No. 10 Huskers Take on Missouri Wednesday Night

No. 10 Nebraska (16-6, 9-4 Big 12) vs. Missouri (14-9, 6-6 Big 12)

Wednesday, Nov. 4 ? 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 (click here for radio broadcast) TV: NET   Live Stats: Huskers.com (click here) Video:  Huskers.com (click here for free video)

The Nebraska volleyball team returns home to the NU Coliseum Wednesday night to play host to the Missouri Tigers. First serve for the 130th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on selected Husker Sports Network stations, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com with John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall on the call. In addition, the match will be televised throughout the state on NET-1 and NET-HD with Larry Punteney and Kathi Weiskamp on the call. It is the 12th of 13 Husker regular-season matches televised in 2009.

The Huskers (16-6, 9-4 Big 12) look to rebound following a sweep at the hands of No. 2 Texas on Friday night. Lindsey Licht led Nebraska with 10 kills on .316 hitting, but the rest of the Husker attack failed to get untracked against Texas. NU hit just .168 after hitting .300 or better in four of the last six contests. Despite that, NU had chances to win the first two sets, but the Longhorns made the plays at the end of sets to remain unbeaten.

Missouri (15-9, 6-6 Big 12) comes to town riding a three-match win streak following a non-conference sweep of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Saturday night. The Tigers have been riding the arm of outside hitter Paola Ampudia, who averages 4.34 kills per set in Big 12 action. She tied a school record with 35 kills in a four-set win over Kansas on Oct. 24 and teams with Julianna Klein to give the Tigers a potent 1-2 punch from the outside.

By the Numbers

• 1,001 - Career digs by Kayla Banwarth following Friday’s match. Banwarth needs 17 digs to pass Maria Hedbeck for ninth on NU’s career digs list.
• 10 - Number of service aces that Gina Mancuso has had in NU’s last seven matches, an average of 0.40 aces per set. Her 0.23 aces per set are the most by a freshman since 2005.
• 5 - Number of Big 12 teams ranked in this week’s AVCA poll - No. 2 Texas, No. 8 Iowa State, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 20 Baylor and No. 23 Texas A&M. In addition, Oklahoma is also receiving votes in this week’s poll.

Scouting Missouri
Under Coach Wayne Kreklow (88-57 in five seasons at Missouri), the Tigers are 15-9 overall and 6-6 in Big 12 action entering Wednesday’s match with the Huskers. Missouri, which returned six starters from a team that won 13 matches last year, has won three straight matches, including a sweep of a Kansas State team that beat the Tigers two weeks earlier.

Missouri is led by outside hitter Paola Ampudia, who averages a team-high 3.46 kills per set, including 4.34 kills per set in conference action. She was the preseason newcomer of the year in the Big 12 and had 23 kills in the first matchup with the Huskers.
Right side hitter Julianna Klein averages 3.18 kills and a team-high 0.31 service aces per set. Returning starter Lei Wang-Francisco averages 10.77 assists, 2.39 digs and 0.75 kills from her setter spot.  Libero Caitlyn Vann averages 4.32 digs and 0.30 services aces per set for Missouri, which leads the Big 12 with 1.35 service aces per set.

Last Matchup: Sydney Anderson tied her career high with 57 assists, while No. 7 Nebraska hit over .300 for the third straight match in defeating Missouri, 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 21-25, 25-13) on Oct. 17. With the win, the Huskers became the first team to win in Columbia this season, snapping Missouri’s eight-match home win streak. Anderson’s 57 assists tied a career high set against Washington in the 2008 NCAA Regional final, as she helped three Huskers finish in double figures. Hannah Werth tied a career high with a team-best 17 kills and added 15 digs, while right side hitter Lindsey Licht added 13 kills on .367 hitting and two solo blocks. All-American Tara Mueller was the third Husker to finish in double figures with 10 kills and 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the year.  Nebraska held Missouri to just .155 hitting as Kayla Banwarth totaled a match-high 25 digs ? her third straight match with at least 20 digs and the seventh time this year she eclipsed the 20-dig mark.

Nebraska-Missouri Series Notes
? The Tigers feature a pair of players from Nebraska in Omaha natives Catie Wilson (2.27 kills/set on .327 hitting) and Amanda Hantouli (0.88 kills and 0.75 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 72 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, 68-3-1
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-1 (10/16/09)
Last NU Win: (10/16/09)
Last NU Loss: (10/15/03)
Longest NU Winning Streak: 44
Current NU Winning Streak: 12
NU at home: 28-2
NU on the road: 27-1
NU at neutral sites: 13-0-1

Husker Potential Starters
MB -  #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Sr., Amarillo, Texas - Senior co-captain is returning to All-America form following knee surgery last November. Cooper is averaging 2.30 kills and 0.85 blocks per set in 14 matches, ranking fifth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.333). She has played at a high level since returning to the lineup full time on Sept. 23, averaging 2.54 kills on .369 hitting over the last 10 contests. Cooper has reached double figures in kills four times in 2009, including a career best 16 kills on .414 hitting against No. 13 Iowa State on Oct. 21. Cooper had 12 kills on .409 hitting and tied her season high with five blocks in a win over Oklahoma on Oct. 24.  She had nine kills on a season-high .471 hitting at Missouri on Oct. 17, after totaling 10 kills on .381 hitting at Baylor on Oct. 14.  She had then-season bests in kills (13) and hitting percentage (.462) at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. Cooper added nine kills on .316 hitting against No. 2 Texas on Sept. 26. Cooper was named first-team All-Big 12 and honorable-mention All-America in 2008 after averaging 2.09 kills  on .396 hitting and 0.88 blocks per set. Cooper has 45 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. - Sophomore who has started at middle blocker in 2009, and averages 2.22 kills and 1.18 blocks per set. She is third in the Big 12 in blocks and seventh in hitting percentage (.325). Delano reached double figures in kills eight times, including a season-best 14 kills on .414 hitting at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. Delano had 12 kills and a team-high five blocks against Iowa State on Oct. 21.  She 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 2.65 kills and 1.06 blocks per set to rank eighth in the Big 12 in blocks. Licht has been in double figures in kills 10 times in 2009, including a season-high 16 kills and six blocks against Oklahoma on Oct. 24. She has been in double figures in four of NU’s last five matches, including 13 against Iowa State (Oct. 21) and Missouri (Oct. 17). Licht led NU with 10 kills at No. 2 Texas on Oct. 30.  She has also topped NU in blocks seven times, most recently with five at No. 19 Baylor along with nine kills on Oct. 14. 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 with 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.

-or- OH - #7 Gina Mancuso: 6-1, Fr., Omaha, Neb. - Mancuso is seeing time as a back-row specialist on the right side, averaging 0.64 kills, 1.70 digs and 0.23 service aces per set. She played well at No. 2 Texas on Oct. 30, recording seven digs and adding a pair of service aces. She now has 11 matches this season with at least five digs and four matches with at least two service aces.  Mancuso had a career-high 16 digs and a service ace against No. 13 Iowa State on Oct. 21. Against Kansas State on Oct. 10, she racked up a career best four service aces and added five digs. She also had 13 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30,  Mancuso had a career-high 10 kills and added eight digs in a sweep of UL-Lafayette. She collected eight kills on .312 hitting and four blocks against Tulane on Sept. 5. She made her first career 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 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 second in the Big 12 with 4.75 digs per set and chips in 1.16 assists per set. Banwarth has reached double figures in digs in NU’s last 28 contests dating back to last season following an 11-dig performance at Texas on Oct. 30. She has 10 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. She was the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 19, when she averaged 6.71 digs per set in a pair of wins, collecting 23 against Missouri and 22 in a sweep at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14. She 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 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 10.91 assists, 0.75 kills and 2.61 digs per set. Anderson is fourth in the league in assists and has a team-best 13 double-doubles (assists-digs), most recently a 39-assist, 10-dig effort at Texas Tech on Oct. 28. Anderson has five matches with at least 50 assists this season, including a career-high 57 assists at Missouri on Oct. 17.  Anderson had 54 assists and a career-best 16 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. She owns 10 matches with at least 40 assists this season. 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 51 assists and adding 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  2.99 kills, 2.56 digs and 0.31 service aces per set. Mueller is fourth in the Big 12 in service aces.  She comes off her sixth double-double of the year two matches ago at Texas Tech on Oct. 28, finishing with 11 kills on .360 hitting and 10 digs.  Mueller had nine kills, 12 digs and a career-high four service aces in a win over Oklahoma on Oct. 25. She had her fifth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 11 digs at Missouri on Oct. 17.  Mueller tied for team-high honors with 10 kills on .368 hitting against Kansas State on Oct. 10. 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.

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 a team-high 3.20 kills and 2.92 digs per set, ranking second on the team in digs.  Werth leads all Big 12 freshmen in kills per set and is third (first among non-liberos) amomg freshmen in digs per set. She now has 10 double doubles after her 15 kill, 12 dig effort at Texas Tech on Oct. 28. Werth had a career-high 19 kills against Oklahoma on Oct. 24, equaling the most kills by a Husker freshman in the last five seasons.  A four-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week, Werth tied her career best with 17 kills and added 15 digs at Missouri on Oct. 17. Werth had 13 kills on .389 hitting and 12 digs in a sweep  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. 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. 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 Fall at Texas
Despite a team-high 10 kills from Lindsey Licht, the eighth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team lost to second-ranked Texas, 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-19) Friday evening in Gregory Gymnasium.  Licht led Nebraska (16-6, 9-4 Big 12) with 10 kills on .316 hitting, but Texas’ Destinee Hooker was too much on the night with a match-high 19 kills on .400 hitting and 10 digs, as Texas remained unbeaten with a 18-0 mark (13-0 Big 12).
Nebraska racked up six aces, including two each from Hannah Werth, Gina Mancuso and Tara Mueller, but Texas hit .326 on the night and totaled 42 digs, compared to only .168 hitting and 33 digs by the Huskers.
Mueller and Werth had seven kills apiece in the losing effort, while Kayla Banwarth collected 11 digs, going over 1,000 in her career. Banwarth is just the third Husker to reach 1,000 digs before her senior season, joining All-Americans Jordan Larson and Jennifer Saleaumua.

NCAA Regional Passes Now on Sale
All-session passes for the 2009 NCAA Omaha Regional at the Qwest Center are now on sale. All-session tickets are priced from $26-$34 for the two days of action on Dec. 11-12. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 277-1700.
 Omaha is one of four pre-determined regional sites, joining Gainesville, Fla. (Florida), Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota), and Stanford, Calif. (Stanford).  The Omaha Regional semifinals will take place at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11, with the finals taking place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12.

NU-Iowa State Start Time Set for Nov. 7
Iowa State announced on Nov. 1 that this Saturday’s volleyball match between No. 8 Nebraska and No. 9 Iowa State will start at 8 p.m. The move was announced following the announcement that the Iowa State-Oklahoma State football game earlier that day was picked up by ABC with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.  The match will be carried on selected Husker Sports Network Stations, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com. It will not be on the full network, as the Nebraska football game against Oklahoma in Memorial Stadium will start at 7 p.m. and carried nationally on ABC.

Husker Quick Sets
?-The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 of the AVCA poll every week since the start of the 2004 season, a span of 92 weeks.
?-One of the overlooked aspects of NU in recent weeks has been improved serving. Over the last eight matches, the Huskers are averaging 1.43 aces per set after averaging just 0.95 aces per set in NU’s first 14 matches. In league action, Nebraska leads the Big 12, averaging 1.26 aces per set.
?-Freshman Gina Mancuso has also been a force at the service line in recent matches, recording 10 aces (0.40 aces/set) and only three service errors in her last seven contests. She is seventh in Big 12 matches in aces at 0.27 aces per set.
?-Kayla Banwarth has played at an All-America level in recent weeks, averaging 5.12 digs, 0.97 aces and 0.24 service aces per set over the last nine matches. Banwarth has six matches with 20 or more digs in that stretch.
?-The Huskers are 104-9 (.920) in their last 113 conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.
?-The Huskers are 92-4 (.958) in conference home matches under John Cook.
?-With her 10 kills against Texas, Lindsey Licht topped the Huskers in kills for the fourth time this year. Prior to 2009, she had led NU in kills once.
?-Three Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 20 of the NCAA RPI released Nov. 2. The teams include Texas (No. 1),  Iowa State (No. 12) and Nebraska (No. 16).
?- Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers are 15-2 in matches after a loss in the same season (Cook’s other seven losses have come in the NCAA Tournament).
?-Nebraska’s lone senior Kori Cooper has helped the Huskers to a 110-12 mark over the last four years, including three Big 12 titles, two NCAA Final Fours (2006, 2008) and a national title in 2008.
?-Hannah Werth’s 19 kills against Oklahoma on Oct. 24 equals the most kills by a Husker freshman in the last five seasons. The last Husker rookie to have more than 19 kills in a match was Sarah Pavan, when she had 35 against USC in the 2004 NCAA Regional final.
?-The Oct. 24 loss to Iowa State was the first time the Huskers had lost to the Cyclones since the series began in 1975, and marked only the second time in 75 meetings that the match went to a decisive fifth set.
?-Kori Cooper’s 16 kills against Iowa State on Oct. 21 equaled the most kills by a Husker middle blocker in three seasons. The last time a Husker middle had more than 16 kills in a match was in the 2006 NCAA Semifinals, when Tracy Stalls  had a career-high 17 kills against UCLA.
?-With her 16 kills against Iowa State on Oct. 21, Cooper became the fifth Husker to lead Nebraska in kills in a match this season.
?-The Huskers picked up their 250th Big 12 victory on Oct. 17 at Missouri. Nebraska’s 252 wins since the league’s inception tops all schools, as only Texas (205) is above 200 league wins.
?-Freshman Hannah Werth led the Huskers in kills in five straight matches from Sept. 30 to Oct. 17, averaging 4.00 kills on .309 hitting and 2.78 digs per set in that span. It was the longest stretch by a Husker freshman leading NU in kills since All-American Sarah Pavan began her career in 2004 by leading the Huskers in kills in her first six matches.
?-Nebraska’s two service errors against Kansas State on Oct. 10 matched the Huskers’ lowest total this decade. NU also had just two service errors against Texas A&M on Oct. 22, 2008.  The last time NU had fewer service errors in a match came against Baylor on Nov. 20, 1999, when the Huskers had just one service error.
?-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 2008 NCAA Regional Semifinals.
?-Nebraska has already received 12 double-digit kill efforts from its middle blockers this season, including eight from Brooke Delano, and are averaging nearly a kill per set more from its middle attack. 
?-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.
?-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 any Husker freshman since 2003.
?-Brooke Delano’s four solo 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.
?-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.