Huskers Welcome Saint Mary?s, Dayton and Iowa State This Weekend

SAINT MARY’S vs. NEBRASKA
Date: Sept. 12
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Arena: Bob Devaney Sports Center
Live Stats: Huskers.com
TV: NET
Online Video: BTDN (subscription)
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network, Huskers.com

DAYTON vs. NEBRASKA
Date: Sept. 13
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Arena: Bob Devaney Sports Center
Live Stats: Huskers.com
TV: NET
Online Video: BTDN (subscription)
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network, Huskers.com

IOWA STATE vs. NEBRASKA
Date: Sept. 14
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Arena: Bob Devaney Sports Center
Live Stats: Huskers.com
TV: NET
Online Video: BTDN (subscription)
Live Radio: Huskers.com

The No. 12 Nebraska volleyball team hosts Saint Mary’s, Dayton and Iowa State this weekend at the Bob Devaney Sports Center for the Ameritas Players Challenge. The Huskers will take on the Saint Mary’s Gaels on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m., will face the Dayton Flyers on Friday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. and will match up with the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

In other matches at the Devaney Center this weekend, Dayton will face Iowa State on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Iowa State will then take on Saint Mary’s on Friday at 4:30 p.m., while Dayton and Saint Mary’s will play on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday’s meeting between the Huskers and Gaels will be the third all-time meeting between the two schools. Nebraska holds a 2-0 record over Saint Mary’s, last beating the Gaels 3-2 on Sept. 9, 2011 in Lincoln.

The Huskers have faced the Dayton Flyers a total of two times, holding a 2-0 record in the all-time series. The last time the two teams met was on Sept. 9, 2010 as the Huskers won 3-1.

Former Big 12 opponents, the Huskers and Cyclones have met a total of 81 times, with Nebraska holding a 79-2 advantage in the all-time series. The last time the two teams met was on Sept. 15, 2012 as Iowa State beat the Huskers 3-1 in Ames, Iowa.

Fans can 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 The Wolf 93.3 FM in Omaha. Fans outside the state will also be able to catch the live audio feed for free on Huskers.com. Saturday’s match will only be available on Huskers.com.

Nebraska’s matches with Saint Mary’s, Dayton and Iowa State will air live on NET, while all three of the Huskers’ matches can also be seen live on the Big Ten Digital Network with a subscription. Live stats for all matches will be available on Huskers.com. 

Scouting the Saint Mary’s Gaels

• Saint Mary’s is 3-1 on the season. The Gaels finished last weekend with a 2-0 record, sweeping Miami and Air Force 3-0.

• Kristina Graven and Jordan Shaw lead the Gaels offensively as both have a total of 49 kills on the season for an average of 3.50 kills per set. Gaven had 12 kills and 10 digs in Saint Mary’s win over Miami last weekend.

• Dalas Dodd has 157 total assists for Saint Mary’s and is averaging, 11.21 assists per set.

• Defensively, Sarah Reams leads the way with 51 total digs on the year and an average of 3.64 digs per set.

• Rob Browning is in his ninth year at the helm of the Gaels. He led the Gaels to an NCAA Tournament at-large berth in 2012 as they advanced to the second round.

Scouting the Dayton Flyers

• Dayton is 3-3 on the season, most recently going 1-2 at the Ohio Baymont Inn Invitational last weekend, beating Cincinnati 3-0, but being swept by North Carolina and Ohio.

• Megan Campbell leads the Flyers on the year with 60 total kills and an average of 2.86 kills per set. Alaina Turner has 53 total kills and an average of 2.52 kills per set.

• Janna Krafka guides the Flyers defensively as she has 94 total digs on the season and has an average of 4.48 digs per set. At the net, Isolde Hannan has 38 total blocks, with an average of 1.33 blocks per set.

• Megan Campbell was named the Atlantic 10 Conference’s Volleyball Player of the Week last week. She was named to the Dayton Invitational All-Tournament Team after leading the Flyers to a 2-1 record and the tournament title.

• Dayton is coached by first year head coach Matt Affolder. Previously, he was the recruiting coordinator and top assistant to former Dayton Coach and current Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield.

Scouting the Iowa State Cyclones

• Iowa State is 4-2 on the year, recently falling to San Diego 1-3 and Illinois 0-3 at the Iowa State Challenge over the weekend. The Cyclones are ranked 17th nationally.

• Leading the Cyclones offensively is Mackenzie Bigbee as she has 70 total kills and an average of 3.33 kills per set. Victoria Hurtt has 61 kills on the season and an average of 2.77 kills per set.

• Kristen Hahn continues to prove that she is one of the best liberos in the nation as she has a team-high 122 digs and an average of 5.55 digs per set. She posted 13 digs in Iowa State’s loss to Illinois, extending her school-record run to 46-straight matches with at least 10 digs.

• Bigbee recorded a match-high 14 kills for Iowa State against Illinois. She also posted a career-high-tying five digs. Caitlin Nolan had five aces for the Cyclones, she also chipped in five digs.

• Iowa State is coached by former Nebraska All-American Christy Johnson-Lynch. She is in her ninth year with the Cyclones.

Noting the Nebraska Cornhuskers

The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes heading into this weekend.

•Nebraska enters this weekend’s matches with a 4-1 record and No. 12 national ranking.

•The Huskers return AVCA Honorable-Mention All-Americans Morgan Broekhuis and Meghan Haggerty in 2013. They also welcomed 2011 AVCA Second-Team All-American Kelsey Robinson and 2011 AVCA Honorable-Mention All-American Mary Pollmiller to the 2013 roster after both transferred from Tennessee.

• Nebraska is the second-winningest program in Division I history with 1,170 wins and trails only UCLA (1,186) on the all-time list.

• The Huskers finished tied for second in the Big Ten in 2012. They were picked to finish fourth in the league in the Big Ten Coaches’ preseason poll in 2013.

• Nebraska carries a streak of 183 consecutive sellouts into this weekend, the longest sellout streak across all NCAA women’s athletics. The Huskers averaged 4,287 fans per home contest last season at the NU Coliseum.

• Nebraska has seven players on its 2013 roster who were Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selections, representing the top-50 players in that year’s recruiting class. Six of the Huskers’ last nine recruiting classes have ranked in the top five nationally, including the 2009 class that was ranked second and the 2013 class that was ranked first by Prepvolleyball.com

• Nebraska continued its string of All-America success in 2012, as Lauren Cook was named an AVCA All-American. Cook upped Nebraska’s NCAA-leading totals to 36 players and 74 certificates. Nebraska has had at least one All-American every season since 1983, a total of 31 straight seasons, including 39 All-America awards in Cook’s 13 years at Nebraska. 

AVCA All-America Certificates

No.         School                   Awards

1.            Nebraska             74

2.            Stanford              66

3.            Penn State          58

4.            Hawaii                   53

5.            UCLA                     45

• Head Coach John Cook welcomes a young team, including 10 newcomers, to the 2013 squad. The 2012 team finished 26-7 last season, while Cook has won over 90 percent (391-42) of his matches in 13 years as the Huskers’ leader.

The Last Time Nebraska...

•             Won a match 3-0: vs. Georgia, Sept. 7, 2013

•             Won a match 3-1: vs. Villanova, Sept. 6, 2013

•             Won a match 3-2: vs. Purdue, Nov. 10, 2012

•             Lost a match 0-3: at Purdue, Nov. 12, 2011

•             Lost a match 1-3: vs. Auburn, Aug. 31, 2013

•             Lost a match 2-3: at Minnesota, Nov. 16, 2012

•             Had 100 kills in a match: vs. Texas Tech, Oct. 26, 1996

•             Had 200 attacks in a match: vs. Iowa State (200), Oct. 21, 2009

•             Had .500-or-more hitting pct.: vs. Kansas (.523), Oct. 10, 2001

•             Had 10-or-more service aces: at Texas A&M (11), Nov. 5, 2008

•             Had 40-or-more total blocks: vs. UCLA (41), Sept. 14, 1991

•             Had 100-or-more digs: vs. USC (109), Dec. 11, 2004

The Last Time a Husker...

•             Had 30-or-more kills: Sarah Pavan (31) at Kansas State, Nov. 3, 2007

•             Had 10-or-more blocks: Brooke Delano (10) at Oklahoma, Sept. 29, 2010

•             Had 25-or-more digs: Lara Dykstra (28) vs. New Mexico State, Aug. 26, 2011

•             Had two players with 20-or-more kills: Tara Mueller (24) and Jordan Larson (21) at Washington, Dec. 13, 2008

•             Had a triple-double: Greichaly Cepero (10 kills, 38 assists, 12 digs) vs. Texas Tech, Sept. 25, 2002

Nebraska...

• Is 346-12 (.966) when winning a first set under John Cook and 45-30 (.600) when it loses the opening set

• Has spent 409 weeks in the top 10 and were ranked in the top 10 for 115 consecutive weeks (2004-Sept. 5, 2011)

• Is 215-0 under John Cook when hitting .300 or better

Newcomers Make Immediate Impact

Husker newcomers played a pivotal role in Nebraska’s matches the first two weekends, as Kelsey Robinson, Mary Pollmiller, Amber Rolfzen, Kadie Rolfzen, Kelly Hunter and Justine Wong-Orantes have all seen substantial playing time. Newcomers have produced 139 kills (56 percent) , 221 assists (98 percent), 251 digs (93 percent) and 25 aces (100 percent) for the Huskers over the first two weeks of play.

Freshmen Amber Rolfzen and Justine Wong-Orantes became just the ninth and 10th true freshmen, respectively, to start a season opener during Coach John Cook’s career at Nebraska. Wong-Orantes became Nebraska’s first true-freshman libero to start a match since Lara Dykstra in 2011.

Kadie Rolfzen made her Husker debut last week against the Villanova Wildcats. The freshman from Papillion, Neb., led the Huskers with 14 kills on 29 attacks for a .345 hitting percentage. She followed that performance the next night with 14 kills on 31 swings (.323) against Georgia. Rolfzen’s 14 kills in her Husker debut marks the highest kill total for a true freshman in her first career start since Sarah Pavan recorded 16 kills against Notre Dame in 2004.

Dominant Effort Against Louisiana-Monroe

The Huskers produced one of the more dominant showings in program history on Friday, Aug. 30 as they swept Louisiana-Monroe in three sets. The 36 points scored by ULM was the fewest points allowed by a Husker opponent in a three-set match during the rally-scoring era. The Huskers also held ULM to just four points in the third set, which is a school record low for a Husker opponent in the rally scoring era. The previous low had been

seven points, most recently against Duquesne in 2012. The Huskers also held ULM to an NCAA record zero kills in the third set.

Robinson and wong-orantes named to All-Tournament team

Nebraska senior Kelsey Robinson and freshman Justine Wong-Orantes were honored last weekend as they were selected to the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic All-Tournament Team. Robinson led the Huskers offensively over the weekend, posting a total of 34 kills (3.40 kills/set), a .329 hitting percentage and six aces. Wong-Orantes led NU defensively with 42 total digs (4.20 digs/set) and also had two aces.

Huskers Call the Devaney Center Home

The Nebraska volleyball program opened a new era in its storied tradition by moving into a new permanent home court for the first time in almost 40 years. When Nebraska played its preseason Red-White Match on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013, the Bob Devaney Sports Center became the official home of Husker volleyball. The Devaney Center, which received $20 million in renovations designed to create the nation’s premier home court advantage for volleyball, will allow nearly 4,000 more Nebraska fans per game to watch their beloved Huskers.

Nebraska volleyball, which carried the nation’s longest home sellout streak in the history of any NCAA women’s sport with 181 consecutive sellouts (2001-12) at the historic NU Coliseum, has guaranteed another season of sellouts in its first year at the Devaney Center. Not only did the Huskers quickly sell out the new 7,907-seat capacity at the Devaney Center long before the season began, they also have room for nearly 400 standing-room seats at each game and a season-ticket waiting list of well over 1,000.

During the last two decades, Nebraska has ranked among the nation’s top three volleyball programs in average home attendance every season. In 2012, the Huskers finished second nationally by averaging 4,287 fans per match. Hawaii, the NCAA’s annual attendance leader for many years, drew 6,675 per home match in 2012. As the Huskers’ new home in 2013, the Devaney Center will put Nebraska in position to lead the nation in volleyball attendance on an annual basis.

The renovations to the Devaney Center have done much more than change the capacity. Massive red ceiling trusses helped create a similar environment in the arena to the Huskers’ former home in the Coliseum. A great wall, which replicates the old Coliseum entry, adds to an atmosphere steeped in tradition. While the new Devaney Center pays homage to the history of the Coliseum, which served as the home to Husker NCAA Championship teams in 1995, 2000 and 2006, the innovative design and technological advances inside also symbolize the visionary contributions of AVCA All-Time Great Coaches Terry Pettit and John Cook.

The Nebraska Athletic Department honored Terry Pettit on Friday, Sept. 6  by naming the court at the Bob Devaney Sports Center “Terry Pettit Court.” The naming is the result of a generous gift given by Bill and Ruth Scott in honor of former Nebraska head coach Terry Pettit.

Pettit was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2009 and was a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, a seven-time Big Eight Coach of the Year and a two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year. In his 23 years at Nebraska, he guided the Huskers to a national championship in 1995, six Final Four appearances and 21 conference titles.

Huskers Find Even More Talent for 2013

Head Coach John Cook’s 2013 Huskers include 10 talented additions. NU welcomed true freshmen Alexa Ethridge, Kelly Hunter, Melanie Keil, Kira Larson, Brenna Lyles, Amber Rolfzen, Kadie Rolfzen and Justine Wong-Orantes and transfers Mary Pollmiller and Kelsey Robinson.

The 2013 recruiting class was regarded as one of the best in the nation, with four players ranked as the top-25 prospects in the nation. Kadie Rolfzen came in at No. 5, while Amber Rolfzen was ranked eighth, Kelly Hunter was ranked 13th and Kira Larson was ranked 23rd.

Cook Selects Team Captains

Coach Cook selected team captains for the 2013 season prior to the Red/White Match. He selected Morgan Broekhuis, Kelsey Robinson and Hayley Thramer.

Broekhuis Looks to Excel in final season

Nebraska senior Morgan Broekhuis embarks on her final season with the Huskers in 2013. She has produced a solid Husker career, including being named a 2011 AVCA Honorable-Mention All-American and Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten honoree. She closed out the 2012 season by earning NCAA Omaha Regional All-Tournament Team honors. She helped the Huskers to a second-place finish in the Big Ten in 2012 and was named to the CoSIDA Academic Second-Team District Seven squad. Broekhuis averaged 2.73 kills, 0.19 aces, 1.34 digs and 0.64 blocks per set on the season, posted 75 total assists in 2012 and notched at least five assists on five occasions. She was key for the Huskers in their win over defending NCAA Champion UCLA, notching 15 kills against the Bruins and the final two kills of the fifth set to seal the victory. She closed the season with 16 kills and six digs in a four-set loss to Oregon in the NCAA Regional Final.

Haggerty to Follow Up Successful Freshman Campaign

Meghan Haggerty became just the eighth true freshman to start a season opener during Coach John Cook’s career at Nebraska in 2012. She was named an AVCA Honorable-Mention All-American and All-Mideast selection and also earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors. Haggerty was honored with Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades four times in 2012. She led the Huskers in hitting efficiency (.333) as a freshman and recorded a hitting percentage of .300 or better 18 times in 2012. Haggerty averaged 1.98 kills and 0.97 blocks per set and finished eighth in the conference in hitting percentage with an average of .333. She posted a team-high 17 kills against UCLA, notching a .600 hitting percentage (17-2-25). Her 17 kills were the most by a Nebraska middle blocker since Tracy Stalls tallied 17 (17-2-26) against UCLA during the 2006 National Semifinal match.

Thramer to Lead the Huskers in 2013

Senior Hayley Thramer suffered a knee injury in the spring of 2013 that will sideline her from competing during her senior season. She will fill the role as student coach and will help lead the Huskers in 2013.