Huskers Face No. 1 Penn State, No. 13 Ohio State

The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team faces one of its biggest challenges of the 2015 regular season with two road matches against top-13 teams in a 24-hour span this weekend. On Friday, the Huskers take the court with No. 1 Penn State at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa., at 6 p.m. (CT). The match will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network. Nebraska immediately travels to Columbus, Ohio after the match to get set for No. 13 Ohio State on Saturday at 6 p.m. (CT). That match at St. John Arena can be seen online with a BTN Plus subscription. John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall will have the radio calls on Husker Sports Network (107.3 FM in Lincoln and 105.9 FM in Omaha).

Nebraska enters the week 11-1 and 2-0 in the Big Ten after sweeping Iowa twice last week. The Huskers have won eight straight matches, tying the longest win streak since the 2012 season. NU’s 11-1 start is its best since beginning 18-1 in 2011. Penn State is 13-0 and 2-0 in the Big Ten and dropped its first two sets of the season last Saturday in a 3-2 win over No. 16 Minnesota. The Nittany Lions took care of Wisconsin, 3-0, to begin Big Ten play. Ohio State is 12-2 and 1-1 in the Big Ten entering a Friday home match against Iowa. The Buckeyes lost to the 16th-ranked Golden Gophers, 2-3, before turning around to beat No. 19 Wisconsin, 3-2. Both Penn State and Ohio State are in the midst of four-match homestands to begin Big Ten play.

About the Huskers
• Nebraska is 6-9 all-time against No. 1 teams in the AVCA Top 25 Poll. The Huskers have won three of their last four matchups against top-ranked teams, the latest coming on Oct. 28, 2012 against Penn State at the NU Coliseum, 3-2. The Huskers have never won a true road match against a No. 1 team, as they lost at UCLA in 1992 and at Long Beach State in 1997.
• Nebraska leads the Big Ten with 16.07 digs per set and ranks 44th in the nation.
• The Huskers are hitting .294 on the season to rank second in the Big Ten and 10th nationally.
• Nebraska averages 14.83 kills per set, which ranks second in the conference and third in the nation.
• Two-time All-American Kadie Rolfzen is putting up a team-best 3.29 kills per set along with 2.82 digs per set. The junior has 29 career double-doubles and was the B1G Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 21.
• Middle blocker Amber Rolfzen leads the team with 45 blocks. Her 1.61 blocks per set leads the Big Ten and is fourth nationally. Her block average is on pace to be the best by a Husker since Melissa Elmer’s school-record 2.17 in 2005.
• True freshman outside hitter Mikaela Foecke averages 2.81 kills per set with a .332 hitting percentage, the best by an NU outside hitter. Foecke has won two Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week honors.
• Setter Kelly Hunter guides the Husker attack with 11.45 assists per set, ranking second in the Big Ten and 12th nationally. The sophomore had a career-high 57 assists and nine kills in the comeback win against Oregon on Sept. 5. Hunter was named the B1G Setter of the Week on Aug. 31 and Nebraska Invitational MVP on opening weekend. She has a team-best four double-doubles, the latest coming at Iowa State with a career-high 17 digs.
• Libero Justine Wong-Orantes averages a team-best 4.13 digs per set and has played every set in 57 consecutive matches dating back to her freshman season in 2013.
• Outside hitter Kelsey Fien, an All-Big performer in 2014, is averaging 2.57 kills per set. Fien’s career-high 19 kills vs. Oregon on Sept. 5 are the most by a Husker this season.
• Senior middle blocker Cecilia Hall is putting up 2.05 kills per set on the season with a .329 hitting percentage. In her first three years, Hall averaged 1.31 kills per set and was a career .290 hitter.

Scouting Penn State
The Nittany Lions are led by four key attackers. Middle blocker Haleigh Washington sets the tone with 2.76 kills and 1.51 blocks per set. Her .527 hitting percentage leads the Big Ten. Outside hitter Megan Courtney leads the team in kills with 3.15 per set and adds 3.07 digs per set. Last year’s AVCA Freshman of the Year Ali Frantti averages 2.93 kills per set and 1.83 digs per set. Aiyana Whitney chips in 3.12 kills and 0.9 blocks per set. Both Frantti and Whitney were second-team All-Americans last year. Penn State leads the league in hitting (.319) and opponent hitting (.114), as well as blocks (3.20 per set). PSU ranks second nationally in hitting percentage, and third in blocks and opponent hitting percentage.

Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes get 4.04 kills and 2.40 digs per set from Elizabeth Campbell, who leads the Big Ten in total points (240.5). Campbell was an AVCA All-America honorable mention pick last year. Middle blocker Taylor Sandbothe adds 3.19 kills and 1.17 blocks per set. Valeria León is second in the conference in digs with 4.79 per set. The Buckeyes are third in the Big Ten in digs per set (15.55) and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.142).

Wong-Orantes Moving Up Career Digs Chart
Junior Justine Wong-Orantes ranks 11th in school history with 1,024 career digs entering the week and needs eight to move into the top 10. Wong-Orantes surpassed 1,000 career digs at Iowa State on Sept. 19, becoming the fastest Husker to reach 1,000 digs, doing so in just 75 matches.

Rolfzen Closing in on 1,000 Kills
Junior Kadie Rolfzen enters the week with 907 career kills. She is aiming to become the 21st player in Husker history to reach 1,000 career kills and just the ninth to do so before her senior season. The last Husker to reach the 1,000-kill plateau before her senior season was Jordan Larson as a junior in 2007.