Huskers Set For No. 3 Texas, No. 11 Oregon

The fourth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team (3-0) hits the road for the first time this season as it heads to the VERT Challenge in Austin, Texas. The Huskers will face No. 3 Texas on Friday at 6 p.m., and No. 11 Oregon on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Texas match will be carried live on the Longhorn Network, which is available to DIRECTV subscribers with the Sports Pack (Channel 677) and to Dish customers (Channel 407). Saturday’s match against Oregon will be tape delayed at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday and again at 8 a.m. on Sunday. The matches will be streamed on WatchESPN.com to those who have a Longhorn Network subscription. The VERT Challenge is a new tournament featuring four IMG partner schools: Nebraska, Florida, Oregon and Texas. Oregon will host in 2016, Florida in 2017 and Nebraska in 2018. VERT, a leader in wearable athletic technology, will provide demonstrations and on-site promotions to fans in attendance.

The Huskers won the Nebraska Invitational tournament title last weekend with a 3-0 record against Tulsa, Grand Canyon and Pittsburgh. It marks the Huskers’ first 3-0 start since 2012. Nebraska swept both Tulsa and Grand Canyon before defeating Pitt in four sets. The Huskers hit .317 for the weekend and held their three opponents to a combined .107 hitting percentage.

Texas is coming off an NCAA semifinal appearance and returns five starters and its libero from that team. The Longhorns began the season 3-0 with sweeps against Rice, UC Irvine and LSU last weekend in Austin. Texas and Nebraska went five sets in Lincoln last September with the Longhorns escaping with a 15-8 win in the final set. Nebraska leads the all-time series 30-21.

Oregon is in the midst of a two-week road trip to begin the season. The Ducks (5-0) swept Temple, Navy and St. John’s last weekend in Philadelphia, then traveled to defeat LIU Brooklyn 3-1 on Monday and George Washington 3-2 on Tuesday. The Huskers last played Oregon in a three-set win on Dec. 7, 2013 in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. The Huskers are 3-1 all-time vs. Oregon.

About the Huskers
• Setter Kelly Hunter was the B1G Setter of the Week and Nebraska Invitational MVP after putting up 12.0 assists per set with 2.2 digs and 1.2 kills per set last weekend. She nearly had Nebraska’s first triple-double since 2002, as she logged 50 assists, 11 digs and eight kills vs. Pittsburgh.
• Two-time All-American Kadie Rolfzen posted 3.78 kills and 2.33 digs per set to lead the Husker attack, which hit .317 as a group.
• Justine Wong-Orantes won the tournament’s best libero honor, as she collected 4.50 digs per set.
• Outside hitter Annika Albrecht, who played all of her freshman season in the back row, showcased her all-around ability with 2.8 kills and 3.0 digs per set. Albrecht had a team-best two double-doubles, including a career-high 18 kills to go with 10 digs in the win against Pittsburgh.
• Amber Rolfzen, who made the switch to middle blocker in the offseason, tied Cecilia Hall for the team lead with eight blocks over the weekend.
• True freshman outside hitter Mikaela Foecke was third on the team in kills with 23 in three matches. She also added seven blocks and hit .340 in her first career matches.
• Middle blocker Meghan Haggerty posted 14 kills on 22 attacks last weekend for a team-best .545 hitting percentage.
• Redshirt freshman outside hitter Olivia Boender had 11 digs against Grand Canyon in her first career match. Ten of her 11 digs came in the third set, the most digs by a Husker in one game since Kayla Banwarth in 2009.
• Outside hitter Kelsey Fien made the most of her one appearance last weekend, recording 14 kills with just one error for a .406 hitting percentage against Grand Canyon.
• The Huskers were strong defensively, holding their three opponents to a combined .107 hitting percentage.
• Nebraska posted a perfect sideout percentage in the final two sets against Grand Canyon, going 20-for-20.

Scouting Texas
Junior middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu was a first-team All-American last year and is averaging 2.44 kills and 1.44 blocks per set so far this season. Molly McCage, a 2014 third-team All-American, recorded 2.44 kills and 1.56 blocks per set last weekend, while Amy Neal is leading the team with 3.67 kills pet set.

Scouting Oregon
The Ducks (5-0), coming off an NCAA regional semifinal appearance, are led by third-team All-American Martenne Bettendorf, who is averaging 3.55 kills and 1.91 digs per set. Oregon is in the midst of a two-week road trip, having made stops in Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C. before arriving in Austin. After the VERT Challenge, the Ducks will play two more matches in Texas on Monday and Tuesday.

Coach Cook Wins No. 600
Nebraska head coach John Cook captured his 600th career win in a 3-1 victory against Pittsburgh on Aug. 29. Cook entered the season with 597 career wins in 23 years as head coach at Wisconsin and Nebraska, and the Huskers’ third win of the season made him one of 15 active Division I head coaches to reach 600 career wins.

Huskers Tied for Fourth in AVCA Coaches Poll
The Huskers share their spot in the AVCA Coaches Poll for the second straight week, but this time at No. 4. The Huskers moved up one spot and are tied with Florida with 1,366 points. Nebraska received one first-place vote and surpassed Wisconsin, who was tied for fifth with NU last week but was upset by Western Kentucky on Friday. Penn State remained at the top and got 54 first-place votes. Stanford (eight first-place votes) and Texas (one first-place vote) are Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.

Nebraska Picked Second in Big Ten Preseason Poll
The Huskers were picked to finish second by the Big Ten coaches in the conference’s preseason poll. Kadie Rolfzen and Kelsey Fien were named to the 14-member preseason All-Big Ten Team. Both were All-Big Ten performers in 2014, while Rolfzen was a third-team AVCA All-American for the second straight season with Fien earning honorable mention.

Ostrander and Hunter Named 2015 Captains
Senior outside hitter Alicia Ostrander and sophomore setter Kelly Hunter were selected team captains for the 2015 season. Ostrander enjoyed a breakout role in 2014 with 2.49 kills pet set. After the volleyball season, she will join the Nebraska women’s basketball team for their season. A standout at both sports at Gordon-Rushville High School, Ostrander practiced with both teams over the summer. Hunter, a highly touted recruit out of Papillion, Neb., will take over the setter reins after redshirting in 2014 while Mary Pollmiller finished out her career.

Huskers Traveled the Globe in 2015 Summer
A few Huskers spent their summers traveling the globe playing competitively. Justine Wong-Orantes was selected to the first ever B1G Foreign Tour Team and played matches with other Big Ten student-athletes in Croatia, Slovenia and Italy in June. The team also participated in community service initiatives and toured European cities.

Briana Holman was selected to the U.S. Collegiate National Team and competed at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea in July. It was her second time competing with the U.S. CNT, as she took part in the Tour of China in 2014. Holman had 18 kills in the tournament with two blocks and two aces, as the U.S. CNT finished ninth overall.

Alicia Ostrander took part in the U.S. Collegiate National Team round-robin tournament at the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships in June. Ostrander’s CNT Blue Team was the tournament champion with a perfect 3-0 record. Ostrander tallied 31 points in the three matches.

Husband, Wife Duo Join Husker Coaching Staff
Chris Tamas is in his first season as a Husker assistant coach, while his wife, Jennifer (Joines) Tamas, is a volunteer assistant. The two came to NU in May from Cal Poly, where they spent the past two seasons in the same roles. Both Chris and Jen are former U.S. National Team captains. Chris was a first-team AVCA All-American in 2003 at Pacific, while Jen was the Big West Conference Player of the Year in 2003 at Pacific.

Former Huskers Capture Gold With Team USA
Three former Huskers - Jordan Larson-Burbach, Kelsey Robinson and Kayla Banwarth - captured gold medals at the FIVB World Championship and FIVB World Grand Prix in the last calendar year. The World Championship in Italy last October was the first major gold medal for the U.S. Women’s National Team. The USA followed up by winning gold at the World Grand Prix at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha in July. Robinson was named the tournament’s best outside hitter.