Huskers Host No. 7 Penn State on Senior Night

The No. 5 Nebraska volleyball team ends the regular season on Saturday vs. No. 7 Penn State at 8:30 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The match will be televised on BTN and streamed online at BTN2GO.com. Saturday’s match will be Senior Night, as the Huskers will honor their four seniors - Kelsey Fien, Cecilia Hall, Meghan Haggerty and Alicia Ostrander - following the match. John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall will have the radio call on Husker Sports Network (107.3 FM in Lincoln and 105.9 FM in Omaha). A free live audio stream and live stats are available at Huskers.com.

Nebraska (25-4, 16-3 Big Ten) is riding a nine-match win streak dating back to Oct. 30. The Huskers already have surpassed last year’s win totals (23 overall, 14 Big Ten) but are looking for more. The Huskers are in second place in the Big Ten standings, one match behind Minnesota. The Gophers clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title with a win at home vs. Ohio State on Wednesday. Nebraska needs to win Saturday and have Minnesota lose at Indiana in order to grab a share of the Big Ten title.

Penn State (26-4, 15-4 Big Ten) is coming off two straight sweeps against Maryland and Northwestern. The Nittany Lions saw their Big Ten title hopes take a hit when they lost at Minnesota on Nov. 14 and to Michigan on Nov. 18.

Series History: Nebraska is 15-10 all-time against Penn State after a thrilling 3-2 comeback win at Penn State on Oct. 2. The Huskers topped then-No. 1 Penn State by coming back from two sets down to defeat the Nittany Lions for NU’s first-ever true road win over a No. 1 team. The Huskers are 13-3 against PSU in Lincoln.

Up Next: The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship bracket will be announced Sunday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. Should the Huskers be selected to host the first and second rounds, tickets will go on sale to the general public on Monday, Nov. 30. Fans will be able to purchase tickets on Huskers.com or by calling 1-800-8-BIGRED.

ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• Nebraska ranks first in the Big Ten in digs per set (15.73) and kills per set (14.36).
• Nebraska is hitting .272 for the season and holding opponents to .169.
• Two-time All-American Kadie Rolfzen is putting up a team-best 3.28 kills per set along with 2.72 digs per set.
• Libero Justine Wong-Orantes averages 4.47 digs per set, third-most in the Big Ten. Wong-Orantes has 4.65 digs per set in conference matches to rank first.
• Middle blocker Amber Rolfzen leads the team with 141 blocks. Her 1.55 blocks per set is first in the Big Ten and seventh nationally.
• Setter Kelly Hunter guides the Husker attack with 11.38 assists per set.
• True freshman outside hitter Mikaela Foecke averages 2.98 kills per set and has won two Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week honors.
• Outside hitter Kelsey Fien, an All-Big Ten performer in 2014, is averaging 2.59 kills per set.
• Senior middle blocker Cecilia Hall is putting up 1.70 kills per set and 1.06 blocks per set on the season.
• Sophomore Annika Albrecht is second in the Big Ten with 35 service aces. She served six aces in a three-set win over Rutgers on Oct. 30, one shy of the school record for aces in a match.

SCOUTING PENN STATE
Penn State is led by Megan Courtney’s 3.11 kills per set, while Haleigh Washington hits a Big Ten-best .445 with 1.41 blocks per set. Aiyanna Whitney adds 3.05 kills and 1.16 blocks per set. Penn State leads the Big Ten in hitting (.297) and opponent hitting (.153).

LAST TIME OUT
The No. 5 Nebraska volleyball team swept No. 18 Illinois for the second time this season, 25-16, 25-16, 25-16, Wednesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center for its ninth straight win, matching its longest win streak this season. Nebraska has now reached at least 25 wins in 15 of Head Coach John Cook’s 16 seasons at Nebraska. The Husker middle blockers set the tone all night. Amber Rolfzen (12 kills, seven blocks) and Cecilia Hall (nine kills, six blocks) combined to hit .655. Amber Rolfzen was perfect on the night with no errors in 16 attacks for a .750 hitting percentage, one match after hitting a career-best .769 at Michigan last Saturday. Defensively, Nebraska was outstanding. NU held Illinois (19-11, 10-9 Big Ten) to just .056 hitting, including a .000 mark in the second set. The Huskers had 13.5 blocks, their most since Oct. 23. Nebraska also led in digs, 53-41.