best 17 kills on .500 hitting against No. 3 Texas on Sept. 20, 2008. Licht was named to the Seattle Regional All-Tournament team, averaging 2.12 kills and 1.38 blocks per set.

L - #2 Kayla Banwarth: 5-10, Jr., Dubuque, Iowa - Banwarth is in her third year as NU’s starting libero and is second in the Big 12 with 4.82 digs per set and also chips in 1.23 assists per set. Banwarth, who has reached double figures in digs in NU’s last 12 contests was named the Defensive MVP of the Tiger Classic, as she collected 4.82 digs per set, while limiting NU’s three opponents to a combined .054 hitting. She had 21 digs and a career-high seven assists in the victory over LSU. Banwarth had career highs in digs (32) and assists (6) in the win over No. 11 Minnesota on Aug. 29, as her 32 digs ranked third in school history. Banwarth was third in the Big 12 in digs per set (4.12) in 2008, while her 470 digs ranked third in school history.

S - #1 Sydney Anderson: 6-0, Jr., Salt Lake City, Utah - Anderson is a returning AVCA All-American who has been chosen as one of the 2009 captains. Anderson was selected as the Offensive MVP of the LSU Tiger Classic last weekend, averaging 9.90 assists, 2.40 digs and 0.50 blocks per set. She had a double-double against LSU, collecting a season-high 51 assists and matching her Husker career best with 14 digs. Anderson earned a spot on the 2009 Runza/AVCA Showcase all-tournament team with 46 assists and 11 digs in Nebraska’s win over No. 11 Minnesota. She averaged 11.60 assists, 2.05 digs and 0.29 aces per set in 2008, ranking eighth nationally in assists and among the Big 12 leaders in service aces.

OH - #19 Tara Mueller: 6-0, Jr., Scottsdale, Ariz. - Mueller is a returning All-American at outside hitter and is averaging 3.37 kills and 2.79 digs per set. Mueller was NU’s third all-tourney selection in Louisiana, as she averaged 3.62 kills and 2.88 digs per set in two wins. She had a season-high 22 kills and 15 digs in the win over LSU on Sept. 4 and hit .412 on 17 swings against Tulane on Sept. 5. Mueller had a match-high 17 kills and tied a career high with 16 digs in the win against No. 11 Minnesota. She averaged 3.51 kills and 2.37 digs per set in 2008, ranking sixth in the Big 12 in kills per set. She totaled eight double-doubles, setting career highs of 24 kills and 16 digs against No. 5 Washington on Dec. 13, 2008. Mueller was the Most Outstanding Player of the Seattle Regional, averaging 4.00 kills and 3.25 digs per set in wins over Washington and Michigan. Mueller has two career matches with at least 20 kills, as she also totaled 20 kills against Kansas State in 2008.

OH - #44 Hannah Werth: 6-1, Fr., Springfield, Ill. - Werth enrolled at Nebraska in January and is splitting time with Gina Mancuso at the outside hitter spot. Werth is averaging 2.47 kills and 2.33 digs per set in five matches. She had a career-high 13 kills on .455 hitting against UL-Lafayette and collected her first career double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs against LSU on Sept. 4.  She started the season opener against No. 16 Michigan and totaled five kills and eight digs in two sets. She started all three spring matches, totaling a match-high 15 kills at Hawaii in her Husker debut. She was the MVP of the 2008 AVCA/Under Armour High School All-America match at the Qwest Center. Werth was a  first-team All-American by Volleyball Magazine and the AVCA after totaling 606 kills on .414 hitting, 252 assists, 220 digs and 54 aces. She finished her career with a state record 2,022 kills and was the  Gatorade Illinois High School Player of the Year in 2008.

-or- OH - #7 Gina Mancuso: 6-1, Fr., Omaha, Neb. - Mancuso is splitting time with Hannah Werth at the outside hitter position for the Huskers. She is averaging 2.23 kills and 2.23 digs in five matches, including three starts. Mancuso had a career-high 10 kills and added eight digs in a sweep of UL-Lafayette and collected eight kills on .312 hitting and four blocks against Tulane on Sept. 5. She made her first start against No. 11 Minnesota, totaling nine kills, 13 digs and four blocks against the Golden Gophers. Mancuso was the Gatorade and Volleyball Magazine National High School Player of the Year in 2008, totaling 721 kills on .452 hitting and 373 digs at Papillion-LaVista High School. She was a three-time all-state performer who ranks second in state history with 2,371 career kills and she also totaled 1,320 digs in high school. She led the Nebraska Juniors to the 2009 Junior Olympic 18-and-under title, earning MVP honors. Her older sister, Dani, started on NU’s 2006 NCAA title team.

Devaney “Red-Out” Set for Sunday vs. UCLA
 The Nebraska marketing office is coordinating a Red-Out for Sunday’s match against UCLA at the Devaney Center. They are encouraging all fans to wear red and will also be passing out 13,500 pom-poms for the occasion. This is the first time that they have tried a Red-Out for volleyball at the Devaney Center.

Read to Succeed Book Drive Set for Sunday
 The Nebraska volleyball program is teaming up with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the annual Read to Succeed Book Drive this Sunday, Sept. 13, as part of the Ameritas Players Challenge at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
 Husker student-athletes will be collecting books prior to the Huskers’ match against UCLA and all books collected will go to families of children from Title 1 Lincoln Public Schools to promote a life-long love of reading. In addition, all fans who bring books or a cash donation for the Read to Succeed Book Drive will be eligible to win an autographed volleyball from the 2009 Huskers.

Weekend Review
 Nebraska completed a perfect 4-0 week with three wins at the LSU Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge. Sydney Anderson (Offensive MVP), Kayla Banwarth (Defensive MVP) and Tara Mueller all earned spots on the all-tournament team.

ULL Recap: Freshmen Hannah Werth and Gina Mancuso combined for 23 kills, leading No. 6 Nebraska to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-10) sweep of UL-Lafayette.  Werth totaled a career-high 13 kills on .455 hitting and nine digs, while Mancuso had a personal-best 10 kills and eight digs, as the Huskers out-hit the Ragin’ Cajuns, .284-.000 in collecting their third consecutive win. The Huskers used a young lineup, starting four freshmen, as Allison McNeal and Megan Pendergast all made their first career starts and 12 players saw action.

LSU Recap: No. 6 Nebraska used a dominant fifth set performance to pull out a come-from-behind win against LSU, winning 22-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-15, 15-8.  The Huskers were nearly flawless in the finale, hitting .600 in the fifth set, as Lindsey Licht totaled four of her 15 kills and a pair of blocks in the decisive set. Tara Mueller had three kills on six swings, while Brooke Delano capped a strong night with a pair of kills and a block, as NU pulled away.  Mueller led all players with 22 kills and added 15 digs, while Licht totaled 15 kills and six blocks, as the Huskers out-hit LSU, .265-.150. Delano nearly posted a double-double with a career-high nine blocks and nine kills, while Werth was the final player in double figures in kills, as she posted 11 kills and 10 digs. Sydney Anderson dished out a season-high 51 assists and matched her personal best with 14 digs.

Tulane Recap: Sixth-ranked Nebraska put together its most complete effort of the season, sweeping Tulane, 25-9, 25-18, 25-14 to win the Tiger Classic. The Huskers hit a season-best .360, as Lindsey Licht drilled home a match-high 11 kills on .409 hitting and added five stuffs. Freshman Gina Mancuso added eight kills, while Tara Mueller and Brooke Delano added seven apiece in a balanced performance. Sydney Anderson dished out 32 assists and added eight digs, as NU hit .290 or better in all three sets. Nebraska’s defense continued to shine, recording 11 blocks and holding the Green Wave to -.036 hitting. Delano led NU with six blocks, while Kayla Banwarth’s 14 digs keyed a Husker floor defense that out-dug Tulane, 45-37. It marked the first time NU held an opponent to a negative hitting percentage since the 2007 season.

Husker Quick Sets
 ?-Brooke Delano’s four blocks at LSU on Sept. 4, were the most by a Husker since Tracy Stalls had five against Kansas State on Nov. 19, 2005. It is only the sixth time in the decade that a Husker has had as many as four solo stuffs in a match.

 ?-Tara Mueller is eight kills away from collecting her 500th career kill. She had a season-high 22 kills in the win at LSU on Sept. 4. Her 22 kills against the Tigers is the second-highest performance in the Big 12 this year.

 ?-Nebraska’s No. 3 preseason ranking marked the fifth time in the last six seasons the Huskers have been ranked third or better. 

 ?-Nebraska has held its last five opponents to a combined .083 hitting percentage. 

 ?-Nebraska has three players averaging over a block per set, including Brooke Delano (1.37), Lindsey Licht (1.18) and Kori Cooper (1.00). 

 ?-With her 11 kills against Tulane, Lindsey Licht has led NU in kills twice in the first six matches. She topped NU in kills just once in 2008. 

 ?-Outside hitter Tara Mueller is averaging 3.69 kills and 2.94 digs per set over the Huskers’ last five matches.

?-Nebraska has already received a pair of double-figure kill efforts from middle blockers Brooke Delano (14 kills against Minnesota) and Jordan Wilberger (10 kills against Creighton).

 ?-Nebraska’s loss to Michigan marked the Huskers’ first regular-season non-conference loss since 2004. Prior to that setback, the Huskers had won their last 39 regular-season non-conference matches.

?-Five players made their Husker debuts at the Runza/AVCA Showcase, including outside hitters Gina Mancuso and Hannah Werth, setter Jessica Yanz, middle blocker Allison McNeal and defensive specialist Megan Pendergast. Werth became the first freshman to start a season-opening match since Jordan Larson in 2005 and just the fifth true freshman to start a season opener under John Cook since he took over in 2000.

 ?-Kayla Banwarth’s 32 digs against Minnesota on Aug. 29, marked the third-best performance in school history and Nebraska’s highest total in the rally scoring era. Over the last two seasons, only one player in the Big 12 ? Missouri’s Caitlyn Vann ? had more digs in a match than Banwarth did against Minnesota.

?-The Huskers are now 12-1 in matches after a loss in the same season (Cook’s other seven losses have come in the NCAA Tournament).

?-Nebraska leads the Big 12 in opponent hitting percentage (.108) and is allowing a league-low 9.41 kills per set. The Huskers are the only team in the league allowing fewer than 10 kills per set.