Huskers Host NCAA Omaha Regional This Weekend

NCAA Omaha Regional

All-Session Tickets: $38 (Lower & Upper Mezzanine) $30 (Upper Bowl) Single-Session Tickets $21 (Lower & Upper Mezzanine) $18. (Upper Bowl) Tickets: Online Ticketmaster.com or by phone 800-745-3000

NCAA Regional Semifinal - No. 2 Seed Texas (26-1) vs. Texas A&M (20-10) Friday, Dec. 11 ? Qwest Center Omaha ? 4:30 p.m. NCAA Regional Semifinal -  No. 7 Seed Iowa State (27-4) vs. No. 10 Seed Nebraska (25-6) Friday, Dec. 11 ? Qwest Center Omaha ? 7 p.m. Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com Live Stats: NCAASports.com NCAA Regional Finals - Friday’s Winners Saturday, Dec. 12? Qwest Center Omaha ? 8 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 and ESPNU-HD Live Stats: NCAASports.com

For a quartet of Big 12 volleyball teams, this week is the Road to Omaha, as the Qwest Center will host the 2009 Omaha Regional this weekend. The regional features three of the top seven teams in the most recent AVCA poll, including No. 2 Texas, No. 7 Iowa State, No. 10 Nebraska along with Texas A&M, which upset No. 18 LSU to earn a spot in regionals.

All-Session tickets are priced at $38 (Lower & Upper Mezzanine) and $30 (Upper Bowl) and provides fans tickets to both Friday night matches as well as the regional final Saturday night. Single-session tickets for both nights are now available with prices set at $21 and $18. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone 800-745-3000, as they will not be sold at the Nebraska Ticket Office.

Action begins Friday afternoon when Texas A&M (20-10) takes on No. 2 seed Texas (26-1) at 4:30 p.m. The nightcap features No. 10 seed Nebraska taking on No. 7 seed Iowa State at 7 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match. Fans can listen to Nebraska’s matches 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. The regional finals will take place on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m., as Friday’s winners will square off for a ticket to the NCAA Semifinals in Tampa next weekend.

The Huskers enter the NCAA Regional with a 25-6 record and a season-best nine match win streak. NU swept Coastal Carolina and No. 20 Northern Iowa last weekend to earn its 16th consecutive trip to an NCAA Regional.

By the Numbers
1994 - The last time a regional featured four teams from the same conference (Pac-10). The Big 12’s four teams in Omaha marks the first time it has happened since the  seeding process began in 1995.
10 - Nebraska’s matches against NCAA Regional qualifiers, which ties Texas for the most matches against teams in the Sweet 16.
7.17 - Digs per set by Kayla Banwarth in the NCAA first and second rounds, a total which is the most for any player whose team advanced to regionals.
.081 - Hitting percentage by NU’s opponents in the NCAA Tournament, a total which was third among the 64 teams.

Scouting Iowa State
Under former Husker All-American Christy Johnson-Lynch, Iowa State heads into the Omaha Regional with a 27-4 record and No. 5 ranking - the highest ranking in school history. The Cyclones have lost just once over their last 20 matches, a three-set loss to the Huskers in Ames on Nov. 7. All of ISU’s losses were to regional qualifiers and the Cyclones make their third straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearance under Johnson-Lynch. ISU got to Omaha with sweeps over George Mason and Wichita State.

The Cyclones basically returned their entire roster that reached the Elite Eight  in 2008, including All-Big 12 performers Kaylee Manns, Victoria Henson and Ashley Mass. Henson, who earned All-America honors last season at outside hitter, is third in the Big 12, averaging 4.13 kills per set. Manns leads the Big 12 with 12.22 assists per set while helping the Cyclones rank fifth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.241). Mass, the two-time Big 12 Libero of the Year, leads the Big 12 with 5.51 digs per set, while helping ISU lead the Big 12 in opponent hitting percentage (.144).

Series History: The Huskers have dominated the all-time series, going 75-1 all-time against Iowa State since 1975, but the Cyclones earned their first-ever win over Nebraska in Lincoln on Oct. 21. NU Coach John Cook is 20-1 all-time against the Cyclones, including 19-1 at Nebraska .
 
Scouting Texas A&M (?09 Recaps on Pg. 10)
A senior-laden team, Texas A&M pulled one of the biggest surprises of the opening weekend beating, No. 19 Arizona in the opener and No. 18 LSU in Baton Rouge to earn their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2003.  With a 20-10 record, the Aggies make their first NCAA appearance in four years and have won six straight matches since a sweep against Nebraska on Nov. 13. Six of the Aggies’ 10 losses came against regional qualifiers, as Texas A&M finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the Big 12 standings.

The Aggies, who are coached by longtime mentor Laurie Corbelli (363-169 in 17 years at Texas A&M), feature one of the nation’s top offensive attacks, leading the nation in both kills (15.08) and assists (14.25) per set. Senior All-Big 12 performer Sarah Ammerman leads the Aggies and ranks second in the Big 12 in kills at 4.28 per set, while Jennifer Banse is sixth in the league with 3.40 kills per set. Mary Batis also averages 2.96 kills per set from her outside hitter spot. Senior Kristen Schevikhoven is third in the Big 12, averaging 11.29 assists per set.

Series History: Nebraska leads the series, 30-7, and saw their 19-match win streak in the series snapped in the first matchup back in September.   NU Coach John Cook is 21-1 all-time against the Aggies, including an 19-1 mark as Nebraska’s coach.
 
Scouting Texas (?09 Recaps on Pg. 10)
Texas rolls into the Omaha Regional with a 26-1 record and riding an eight-match win streak. The No. 2 national seed, the Longhorns swept Texas State and TCU to earn their fourth straight NCAA Regional appearance. UT won the Big 12 title with a 19-1 mark, with its lone loss coming in a five-set setback to Iowa State in Ames on Nov. 4.

Head Coach Jerritt Elliott’s 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 second nationally in hitting percentage (.339), while ranking fourth in blocks per set (3.04).

Senior All-American outside hitter Destinee Hooker leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally with 4.88 kills per set. The Big 12 Player of the Year, Hooker leads the conference in both aces (0.44) and points (5.90) per set.  Outside hitter Juliann Faucette averages 3.20 kills per set to earn first-team all-league honors, while Ashley Engle was the third UT player honored, as she averages 8.96 assists, 1.86 kills and 1.95 digs per set.  In addition, UT has two middle blockers, Jennifer Doris (1.13, fifth) and Rachel Adams (1.12, seventh) are both among the Big 12 leaders in blocks.

Series History: Nebraska leads the all-time series, 29-16, as Texas has won the last three meetings. Cook is 16-5 all-time against Texas, including 15-5 at Nebraska.

Husker Probable Starters
MB -  #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Sr., Amarillo, Texas - Senior co-captain is returning to All-America form following knee surgery last November. A two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection, Cooper is averaging 2.46 kills and 0.85 blocks per set and leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.373). Cooper also led the Big 12 with a .400 hitting percentage during league play. Cooper has reached double figures in kills six times in 2009, including a career-best 16 kills on .414 hitting against No. 14 Iowa State on Oct. 21. Cooper had an 11-kill effort on .600 hitting against Kansas on Nov. 21. She had a career night against Texas A&M on Nov. 13, delivering 13 kills on a career-best .765 hitting. Cooper had 12 kills on .409 hitting and tied her season high with five blocks against Oklahoma on Oct. 24.  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 47 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. She is also a two-time first-team Academic All-American with a 3.81 GPA in speech language pathology.

MB - #8 Brooke Delano: 6-2, So., Bellevue, Neb. - First-year starter at middle blocker who averages 2.32 kills and 1.14 blocks per set to garner first-team All-Big 12 honors. She is third in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.347) and fourth in blocks, as she is the only freshman or sophomore in the top 10 in both categories. Delano reached double figures in kills 10 times, including a season-best 14 kills on .414 hitting at Oklahoma on Sept. 30 and 14 kills on .400 hitting against No. 11 Minnesota on Aug. 29.  Delano hit .400 or better in 14 matches, highlighted by a career best .833 with 10 kills against Missouri on Nov. 4. She totaled nine kills on .500 hitting in NU’s NCAA opener against Coastal Carolina on Dec. 4. She was one of two Huskers named to the Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament team, as she averaged 2.33 kills 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.  Delano had career bests in kills (14), blocks (five) and hitting percentage (.400) in the victory over No. 11 Minnesota on Aug. 29. 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 is in her second year as a starter on the right side and is averaging 2.83 kills and 0.93 blocks per set. Licht has been outstanding down the stretch, averaging 3.35 kills per set on .366 hitting in her last 10 contests.  She has been in double figures in kills 14 times, including a season-high 16 kills against Oklahoma (Oct. 24) and Colorado (Sept. 19). Licht has shared team-high honors in kills during six of the Huskers’ last eight contests. She led NU with 15 kills at Kansas State on Nov. 25 and 10 kills on a season-best .625 hitting in the regular-season finale against Colorado on Nov. 28. She has also topped NU in blocks nine times, most recently against Colorado on Nov. 28. 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 a strong match at LSU with 15 kills and six blocks, highlighted by four kills and two blocks in the fifth set.  She started on the right side in 2008, averaging 2.56 kills and 0.90 blocks per set with 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 0.55 kills, 1.60 digs and 0.29 service aces per set. She is fourth in the Big 12 in aces per set and has nine matches with at least two aces, including seven in league action. She has recorded five or more digs 15 times, including three matches in double figures.  Mancuso had a career-high 16 digs and a service ace against No. 14 Iowa State on Oct. 21. Against Kansas State on Oct. 10, she racked up a career best four service aces. Mancuso’s career high in kills is 10 set against UL-Lafayette on Sept. 4. She collected eight kills on .312 hitting and four blocks against Tulane on Sept. 5. 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 ranks second in state high school history with 2,371 career kills, and also totaled 1,320 digs. 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 - A three-year starter at libero, Banwarth is second in the Big 12 with 4.95 digs per set, while also leading all conference liberos with 1.13 assists per set.  An honorable-mention All-Big 12 pick, she has 12 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 averaged 7.17 digs per set during the opening weekend of the NCAAs, including a school postseason mark of 24 digs in a three-set sweep of Coastal Carolina. She was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this year on Nov. 23, as she averaged 7.17 digs in sweeps over No. 24 Baylor and Kansas.  She turned in the best effort of her career against No. 24 Baylor on Nov. 18 with 32 digs, setting a three-set school mark and the most by any player in the NU Coliseum since 1987, as Baylor hit a season-low .089.  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 (LSU, Tulane, UL-Lafayette) to a combined .054 hitting. She had 21 digs and seven assists in the victory over LSU. Banwarth had a career highs 32 digs against 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.

S - #1 Sydney Anderson: 6-0, Jr., Salt Lake City, Utah - A returning All-American and team co-captain, Anderson averages 11.57 assists, 0.78 kills and 2.46 digs per set. Anderson, a first-team All-Big 12 performer, is second in the league in assists and has a team-best 14 double-doubles (assists-digs). She has helped NU hit .300 or better in 12 matches, including a season-high .451 against Missouri on Nov. 5. Anderson averaged 13.33 assists in Nebraska’s two sweeps during the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Anderson has totaled 50 or more assists five times, including a career-high 57 assists in a three-set sweep at Missouri on Oct. 17.  She was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and AVCA National Player of the Week on Nov. 9 after averaging 13.67 assists per set and helping NU hit .384 in two matches. Anderson had 39 assists and a season-high three aces at No. 8 Iowa State on Nov. 7, as Nebraska was the only team to hit .300 or better on the Cyclones during the regular season. She was selected to the all-tournament team in all three of NU’s non-conference weekends and was 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. Last season, she averaged 11.60 assists, 2.05 digs and 0.29 aces per set in 2008, ranking eighth nationally in assists.

OH - #19 Tara Mueller: 6-0, Jr., Scottsdale, Ariz. - A returning All-American on the left side, Mueller averages 3.04 kills, 2.58 digs and 0.30 service aces per set. She is third in the Big 12 in aces per set and is second on the squad in kills. She has eight double-doubles on the year and two matches with at least 20 kills, including a season-best 22 kills and 15 digs at LSU on Sept. 4. Mueller turned in a solid effort against No. 20 Northern Iowa with 12 kills and a block against the Panthers. She picked up her most recent double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs at Kansas State on Nov. 25. Mueller has hit .400 or better four times, including a season-high .583 with 14 kills agianst Virginia. She has topped NU in kills in nine matches, including 21 at Texas A&M on Sept. 23 and 17 against No. 11 Minnesota on Aug. 29.  Last year, she averaged 3.51 kills and 2.37 digs per set in 2008, ranking sixth in the Big 12 in kills per set and set career highss of 24 kills and 16 digs against No. 5 Washington in the 2008 NCAA Seattle Regional final.

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 3.24 kills per set and adds 3.07 digs per set and leads all Big 12 freshmen in kills per set.  The Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Werth is second to Sydney Anderson with 12 double-doubles and has been a six-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week. She was solid in NU’s opening round wins, averaging 4.17 kills and 4.17 digs per set in two wins. She had 13 kills on a season-high .476 hitting, 14 digs and a career-high four blocks against No. 20 Northern Iowa.  Werth totaled a season-high 19 kills and added 12 digs in a win over Oklahoma on Oct. 24. She picked up her 11th double-double of the year at Kansas State on Nov. 25 with team bests in both kills (13) and digs (13).  She recorded 14 kills  and a season-high 23 digs against No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13. 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.

Weekend Recap: 1st/2nd Rounds
The Huskers continued their postseason success, sweeping Coastal Carolina and No. 20 Northern Iowa to reach their 16th consecutive NCAA Regional. Nebraska improved to 49-3 all-time in the NU Coliseum during the NCAA Tournament.

Friday: def. Coastal Carolina, 3-0:  The Huskers used solid defensive effort to sweep Coastal Carolina,  25-13, 25-18, 25-15, in Friday’s NCAA opener.  Nebraska’s defense was the story as NU held Coastal Carolina to just 19 kills and a .048 hitting percentage. Kayla Banwarth added a match-high 24 digs, as the junior libero became just the second Husker in school history to accumulate 500 or more digs in a season. Her 24 digs were the best ever by a Husker in a three-set NCAA Tournament match, breaking the previous mark of 20 by Amanda McCormick against Dayton in 2003. In all, Nebraska totaled 63 digs, tying a team three-set high and matching the program’s NCAA record in a three-set match that had stood since 1994. It also equaled the Huskers’ best in a three-set match this season.

Hannah Werth racked up a double-double as she led all players with 12 kills on 30 swings, hitting .267, while also adding 11 digs. It was Werth’s 12th double-double of the season. Tara Mueller came close to a double-double, as she added nine kills to go along 14 digs. As a team, the Huskers hit .297, while Sydney Anderson added 36 assists.

Saturday: def. Northern Iowa, 3-0:  The No. 7 Huskers clinched a spot in the regional semifinals in Omaha after sweeping No. 20 Northern Iowa 25-14, 25-17, 25-21. Hannah Werth ignited the No. 2 Huskers in the win with a match-high 13 kills on a season-best .476 hitting, 14 digs and a career-high four blocks. It marked her second straight double-double in the NCAAs, as the Huskers won their ninth straight match.
Tara Mueller joined Werth in double figures with 12 kills as Nebraska became the first team to hit over .300 against Northern Iowa this season. Sydney Anderson dished out 44 assists and guided a Husker attack that had four players with at least eight kills. Kayla Banwarth totaled a match-high 19 digs, as the Panthers were held to a season-low .113 hitting in seeing their 29-match win streak snapped. In all, Nebraska had held its last six opponents to a combined .096 hitting percentage.

Husker Quick Sets
?-Nebraska will make its 16th consecutive NCAA Regional appearance this weekend. It is by far the longest streak in the country, as Penn State has reached the round of 16 in each of the past seven years.

?-Nebraska is the only program in the nation to appear in a regional every year since the 64-team bracket began in 1998 and the only program to appear in a regional every year since 2000.  Only eight programs (Nebraska, Stanford, Texas, Florida, Penn State, Michigan, California and Iowa State) have reached the NCAA Semfiinals in each of the last three years (2007-09).

?-The Huskers make their 26th NCAA Regional appearance this weekend. The Huskers are 31-14 (.689) in NCAA Regionals all-time, including a 13-4 mark under John Cook. The Huskers will also look to make their sixth straight appearance in a regional final.

?-The Huskers have won at least 20 matches every year in program history (a total of 35 years). The second-longest active streak in the Big 12 is six by Texas.

?-Nebraska has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 28 years. The only other active multiple-year streaks in the Big 12 are six (Texas) and four (Iowa State).

?-Nebraska led all 16 first- and second-round host sites in average attedance during the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. In fact, Lincoln was the only site to average more than 3,000 fans per day.

?-The Big 12 has turned in an impressive showing in the NCAA Tournament, going 10-1 in the first two rounds and placing five teams in regionals. It marks the fifth time in the last seven seasons (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009) and the seventh time in Big 12 history that at least three teams advanced to a regional. The Big 12 is now 16-2 in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons.

?-The Huskers have now been ranked in the top 10 of the AVCA poll every week since the start of the 2004 season, a span of 96 weeks.

?-The Big 12’s six NCAA Tournament qualifiers tied for second with the Big Ten among among all leagues. The league also had three national seeds (No. 2 Texas, No. 7 Iowa State and No. 10 Nebraska) after placing two teams in the NCAA Semifinals in 2008.

?-Nebraska’s defense has been improving in recent matches. The Huskers have held their last six opponents to a combined .096 hitting percentage. This season, NU has held nine opponents under .100 hitting. NU is 9-0 in those matches and 122-0 under John Cook when an opponent hits under .100.

?-John Cook collected his 300th win at Nebraska against Texas A&M on Nov. 11. Cook is now 306-25 (.924) in 10 seasons at NU. It is the first time Nebraska has won 300 matches in a decade, and Nebraska’s .924 winning percentage this decade is the best of any program nationally.

?-Kayla Banwarth is one of only two players in school history to record 500 digs in a season, as she enters this week’s regional with 535 digs. She is 45 shy of Dani Busboom’s school mark of 580 set during the Huskers’ national title season.

?-Hannah Werth is just the second freshman, and 13th player in school history, to record 300 kills and 300 digs in a season. Jordan Larson is the only other NU freshman to accomplish the feat.

?-The one service error Nebraska had against Colorado (on the first serve of the night) on Nov. 28 was the Huskers’ lowest total in a match under John Cook. The last time NU had one service error was against Baylor on Nov. 20, 1999.

?-Nebraska has put together its best offensive stretch of the season, hitting at a .323 clip over the last nine matches. The run includes a season-high .451 against Missouri on Nov. 4, and .433 at Kansas on Nov. 21. NU also became the only team to hit .300 against Iowa State (.327 on Nov. 7) and Northern Iowa (.343 on Dec. 5).  Overall, the Huskers hit .294 during the second half of the conference season after hitting .235 during the first round of Big 12 action. Nebraska finished conference play second in league action in hitting percentage (.262) and first in both kills (15.15) and assists (14.32) against the Big 12.

?-One of the overlooked aspects of NU in recent weeks has been improved serving. Over the last 19 matches, the Huskers are averaging 1.42 aces per set after averaging just 0.95 aces per set in NU’s first 14 matches. In league action, Nebraska led the Big 12, averaging 1.28 aces per set.

?-Brooke Delano put together the best offensive night of her career against Missouri on Nov. 4 with 10 kills on .833 hitting. It is one of 10 times Delano has been in double figures in kills - most by a Husker middle blocker since Tracy Stalls accomplished the feat 12 times in 2007 - while her hitting percentage ties for sixth all-time at Nebraska.

?-Gina Mancuso has also been a force at the service line in recent weeks, recording 22 aces (0.42 aces/set) and only 16 service errors in her last 15 contests. Mancuso leads all Big 12 freshmen and is third in the conference with 0.29 aces per set.

?-Nebraska established a school mark by not allowing an ace in five consecutive matches between Nov. 13-28. Prior to that, the longest NU had gone in the Big 12 era was three straight matches.

?-Nebraska’s lone senior, Kori Cooper has helped the Huskers to a 120-12 mark over the last four years, including three Big 12 titles, two NCAA Final Fours (2006, 2008) and a national title in 2006.

?-Nebraska has already received 17 double-digit kill efforts from its middle blockers this season, including 10 from Brooke Delano, and is averaging nearly a kill per set more from its middle attack compared to last season. Brooke Delano and Kori Cooper were both first-team All-Big 12 picks, marking the first time since 2001 that both of NU’s middle blockers were first-team All-Big 12 picks.

?-Hannah Werth’s 19 kills against Oklahoma on Oct. 24 equaled 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.

?-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.

?-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.