Huskers Host Aggies Saturday Night

Nebraska (15-1, 7-0) vs. Texas A&M (9-7, 3-3)
Texas A&M at No. 3 Nebraska • Saturday, Oct. 9 • NU Coliseum • 7 p.m.
TV:NET
Lincoln - (Time Warner: SD-12/HD-112  |  DirecTV:  SD/HD-29 |  Dish Network: SD/HD-12)
Omaha - (Cox: SD-12/HD-712 | DirecTV: 379 | Dish Network: 26)
Radio:Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Web Video: Huskers.com (Free Video)
Live Stats: Huskers.com

The No. 3 Nebraska volleyball team (15-1, 7-0) will put its 7-0 conference record on the line Saturday night at the Coliseum when the Huskers host the Texas A&M Aggies (9-7, 3-3) at 7 p.m. The Huskers remain the only undefeated program in the conference this season, while the Aggies are coming off back-to-back home losses to Kansas State and Baylor. The road doesn't look to get any easier for Texas A&M. The Huskers have been tough on the Aggies in Lincoln as the Big Red is a perfect 17-0 at home in the series. While the two teams each defended their home turf last season, the Huskers still hold a 30-7 lead in the all-time series between the two programs.

The match will be carried live on NET and a free video stream will be available on Huskers.com. In Lincoln, NET can be found on channel 12(SD)/112(HD), DirecTV channel 29 and on DISH Network channel 12. While in Omaha NET is on Cox Communications channel 12(SD)/712(HD), DirecTV channel 379 and DISH Network channel 26.

Fans can also listen to all of the action with John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall 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.

Scouting the Aggies

• The Aggies started Big 12 play with a sweep of Texas, but then dropped three of their next five matches. They come to Lincoln on a two-match losing streak after back-to-back home losses to Kansas State (0-3) and Baylor (2-3).
• Junior outside hitter Kelsey Black has shined for the Aggies as she leads the Big 12 in both kills (4.10) and aces (0.46) per set. During conference play, Black ranks second in with 4.04 kills per set.
• Kelsey Black is coming off a 28-kill performance against Baylor on Oct. 6. It is the most kills by any Big 12 player this season. Her 73 swings in the match are also tops in the Big 12 this season.
• The Aggies' defense has held opponents to .165 hitting this season, the third-best mark in the conference.
• Prior to its win at home last season over Nebraska, Texas A&M had dropped 19 straight matches dating back to 1999. During the run the Huskers swept 13 times, including 10 straight from 2003-08.
• Texas A&M won the first four meetings between the two programs from 1977-78. Since then, the Aggies have only won three matches (1998, 1999, 2009).
• The Aggies have never swept the Huskers in three sets.
• While Kelsey Black leads all Aggie attackers with 4.10 kills per set, only Lindsey Miller averages more than 2.00 kills per set at 2.03.
• No player on Texas A&M's roster average one or more blocks per set. Lindsey Miller and Stephanie Minnerly hold the team lead at 0.98 blocks pet set.

Scouting the Huskers

• Nebraska is 15-1 overall in 2010 and remains the only undefeated team in the Big 12 this season at 7-0 entering Saturday night's match with Texas A&M.
• The Huskers are ranked No. 3 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll for the second straight week, their highest ranking this season since they were ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll.
• The Huskers are 13-0 this season when holding opponents below .200 hitting. Nebraska is 2-1 when opposing teams hit above .200.
• After hitting .326 against Missouri, Nebraska is 177-0 under Head Coach John Cook when it hits .300 or better.
• Prior to the Aggies win last year in College Station, Nebraska was on a 19-match winning streak.
• The Huskers have never lost to the Aggies in Lincoln, posting a 17-0 record.
• Entering the week the Huskers are ranked in the top-five nationally in three categories, including blocks (2nd-3.16), kills (3rd-14.87) and assists (4th-13.91) per set.
• Nebraska has totaled double-digit blocks in eight of its last 11 matches, including a season-high 18 blocks at Oklahoma. The Huskers hit double-digits just once in their first five matches (11 against BYU) of 2010.
• In Big 12 play this season, Nebraska is ranks first in five of the seven major statistical categories.
• In conference matches the Huskers are tops in hitting percentage (.267) and opponent hitting (.158), as well as assists (14.36), kills (15.12) and blocks (3.36) per set.
• Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers improved to 289-8 when winning the first set of the match after their 3-0 win at Missouri. 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 12 double-doubles on the season, including six from Hannah Werth and three from Tara Mueller.
• Junior middle blocker Brooke Delano leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.446) and blocks per set (1.48). Nationally, Delano ranks eighth in both categories.
• 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 Texas A&M (Nov. 13, 2009)
Kori Cooper and Brooke Delano combined for 25 kills and seven blocks, leading No. 9 Nebraska to a 3-0 sweep (29-27, 25-17, 25-15) over Texas A&M.

Nebraska's middles keyed a big offensive night for the Big Red, as the Huskers hit .372 against Texas A&M. It was the third straight match Nebraska hit .300 or better, as John Cook collected his 300th career win at Nebraska.

Cooper topped Nebraska with 13 kills on a career-high .765 hitting, while Delano totaled 12 kills on .556 hitting and five of the Huskers' eight blocks. It marked the fourth time in 2009 that both Delano and Cooper each finished with at least 10 kills.

Right side hitter Lindsey Licht continued her strong play, tying Cooper for match-high honors with 13 kills on a season-best .619 hitting and three blocks, as the trio combined for 38 kills and just two errors on 56 swings.

All-American Sydney Anderson dished out 47 assists and added two blocks, as Nebraska hit .450 or better in each of the last two sets to avenge a four-set loss in College Station in September.

Plenty to Go Around
As a team in 2010 the Huskers rank first in the Big 12 Conference and third nationally with 14.86 kills per set, but Nebraska doesn't have one player on the individual Big 12 top-10 list or national top-50 list.

Five Huskers average at least two kills per set, including Lindsey Licht (3.00), Brooke Delano (2.88), Hannah Werth (2.64), Tara Mueller (2.14) and Morgan Broekhuis (2.06).

Hot Swing
All-American Brooke Delano was on fire when the Huskers visited Missouri on Wednesday, Oct. 6, as the junior middle blocked put away 14 kills on 16 swings and had no errors.

Her .875 hitting percentage is the fourth-best individual performance all time and tops for a Huskers since Tracy Stalls tied Megan Korver's (1998) school record on Nov. 24, 2007 when she went a perfect 13-13 at the net. Stalls also hit .846 earlier in the same season with a 11-0-13 performance against Oklahoma.

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 this season 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 16 matches this season, Banwarth leads NU with 282 digs. The senior libero also ranks second in the Big 12 with 4.86 digs per set.

Stay Away from the Middle
Nebraska's middle blockers have been a force both offensively and defensively this season. Brooke Delano and Jordan Wilberger rank first (.446) and third (.387), respectively, in the conference in hitting percentage and also rank first (1.48) and seventh (1.10) in blocks.

Tough on the Road
Nebraska is one of two programs nationally that is a perfect 7-0 on the road and one of only 12 schools that is undefeated in road contests.

School (Record)
Nebraska (7-0)
Tulsa (7-0)
Creighton (6-0)
California (5-0)
Stanford (5-0)
Miss. Valley State (5-0)
Northern Illinois (3-0)
Cleveland State (3-0)
Florida (3-0)
Wisconsin (3-0)
Hawaii (2-0)
Arizona (2-0)

Block Party
Entering the week the Huskers rank second in the NCAA in blocks with 3.16 per set. It has been a team effort as only Brooke Delano ranks in the national top-50.

Along with Delano's 1.48 blocks per set, two other Huskers are averaging at least one stuff as Lindsey Licht and Jordan Wilberger each average 1.10 blocks per set.

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.

Packing the House
The Nebraska volleyball team currently ranks second nationally in home attendance with an average of 5,401 fans per match. Through six 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 3,720 fans per match.

1. Hawaii (6,186)
2. Nebraska (5,401)
3. Wisconsin (3,720)
4. Penn State (3,705)
5. Florida (3,137)

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 140 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 (including a match at the Devaney Center) and are averaging 4,103 fans through five matches at the Coliseum in 2010. Including the Devaney Center match this season against Illinois, the Huskers are averaging 5,401 fans per home contest.

Huskers Look to Stay Hot in October
Historically, the Huskers' two best months are September (287-25) and November (207-18), as they have all-time winning percentages of .920 in each. In the month of October, Nebraska holds a  winning percentage of .894 (210-25).

This season the Huskers went a perfect 10-0 in September, the sixth time under Head Coach John Cook that the Huskers haven't lost a match in the month. Cook is now 110-7 all-time in the year's ninth month.

Currently the Huskers are 2-0 in October and will be looking for their first perfect October since 2006 when they went 7-0. Last season Nebraska went 6-2 in October.

Battle Tested
Nebraska is now 5-1 in 2010 against top-25 ranked teams after defeating No. 13 Texas.

Prior to the Texas match, Nebraska had posted wins over three other top-15 teams, including Iowa State, Kentucky and Illinois.

The Huskers only loss on the year came to then-No. 13 Florida at the Runza/AVCA Showcase.  Florida is currently 12-1 and is ranked No. 2 in the country.

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 13.95 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 of the conference, but the pair has helped the Huskers rank 21st nationally and second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .277.

Double-Dipper
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 16 matches, leads the team with six double-doubles, including three in Big 12 play.

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 (2.64) and is second on the team in digs with 3.02 per set.

Enough is Enough
After dropping four straight matches to Texas, including three last season, the Huskers ended their losing streak to the Longhorns with a 3-1 win in Lincoln on Saturday, Oct. 2.

During the NCAA era, Texas hold the two longest winning streaks over Nebraska, including a five-match streak from 1984-88 and its latest four-match streak from 2008-09.

Since Husker volleyball began in 1975, Missouri State holds the longest winning streak against Nebraska as the Bears won nine straight matches from 1975-1978.

Delano's Defense
After earning second-team AVCA All-America honors as a sophomore, junior Brooke Delano has continued to hold down the middle of the net for the Husker defense.

The Bellevue, Neb. native paces the Huskers in hitting percentage (.446) and blocks per set (1.48), with both marks ranking eighth nationally

Recently, Delano posted a career-best 10 blocks against Oklahoma on Sept. 29., which earned her Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. It was the first time in over two years that a Huskers had totaled 10 blocks, as Amanda Gates was the last to do so on Sept. 17, 2008 against Kansas State.

Wake-Up Call
Nebraska has been slow out of the gates this year, as they have dropped the first set six times in 16 matches. On five occasions the Huskers have come back to win, including four matches where they've taken the next three sets. Against Illinois, the Huskers got down 0-2, before taking three straight at the Devaney Center.

The only time the Huskers lost after dropping the first set was during their five-set loss to Florida on the season's opening weekend.

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.

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).

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.