Four Huskers Named AVCA All-Americans

Lincoln ? Four Nebraska volleyball players were honored Wednesday morning, as the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its 2009 All-America team. Sophomore middle blocker Brooke Delano led the charge as a second-team selection, while junior setter Sydney Anderson was tabbed for the third team. In addition, senior middle blocker Kori Cooper and freshman outside hitter Hannah Werth were chosen as honorable-mention selections.

Nebraska leads the nation with 67 AVCA All-America selections (first, second and third-team) and has had at least one All-American in 28 consecutive seasons. The Husker program has produced 32 All-Americans in John Cook’s 10 seasons as Nebraska’s head coach.

Delano continues a tradition of middle blocking All-Americans, as she averaged 2.34 kills and 1.09 blocks per set in her first year as Nebraska’s starting middle blocker. She ranked fifth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.339) and sixth in blocking and was the only sophomore to rank in the top 10 in both categories. Delano reached double figures in kills in 10 matches, including a season-high 14 kills against Oklahoma and No. 11 Minnesota. Her best offensive night came against Missouri on Nov. 4, when she totaled 10 kills on .833 hitting against the Tigers. Delano averaged 2.54 kills per set on .329 hitting in four NCAA matches, as the Huskers faced three ranked teams in the postseason. Nebraska middle blockers have combined for 10 AVCA All-America awards this decade.

Anderson collected her second straight All-America award after averaging 11.53 assists, 0.77 kills and 2.45 digs per set in 2009. She ranked 13th nationally in assists while running an offense that ranked in the top 10 nationally in both kills and assists per game. She owned a team-high 14 double-doubles and helped the Huskers hit .300 or better in 13 matches. Anderson produced 50 or more assists five times, including a career-best 57 assists in a sweep of Missouri on Oct. 18. It marks the 19th time in the last 26 seasons a Husker setter has earned All-America honors, and Anderson becomes the eighth Nebraska setter to be a two-time All-American.

Cooper earned honorable-mention All-America honors for the second straight season, as she averaged 2.49 kills and 0.89 blocks per set this fall. She led the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .372, which ranked 20th nationally after returning from knee surgery in November of 2008. Cooper reached double figures in kills seven times this season, including a career-high 16 kills on .414 hitting against No. 14 Iowa State on Oct. 21. She hit .400 or better in 13 matches in 2009, including a career-best .765 on 13 kills against Texas A&M on Nov. 13. A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, Cooper finished her career with 734 kills on .368 hitting and 0.94 blocks per set to help Nebraska to a 121-13 record in that stretch.

Werth finished the 2009 campaign averaging a team-best 3.18 kills per game along with 3.07 digs per set, becoming the first Husker freshman to average more than 3.00 kills and 3.00 digs per set. She led all Big 12 freshmen in kills and totaled 13 double-doubles on the season. An honorable-mention AVCA All-Central Region selection, Werth raised her level of play in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 3.15 kills, 3.62 digs and 0.54 blocks per set in four NCAA matches. Werth finished the season ranked second on NU’s career freshman digs list with 332 and third on the list with 343 digs.