Huskers Host Kentucky in Spring Volleyball

Lincoln ? The Nebraska volleyball team takes the NU Coliseum court for the only time this spring on Saturday, April 12, as they host the Kentucky Wildcats. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and tickets prices for Saturday’s match are set at $10 (adults) and $8 (youth and senior citizens). UNL Students will be admitted free with a valid student ID.

For Nebraska Volleyball Coach John Cook, Saturday’s match provides an opportunity to see the progress the Huskers have made during the spring. Saturday’s match is the final team match of the spring, with the Collegiate National Beach Tournament wrapping up the schedule next week.

"For us, this is like a final exam for our spring season," Cook said. "It gives us a chance to see the things we have worked on in practice for the past four weeks, and to see them in a match setting."

"More importantly, it gets our players in uniform playing a match at the Coliseum," Cook said. "It allows us to go through game-day routines before having to perform in front of our fans under game conditions, and that is something you can’t replicate in practice."

The Huskers will be challenged by a veteran Kentucky team that went 22-10 last year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before losing to Michigan State. The Wildcats are coached by former NU assistant Craig Skinner and have reached the NCAAs in each of the past three years.

Fans attending Saturday’s match will notice a chance in the scoring, as the 2008 season will mark the first season with 25-point scoring, as opposed to 30 in recent years. The change puts the college and international games in the same scoring system, and Cook said that there already has been a noticeable difference.

"The best comparison I can make is the difference between running 800-meters versus running 400 meters," Cook said. "There is more of a sense of urgency on every point and errors and mistakes are magnified. In watching matches at other levels, the thing you see is there are a lot more close games."

The Huskers return three starters from a team that went 30-2 and won the Big 12 title in 2007, including two-time All-American Jordan Larson. Other returning starters include middle blocker Kori Cooper and liberos Kayla Banwarth and Rachel Schwartz.

-- Huskers --