Huskers Head to Oklahoma to take on Sooners

The No. 10 Nebraska volleyball team hits the road for an important Big 12 matchup, as the Huskers travel to Norman, Okla., Wednesday night. The match, slated for a 6 p.m. start at McCasland Field House,  will be carried on selected Husker Sports Network stations and on Huskers.com with John Baylor and Lindsay Peterson calling all of the action. Wednesday’s match will also be televised live nationally on ESPNU with Beth Mowins and Cathy Nelson on the call. It is the second Husker match televised on ESPNU this season. 

No. 10 Nebraska (9-4, 2-2 Big 12) at Oklahoma (10-3, 3-1 Big 12)

Wednesday, Sept. 30 ? Norman, Okla. ? 6 p.m. Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com TV: ESPNU (DirecTV Ch. 614; DISH Network Ch. 148; Time Warner Cable Ch. 235; Ch. 220 on Cox Cable) Live Stats: Huskers.com Video: None

The Huskers (9-4, 2-2 Big 12) will look to break a two-match losing streak following a four-set loss to No. 2 Texas last Saturday. In that match, the Huskers totaled 12 more kills than Texas (54-42) and held the Longhorns to .239 hitting, but committed too many miscues, totaling 34 attack errors and 15 service errors.  Tara Mueller’s 13 kills and four blocks led three Huskers with at least 10 kills in the losing effort. Mueller averaged 4.09 kills and 0.75 blocks over Nebraska’s last three matches and is now sixth in the league with 3.47 kills per set.

Oklahoma (10-3, 3-1 Big 12) has gotten off to a fast start in the league, winning three of its first four league contests. The Sooners have been tough defensively, holding foes to a .130 opponent hitting percentage to rank second in the league and lead the Big 12 with 17.84 digs per set, as four players average at least three digs per set. OU’s strength has been a balanced attack that features five players averaging between two and three kills per set.

By the Numbers
3.73 - Kills per game from junior right side hitter Lindsey Licht in Nebraska’s last three matches. Licht is hitting .284 in that stretch, reaching double figures in kills in all three matches.

8 - Number of double-doubles by Husker All-American setter Sydney Anderson in 2009, including three in the Huskers’ four Big 12 matches. Anderson is averaging 10.79 assists in Big 12 action, up from her 10.06 assists prior to conference play.

9 - Season-high kills from Kori Cooper against Texas on Saturday

1997 - The Huskers will look to avoid their first three-match losing streak since the 1997 campaign.

Scouting Oklahoma
The Sooners have gotten off to a good start, going 10-3, including a 3-1 mark in Big 12 play following a sweep at Colorado on Saturday night. Oklahoma, which made the NCAAs in two of the last three years, has been one of the league’s top defensive teams, ranking second in opponent hitting percentage (.130) and first in digs (17.84/set). The Sooners returned all six starters, and 10 of 11 letterwinners from a year ago. OU’s best wins have been in Big 12 action, as they have a win at Kansas State and a four-set win over Missouri in Norman in their only home match so far this season.

Middle blocker Francie Ekwerekwu leads the Sooners with 2.84 kills per set on .319 hitting and also averaging 1.00 blocks per set. Five Sooner starters average between two and three kills per set, while sophomore setter Brianne Barker dishes out 9.58 assists and added 3.27 digs per set. Suzy Bouavsky (2.44 kills per set) and Sarah Freudenrich (2.38 kills on a team-high .324 hitting and 1.15 blocks per set) give the Sooners a veteran corps of players. Libero Maria Fernanda has been impressive early on at libero, ranking second in the Big 12 with 4.80 digs per set.

Series History: Nebraska leads the all-time series, 70-6, dating back to 1975. The Huskers are 25-1 all-time against the Sooners since the Big 12 was formed, and have won the last 23 matchups dating back to 1997. John Cook is 18-0 against the Sooners in his coaching career.

Last Matchup:   Second-ranked Nebraska used strong blocking and a balanced attack, sweeping Oklahoma, 25-21, 25-16, 25-13 in Norman. The Huskers hit .340 on the night, including over .400 in each of the last two sets en route to posting their eighth straight sweep. Jordan Larson paced the Husker attack with 12 kills and 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season, while Lindsey Licht, Amanda Gates and Tara Mueller chipped in eight kills apiece. Gates and Kori Cooper both enjoyed big nights against OU, as Gates finished with a season-best .700 hitting percentage, drilling eight kills in 10 swings, while Cooper had six kills and hit .500 on the night. While NU enjoyed one of its best offensive nights of the year, the Huskers matched a season-best with 12 blocks in a three-set match, as Licht totaled five stuffs, including a trio of solos, while Sydney Anderson and Gates chipped in four blocks each.

Nebraska-Oklahoma Series Notes
?-Nebraska has won the last 23 matches against Oklahoma, dating back to 1997, the longest winning streak in the series.
?-Oklahoma has never defeated Nebraska in 29 matches that have taken place in Lincoln.
?-Nebraska and Oklahoma have both been ranked at match time on three occasions in Big 12 play (once in 1996; twice in 2007).

Series at a Glance
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 70-6
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-0 (10/25/08)
Last NU Win: 10/25/08
Last NU Loss: 10/10/97
Longest NU Winning Streak: 23
Current NU Winning Streak: 23
NU at home: 29-0
NU on the road: 27-3
NU at neutral sites: 14-3

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 1.61 kills and 0.83 blocks per set in six matches and has started NU’s last three contests. She had a season-high nine kills on .316 hitting against No. 2 Texas on Sept. 26, the second straight match she has had a season high in kills. Cooper started against Texas A&M on Sept. 23, 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.

MB - #8 Brooke Delano: 6-2, So., Bellevue, Neb. -  Third-year sophomore who has started at middle blocker in 2009, and averages 2.24 kills and 1.16 blocks per set. She is fourth in the Big 12 in blocks and 10th in hitting percentage (.330). She reached double figures in kills four times, including 10 kills on .474 hitting against Texas Tech on Sept. 16. Delano had seven kills and five blocks against No. 2 Texas on Sept. 26. 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 2.46 kills and 1.08 blocks per set to rank eighth in the league in blocks. She had 12 kills and four blocks against No. 2 Texas on Sept. 26, and has reached double figures in kills in each of her last three matches.  Licht played well at Texas A&M on Sept. 23, 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 4.50 digs per set and also chips in 1.29 assists per set. Banwarth has reached double figures in digs in NU’s last 19 contests dating back to last season following a 12-dig effort against No. 2 Texas A&M on Sept. 26. She has seven matches with at least 15 digs, including four 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 10.30 assists, 0.68 kills and 2.66 digs per set. Anderson is fifth in the league in assists and has a team-best eight double-doubles (assists-digs), most recently a 42-assist, 13-dig effort against Texas on Sept. 26. Anderson has six matches with at least 40 digs, including a season-best 51 digs at LSU on Sept. 4. 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 3.47 kills and 2.58 digs per set to rank sixth in the Big 12 in kills and fifth in points (3.99) per set. Mueller had a team-high 13 kills and a season-best four blocks (including two solos) against No. 2 Texas on Sept. 26. 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 2.63 kills and 2.88 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. She earned Big 12 Rookie honors for the second time this year, averaging  2.75 kills and 2.62 digs per set against Texas A&M and No. 2 Texas.  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 1.17 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 Recap
Despite 13 kills and a season-best four blocks from Tara Mueller, sixth-ranked Nebraska fell to No. 2 Texas, 25-22, 18-25, 25-17, 25-17 in front of a sellout NU Coliseum crowd of 4,166 Saturday afternoon. The Huskers had more kills and digs than the Longhorns, but were done in by mistakes, committing 34 hitting errors and a costly 15 service errors against Texas. Muller was one of three Huskers to record at least 10 kills in the loss, as Lindsey Licht totaled 12 kills, while freshman Hannah Werth added 11 kills.  Kori Cooper added a season-best nine kills on .318 hitting for Nebraska. The loss snapped the Huskers’ 82-match win streak in the NU Coliseum dating back to the 2004 campaign, while Texas, which won in Lincoln for the first time since 1988, became the first Big 12 team to escape with a win in Lincoln since Missouri accomplished the feat in 2003.

Werth Earns Big 12 Rookie Honor
Freshman Hannah Werth was honored by the Big 12 as the league’s Rookie of the Week on Sept. 27. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter averaged 2.75 kills and 2.62 digs per set in a pair of matches last week. Werth collected her fourth double-double of the year at Texas A&M on Wednesday, with 12 digs and 11 kills along with two blocks. Against No. 2 Texas on Saturday, Werth tallied 11 kills, nine digs and a service ace. It is Werth’s second Big 12 weekly honor this season.

Husker Quick Sets
?- Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers are 13-2 in matches after a loss in the same season (Cook’s other seven losses have come in the NCAA Tournament). The two straight losses by the Huskers is the first time it has happened in seven years.
?-Texas snapped Nebraska’s 56-match Big 12 home winning streak on Sept. 26, as the Longhorns became the first Big 12 team to win in Lincoln since Missouri accomplished the feat on Oct. 15, 2003. The Huskers are 89-3 (.967) in conference home matches under John Cook.
?-Nebraska is 85-7 (.924) on the road in Big 12 action in 10 seasons under Coach John Cook. To put that in perspective, seven of the league’s 11 teams lost at least six conference road matches during the 2008 season.
?-The Huskers are 98-7 (.933) in their last 105 conference matches dating back to 2003.
?-Tara Mueller has two 20-kill matches through NU’s first 13 matches, equaling her entire total of 20-kill matches during the 2008 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.
?-Lindsey Licht has already topped Nebraska in kills in three matches this season after pacing the Huskers just once in 2008. Licht has also reached double figures in kills in each of NU’s last three matches (CU, TAMU, UT), marking only the second time in her career she has accomplished that.
?-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).
?-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.