Huskers Look to Stay Hot at Oklahoma

Nebraska at Oklahoma
No. 3 Nebraska at Oklahoma • Wednesday, Sept. 29 • McCasland Field House • 7 p.m.
TV:None
Radio:Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Web Video: SoonerSports.com
Live Stats: SoonerSports.com

The No. 3 Nebraska volleyball team will take its 11-match winning streak on the road to Norman, Okla., this Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. match with the Sooners at McCasland Field House.

The Huskers hold a 72-6 all-time series lead over the Sooners and have won the last 25 meetings dating back to 1997. Nebraska is also 28-3 all-time on the road at Oklahoma. The last Sooner win in Norman was a sweep on Oct. 10, 1997.

Last season the Huskers needed five sets to take down the Sooners in Norman (17-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-27, 15-10) on Sept. 30. Later in the year at the NU Coliseum, the Huskers won in four sets (25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 25-15).

Fans can listen to all of the action with John Baylor and Lindsay Peterson on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha. Fans outside the state will also be able to catch the live audio feed for free on Huskers.com.

While there is no TV coverage of the match, SoonerSports.com will provide a video stream, but a subscription is required.

Scouting the Sooners

• Oklahoma enters Wednesday's match with a 10-4 overall record and a 2-1 record in the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners' last match was a 0-3 loss to Iowa State in Ames.
• Sarah Freudenrich leads the Sooners with a hitting percentage of .404, which ranks second in the Big 12 to Nebraska's Brooke Delano (.426). During Big 12 play Freudenrich has raised her play with a conference leading .450 hitting percentage.
• During conference play the Sooners rank third in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.230), opponent hitting (.188) and digs (17.00).
• Oklahoma had been swept by Nebraska seven straight times until the Sooners took the Huskers to five sets in Norman last season.
• Brianne Barker's 57 assists against Arkansas this season is the second most by any player in the Big 12 this year. Hannah Allison of Texas holds the top spot with 58 assists against Missouri.

Scouting the Huskers

• Nebraska is 12-1 overall in 2010 and 4-0 in the Big 12 Conference entering Wednesday night's match with Oklahoma.
• The Huskers are ranked No. 3 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, their highest ranking this season since they were ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll.
• The Huskers are 11-0 this season when holding opponents below .200 hitting. Nebraska is 1-1 when opposing teams hit above .200.
• The Huskers rank in the top-five nationally in three categories, including blocks (1st-3.17), kills (3rd-14.94) and assists (4th-13.89) per set.
• Nebraska has totaled double-digit blocks in seven of its last eight matches, including a season-high 17 blocks against Illinois. The Huskers hit double-digits just once in their first five matches (11 against BYU) of 2010.
• Nebraska has won the last 25 meetings with Oklahoma dating back to 1997. It is the longest winning streak in the series.
• Among Big 12 teams this season, Nebraska is ranked first or second in six of the seven major statistical categories.
• As a team, the Huskers are tops in the conference in opponent hitting (.139) as well as assists (13.89), kills (14.94) and blocks (3.17) per set.
• Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers improved to 287-8 when winning the first set of the match after their 3-0 win at Baylor. The last time Nebraska won the first set and then lost the match was during the 2009 NCAA Regional Final, when Texas won 3-1 after NU took set one, 25-21.
• Four Huskers have combined for 10 double-doubles on the season, including five from Hannah Werth and three from Tara Mueller.
• The Huskers are 176-0 under Head Coach John Cook when hitting .300 or better after they hit .362 against Colorado on Sept. 18.
• Nebraska is the only team undefeated in Big 12 play this season.
• Junior middle blocker Brooke Delano leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.415) and ranks second in blocks per set (1.44). Nationally, Delano ranks 10th in hitting percentage and 12th in blocks.
• During conference play, Nebraska is No. 1 in the Big 12 in assists (14.50), kills (15.57) and blocks (3.57) per set.
• The Huskers return three AVCA All-Americans in 2010, including seniors Sydney Anderson and Tara Mueller, as well as junior Brooke Delano.

The Last Meeting Between Nebraska and Oklahoma (Oct. 24, 2009)
Behind a career high 19 kills from Hannah Werth, No. 5 Nebraska got back on its winning track, topping Oklahoma, 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 25-15) at the NU Coliseum.

Werth collected a match-high 19 kills on .342 hitting, breaking her previous best of 17 set twice in 2009, including in the first match up with Oklahoma. She also added 12 digs for her ninth double-double of the season, as Nebraska improved to 15-5 overall and 8-3 in the Big 12. Her total equaled the most by any Husker freshman since the 2004 campaign.

Werth was one of two Huskers to enjoy season bests against the Sooners, as Lindsey Licht matched her season high with 16 kills on .345 hitting and added six blocks on the night. Kori Cooper was the third Husker to finish in double figures, recording 12 kills on .409 hitting and five blocks, as she reached double figures in kills for the third time in four matches.

Block Party
After posting 14 blocks in a win a sweep of Baylor, the Huskers took the national lead in blocks with 3.17 per set. It has been a team effort as only Brooke Delano ranks in the national top-50 with 1.43 blocks per set.

Along with Delano, three other Huskers are averaging at least one stuff per set, including Jordan Wilberger (1.14), Lindsey Licht (1.13) and Allison McNeal (1.04).

Since Head Coach John Cook took over in 2000, Nebraska has earned the NCAA blocking title five times, including 2000, '01, '02, '04 and '05.

Dishing it Out
Setters Sydney Anderson and Lauren Cook have led the Huskers to a fourth-place ranking nationally and the top mark in the Big 12 Conference when it comes to assists with 13.89 per set.

With the Huskers running a 6-2 rotation, neither Anderson or Cook rank in the top-50 nationally or in the 10 top in the conference, but the pair has helped the Huskers rank 22nd nationally and second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .273.

Sharing the Rock
As a team in 2010 the Huskers rank first in the Big 12 Conference and third nationally with 14.94 kills per set, but Nebraska doesn't have one player on the individual Big 12 top-10 list or national top-50 list.

Four Huskers average at least two kills per set, including Lindsey Licht (3.00), Brooke Delano (2.87), Hannah Werth (2.74) and Tara Mueller (2.22).

Conference Wake Up
Sophomore Allison McNeal has taken her game to a new level during Big 12 play. Through nine non-conference matches McNeal had posted 22 kills and 13 blocks, but has blown up in four  Big 12 Conference matches with 24 kills and 16 blocks.

Recently on the road at Baylor, McNeal posted eight blocks, which shattered her previous best of four.

Proving Her Werth
Coming off a freshman season that saw her earn Big 12 Freshman of the Year, honorable-mention All-America and honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors, Hannah Werth has continued to put up solid numbers in 2010.

Through 12 matches, Werth has produced a team-high five double-doubles, including double-doubles in NU's last two matches against Kansas and Baylor.

After becoming the first Husker freshman to lead the team in kills per set (3.18) since Sarah Pavan in 2004, Werth ranks third on the team this season in kills (2.74) and second in digs (2.91) per set.

After putting away 2.50 kills per set during non-conference play, Werth ranks second on the team during Big 12 play with 3.31 kills per set. Senior Lindsey Licht holds a slight edge with 3.57 kills per set.

Dubuque Digger
Dubuque, Iowa, native Kayla Banwarth is on her way to breaking NU's career record in digs, currently held by Jennifer Saleaumu (1,567). A senior in 2010, Banwarth needs just 382 digs in 2010 to break the mark and should have no problem achieving the feat after she compiled 570 digs in 2009. Her 570 digs nearly broke Dani Busboom's 2006 single-season record of 580.

Through 13 matches this season, Banwarth leads NU with 235 digs. The senior libero also ranks second in the Big 12 with 5.00 digs per set.

Ace in the Hole
In 2010, sophomore Lauren Cook has produced an ace in 11 of Nebraska's 13 matches, with 10 aces coming in consecutive matches. It was the longest streak by a Husker since Jordan Larson ended the 2007 season with an ace in 12 consecutive matches. Earlier in 2007, Sarah Pavan produced at least one ace in 13 straight matches.

Hot in September
Historically, the Huskers' two best months are September (286-25) and November (207-18), as they have all-time winning percentages of .920 in both months. Prior to Nebraska's three losses in September of 2009, NU hadn't lost a match in September since 2004.

With an 10-0 record during September this season, the Huskers are 109-7 under Head Coach John Cook in the month.

A win over Oklahoma on Wednesday would give Nebraska 11 wins in the month of September, which would be its most since the 2006 squad went 12-0.

Staring on the Right Foot
Under Head Coach John Cook the Husker are a perfect 11-0 in Big 12 Conference openers after their win over Iowa State. Nebraska also extended it Big 12 home-opening record to 11-0 with a win over Colorado.

No Place Like Home
The Huskers hold a home-court advantage at the Coliseum due to the Huskers' passionate fan base.

Nebraska currently holds a streak of 139 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum, the longest sellout streak across all NCAA women's athletics. The Huskers averaged 5,197 fans per home contest last season and are averaging 4,090 fans through four matches at the Coliseum in 2010.

Setter-U
Sydney Anderson had been the latest setter to shine in the scarlet and cream, as last season she became the eighth setter in NU history to earn multiple AVCA All-America honors.

A senior in 2010, Anderson will try to become just the third setter in school history to capture All-America three times during their career at NU. If she achieves the feat, Anderson would join Griechaly Cepero (2000-02) and Fiona Nepo (1996-98).

The Other Blackshirts
The Nebraska football team isn't the only team on campus with a dominant defense, as the Husker volleyball team held Colorado to just seven points in the second set on Saturday, Sept. 18 at the NU Coliseum. It was the least amount of points a team have scored against the Huskers since the NCAA switched to 25-point rally scoring prior to the 2008 season. Nebraska had previously held a team to nine points on two occasions, including Tulane in 2009 and Kentucky in 2010's season opener.

Ready for the Challenge
With a win over No. 11 Iowa State, Nebraska is 4-1 against ranked teams this season, including three wins over top-15 teams. Nebraska's best win came over then-No. 3 Illinois.

The Huskers only loss on the year came to then-No. 13 Florida at the Runza/AVCA Showcase.  Florida is currently 10-1 and is ranked No. 2 in the country.

Packing the House
The Nebraska volleyball team currently ranks second nationally in home attendance with an average of 5,650 fans per match. Through five matches, including a match at the Devaney Center, 28,252 fans have seen the Huskers play this season. Only national leader Hawaii (6,186 fans per contest) and Nebraska average more than 4,000 fans per match. Wisconsin ranks a distant third with 3,930 fans per match.

1. Hawaii (6,186)
2. Nebraska (5,650)
3. Wisconsin (3,930)
4. Penn State (3,804)
5. Florida (3,248)

M-V-P
2009 All-American Brooke Delano was nearly unstoppable during the Ameritas Players Challenge, earning her the tournament's MVP honor.

Over the three matches, Delano totaled 40 kills on 68 swings to hit .529, as she averaged 3.33 kills per set. The Bellevue, Neb., native also shined defensively with 19 blocks, including three solo stuffs, to average 1.58 blocks per set.

Delano saved her best for when it mattered most, as she posted a career-best 15 kills in a five-set win over No. 3 Illinois. For the match, she hit .406 and contributed eight blocks.

Spoiler
Nebraska win over No. 3 Illinois this season marked Nebraska's first win since 2008 over a top-three team when the Huskers are ranked lower than their opponent.

The last time the Huskers beat a high-ranked team that was in the top three was on Aug. 29, 2008, when No. 7 Nebraska took down No. 2 Stanford in three sets.

Volleyball Fever
Nebraska volleyball fans once again packed into the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2010 for the Huskers' lone appearance at the facility on Saturday, Sept. 11 against Illinois. The night's attendance of 11,892 ranked as the seventh-largest regular-season crowd in NCAA volleyball history.

All-time, the Devaney Center holds seven of the top-10 all-time attendance marks, including the top-three spots. In 2009, the Devaney Center set the NCAA record during Nebraska match against UCLA, with a crowd of 13,870.

The state of Nebraska holds every spot on the top-10 list when it comes to attendance, as the other three top-10 marks have come at the Qwest Center in Omaha.

Scared of Lincoln
When then-ranked No. 3 Illinois came into the Lincoln on Saturday, Sept. 11, it became the highest ranked non-conference team to ever make a trip to Lincoln for a match during Head Coach John Cook's tenure.

Prior to Saturday, Penn State held the distinction when it came to Lincoln ranked No. 4 in 2005 and were then swept by No. 1 Nebraska.

Under former Head Coach Terry Pettit, the No. 1 ranked Nittany Lions came to Lincoln and swept the No. 3 Huskers on Aug. 28, 1999.