Huskers Look to Indiana, PurdueHuskers Look to Indiana, Purdue
Volleyball

Huskers Look to Indiana, Purdue

No. 2 Nebraska at Indiana • Friday, Nov. 11 • University Gym • 6 p.m. (central)
Web Video: BTN.com (subscription)
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: iuhoosiers.com

No. 2 Nebraska at No. 10 Purdue • Saturday, Nov. 12 • Intercollegiate Athletic Facility • 6 p.m. (central)
Web Video: BTN.com (subscription)
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in
Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: purduesports.com

The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team travels to take on the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. and the No. 10 Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. The Huskers' matches with both Indiana and Purdue will be available on BTN.com (subscription). 

The Huskers (20-2, 13-1) went 2-0 over the weekend, topping No. 23 Michigan 3-1 and sweeping Michigan State 3-0.

Purdue and Nebraska have met 14 times, with NU holding a 10-4 record over the Boilermakers. The last time the two teams met was on Oct. 7 when Nebraska posted its 10th-straight win over Purdue in a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-14, 25-22) victory.

Indiana and Nebraska have met three times, with Nebraska leading the all-time series 2-1. The last time the two teams met was on Oct. 8, with the Huskers winning 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-13).

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.

NU-Purdue All-Time Series (Nebraska leads 10-4)

Sept. 17, 1980, L, 5-15, 14-16|
Nov. 6, 1982, L, 6-15, 5-15, 12-15
Nov. 10, 1981, L, 15-12, 15-12, 4-15, 12-15, 5-15
Oct. 3, 1983, L, 8-15, 15-10, 12-15, 15-8, 12-15
Oct. 14, 1984, W, 15-7, 15-11, 13-15, 11-15, 15-11
Dec. 13, 1985, W, 15-1, 16-14, 12-15, 15-11
Sept. 20, 1986, W, 15-4, 15-6, 15-4
Sept. 18, 1987, W, 15-8, 15-11, 15-11
Dec. 10, 1987, W, 15-8, 15-12, 15-3
Sept. 2, 1988, W, 15-12, 15-4, 15-8
Sept. 15, 1990, W, 16-14, 16-14, 15-3
Sept. 3, 1994, W, 15-11, 15-5, 15-4
Sept. 8, 1995, W, 15-2, 15-2, 15-3
Oct. 7, 2011, W, 25-22, 20-25, 25-14, 25-22

NU-Indiana All-Time Series (Nebraska leads 2-1)

Oct. 14, 1978, L, 12-15, 10-15
Sept. 24, 1988, W, 16-14, 15-0, 13-15, 16-14
Oct. 8, 2011, W, 25-19, 25-14, 25-13

Getting to Know the Hoosiers
Location: Bloomington, Ind.
Enrollment: 40,354
Nickname: Hoosiers
Colors: Cream and Crimson
Head Coach: Sherry Dunbar (Ball State, '92)
Record at School: 72-61 (3 years)
Overall Record: 185-83 (7 years)
Asst. Coaches: Nancy Mueller, Paul Koncir

2010 Record: 23-13
2010 Big Ten Record: 9-11
2010 Postseason: NCAA Regional Semifinalist
2010 Final Ranking: 23rd
Letterwinners R/L: 10/3
Starters R/L: 3+1/3

Series Record: Nebraska leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-0 (10/8/11)
Last NU Win: 10/8/11
Last NU Loss: 10/14/78
Longest NU Winning Streak: 2
Current NU Winning Streak: 1
Two sets: 0-1
Three sets: 1-0
Four sets: 1-0

Getting to Know the Boilermakers

Location: West Lafayette, Ind.
Enrollment: 39,276
Nickname: Boilermakers|
Colors: Old Gold and Black

Head Coach: Dave Shondell (Ball State, '81)
Record at School: 162-103 (8 years)
Overall Record: same
Asst. Coaches: Kathy Jewell, John Shondell

2010 Record: 24-11
2010 Big Ten Record: 12-8 (T-4th)
2010 Postseason: NCAA Regional Finalist
2010 Final Ranking: 11th
Letterwinners R/L: 11/3
Starters R/L: 5/2

Series Record: Nebraska leads, 10-4
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-1 (10/7/11)
Last NU Win: 10/7/11
Last NU Loss: 10/3/83
Longest NU Winning Streak: 10
Current NU Winning Streak: 10
Two sets: 0-1
Three sets: 9-1
Four sets: 1-0
Five sets: 0-2

Scouting the Indiana Hoosiers

  • The Hoosiers are 8-18 on the year, heading into their match-up with the Huskers on Friday and a match-up with the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday.
  • Indiana went 0-2 last weekend, falling to Northwestern 3-0 on Friday, Nov. 4. The Hoosiers then lost to Illinois 3-1 on Saturday, Nov. 5.
  • In the match against the Wildcats, IU got double-digit kills from junior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall (15) and senior right-side hitter Kristen Seaton (10). Marschall also notched a pair of aces and a block, scoring 18 points for the Hoosiers. The duo combined for 13 kills in the first set. Indiana also got 13 digs from sophomore defensive specialist Melanie Hicks on the night, while junior setter Whitney Granado added 20 assists.
  • Indiana saw Marschall and junior middle blocker Samantha Thrower tally double-digit kills in the Hoosiers' 3-1 loss to Illinois. Marschall keyed the IU win in the second set, notching seven of her kills, while hitting .462. Senior libero Caitlin Cox totaled 17 digs in the match , while Granado had 10 digs to go along with 37 assists for a double-double. Thrower also had four blocks for the Hoosiers.
  • Marschall leads Indiana on the year with 292 kills and an average of 3.01 kills per set. Junior outside hitter Ivie Obeime has 196 kills so far this season, while averaging 2.11 kills per set.
  • At setter, Granado has 571 assists and an average of 8.52 per set.
  • Defensively, Cox leads the team with 393 digs this season and an average of 4.05 digs per set. Cox has over 1,700 career digs and surpassed Juli Pierce for the all-time IU record. She is also the 15th Hoosier with 100+ aces in her career.
  • In the Big Ten standings, Indiana ranks 12th in hitting percentage (.164), 11th in assists (10.96), 10th in blocks (1.92), 12th in digs (12.72), 12th in opponent hitting percentage (.232), 11th in kills (11.79) and fifth in aces (1.13).
  • Cox ranks ninth in the Big Ten in service aces with an average of 0.29 per set. She has 27 on the season. Cox is also eighth in the Big Ten in digs with an average of 4.05.

The Last Time Nebraska and Indiana Met (Oct. 8, 2011)

Lincoln, Neb.- The No. 6 Nebraska volleyball team (13-1, 6-0) came out in dominant fashion with a 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-14, 25-13) of the Indiana Hoosiers in front of 4,091 fans at the NU Coliseum.

Hannah Werth paced the Huskers with a match-leading 13 kills on .550 hitting. Werth's mark tied her then-season best for the third time. Lara Dykstra finished with 17 digs, while Lauren Cook had 33 assists and NU totaled eight team blocks. The Huskers hit .330 for the match and held Indiana to a .022 hitting percentage.

Scouting the Purdue Boilermakers

  • The Boilermakers are 22-3 on the year, heading into a weekend where they face Iowa on Thursday, Nov. 10, and the Huskers on Saturday, Nov. 12. Purdue is off to its best start since the 1985 season (23-2) and are ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 2006.
  • Purdue enters the weekend after going 2-0 last weekend in matches against Illinois and Northwestern, winning 3-1 over the Fighting Illini and sweeping the Wildcats.
  • In the win over Illinois, junior outside hitter Ariel Turner posted 21 kills and 19 digs for a double-double. She also notched eight blocks. Senior middle blocker Tiffany Fisher chipped in 12 kills and six blocks, while freshman outside hitter Val Nichol had eight kills and sophomore outside hitter Catherine Rebarchak tallied seven kills and five stuffs. Senior defensive specialist Emily Ehlers paced the Purdue backcourt with 22 digs.
  • Purdue posted a sweep of Northwestern while out-blocking the Wildcats 11-4 and holding them to a .077 hitting percentage. The Boilermakers hit at a .295 clip and saw four hitters put away more than five kills apiece. Turner paced the offense with 14 kills, while hitting at a .324 clip and chipping in nine digs and three blocks. Freshman middle blocker Kierra Jones had seven kills and a team-leading five blocks as Fisher had seven kills and four blocks.
  • Turner leads Purdue with 4.86 kills per set, while also adding 2.76 digs per set and 16 aces. Fisher has put down 2.53 kills per set, while hitting .410.
  • Defensively, senior defensive specialist Blair Bashen leads a group of five players with more than two digs per set. Bashen has 4.00 digs, while serving 19 aces. Turner has 2.76 digs per set, while junior libero Carly Cramer has 2.70 and defensive specialist Emily Ehlers has 2.57.
  • At the net, Jones has 1.35 blocks per set and a total of 100 on the season.
  • In the Big Ten standings, Purdue is third in hitting percentage (.260), fifth in assists (12.66), first in blocks (2.88), fifth in digs (15.23), second in opponent hitting percentage (.144), fifth in kills (13.79) and fourth in aces (1.18).
  • Fisher ranks first in hitting percentage in the Big Ten with a .410 clip and is also 10th in blocks (1.05). Davis is fifth in assists (10.93), while Jones is third in blocks (1.35). Turner ranks first in kills (4.86) and Bashen is ninth in digs (4.00).
  • Nationally, Purdue is 10th in blocks per set (2.88), 23rd in hitting percentage (.260) and 43rd in kills per set (13.79).
  • Turner ranks fifth nationally in kills per set (4.86), Davis is 40th in assists per set (10.93), Jones is 21st in blocks per set (1.35) and Fisher is sixth in hitting percentage (.410).

The Last Time Nebraska and Purdue Met (Oct. 7, 2011)

Lincoln, Neb.- The No. 6 Nebraska volleyball team (12-1, 5-0) propelled itself over the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers in a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-14, 25-22) win at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers, who remained undefeated in Big Ten Conference play, produced one of their most balanced efforts of the season, with five plays notching over 20 attacks for the match. NU also saw five different players tally 10 or more digs through all four sets.

Gina Mancuso led NU on the night with 16 kills on 39 attacks. Morgan Broekhuis had 13 kills and three service aces, while Hayley Thramer had a career-high 12 kills on a .409 hitting percentage. Both Mancuso and Broekhuis tabbed double-doubles on the night, marking the seventh double-double for Mancuso and the third for Broekhuis. Lauren Cook accumulated 51 assists, while the Huskers also had six team blocks. Defensively, Nebraska out-dug Purdue 84-73, marking the most team digs for NU this season.

Scouting the Huskers

  • Nebraska is 20-2 in 2011 and enters this weekend's matches ranked No. 2 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll.
  • The Huskers are 18-1 this season when holding opponents below .200 hitting. Nebraska is 2-1 when opposing teams hit above .200.
  • Nebraska has totaled double-digit blocks in 12 matches this season, including a season-high 18 blocks against Michigan.
  • The Huskers tallied a season-low six errors against Albany on Sept. 3. The last time NU had six errors or less in a match was against Sacred Heart on Dec. 2, 2010.
  • As of Nov. 6, Nebraska ranked second in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.267), seventh in assists (12.54), third in blocks (2.74), ninth in digs (14.74), first in opponent hitting percentage (.135), sixth in kills (13.48) and 12th in aces (0.87).
  • Gina Mancuso has 308 kills so far in 2011, averaging 3.67 per set.
  • Mancuso was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 24 after leading the Huskers over previously top-ranked Illinois and the Co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 26 after her stellar weekend against Penn State and Ohio State.
  • Werth was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 17, after solid outings at Wisconsin and Minnesota.
  • Lara Dykstra has 301 digs so far in her freshman campaign, averaging 3.58 per set.
  • Lauren Cook has totaled 842 assists in 2011, averaging 10.94 per set.
  • Brigette Root made her first career start at setter against Michigan on Friday, Nov. 4. She notched the first double-double of her career with 25 assists and 11 digs.
  • As of Nov. 6, the Huskers ranked 18th nationally in blocks per set with 2.74. NU was 14th in hitting percentage at .267. Lauren Cook ranked 39th nationally in assists per set (10.94) and Hayley Thramer was 27th in blocks per set (1.31).
  • 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.
  • Nebraska has eight players on its 2011 roster who were Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selections, representing the top 50 players in that year's recruiting class.

Year       Players
2008       Allison McNeal
2009       Gina Mancuso, Hannah Werth, Hayley Thramer, Lauren Cook
2010       Morgan Broekhuis
2011       Lara Dykstra, Taylor Simpson

Tough Tests

With the match against No. 10 Purdue on Saturday night, Nebraska will take on its 12th top-25 team this season.

Opponent                                 Result
at No. 15 Colorado State           L, 3-2
vs. No. 12 Iowa State                W, 3-0
vs. No. 5 Penn State                 W, 3-2
vs. No. 24 Ohio State                W, 3-1
at No. 11 Michigan                    W, 3-0
vs. No. 11 Purdue                     W, 3-1
at No. 14 Minnesota                  W, 3-2
vs. No. 1 Illinois                        W, 3-1
at No. 23 Ohio State                  W, 3-1
at No. 8 Penn State                   L, 3-1
vs. No. 23 Michigan                   W, 3-1

Cook Reaches 500

With the Huskers' win over Albany on Sept. 3, Head Coach John Cook tallied his 500th win as a head coach.

First-Place

With only one loss in conference play, Nebraska sits in first place in the Big Ten standings, checking in at 13-1.


No Place Like Nebraska

Nebraska celebrated a streak of 150 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum on Sept. 8. It is the longest continuing sellout streak across all NCAA women's athletics. The Huskers averaged 4,632 fans per home contest last season. As of Nov. 7, Nebraska ranks second nationally in current home win streaks with 34.

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 22 matches of her collegiate career, freshman Lara Dykstra has reached closer to the freshman digs record of 359 with 301 digs of her own and an average of 3.58 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 Husker since 2009.

Thramer Makes Impact

Sophomore Hayley Thramer made her first career start at New Mexico on Aug. 27. She notched a career-high 10 blocks against Illinois on Oct. 22. She currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in blocks, averaging 1.31 per set.

Volleyball Blackshirts

Nebraska held Iowa to a .000 hitting percentage on Oct. 19, marking the lowest percentage for  a Nebraska opponent this season. The Huskers held Albany to a .038 hitting percentage for the match, Creighton to a .053 hitting percentage on Sept. 8, Indiana to a .022 hitting percentage on Oct. 8 and Michigan State to a .026 hitting percentage of Nov. 5.

Producing Double-Doubles

Four Huskers have combined for 35 double-doubles in 2011, with Mancuso tallying 10, Broekhuis tabbing four,  Root adding one, Werth notching seven of her own and Cook adding 13.

Gina Mancuso  |  2011 (10)  |  NU Career (10), All (10)

Opponent (Date)                       K          A          D          B
New Mexico State (Aug. 26)       16         0          14         2
Colorado State (Sept. 2)             24         3          10         1
Creighton (Sept. 8)                    12         0          10         1
Saint Mary's (Sept. 9)                15         1          11         3
Iowa State (Sept. 17)                 14         0          11         1
Penn State (Sept. 21)                22         0          10         2
Michigan State (Sept. 30)           12         1          10         3
Purdue (Oct. 7)                          16         0          19         0
Minnesota (Oct. 15)                   18         0          15         5
Illinois (Oct. 22)                         15         0          14         5

Lauren Cook |  2011 (13)  |  NU Career (32)

Opponent (Date)                       K          A          D          B
New Mexico State (Aug. 26)       1          51         10         0
New Mexico (Aug. 27)                0          40         12         1
Colorado State (Sept. 2)             2          49         12         2
Albany (Sept. 3)                         2          34         13         1
Creighton (Sept. 8)                    5          33         13         0
Penn State (Sept. 21)                1          53         17         2
Ohio State (Sept. 24)                 4          41         14         3
Purdue (Oct. 7)                          0          51         12         1
Wisconsin (Oct. 14)                   1          38         11         0
Minnesota (Oct. 15)                   2          45         19         0
Iowa (Oct. 19)                            4          32         16         0
Illinois (Oct. 22)                         0          54         13         0
Penn State (Oct. 29)                  1          32         11         0

Hannah Werth |  2011 (7)  |  NU Career (29), All (29)

Opponent (Date)                       K          A          D          B
Colorado State (Sept. 2)            12         0          15         1
St. Mary's (Sept. 9)                   10         1          11         1
Wisconsin (Oct. 14)                   17         0          10         0
Minnesota (Oct. 15)                   15         2          17         6
Illinois (Oct. 22)                         14         1          17         0
Ohio State (Oct. 28)                   11         1          13         3
Michigan State (Nov. 5)             11         0          10         3

Morgan Broekhuis |  2011 (4)  |  NU Career (4), All (4)

Opponent (Date)                       K          A          D          B
Iowa State (Sept. 17)                 11         2          10         4
Penn State (Sept. 21)                12         4          11         4
Purdue (Oct. 7)                          13         2          10         2
Illinois (Oct. 22)                         17         2          11         4

Brigette Root |  2011 (1)  |  NU Career (1), All (1)

Opponent (Date)           K          A          D          B
Michigan (Nov. 4)          5          35         11         2

Broekhuis Breakout

Morgan Broekhuis recorded the first double-double of her career against Iowa State on Sept. 17, with 11 kills and 10 digs. She has notched three others this season. Her 22 kills at Michigan State on Sept. 30 marked a career high her.

Mancuso Paving Her Way

Gina Mancuso has notched 10 double-doubles so far in 2011, most recently against Illinois on Oct. 22. She tallied 15 kills and 14 digs to lead NU against the Fighting Illini.