Huskers Travel to Face Northwestern, Illinois

The third-ranked Nebraska volleyball team will leave the state of Nebraska for the first time this season when it heads to Illinois for a pair of Big Ten matches this weekend. The Huskers will begin the road trip at Northwestern on Friday at 7 p.m. in a match that will be streamed online with a BTN Plus subscription. For the second straight year, Nebraska will play Northwestern at Evanston Township High School, as the Wildcats’ permanent home of Welsh-Ryan Arena is under renovation. The Huskers will then make a quick turnaround and play No. 7 Illinois on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Huff Hall in Champaign. That match will be televised on BTN and streamed online at BTN2GO.com.

The Husker matches will air on Husker Sports Network radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 105.9 FM in Omaha. A live audio stream will be provided for both matches at Huskers.com and on the official Huskers app. John Baylor is in his 25th season doing play-by-play for the Husker volleyball program. Lauren (Cook) West, a former All-America setter for the Huskers, will provide color commentary.

About the Huskers
• Nebraska enters the week at 11-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten. The Huskers have won 11 straight matches since a season-opening loss to Florida. Dating back to last season, Nebraska has won 30 of its last 31 matches.
• Nebraska and Illinois are tied for the longest road win streaks in the nation at eight entering the week.
• Nebraska has won 16 straight Big Ten matches dating back to last season. It’s the second-longest current win streak in the nation of any power five conference team (Texas, 20). The next closest Big Ten team is Wisconsin with three straight conference wins.
• Should Illinois defeat Iowa on Friday night, the Huskers will be looking to knock off one of the lone remaining unbeaten teams in the nation on Saturday for the second straight week. Last Friday, Nebraska ended Michigan’s perfect start to the season with a 3-1 win, leaving BYU, Illinois and Pittsburgh as the only undefeated teams left in NCAA Division I.
• Nebraska leads the nation in opponent hitting percentage at .106. The next closest team is Notre Dame at .130.
• Nebraska’s 2.80 blocks per set ranks 14th nationally.
• Nebraska ranks third in the Big Ten and 15th nationally with 1.79 aces per set.
• Senior captain Mikaela Foecke, who has twice been named Big Ten Player of the Week this season, leads the Huskers with 3.67 kills per set and adds 2.37 digs per set and 19 service aces this season. The AVCA second-team All-American is hitting a career-best .337 and is the only active player in NCAA Division I with at least 1,000 career kills, 200 career blocks, 500 career digs and 100 career aces.
• Fellow senior captain Kenzie Maloney is averaging 3.98 digs per set to lead the Husker defense.
• Freshman middle blocker Callie Schwarzenbach ranks second in the Big Ten and fourth in the nation with 1.60 blocks per set. Schwarzenbach had 13 blocks in a 3-1 win over New Mexico on Sept. 14, the most in the NCAA in a four-set match this season.
• Since debuting for the Huskers on Sept. 14, Lexi Sun has put up 3.40 kills per set and 2.27 digs per set.
• Freshman setter Nicklin Hames has seven double-doubles through 12 matches and is averaging 9.84 assists and 2.93 digs per set.
• Sophomore opposite hitter Jazz Sweet is second on the team in total kills and is producing 2.60 kills per set on .295 hitting.
• Sophomore middle blocker Lauren Stivrins is averaging 2.07 kills on a team-best .374 hitting percentage to go with 1.07 blocks per set.

Coaches
• John Cook, Nebraska: 19th year at Nebraska (542-70); 26th year overall (703-143)
• Shane Davis, Northwestern: 3rd year at Northwestern (34-44); 15th year overall (299-132)
• Chris Tamas, Illinois: 2nd year at Illinois (36-11)

Series History
• Nebraska is 12-1 all-time against Northwestern and 8-1 in the Big Ten era. After dropping the first-ever meeting between the teams as conference foes in 2011, Nebraska has won eight straight in the series, the last five coming in sweeps. NU swept Northwestern in Evanston last season, 25-13, 25-20, 25-21.
• Nebraska is 24-7-1 all-time against Illinois. The Huskers have won five straight against Illinois, including four sweeps in that span. NU is 9-2 against Illinois since joining the Big Ten and is 4-1 in matches in Champaign. Illinois’ last win against the Huskers was Nov. 26, 2014, 3-2 in Champaign. The Huskers won 3-1 last year in Lincoln in a homecoming for former NU assistant coach and current Illini head coach Chris Tamas.

Scouting Northwestern
• Northwestern is 10-4 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten after road losses to Indiana (3-1) and No. 16 Purdue (3-1) last weekend. Northwestern will be playing its first home match of the season on Friday night, though the Wildcats did go 3-0 in the Chicago Cup two weeks ago, beating UIC, DePaul and Loyola-Chicago.
• Nia Robinson leads the Wildcats with 4.14 kills per set, which ranks fourth among all Big Ten players. Abryanna Cannon adds 3.80 kills per set and 2.00 digs per set, but she has been out with an injury since Sept. 8. Ella Grbac, daughter of former NFL quarterback Elvis Grbac, chips in 2.91 kills per set.
• Setter Britt Bommer is putting up 8.13 assists per set, and Michelle Lee is averaging 3.49 digs per set.

Scouting Illinois
• No. 7 Illinois is one of three remaining unbeaten teams in the nation at 13-0 (2-0 Big Ten). The Fighting Illini came back from down 0-2 to beat Indiana on the road last Sunday. Illinois has wins over currently ranked teams in Purdue, Creighton, Washington and Colorado this season.
• All-American setter Jordyn Poulter leads the team with 11.48 assists per set, which leads the Big Ten.
• Illinois ranks first in the Big Ten in aces per set (1.90) and is second in hitting percentage (.293) and assists per set (13.40). The Fighting Illini rank in the top 15 nationally in all three categories.
• Jacqueline Quade leads the attack with 4.06 kills per set, fifth-most in the Big Ten. Megan Cooney adds 3.27 kills per set. All-American middle blocker Ali Bastianelli ranks third in the conference in blocks with 1.54 per set and is hitting .393 on the season.

Foecke, Maloney Captain Young Husker Squad
• Seniors Mikaela Foecke and Kenzie Maloney are co-captaining the 2018 Husker squad. Foecke and Maloney are the lone players on the team who have been part of both the 2015 and 2017 NCAA Championship teams, and the duo will look to become the first in program history to appear in four straight final fours and win three national championships.
• Foecke, an outside hitter from West Point, Iowa, was selected the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship in both 2015 and 2017 after leading the Huskers to their fourth and fifth NCAA titles all-time.
• Foecke became the fourth player in NCAA history to twice be named the MOP - as she also earned the honor in 2015 - and she was the first to earn the honor in non-consecutive years.
• Foecke was named an AVCA second-team All-American and was unanimously selected to the All-Big Ten team and was an AVCA All-North Region pick for the third straight year in 2017.
• Foecke was a unanimous preseason All-Big Ten selection entering her senior season. She had a career-high 25 kills on .351 hitting with 13 digs at Creighton on Sept. 6, earning Big Ten Co-Player of the Week honors for the first of two times this season.
• Foecke ranks 10th on Nebraska’s career kills list with 1,328, which also ranks fourth in the rally scoring era (2001 to present). Her 108 career aces are tied for fourth-most in school history in the rally scoring era.
• Maloney, a libero from Louisville, Kentucky, was named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team in 2017 and was a PrepVolleyball.com first-team All-American after serving a school-record 13 aces during the NCAA Tournament.
• In her first season as NU’s libero in 2017, Maloney played all 125 sets and averaged 3.62 digs per set and 0.95 aces per set with season totals of 452 digs and 37 aces, second-most on the team.
• Maloney was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team this year. She is averaging a team-high 3.98 digs per set and had a career-high 25 digs in a win at No. 14 Creighton.
• Maloney became the 11th Husker all-time to reach 1,000 career digs when she did so against Missouri State on Sept. 15. She now has 1,041 career digs, ninth-most in school history in the rally scoring era.

Stivrins, Sweet Stepping Up in Sophomore Seasons
• After earning All-Big Ten Freshman team honors in 2017, middle blocker Lauren Stivrins and opposite hitter Jazz Sweet are both playing bigger roles as sophomores in the program.
• Stivrins is averaging 2.07 kills per set on a team-best .374 hitting percentage to go with 1.07 blocks per set. She added serving to her repertoire this season and is fourth on the team with 11 aces.
• Stivrins finished the 2017 season with 2.07 kills per set on .309 hitting and 1.02 blocks per set while playing all 125 sets. She tallied nine kills on .316 hitting against Florida in the NCAA Championship match and had seven kills and a career-high nine blocks in the NCAA Semifinal vs. Penn State.
• Sweet also played in all 125 sets last season and had 2.22 kills per set on .273 hitting in her first year as a Husker. Sweet posted 12 kills on .375 hitting against Penn State in the NCAA Semifinal.
• This year, Sweet moved into the starting lineup for the Big Red and is third on the team in kills per set at 2.60 and is hitting .295. Sweet also has 36 blocks this season, third-most on the team behind only the two middles.

Sun Makes Husker Debut
• Nebraska added sophomore outside hitter Lexi Sun to its attack in the offseason. The University of Texas transfer was a 2017 first-team All-Big 12 selection and received All-America honorable mention in her freshman season with the Longhorns. A native of Encinitas, California, Sun was the PrepVolleyball.com National Player of the Year, the Gatorade Player of the Year and the All-USA Volleyball Player of the Year as a senior at Santa Fe Christian.
• Sun made her Husker debut on Sept. 14 against New Mexico. She had 13 kills on .346 hitting with five digs, and she followed that the next day with nine kills on .368 hitting with seven digs against Missouri State.
• Sun is playing all six rotations for the Huskers and is averaging 3.40 kills and 2.27 digs per set.

Young Huskers Making Instant Impact
• Eight of the 15 Huskers on the roster are new to the team this season, and five are freshmen.
• Setter Nicklin Hames has started every match and has seven double-doubles. The Knoxville, Tennessee native is averaging 9.84 assists and 2.93 digs per set. Her 20 service aces lead the team.
• Middle blocker Callie Schwarzenbach has started every match and leads the team in blocks with 1.60 per set. Schwarzenbach ranks second in the Big Ten and fourth nationally with her 1.60 blocks per set.
• Defensive specialist Megan Miller has played in 10 matches and is providing 1.34 digs per set, as well as six aces from the service line.
• Outside hitter Capri Davis has played in seven matches and was huge for the Huskers in a 3-2 comeback win at No. 14 Creighton, providing 18 kills.
• Defensive specialist Chen Abramovich made her first collegiate appearance against Wake Forest on Aug. 31.

Smith Makes Return to Huskers
• Senior setter Brooke Smith was part of the Huskers’ 2015 NCAA Championship team and 2016 Big Ten Championship team. She played the 2017 season at Kansas State before transferring back to Nebraska for her senior season this year. Smith was cleared by the NCAA to start playing for the Huskers on Sept. 7 and has played in six matches, recording six assists and one ace.

Huskers Will Play School-Record 19 Home Matches
• Nebraska will play a school-record 19 regular-season home matches in 2018.
• Nine of the Huskers’ 10 non-conference matches were played at the Devaney Center this season. The only road trip was to Omaha, where NU beat Creighton, 3-2, on Thursday, Sept. 6.
• The 2018 season marked the first time the Huskers didn’t play a non-conference match outside of Nebraska since 2007.

Huskers Aiming for 250th Consecutive Regular-Season Sellout
• Nebraska carries an NCAA women’s record 245 consecutive regular-season sellouts. Should the Huskers continue to sell out, their 250th straight sellout would be on Friday, Nov. 2 against Penn State.

Huskers Ranked No. 3 in AVCA Coaches Poll
• Nebraska is ranked No. 3 in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week.
• The Huskers have been ranked No. 1 in 99 all-time polls, the most in NCAA history.
• The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 476 times, which is also the most in NCAA history.
• Nebraska has appeared in all 531 AVCA Coaches Polls since it was established in 1982. Nebraska and Stanford are the only two programs to be ranked in every poll all-time.

Cook Adds to Legacy; Joins AVCA Hall of Fame
• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 19th season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2018. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, eight final fours, 12 conference championships and 16 top-10 final rankings since 2000. Cook has 703 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history.
• Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .886 win percentage in that time (542-70).
• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 52 AVCA All-Americans and 19 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000 and 2005, and a seven-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2017, his first and second Big Ten honors with the Huskers in their Big Ten era (2011-present).
• Cook was named the AVCA North Region Coach of the Year in 2016, his fifth career regional coaching honor and fourth while at Nebraska.
• Cook is one of only four active coaches - and one of six all-time - to be a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year and was honored in 2008 by USA Volleyball, receiving its All-Time Great Coach Award.
• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall.
• Cook became the 10th active Division I head coach to reach 700 career wins with the Huskers’ eighth win of the season on Sept. 14 against New Mexico. Cook is one of 27 Division I coaches all-time to have reached the 700-win mark.
• Cook passed former Husker head coach and AVCA Hall of Famer Terry Pettit on the all-time career wins list earlier this season. Pettit finished his career with 694 career wins, which Cook passed on Aug. 31 when Nebraska beat Wake Forest.

Husker Fans Set Attendance Standard Once Again
• Nebraska fans led the nation in attendance for a fifth straight season in 2017, averaging 8,202 fans per match, nearly 2,000 more than any other school.
• In 2016, the Huskers also led the nation with an average attendance of 8,210 fans per match, a new NCAA attendance record.
• In 2013, the Huskers led the nation in attendance (8,175) for the first time since 1992, ending Hawaii’s 21-year reign as the national leader.
• The Huskers repeated as attendance champions in 2014 with 8,083 fans per match, which included a school-record 8,585 fans at the Oct. 3 win against Penn State.
• Nebraska has ranked in the top three nationally in attendance every season since 1990 (27 straight seasons).

Cook’s Coaching Tree Continues to Grow
• Nebraska head coach John Cook’s assistant coaches have a great track record of moving on to become head coaches.
• Following the 2017 season, Husker assistant Tyler Hildebrand was named the Director of Coaching, Beach Volleyball for USA Volleyball in his home state of California.
• After the 2016 season, Nebraska assistants Chris Tamas and Dani Busboom Kelly both accepted high-level Division I head coaching jobs. Busboom Kelly became the head coach at Louisville, while Tamas accepted the head coaching job at Big Ten foe Illinois. Tamas led his Fighting Illini squad to the Sweet 16 in his first year, while Busboom Kelly made the NCAA Tournament with Louisville and was named the AVCA East Region Coach of the Year.
• Seven assistants under Cook have become head coaches following their time on Cook’s Nebraska staff: Craig Skinner (Kentucky), Lee Maes (Virginia), Lizzy Stemke (Georgia), Dan Conners (UC Davis), Dan Meske (Augustana, Associate Head Coach at Louisville), Busboom Kelly and Tamas.
• In the last eight years, five of Cook’s Husker assistants have become head coaches. with her 1.60 blocks per set.