Huskers Hit the Road for Two Matches

No. 5 Nebraska (20-2, 12-1) at Kansas (14-10, 5-8)
Wednesday, Nov. 3 • Horejsi Family Athletics Center • 6:30 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)
            Metro Sports   Lincoln - (Time Warner: SD-232)
Radio:Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Web Video: KUAthletics.com (Premium Video)
Live Stats: KUAthletics.com

No. 5 Nebraska at Texas Tech
Saturday, Nov. 6 • United Spirit Arena • Noon
Radio:Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Web Video: TexasTech.com (Free Video)
Live Stats: TexasTech.com

The No. 5 Nebraska volleyball team will hit the road for a pair of road matches this week at Kansas and Texas Tech.

The Huskers (20-2, 12-1) and Jayhawks (14-10, 5-8) will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night at Horejsi Family Athletics Center. The match will be carried by Metro Sports and the feed will be shared with NET in Nebraska.

Both Nebraska and Kansas are coming off 1-1 weeks with the Huskers losing at Texas (1-3) and sweeping  Iowa State (3-0). The Jayhawks were swept on the road at Missouri and then bounced back with a sweep of Texas Tech at home.

Along with being shown on Metro Sports and NET, the NU-KU match will also have a web stream on KUAthletics.com, but a premium subscription is required.

Nebraska will then travel to Lubbock, Texas, for Noon match on Saturday with the Texas Tech Red Raiders. There will be now TV coverage of the match, but there will be a free live stream on TexasTech.com.

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

Scouting the Jayhawks

• The Jayhawks enter Wednesday night's match eighth in the Big 12 Conference with a 14-10 overall record and a 5-8 league record.
• Overall the Jayhawks rank no higher than fifth in any statistical category. They rank fifth in digs with 14.97 per set. Kansas ranks seventh or worse in four other categories.
• Nicole Tate ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 9.88 assists per set. She is averaging 10.35 assists during Big 12 play, but ranks fifth.
• In Big 12 matches Karina Garlington averages 3.60 kills per set, which is sixth best in the conference.
• The Jayhawks have never beat the Huskers in 86 all-time matches

The Last Meeting Between Nebraska and Kansas (Sept. 22, 2010)
The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team extended its all-time winning streak over the Kansas Jayhawks to 85 straight matches with a 3-1 win (21-25, 25-13, 25-18, 25-18).

After Kansas took the first set of the night, the Huskers responded by taking the lead in set two and never let the Jayhawks take the lead the rest of the night.

Hannah Werth led four Husker attackers in double figures, as the sophomore notched her fourth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 11 digs, while also adding a career-best five blocks, including four solo stuffs.

Middle blockers Brooke Delano and Allison McNeal produced an efficient night as they each hit .500 with a combined 21 kills and seven blocks.

Overall Nebraska out-hit the Jayhawks .252 to .138, while Nebraska more than doubled Kansas five blocks with 13.

Scouting the Huskers

• Nebraska is 20-2 overall in 2010 and leads the Big 12 Conference with an 12-1 league record entering Wednesday night's match with Kansas.
• The Huskers are ranked No. 5 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll after their loss to Texas last week. The Huskers have been ranked as high as No. 2 this season and have been ranked in the top 10 all season.
• The Huskers are 18-0 this season when holding opponents below .200 hitting after the Huskers held Iowa State to .089 hitting. Nebraska is 2-2 when opposing teams hit above .200.
• After hitting a season best .392 against Missouri, the Huskers are 180-0 under Head Coach John Cook when they hit .300 or better.
• Last week's loss to Texas in Austin snapped the Huskers 18-match Big 12 winning streak that dated back to last season.
• The Huskers are 10-0 at home the season and have dropped just three sets all season at the NU Coliseum.
• Nebraska is 29-0 all-time against the Jayhawks in Lawrence.
• After posting double-digit blocks in nine of their first 14 matches the Huskers have hit double figured just twice in their last eight matches.
• Junior middle blocker Brooke Delano ranks No. 2 in the nation with a .439 hitting percentage and is ranked sixth in blocks per set at 1.47.
• The Huskers are ranked in the top-five nationally in three categories, including blocks (1st-3.12), kills (2nd-15.04) and assists (4th-14.00) per set.
• Only four times this season has a team hit .200 or better against the Husker defense, including Florida (.270), Illinois (.216) and Texas twice (.272 & .252).
• During Big 12 play the Huskers are tops in opponent hitting (.151), as well as assists (14.27), kills (15.32) and blocks (3.20) per set.
• Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers improved to 294-8 when winning the first set of the match after their 3-0 win over Iowa State. 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.
• Lauren Cook ranks second during Big 12 matches with 0.32 aces per set.
• Four Huskers have combined for 16 double-doubles on the season, including nine from Hannah Werth, three each from Tara Mueller and Lauren Cook and one from Sydney Anderson.

19 to Go
Dubuque, Iowa, native Kayla Banwarth is on her way to breaking NU's career record in digs, currently held by Jennifer Saleaumua (1,568).

A senior in 2010, Banwarth needed 383 digs entering this season to break the record is getting closer with every match.

Through 22 matches this season, Banwarth leads NU with 364 digs, leaving her just 19 digs to break the all-time record.

Last season, Banwarth compiled 570 digs, which nearly broke Dani Busboom's 2006 single-season record of 580.

The Great Wall
The Husker defense has shutdown opposing hitters all season and for it the Huskers are ranked No. 1 in the country in blocks with 3.12 per set. Nebraska has posted double-digit stuffs in 10 matches this season, including 15 or more three times.

During Big 12 play the Huskers have been even tougher on opposing attackers with 3.20 blocks per set.

Along with Brooke Delano's conference-best 1.47 blocks per set, which ranks sixth nationally, Jordan Wilberger and Lindsey Licht join Delano on the Big 12 top-10 list with 1.20 and 1.17 blocks per set, respectively.

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

Quieting the Jayhawks
Since the Nebraska-Kansas series started in 1975 the Huskers have dominated the series with a 86-0-1 record. The only time the Huskers did not take a win was on Nov. 15, 1977 when the two teams tied in a two-set match.

The Huskers have swept the Jayhawks eight times in the last ten meetings. A match between the two programs has only gone to a fifth set only once on Nov. 23, 1990.

Know How to Rebound
During Head Coach John Cook's first 10 seasons at Nebraska the Huskers have been tough following a loss in conference as they have lost back-to-back conference matches only twice. The Huskers dropped two straight to Kansas State and Missouri in 2003 before they fell to Texas A&M and Texas last season.

When the Husker lose on the road and then play their next match at home they are 8-1 all-time under Cook after their loss to Texas followed by a win at Iowa State last week.

The only time the Huskers didn't respond with a win was last season when they fell at Texas A&M and then lost to Texas at home.

Back on Track
After winning 31 straight matches at home over the Iowa State, the Cyclones snapped the streak last season with a win in Lincoln. This season the Huskers beat Iowa State in Ames and then swept the No. 12 Cyclones in Lincoln last Saturday.

Taking Down Ranked Foes
Following its win over No. 12 Iowa State the Huskers are now 6-2 this season against top-25 ranked teams. Nebraska is the only Big 12 school that is .500 or better against top-25 teams and is the only program with more than three wins against ranked teams. Nebraska and Texas A&M are the only Big 12 teams with a .500 or better record against top-10 programs as both the Huskers and Aggies are 1-1.

The Huskers only losses on the year came to then-No. 13 Florida and No. 10 Texas.  Florida is currently 20-1 and is ranked No. 1 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll while Texas is 19-4 and ranked No. 8.

Anderson All-Time
Entering the season ranked ninth on Nebraska's career chart with 2,683 assists, senior Sydney Anderson's 460 assists this season have already moved her to sixth place on the career list with 3,143 dishes.

After passing Lori Endicott (3,117) last week in Austin, Anderson now needs 41 assists to pass Christy Johnson (3,183) and move to fifth on the all-time chart.

Delano Dialed In
Junior middle blocker Brooke Delano continues to swing a hot hand as she ranks No. 2 in the NCAA with a .439 hitting percentage.

An All-American in 2009, Delano has hit .500 or better 10 times in 2010, including two matches where she hit over .700.

In her eight matches in the month of October Delano is hitting at a .490 clip, with her worst match coming against Texas A&M where she still fired at .333. She has hit .500 or better four times, including a .875 performance against Missouri.

Delano is looking to become just the fourth Husker in school history to hit .400 or better in a season. Tracy Stalls was the last Husker to do so when she set the NU single-season record in 2007 when she hit .473. Stalls also hit .400 in 2006.

Werth the Wait
Sophomore Hannah Werth has come alive for the Huskers of late as she is averaging 3.50 kills and 3.56 digs per set while also hitting .350 and has over her last five matches, including a .474 performance at Kansas State.  In her first 17 matches of the season Werth was hitting .205 and averaging 2.58 kills per set.

Ace in the Hole
After averaging 0.24 aces per set during non-conference play, sophomore Lauren Cook has become the No. 2 server in the Big 12 during conference play with 0.32 aces per set. Cook leads the team with 22 aces on the year, including 14 in conference matches, and has notched an ace in all but three matches this season.

Earlier in the year Cook posted an ace in 10 straight matches before she failed to produce one at home against Kansas. Currently she has put away an ace in six straight matches, including a season-best three at Kansas State.

Sharing the Kill
The 2010 Huskers ranked first in the Big 12 Conference and second nationally  with 15.04 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 (3.05), Brooke Delano (2.91), Hannah Werth (2.79), Tara Mueller (2.16) and Morgan Broekhuis (2.04).

During Big 12 play, Licht and Werth are both averaging 3.00 kills or more a set at 3.27 and 3.03, respectively.

Huskers Fall for First Time in October
After starting October 6-0 this season the Huskers were looking to go undefeated in the month for the first time since 2006 when they went 7-0, but they were thrown off the path with their loss at Texas.

Nebraska rebounded with a win over Iowa State and is now 216-26 (.893) in October all-time and 87-7 under Head Coach John Cook.

Total Team Effort
It is all about the team at Nebraska and it shows this season as the Huskers entered the week ranked in the top-20 nationally in four categories, including three top-five rankings. What makes the feat even more impressive is the fact that Nebraska only has one player that ranks in the top 50 of any individual national category as Brooke Delano ranks second nationally in hitting percentage (.439) and is sixth in blocks per set (1.47).

As a team the Huskers are first in blocks (3.12), second in kills (15.04), fourth in assists (14.00) and are 16th in hitting percentage (.277).

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 144 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). Including the Devaney Center match this season against Illinois, the Huskers are averaging 4,881 fans per home contest.

Head of the CLASS
Nebraska senior setter Sydney Anderson was named one of 10 finalists for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award on Monday, Oct. 11 for women's volleyball.

A two-time AVCA All-American, Anderson was named to the preseason All-Big 12 list and is a two-time captain for the Huskers.

Fans can vote every day for Sydney at www.SeniorCLASSaward.com.

Streaks Snapped
The Huskers saw two streaks come to an end with their loss at Texas on Oct. 27. Entering the match the Huskers held the Big 12's longest winning streak in conference matches with 18, which also ranked seventh nationally. The Huskers were also one of six teams in the NCAA that hadn't lost a true road match this season.

Try to Take a Set
In Big 12 play this season the Huskers have won 37 of the 43 sets they've played. No other team in the conference has lost less than 10 sets in Big 12 play. Overall this season Nebraska is 63-14 in sets.

At home this season in Big 12 matches the Huskers have lost only two sets, as they dropped one each to Kansas and Texas, but the Huskers won both matches.

En Fuego
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 was 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.

Mighty Middles
Nebraska's middle blockers have been a force both offensively and defensively this season. Brooke Delano and Jordan Wilberger rank second (.439) and eighth (.321), respectively, in the Big 12 in hitting percentage and also rank first (1.47) and seventh (1.20) in blocks.

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 14.00 per set.

With the Huskers running a 6-2 rotation, neither Anderson or Cook rank in the top-50 nationally, but the pair has helped the Huskers rank 16th nationally and second in the Big 12 with a .277 hitting percentage.