No. 7 Huskers Look Ahead to Missouri Saturday

No. 7 Nebraska (13-4, 6-2 Big 12) at Missouri (12-7, 4-4 Big 12) Saturday, Oct. 17 *  Columbia, Mo. * 6:30 p.m. Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com TV: None Live Stats: Huskers.com Video: Not available

The Nebraska volleyball team wraps up its two-match road swing this Saturday night, as the Huskers travel to Columbia, Mo., to take on the Missouri Tigers. First serve between the Huskers and Tigers at the Hearnes Center is slated for 6:30 p.m. The match will be carried on select Husker Sports Network stations and Huskers.com with John Baylor and Lindsay Peterson calling all of the action. Live Video from either site will  not be available on Saturday night.

The seventh-ranked Huskers (13-4, 6-2 Big 12) come off their best effort in Big 12 action, sweeping No. 19 Baylor, 3-0 (28-26, 25-17, 25-17) on Wednesday. In that match, the Huskers hit .320 against a Baylor team that was holding foes to a combined .140 hitting. NU had three players finish with at least 10 kills. Sydney Anderson dished out 39 assists and added 10 digs to pace a balanced attack that also featured Hannah Werth (13 kills and 12 digs), Brooke Delano (10 kills on .500 hitting) and Kori Cooper (10 kills on .381 hitting). Nebraska was also strong defensively, as Lindsey Licht totaled a match-high five blocks, while Kayla Banwarth scooped up 22 digs in just three sets.

Missouri (12-7, 4-4 Big 12) is a perfect 8-0 at home this season, but is looking to bounce back following a four-set loss at Kansas State on Wednesday. The Tigers are encouraging fans to bring canned goods to Saturday's match. Fans with two canned items will gain free admission to the tilt between the Huskers and Tigers.

By the Numbers
6 - Aces  by freshman Gina Mancuso in NU's last two contests. Mancuso, who had four aces against K-State on Saturday, added two more at Baylor Wednesday and ranks fifth in Big 12 matches only in aces (0.32).
7- Digs per set average by Husker libero Kayla Banwarth in NU's last two contests. Banwarth had 22 digs in a sweep of Baylor on Wednesday and owns 911 digs in her career.
.473 - Brook Delano's hitting percentage over NU's last four contests.
Delano is averaging 2.93 kills and 1.29 blocks per set in that stretch.

Scouting Missouri
Under Coach Wayne Kreklow (85-55 in five years at Missouri), the Tigers are 12-7 overall and 4-4 in Big 12 action entering Saturday's match with the Huskers. Missouri, which returned six starters from a team that won 13 matches last year, has been tough at home, going a perfect 8-0 inside the Hearnes Center, highlighted by a five-set win over Texas A&M on Sept. 26.

Missouri is led by right side hitter Julianna Klein, who averages a team-best 3.22 kills per game. A pair of newcomers in outside attackers Paola Ampudia and Rose Medrano combine for nearly five kills per set, as Ampudia, who was named Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year, averages 2.77 kills and 0.66 blocks per set Returning starter Lei Wang-Francisco averages 10.49 assists, 2.32 digs and 0.70 assists from her setter spot, while middle blockers Weiwin Wang and Catie Wilson both are hitting well over .300. Libero Caitlyn Vann averages 4.52 digs and a team-high 0.31 services aces per set for Missouri, which is second in the Big 12 with 1.40 service aces per set.

Last Matchup:  Jordan Larson's 16 kills led three Huskers in double figures, as the No. 3 Nebraska volleyball team swept Missouri, 25-19, 25-22, 25-14 on Nov. 12, 2008. Larson totaled 16 kills and 13 digs for her 10th double-double of the year, as the Huskers posted their 17th sweep of the season. Tara Mueller added 13 kills and eight digs, while Kori Cooper chipped in 10 kills, as the Huskers hit .351 on the night. Sydney Anderson dished out 38 assists, while four of the Huskers' five primary attackers hit at least .300. The Huskers got a big boost from redshirt freshman Brooke Delano, who came off the bench to slam home four kills and add four blocks, including three solos in the right side hitter spot. Delano and Amanda Gates totaled four blocks apiece, while Gates put down five kills in seven swings.

Nebraska-Missouri Series Notes
* The Tigers feature a pair of players from Nebraska in Omaha natives Catie Wilson (2.37 kills/set on .336 hitting) and Amanda Hantouli (0.84 kills and 0.71 blocks per set).
* Nebraska had won 44 straight matches against Missouri before the Tigers upset the Huskers in Lincoln in 2003.
* Nebraska has swept the Tigers 53 times in the 71 all-time meetings.
* The Oct. 5, 2005, matchup in Columbia featured both teams ranked in the top 10 for the first time at match time. NU was ranked first and the Tigers ranked seventh in a match that NU won in four sets.

Series at a Glance
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 67-3-1
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-0 (11/12/08)
Last NU Win: (11/12/08)
Last NU Loss: (10/15/03)
Longest NU Winning Streak: 44
Current NU Winning Streak: 11
NU at home: 28-2
NU on the road: 26-1
NU at neutral sites: 13-0-1

Husker Potential Starters
MB -  #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Sr., Amarillo, Texas - Senior co-captain is easing her way back into the lineup following knee surgery last November. Cooper is averaging 2.06 kills and 0.88 blocks per set. In her last six matches, Cooper is averaging 2.36 kills per set and hitting .370 in that stretch. Cooper enjoyed a solid match at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14 with 10 kills on .381 hitting, marking the second time she's been in double figures this year.  The senior had seven kills on .462 hitting and four block against K-State on Oct. 10. She had season bests in kills (13) and hitting percentage (.462) at Oklahoma on Sept. 30, marking the third straight match she has enjoyed season bests in kills.
Cooper added nine kills on .316 hitting against No. 2 Texas on Sept. 26. 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 in 2008 after averaging 2.09 kills  on
.396 hitting and 0.88 blocks per set. Cooper has 42 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 2.41 kills and 1.19 blocks per set. She is third in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.367) and fourth in blocks. She reached double figures in kills seven times, including a season-best 14 kills on .414 hitting at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. Delano has hit .400 or better nine times on the season, including a career-best .600 with 10 kills, five blocks and five digs against Kansas on Oct. 7. Delano chipped in 10 kills and four blocks on .470 hitting in a sweep of No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 19.  She 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 kill, 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 2.49 kills and 1.13 blocks per set to rank sixth in the Big 12 in blocks. Licht has been in double figures in kills six times in 2009 and has topped NU in blocks in seven matches, most recently with five at No. 19 Baylor along with nine kills on Oct. 14. She led Nebraska with six blocks and added seven kills against K-State on Oct. 10.  Licht had 14 kills and three blocks in the win at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. She played well at Texas A&M on Sept. 23, recording 13 kills on .423 hitting and three blocks.  Licht 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.

-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 0.84 kills, 1.72 digs and 0.24 service aces per set in 15 matches. Against Kansas State on Oct. 10, she racked up a career best four service aces and added five digs against the Wildcats. Mancuso also added two aces at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14.  She matched her career high with 13 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30, one of 10 matches this year with at least five digs.  She had eight digs, a pair of kills and a service ace against Colorado on Sept. 19.  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 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.

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 4.75 digs per set and also chips in 1.32 assists per set. Banwarth has reached double figures in digs in NU's last 23 contests dating back to last season following a 22-dig effort at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14 and 20 digs against Kansas State on Oct. 10. She has seven matches with at least 20 digs this year and recorded her first career double-double at Oklahoma on Sept. 30 with 26 digs and a career-best 10 assists. Banwarth had 20 digs and a then-career-best eight assists at Texas A&M on Sept. 20. She 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 10.62 assists, 0.70 kills and 2.71 digs per set. Anderson is fifth in the league in assists and has a team-best 10 double-doubles (assists-digs), most recently a 39-assist, 10-dig effort at No. 18 Baylor on Oct. 14. Anderson had season bests with 54 assists and 16 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30  Against Kansas State on Oct. 10, Anderson dished out 36 assists and helped the Huskers hit .319 as a team.  She has seven matches with at least 40 assists this season, including a then-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 kill 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 a team-high
3.17 kills and 2.49 digs per set. Mueller tied for team-high honors with 10 kills on .368 hitting against Kansas State on Oct. 10, and added eight kills and five digs in a sweep at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14. She had just five kills, but matched her career best with 16 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. 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, 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 has earned one of the starting spots at outside hitter. She is averaging 2.96 kills and 2.75 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. Werth comes off her sixth double-double of the year with
13 kills and 12 digs at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14. She was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week for a third time on Oct. 12, as she averaged 4.17 kills per set on .426 hitting last week. She had 10 kills on .389 hitting in a sweep of Kansas State on Oct. 10.  Werth enjoyed one of her best matches of the year, drilling 15 kills on .448 hitting to go along with nine digs against Kansas on Oct. 7. It was one of five times she has topped NU in kills this season. Werth had a career-high 17 kills and 10 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30 for her fifth double-double of the year.
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.  She recorded 14 kills  and a season-high 23 digs 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. 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.

Last Time Out: Huskers Sweep Baylor
Hannah Werth's 13 kills led three Huskers in double figures, as No. 7 Nebraska rolled to a 3-0 win (28-26, 25-17, 25-17) over No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14 at the Ferrell Center.  The Huskers put together one of their best efforts of the season, hitting .320 on the night against a Baylor squad that was holding opponents to a .140 hitting percentage entering Wednesday. It was the third straight match NU has established a season high in hitting percentage.

Werth led the Huskers with a match-high 13 kills on .379 hitting and 12 digs for her sixth double-double of the year. Brooke Delano added 10 kills on .500 hitting and four blocks, while Kori Cooper added 10 kills for Nebraska.  Lindsey Licht (nine kills and five blocks) and Tara Mueller (eight kills and five digs) all had at least eight kills, as Nebraska became only the second team to knock off the Bears in Waco this season.  Anderson dished out 39 assists and added 10 digs for her 10th double-double of the year, while Kayla Banwarth totaled 22 digs and five assists in the sweep.

Power of Pink Match Set for Oct. 21
The Huskers team will participate in the Power of Pink in their next home match against Iowa State on Wednesday, Oct. 21. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and volleyball programs around the country are participating in a variety of activities. The Match Club will be selling pink T-shirts to raise money as well.

Oct. 24 Match vs. OU to Start at 7 p.m.
The Nebraska Athletic Department announced Tuesday that NU's volleyball match with Oklahoma on Saturday, Oct. 24, will take place at 7 p.m. at the Nebraska Coliseum. The start time was confirmed following the Big 12's announcement that the Nebraska-Iowa State football game that day will kickoff at 11:30 a.m. and be televised by FSN.

Werth Earns Big 12 Honor Again
Hannah Werth was honored by the Big 12 for the third time this season as the league's Rookie of the Week on Oct. 12. She averaged 4.17 kills on .426 hitting with 2.17 digs per set in a pair of sweeps over Kansas and Kansas State, topping the Huskers in kills in both matches. Werth tallied 15 kills, a .448 hitting percentage and nine digs against KU on Oct. 7. She added 10 kills on .389 hitting in a sweep of K-State on Oct.
10.

Husker Quick Sets
*-The Huskers will go for their 250th Big 12 victory on Saturday night at Missouri. Nebraska's 249 wins since the league's inception tops all schools, as runner-up Texas picked up its 200th Big 12 win at Kansas on Wednesday.
*-Nebraska has eclipsed Big 12 bests in hitting percentage in each of its last three matches, and hit over .300 in back-to-back matches for the second time this year and first time since Sept. 10-11.
*-Nebraska's two service errors against Kansas State equalled the Huskers' lowest total this decade. NU also had just two service errors against Texas A&M on Oct. 22, 2008.
*-Five Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 30 of the NCAA initial RPI released Oct. 12. The teams include Texas (No. 1),  Baylor (No. 15), Iowa State (No. 19), Nebraska (No. 27) and Texas A&M (No. 30).
*-Freshman Hannah Werth has led Nebraska in kills in the last four matches, upping her 2009 total to six. In that stretch, Werth is averaging 3.93 kills on .315 hitting and 2.50 digs per set. Werth's six times topping the Huskers is the most by a freshman since Jordan Larson led NU in kills eight times in 2005.
*-Brooke Delano's .600 hitting percentage against Kansas on Oct. 7, was the best by a Husker this season. The last time a Husker hit .600 or better in a match (min. 10 attacks) was Amanda Gates, when she hit .615
(8-0-13) against Michigan in the NCAA Regional Semifinals.
*-Kori Cooper has been playing her best volleyball over the last two weeks, as she is averaging 2.40 kills per set on .392 hitting in Nebraska's last four contests. Cooper ranks fifth in hitting percentages in Big 12 matches only at .346. Her 13 kills at Oklahoma on Sept. 30, were one off her personal best.
*-The Huskers are 101-7 (.935) in their last 108 conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.
*-Nebraska is 86-7 (.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 alone.
*-Hannah Werth's 17 kills against Oklahoma on Sept. 30, were the most by a Husker freshman since Jordan Larson had 19 at Minnesota on Sept. 5, 2005.
*-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.
*-Nebraska has already received 10 double-digit kill efforts from its middle blockers this season, including seven from Brooke Delano. Last year, NU totaled nine double-digit kill efforts from its middles in 34 matches.  Against Oklahoma,  NU's middles combined for 27 kills, their best combined total since the 2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal against Michigan State.
*-Tara Mueller has two 20-kill matches in 2009, equaling her entire total of 20-kill matches from last season. Mueller has also tied her career bests with 16 digs twice this season, most recently at Oklahoma on Sept. 30.
*-Lindsey Licht has 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 four of NU's last six 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).
*-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 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
49-3 in regular-season non-conference matches since 2004.
*-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).
*-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 since the 2000 season.