No. 6 Huskers Host No. 2 Texas Saturday Afternoon

The Nebraska volleyball team returns home for an important Big 12 contest, as second-ranked Texas visits the NU Coliseum this Saturday afternoon. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. and the match will be carried on selected Husker Sports Network stations and on Huskers.com with John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall calling all of the action. In addition, the match will be televised statewide on NET with Larry Punteney and Kathi Weiskamp providing all of the action. Fans outside of the state can also watch the match live on Huskers.com.

No. 6 Nebraska (9-3, 2-1 Big 12) vs. No. 2 Texas (8-0, 2-0 Big 12)

Saturday, Sept. 26 ? NU Coliseum ? 1 p.m. Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com TV: NET-1 (Ch. 12.1) and NET-HD Live Stats: Huskers.com Video: Huskers.com (free video)

The Huskers (9-3, 2-1 Big 12) will look to bounce back from Wednesday’s loss to Texas A&M. In that match, Nebraska out-hit and out-blocked the Aggies, but made several untimely mistakes, including five service errors in the opening set which helped the Aggies snap a 19-match losing streak that dated back to 1999. Tara Mueller led three Huskers in double figures with a match-high 21 kills, while Lindsey Licht turned in another strong match with 13 kills on .423 hitting and three blocks. Hannah Werth was the third Husker to break double figures, as she totaled 11 kills and 12 digs, joining Sydney Anderson (48 assists and 11 digs) in posting double-doubles.

The Huskers will be challenged by a Texas attack that is third in the nation in hitting percentage (.324) and leads the country in blocks per set (3.48). The Longhorns swept Colorado Wednesday night and have dropped just two sets since a five-set win over Long Beach State in the season opener on Aug. 29.

By the Numbers
2 - Number of matches Lindsey Licht has had at least 15 kills. She had a team-best 16 kills in Saturday’s sweep at Colorado. Last year, Licht had only one match with 15+ kills.
4 - Number of career 20-kill matches that Tara Mueller now has following a 21-kill effort at Texas A&M on Wednesday. Mueller had a season-best 22 kills at LSU on Sept. 4
20 - Number of series meetings (of 44 total) where both Nebraska and Texas were ranked in the top 10 at match time.

Scouting Texas
Texas wraps up a two-match road swing in Lincoln this afternoon, as the Longhorns are 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12. Under Coach Jerritt Elliott, Texas is ranked second in the AVCA Coaches poll this week and has seven wins against nationally ranked foes. UT was picked by the league coaches to win the conference title, while the Huskers were the second choice.

The Longhorns brought back six starters from last year, including three All-Americans from a team that went 29-4 and reached the NCAA semifinals for the first time since 1996. UT has one of the country’s best offensive attacks, ranking third nationally in hitting percentage (.324), while also leading the country in blocks per set (3.28).

Senior All-American outside hitter Destinee Hooker leads the big 12 with 4.54 kills per set and 5.48 points pet set. Fellow outside hitter Juliann Faucette is sixth in the conference in kills per set (3.54). Senior Ashley Engle is dangerous as both a setter (9.21 assists/set) and as an attacker, averaging over two kills per set from the setter spot, while ranking second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .395. Hooker was the league’s preseason player of the year, and was the league’s 2008-09 athlete of the year, as she is an NCAA champion in the high jump.

Series History: Nebraska leads the all-time series, 29-14, as the teams have split the meetings in 2007 and 2008 on their way to sharing the Big 12 title both years. The Huskers are 18-2 at home all-time against the Longhorns and have not lost at home to UT since the 1988 campaign.

Last Matchup:  Jordan Larson’s 50th career double-double led three Huskers in double figures, but third-ranked Nebraska fell to No. 4 Texas, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22 on Nov. 19.  Larson posted team highs in both kills (15) and digs (16) as the Huskers’ saw their five-match win streak snapped. Tara Mueller and Amanda Gates joined Larson in double figures with 13 and 11 kills respectively, as Gates hit .450 and tied her career best in kills.  Texas was led by outside hitter Destinee Hooker, who finished with a match-high 24 kills on .352 hitting and 17 digs. Hooker’s offensive night propelled the Longhorns to a .333 hitting percentage, the best night by a Husker opponent this season.

Nebraska-Texas Series
?-Nebraska and Texas have combined to win 12 of the 13 Big 12 titles since 1996. The only year neither Nebraska nor Texas won the league crown was in 2003, when Kansas State won the title. The Huskers have won 16 of the last 19 meetings and 21 of 26 tilts since the Big 12 was formed in 1996.  The most memorable matchup between the two schools was a 3-1 NU win in the 1995 NCAA title match in Amherst, Mass.
?-The last seven meetings have featured both teams in the top 10, including the 2008 matchups that had both teams in the top five. Saturday’s match is also the 20th time in the 44 meetings that both teams have been ranked in the top 10 at match time.

Series at a Glance
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 29-14
Last Meeting: Texas won, 3-1 (11/19/08)
Last NU Win: 9/20/08
Last NU Loss: 11/19/08
NU at home:  18-2
NU on the road:  9-9
NU at neutral sites:  2-3

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 last November. She is averaging 1.43 kills and 1.00 blocks per set in five matches. Cooper started against Texas A&M on Wednesday night and matched season bests in both kills (six) and blocks (five). Cooper totaled a season-high 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 in 2008 after averaging 2.09 kills  on .396 hitting and 0.88 blocks per set. 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 - #6 Jordan Wilberger: 6-1, So., Scottsbluff, Neb.: - Walk-on who has started a majority of the season, as Kori Cooper recovers from knee surgery. Wilberger is averaging 1.24 kills and 0.84 blocks per set and has paced NU in blocks three times this season. She had a match-high seven blocks in the loss to No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13, and six blocks in the Huskers’ sweep of Virginia on Sept. 10. Wilberger 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 in 2008 and averaged 1.12 kills on .338 hitting and 0.85 blocks per set in 2008.

MB - #8 Brooke Delano: 6-2, So., Bellevue, Neb. -  Third-year sophomore who has started at middle blocker in 2009, and averages 2.29 kills and 1.15 blocks per set. She is fifth in the Big 12 in blocks and ninth in hitting percentage (.347). She reached double figures in kills four times, including 10 kills on .474 hitting against Texas Tech on Sept. 16. Delano was one of two Huskers named to the Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament team, as she averaged 2.33 kills per set on .415 hitting and 1.00 blocks per set. 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 on Aug. 29 at the Runza/AVCA Showcase. Delano appeared in 13 matches in 2008, averaging 1.00 kills, 0.67 blocks and 0.81 digs per set before undergoing season-ending surgery last November.

RS - #4 Lindsey Licht: 6-5, Jr., Aurora, Colo. - Licht returns for her second year on the right side and is averaging 2.41 kills and 1.09 blocks per set to rank ninth in the league in blocks. Licht played well at Texas A&M, recording 13 kills on .423 hitting and three blocks.  She had a strong performance at Colorado on Sept. 19, drilling 16 kills on a season-high .481 hitting and adding two blocks. Licht totaled nine kills and had a season-high seven blocks in the loss to No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13. She turned in a strong effort at the Tiger Classic, averaging 2.91 kills and 1.18 blocks per set in three contests. Licht 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 third in the Big 12 with 4.64 digs per set and also chips in 1.25 assists per set. Banwarth has reached double figures in digs in NU’s last 18 contests dating back to last season following an 20-dig effort at Texas A&M on Sept. 23. She has seven matches with at least 15 digs, including three matches with at least 20 digs. Banwarth had 20 digs and a career-best eight assists at Texas A&M on Sept. 20 and totaled 20 digs and a pair of service aces in NU’s four-set win over BYU on Sept. 11. Banwarth 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. She averages 10.28 assists, 0.70 kills and 2.60 digs per set. Anderson is fifth in the league in assists and has a team-best seven double-doubles (assists-digs), most recently a 48-assist, 11-dig effort at Texas A&M on Sept. 23. Anderson was selected to the Ameritas Players Challenge all-tournament team, as she averaged 10.58 assists, 1.00 kills and 2.83 digs per set. Against BYU, she dished out 49 assists and added 10 digs and a career-best seven kills on .778 hitting. Anderson was selected as the Offensive MVP of the LSU Tiger Classic on Sept. 5, when she averaged 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 3.49 kills and 2.63 digs per set to rank seventh in the Big 12 in kills and sixth in points (3.94) per set. She led NU with a match-high 21 kills and added six digs at Texas A&M on Sept. 23, for her fourth career match with at least 20 kills. Mueller had 11 kills on .350 hitting and added eight digs at Colorado on Sept. 19. She totaled 44 kills and eight aces in three matches at the Ameritas Players Challenge, including 17 kills in NU’s loss to No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13. Mueller averaged 3.62 kills and 2.88 digs per set in two wins at the Tiger Classic to earn a place on the all-tournament team. 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 seven 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 2.62 kills and 2.89 digs per set, ranking second on the team in both kills and digs per set.  Werth leads all Big 12 freshmen in kills per set and is third (first among non-liberos) in digs per set.  In her last eight contests dating back to Sept. 4, Werth has upped those totals to 2.80 kills and 3.03 digs per set. Werth had her fourth double-double of the season at Texas A&M with 11 kills and 12 digs. The freshman led NU in kills against Texas Tech, drilling 11 kills and adding 10 digs for her second straight double-double.  She recorded career highs in both kills (14) and digs (23) against No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13. She had a then-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. Werth was the MVP of the 2008 AVCA/Under Armour High School All-America match at the Qwest Center. She 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 seeing time at both the outside hitter position and as a back-row specialist on the right side. She is averaging 1.20 kills and 1.71 digs per set in 11 matches. She had eight digs, a pair of kills and a service ace against Colorado on Sept. 19. Mancuso made her Husker debut in this role against Virginia and totaled five kills and six digs against BYU on Sept. 11. She 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 at outside hitter 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.

Texas A&M Recap
Despite a match-high 21 kills from All-American Tara Mueller, the No. 6 Nebraska volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to Texas A&M (28-26, 17-25, 25-19, 25-19) Wednesday night. Mueller, who reached the 20-kill mark for the second time this season, led three Huskers (9-3, 2-1 Big 12) in double figures in kills, as the Aggies (9-1, 2-0 Big 12) picked up their first win over Nebraska in the last 20 matches in the series since 1999. Lindsey Licht had 13 kills on .423 hitting, while Hannah Werth added 11 kills and 12 digs. Nebraska out-hit the Aggies, .253-.236, but the Huskers were hurt by 11 service errors and six Aggie aces, compared to only two for the Huskers. It was the first time NU out-hit an opponent but lost since falling at Colorado in 2006.  Sarah Ammerman led the Aggies with a team-high 18 kills, while Mary Batis chipped in 14, as Texas A&M hit .333 in the final two sets of the night after the teams split the first two sets.

Husker Quick Sets
?- Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers are 13-1 in matches after a loss in the same season (Cook’s other seven losses have come in the NCAA Tournament).
?-The Huskers have now won their last 56 Big 12 home contests dating back to the 2003 season and are 89-2 (.978) in conference home matches under John Cook.
?-The Huskers have won 82 straight matches at the NU Coliseum dating back to the 2004 season.
?-The Huskers are 98-6 (.942) in their last 104 conference matches dating back to 2003.
?-Saturday’s match against Texas will be the 125th consecutive home sellout at the NU Coliseum dating back to 2001. NU is 118-6 during the sellout streak, including 82 consecutive wins in the Coliseum dating back to 2004.
?-Tara Mueller has two 20-kill matches through NU’s first 12 matches, equaling her entire total of 20-kill matches during the 2008 season.
?-Nebraska is the lower ranked team in a match for just the eighth time in John Cook’s 10 seasons at Nebraska. NU is 3-4 as the lower ranked team since 2000, including a 2-1 mark last season.
?-Nebraska has already received five double-digit kill efforts from its middle blockers this season, including four from Brooke Delano. Last year, NU totaled nine double-digit kill efforts from its middles in 34 matches.
?-With double-doubles in matches against No. 8 UCLA and Texas Tech, Hannah Werth became the first Husker freshman outside hitter to accomplish the feat since Jennifer Saleaumua in 2002 (vs. Texas Tech; at Texas).
?-Lindsey Licht has already topped Nebraska in kills in three matches this season after pacing the Huskers just once in 2008.
?-Hannah Werth’s 23 digs against No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13 marked the most digs by a Husker outside hitter since Christina Houghtelling had 26 at Kansas State in 2007, and the most by a Husker freshman since 2003.
?-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.
?-Nebraska’s No. 3 preseason ranking marked the fifth time in the last six seasons the Huskers have been ranked third or better.
?-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. The Huskers are now 49-3 in regular-season non-conference matches since the start of the 2004 season.
 ?-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 (2001-present). It is also the highest total by any Big 12 player in a match during the 2009 season.
?-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.

Mueller Heats Up
After a slow opening weekend, All-American Tara Mueller has regained her 2008 All-America form. Mueller has averaged 3.67 kills and 2.61 digs per set over the Huskers’ last 10 matches.

The junior outside hitter is now seventh in the Big 12 in kills (3.49/set) and sixth in points (3.94) and has totaled four double-doubles this season. Mueller eclipsed the 20-kill mark for the second time this year at Texas A&M, when she totaled a match-high 21 kills against the Aggies. Mueller turned in a solid effort at Colorado on Sept. 19 with 11 kills on .350 hitting and eight digs in a Husker sweep. Her best effort was at LSU, when she set a season high with 22 kills and added 15 digs and two blocks in NU’s five-set win. Against Virginia on Sept. 10, Mueller had 14 kills on .583 hitting, marking the first time she has reached double figures in kills without commiting a hitting error.

Banwarth is Digging the Libero Spot
If the first 12 matches of the season are any indication, junior Kayla Banwarth is going to enjoy a record-breaking 2009 campaign. The junior libero is third in the Big 12 in digs per set (4.65) and is also averaging a career-best 1.25 assists per set, as she is NU’s primary out-of-system setter.
Banwarth already has a quartet of 20-dig efforts this season, highlighted by a career-high 32 digs against Minnesota on Aug. 29. Her effort against the Gophers was the best single-match total by a Husker since 1993, and she is one of only five players in school history to produce a 30-dig match. Banwarth also had 21 digs at LSU and 20 digs against both BYU and Texas A&M. Banwarth has reached double figures in digs in the last 18 matches dating back to last season.
With 820 career digs, she is just 180 shy of becoming only the 10th player in school history to hit that plateau.

Sydney Sets the Table
Nebraska has the luxury of having one of the best setters in the country in All-American Sydney Anderson. A second-team All-American in 2008, she has played well this season, averaging 10.28 assists, 2.60 digs and 0.70 kills per set. She leads the Huskers with seven double-doubles (assists/digs) and has been selected to the all-tournament team in each of NU’s three weekends of action - the only Husker to earn that distinction.

At the LSU Tiger Classic, she was named the offense MVP after averaging 9.90 assists, 2.40 digs and 0.50 blocks per set. She dished out a season-high 51 assists and matched her personal best with 14 digs at LSU on Sept. 14. Against BYU on Sept. 11, Anderson put together another outstanding all-around match, dishing out 49 assists, collecting 10 digs and adding a career-high seven kills on .778 hitting in a four-set win over the Cougars.

Lichting Up Opponents
After battling injuries through the first half of her Husker career, junior Lindsey Licht is healthy and putting together a strong junior year. She is averaging 2.41 kills and 1.09 blocks per match and has improved as the season has progressed.
Over NU’s last eight matches, she is averaging 2.70 kills on .315 hitting and 1.10 blocks per set. Licht has reached double figures four times, including a season-high 16 kills at Colorado on Sept. 19 and 13 kills against Texas A&M on Sept. 23. In NU’s last two matches, Licht is hitting an impressive .454 with 4.14 kills per set.

Delano Dominating the Middle
One encouraging sign for the Huskers has been the emergence of sophomore Brooke Delano at middle blocker. Delano, who was forced to miss the last month of the 2008 season following surgery, has come back better than ever this fall after playing all three spots in the front row last year.

Delano leads the Huskers in both hitting percentage (.347) and blocks (1.15) while adding 2.29 kills per set. Delano is ranked fifth in the league in blocks and ninth in hitting percentage. She is the only freshman or sophomore in the Big 12 to rank in the top 10 in both hitting percentage and blocks.

She has reached double figures in kills four times, including a career-high 14 kills against No. 11 Minnesota on Aug. 29. Delano has collected at least three blocks in every match since the opener, highlighted by a nine-block effort at LSU on Sept. 5 and six blocks against Tulane the following day. Delano had 10 kills on .474 hitting and three blocks in the sweep of Texas Tech on Sept. 16.

Huskers Break NCAA Attendance Mark
It was a record-breaking day in college volleyball on Sept. 13, as Nebraska and UCLA drew an NCAA regular-season record crowd of 13,870 to the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The mark shattered the previous NCAA regular-season high of 13,396 set between Nebraska and LSU in 2008. In fact, the nine largest regular-season crowds in NCAA history have involved Nebraska, including seven this decade.

NCAA Record Streak Ends at 90
Nebraska also completed another NCAA record streak on Sept. 13, as No. 8 UCLA ended Nebraska’s 90-match home win streak. The streak, which dated back to Sept. 11, 2004, broke the previous mark of 87 set by Penn State from 1995 until 2000. The Huskers won 27 matches against ranked teams in the streak, including 10 contests against top-10 foes. In fact, of the 90 matches, only two went to five sets (Missouri in 2005 and 2007). 

NU is one of only two programs in NCAA history to record a pair of home win streaks of at least 60 matches, as Penn State has now won 60 in a row at home dating back to 2006. Nebraska also won 63 consecutive home matches between 1999 and 2002. The Huskers are 501-32 (.940) all-time at home and have lost just six home matches this decade.
With the loss, Penn State now has the longest active home win streak, winning their last 63 matches dating back to the start of the 2006 campaign.

The Kids Can Play
Nebraska has retooled its roster in 2009, as this year’s squad features seven freshmen (two redshirt freshman and four true freshmen). The bulk of the class was part of the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class this fall and several of them have made significant early impacts.

On the left side, Hannah Werth has taken the primary hitter duties and is second on the team in both kills (2.62) and digs (2.89) per set. Werth, who is third on the team with four double-doubles, has topped NU in kills twice and had season bests in kills (14) and digs (23) in NU’s loss to No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13. She topped NU with 11 kills in the Huskers’ Big 12 opener against Texas Tech on Sept. 16 and totaled 11 kills and 12 digs in the loss at Texas A&M on Sept. 23. Werth was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Sept. 8, when she averaged 2.91 kills, 2.45 digs and 0.27 service aces per set in three matches. She had 13 kills on a season-best .455 hitting against UL-Lafayette and a double-double versus LSU with 11 kills and 10 digs.

Gina Mancuso shared the left side and also plays in the back row on the right side. Mancuso, who is one of NU’s top back row players, is averaging 1.20 kills and 1.71 digs while playing in 11 matches. She totaled 10 kills against UL-Lafayette and played her best match of the year in NU’s sweep of Tulane, totaling eight kills on .314 hitting, four blocks and five digs. Mancuso had eight kills, two kills and an ace against Colorado on Sept. 19.

Both Werth and Mancuso come from athletic backgrounds, as Werth’s older brother, Jayson, is an outfielder with the Philadelphia Phillies, while Gina’s older sister Dani started on the outside in NU’s 2006 national title season.

Another true freshman, Megan Pendergast has also seen significant action, averaging 0.24 service aces and 1.56 digs per set for the Big Red as a defensive and serving specialist.

Cooper Looks to Return to Health
For senior middle blocker Kori Cooper, the 2009 opener couldn’t come fast enough. She missed the final month of the year following season-ending knee surgery last Nov. 20. A co-captain and four-year starter at middle blocker, Cooper is a career .358 hitter and ranks seventh among all Husker players in hitting percentage with at least 500 kills. She missed NU’s last five matches before returning to the lineup against Colorado on Sept. 19. Cooper had season highs in both kills (six) and blocks (five) at Texas A&M on Wednesday night.

Huskers Picked Second in Big 12 Race
The Nebraska volleyball team was tabbed second in the Big 12 coaches’ preseason volleyball poll released on Aug. 14. The Huskers, who went 31-3 and shared the Big 12 title with Texas last year, received 93 points, including three first-place votes by the league coaches. Texas, which joined Nebraska in the 2008 NCAA Semifinals, received eight of the 11 first-place votes, and 98 total points, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. Iowa State, Texas A&M and Baylor round out the top five.

Three Huskers - Sydney Anderson, Kori Cooper and Tara Mueller - were preseason All-Big 12 selections. All three are returning first-team all-conference picks from a year ago, while Anderson and Cooper were unanimous all-conference picks. Anderson averaged 11.60 assists, 2.05 digs and 0.29 service aces per set last season, ranking among Big 12 leaders in assists and aces in her first season as a Husker. Cooper averaged 2.09 kills and 0.88 blocks per set, while ranking 10th nationally with a .396 hitting percentage. Mueller earned second-team AVCA All-America honors after averaging 3.51 kills and 2.37 digs per set in 2008.

Huskers on Television
Volleyball fans will have ample opportunities to see the Huskers on television, as 13 regular-season matches are slated for TV broadcast. In addition to last weekend’s Runza/AVCA Showcase, NET will carry eight more matches beginning with the Sunday, Sept. 13 contest against UCLA at the Devaney Center. Nebraska will also be featured three times in the Big 12’s television package. NU has enjoyed the bright lights of TV, going 45-6 in televised matches over the past four years, including  a 17-2 mark in 2008.

Huskers Shine against Ranked Foes
NU is 95-17 (.848) against ranked opponents under John Cook. The Huskers are 18-8 (.692) against top-five teams under Cook, including a 14-4 mark since 2005.

NU Coliseum: Sold Out for 2009
It took just 30 minutes to sell out the entire 2009 ticket allotment at the Nebraska Coliseum on Aug. 5. It marked the third straight year it has taken under an hour to sell out the season allotment.  The announcement guarantees that Nebraska’s NU Coliseum sellout streak will continue this fall, hitting 133 matches in 2009.

The Huskers will carry a streak of 125 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum into the Sept. 26 match against second-ranked Texas. The Huskers are 118-6 at home during the sellout streak, including 82 straight wins in the NU Coliseum.
Nebraska’s sellout streak marks only the second time in NCAA history that a women’s sport has enjoyed a sellout streak of at least 100 matches, joining UConn women’s basketball, which had a streak of 113 straight regular-season sellouts between 1999 and 2005.

The sellout streak - which is the longest ever by an NCAA women’s college program - began with a 10-match stretch to close the 2001 campaign, and has carried over through the last seven seasons. The last non-sellout came on Sept. 25, 2001, against Creighton.

Husker Roster Well Stocked for 2009
Nebraska has 13 players on its 2009 roster who were Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selections, representing the top-50 players in that year’s recruiting class. In all, five of the Huskers’ last six recruiting classes have ranked in the top five nationally. In 2009, Prepvolleyball.com rated the Huskers’ incoming recruiting class second nationally.

Nebraska: All-American U
Nebraska continued its string of All-America success in 2008, as Jordan Larson, Sydney Anderson and Tara Mueller were all named AVCA All-Americans. The trio upped Nebraska’s NCAA-leading totals to 31 players and 65 certificates. Nebraska has had at least one All-American every season since 1983, a total of 27 straight seasons, including 30 All-America awards in Cook’s nine seasons at Nebraska.

Nation’s Best Since 2000
John Cook has been amazingly successful during his Husker tenure, posting a 290-22 record (.929 winning pct.) to lead all programs this decade. A two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Cook has enjoyed greater success in the Big 12, going 174-9 in Big 12 matches over the past 10 seasons.  NU has won eight Big 12 titles, including each of the past five years and has won 30-or-more matches in eight of the past nine years.