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No. 5 Nebraska at Colorado State • Friday, Sept. 2 • Moby Arena • 8 p.m. CT
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com & CSURams.com
No. 5 Nebraska vs. Albany • Saturday, Sept. 3 • Moby Arena • 1 p.m. CT
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com & CSURams.com
After playing its first two games of the season in Albuquerque, N.M., the No. 5 Nebraska volleyball team hits the road for the second straight week to take on Colorado State and Albany in Fort Collins, Colo.
In Fort Collins, Nebraska will play Colorado State on Friday, Sept. 2 at 8 p.m. (Central) and then Albany on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. (Central) at Moby Arena.
The Huskers hold a 6-1 record over Colorado State dating back to 1984. The last time the Huskers faced the Rams was on Nov. 7, 2004 in Lincoln. The Huskers beat Colorado State 3-0 (30-24, 30-21, 30-25). The last time Nebraska played in Fort Collins, Colo., was in 1987 when the Huskers lost 3-1.
Saturday afternoon's meeting with Albany will be the first ever matchup between the Huskers and the Great Danes.
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.
Live stats for all matches will be available at CSURams.com and the link can also be found on Huskers.com.
Noting the Colorado State Rams
- Colorado State is currently ranked 15th in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll.
- CSU fell to 3-1 on the season after suffering its first loss at Oklahoma on Monday, Aug. 29. The Sooners beat the Rams 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-23). Previously, Colorado State had beaten Arkansas 3-0, Middle Tennessee State 3-0 and McNeese State 3-0 all at the Arkansas Invitational.
- Senior Katelyn Steffan has been a leading force for the Rams in 2011. She totaled 11 kills against the Sooners on Monday night, giving her a season mark of 44 kills.
- Juniors Dana Cranston and Paige Brieon each have a total of 27 kills after four matches this season. Cranston notched six kills against the Sooners, while Brieon tabbed seven of her own.
- After losing five key components from the 2010 roster, the Rams entered the 2011 season with plenty of youth and inexperience.
- Junior Megan Plourde entered the season as the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year.
Noting the Albany Great Danes
- Albany is coming off of an opening weekend where it fell to 0-3 after losing to Kentucky (3-1) and Tulsa (0-3) on Friday, Aug. 26 and losing to Florida State (3-0) on Saturday, Aug. 27.
- Senior Brooke Stanley led the Great Danes in their loss to Florida State, recording 28 assists, seven digs and two service aces.
- Senior Casey Wright totaled eight kills and three total blocks in the match against Florida State. Senior Laurie Gonzalez finished with a team-high 16 digs to pace the Great Danes defensively, while junior Dunja Prgomet added six digs and two block assists.
- Senior Samantha Brostrom and Wright have a total of 22 kills on the season to lead Albany. Junior Traci Vandegrift follows close behind with a total of 21.
- Before facing the Huskers this weekend, Albany returns to action on Thursday, Sept. 1, at the Omni Hotels Colorado Volleyball Classic, taking on the Slovenian National Team.
Noting the Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Nebraska opened the 2011 season with a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 win over New Mexico State on Aug. 26. NU went on to sweep New Mexico 3-0 on Aug. 27, completing a perfect record at the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic.
- Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers improved to 304-8 when winning the first set of the match after their sweep of New Mexico on Aug. 27.
- Nebraska lost its first set to New Mexico State on Friday night, but came back to win the match 3-2. With that mark, Nebraska is 34-21 when losing the first set under Cook.
- Nebraska enters this weekend ranked second in the Big Ten in opponent hitting percentage (.080) and is first in blocks, averaging a total of 3.38 per set.
- Sophomore Morgan Broekhuis posted a career-high 18 kills against New Mexico State on Aug. 26. Broekhuis ranks 10th in the Big Ten Conference in kills and fourth in blocks.
- Junior Gina Mancuso also notched a career-high 16 kills against New Mexico State. Mancuso had previously notched 10 kills on two different occasions. She also tallied 14 digs to give her the first double-double of her career.
- Nebraska will carry a streak of 149 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum into the 2011 season, the longest sellout streak across all NCAA women's athletics. The Huskers averaged 4,632 fans per home contest last season.
- Head Coach John Cook returns a loaded and youthful team in 2011 that lost only two starters from 2010 and returns nine letter winners. His team finished 29-3 last season, while Cook has won over 92 percent (336-29) of his matches in 11 seasons as the Huskers' leader.
- The Huskers were picked to finish in a tie for second in the Big Ten preseason coaches' poll. The Huskers also had three players picked to the preseason All-Big Ten list. Unanimous selection senior Brooke Delano was joined by juniors Lauren Cook and Hannah Werth.
- Hannah Werth is coming off a sophomore season that saw her earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year AVCA All-America honors.
- Lauren Cook was named the 2010 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after transferring from UCLA.
Relying on Werth
Junior Hannah Werth will be looked to by the Husker defense in her third year. The 2010 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Werth was one of four sophomores nationally to be named an AVCA All-American in 2010 with her second-team selection. She notched a team-high 10 double-doubles in 2010 after totaling 13 double-doubles in 2009. In the opening weekend of 2011, Werth totaled 29 kills and notched a hitting percentage of .333 against New Mexico.
Setter-U
After running a 6-2 system last season with Lauren Cook and two-time AVCA All-American Sydney Anderson, Cook pilots the Husker offense in 2011 as the team's starting setter. Named the 2010 Big 12 Newcomer of th Year after transferring from UCLA, Cook helped the Huskers hit .300 or better in 14 matches, including two matches over .400. Cook totaled 51 assists against New Mexico State and 40 against New Mexico as the Huskers opened the 2011 season.
Huskers Find Even More Talent for 2011
Head Coach John Cook brings back a team in 2011 that includes five talented additions. NU welcomes in true freshmen Lara Dykstra, Cecilia Hall, Alicia Ostrander, Taylor Simpson and Shelby Winkelmann.
Staying Hot in September
Historically, the Huskers' two best months are September (287-25) and November (214-18), as they have all-time winning percentages of .920 and .922, respectively. Prior to Nebraska's three losses in September of 2009, NU hadn't lost a match in September since 2004.
Broekhuis Sets the Bar High
Sophomore Morgan Broekhuis posted a career-high 18 kills against New Mexico State on Aug. 26. She earned a spot on the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic All-Tournament team and was named the team's MVP. Broekhuis ranks 10th in the Big Ten Conference in kills and fourth in blocks. She leads the Huskers in kills (28) and blocks (13).
Cook and Mancuso Earn Accolades
In addition to Broekhuis' selection to the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic All-Tournament Team, the Huskers saw juniors Gina Mancuso and Lauren Cook also receive recognition on the team. Cook leads the Huskers with 91 assists through the first weekend of competition. Mancuso has posted 27 kills so far in 2011 and boasts a hitting percentage of .344.
Career Night for Mancuso
Gina Mancuso notched the first double-double of her career against New Mexico State on Aug. 26, totaling 16 kills and 14 digs. Her 16 kills were a career high, after previously posting 10 on two different occasions.
2011 Double-Doubles
Gina Mancuso | 2011 (1) | NU Career (1), All (1)
Opponent (Date) K A D B
New Mexico State (Aug. 26) 16 0 14 2
Small Membership
Lara Dykstra became just the seventh true freshman to start a season opener during Head Coach John Cook's era at Nebraska. Sophomore Morgan Broekhuis was the last Husker to do so in 2010.
Dykstra Digging
Through the first two matches of her collegiate career, freshman Lara Dykstra has totaled 37 digs and has averaged 4.62 digs per set. Her 28 digs against New Mexico State ranked ninth in Nebraska volleyball single-match performances and were the highest total by a Huskers since 2009.
Thramer Makes Impact
Sophomore Hayley Thramer made her first career start at New Mexico on Aug. 27. She tabbed eight blocks against New Mexico State and three against New Mexico, putting her in second-place for blocks in the Big Ten through the first weekend of competition.
Volleyball Blackshirts
The Huskers held New Mexico to a .000 hitting percentage in set two of Saturday night's match. The Lobos tallied a .051 hitting percentage for the entire match. New Mexico State notched a hitting percentage of only .097 against NU on Aug. 26. Nebraska leads the Big Ten with a .080 opponent hitting percentage on the season.
No Place Like Nebraska
Nebraska will carry a streak of 149 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum into the 2011 season, the longest sellout streak across all NCAA women's athletics. The Huskers averaged 4,632 fans per home contest last season.
Map to Success
Nebraska has nine players on its 2011 roster who were Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selections, representing the top-50 players in that year's recruiting class. Five of the Huskers' last seven recruiting classes have ranked in the top five nationally, including the 2009 class that was ranked second by Prepvolleyball.com.
Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 Members
Year Players
2008 Allison McNeal
2009 Gina Mancuso, Hannah Werth, Hayley Thramer, Lauren Cook
2010 Morgan Broekhuis
2011 Lara Dykstra, Taylor Simpson
The Home for All-Americans
Nebraska continued its string of All-America success in 2010, as Brooke Delano, Lindsey Licht and Hannah Werth were named AVCA All-Americans. The trio upped Nebraska's NCAA-leading totals to 34 players and 70 certificates. Nebraska has had at least one All-American every season since 1983, a total of 29 straight seasons, including 35 All-America awards in Cook's 11 years at Nebraska.
AVCA All-America Certificates
No. School Awards
1. Nebraska 70
2. Stanford 65
3. Penn State 51
4. Hawaii 50
5. UCLA 41
NU Picked Big Ten Preseason Tie for Second
The Nebraska volleyball team was selected to finish in a tie for second with Illinois in its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference by the league's coaches. Eight-time defending champion Penn State has been selected as the conference favorite for the seventh straight season, while Purdue, Minnesota and Michigan State round out the rest of the top five.
Big Ten Preseason Poll
No. School
1. Penn State
2. Illinois
Nebraska
3. Purdue
4. Minnesota
5. Michigan State
Pre-Season All-Conference Picks
The Huskers were picked to finish in a tie for second in the Big Ten preseason coaches' poll. The Huskers also had three players picked to the preseason All-Big Ten list. Unanimous selection senior Brooke Delano was joined by juniors Lauren Cook and Hannah Werth.