Huskers Head to Omaha for 2009 Runza/AVCA Showcase

Huskers Head to Omaha for 2009 Runza/AVCA Showcase
The Nebraska volleyball team begins the 2009 season this weekend, as the Huskers travel to Omaha for the 2009 Runza/AVCA Showcase at Qwest Center Omaha. The four-team event includes the No. 3 Huskers, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 16 Michigan and No. 22 Kansas State taking part in a conference challenge format.

Action begins Friday night with two matches beginning at 6 p.m., with Kansas State taking on Minnesota. The Huskers will be in the nightcap, as the face the Michigan Wolverines in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Seattle Regional semifinal. The following night, Michigan will face Kansas State at 6:30 p.m., while the Huskers take on the Golden Gophers at 8:30 p.m. The 2009 season marks the fourth time the event has been held in Omaha (also 2005, 2007 and 2008) and the second year of a three-year run for the conference challenge format.

Tickets for the Runza/AVCA Showcase are on sale at the Qwest Center box office and at Ticketmaster locations around Nebraska. Single-session prices are $22 for lower bowl reserved seats and $18 for upper bowl reserved seats and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000, by visiting Ticketmaster.com or at the Qwest Center Box Office. All-session passes are also available with prices set at $39 (lower bowl reserved) or $32 (upper bowl reserved).

Fans can listen to all of the action with John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha. In addition, all four matches will be televised on CBS College Sports with Larry Punteney and Kathi Weiskamp calling all of the action. Both of Nebraska’s matches will also be carried statewide on NET Television (Ch. 12 and Ch. 112 in HD).

Scouting the Runza/AVCA Showcase Field
Michigan: The Wolverines make their first-ever appearance in the Runza/AVCA Showcase this season. While Michigan is the lone newcomer to the AVCA Showcase, the Wolverines have crafted their own impressive legacy this decade. Under Coach Mark Rosen, Michigan has qualified for the NCAAs in eight of the last 10 seasons after reaching the tournament one time prior to 2000. Michigan, which checks in at No. 16 in the AVCA preseason rankings, comes off back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Regional. Michigan has won 29 of its last 30 matches against non-conference opponents, with the only blemish coming against the Huskers in the 2009 Seattle Regional.  In 2009, Michigan returns five starters after losing just two players on a team that went 26-9 and recorded its most wins since 1981. The Wolverines are led by junior setter Lexi Zimmerman, who garnered second-team AVCA All-America honors after averaging 11.37 assists, 1.37 kills and 2.65 digs per set last season. The Wolverines also welcome back outside hitter Juliana Paz, who averaged 3.31 kills per set and played junior college ball at nearby Iowa Western Community College.

Minnesota:  Another program with high expectations for the upcoming season is Minnesota, which is ranked 11th in the preseason poll. The Golden Gophers make their third Runza/AVCA Showcase appearance after  competing in the event in 2002 and 2004. Minnesota   reached the championship match in both previous showings. Under legendary coach Mike Hebert, the Gophers have been one of the country’s perennial powerhouses, reaching a pair of NCAA semifinals earlier this decade. Hebert, who begins his 34th season in the collegiate ranks, may have one of his most talented Gopher teams to date entering the 2009 season.  Minnesota went 24-6 last year before falling to Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gophers welcome back four starters, including returning AVCA All-Americans Brook Dieter and Lauren Gibbemeyer. The 2009 season marks the first time since its NCAA runner-up squad in 2004 that Minnesota has three first-team All-Big Ten performers returning. Dieter led Minnesota and ranked among the Big Ten leaders with 3.57 kills per set last year, while also chipping in 2.23 digs from her outside hitter spot. Gibbemeyer was one of the Big Ten’s best middle blockers, averaging 3.24 kills and 1.39 blocks per game. In addition, All-Big Ten libero Christine Tan returns after averaging 4.89 digs per set a year ago. In addition to the returning talent, the Gophers also welcome the nation’s top recruiting class according to Prepvolleyball.com. The class consists of four of the top incoming players as well as a pair of senior transfers in setter Taylor Carico and Megan Wilson. Carico, who played in last year’s AVCA Showcase at USC, earned All-America honors as part of USC’s NCAA semifinal squad, while Wilson played at Missouri for three seasons before heading north for her senior campaign.

Showcase Notes
?-If tradition is any indication, fans will see at least one of these teams in Tampa in December to play for a national title, as 21 former Runza/AVCA Showcase participants have played in that season’s national semifinals. Last year, three of the four participants (Nebraska, Texas and Stanford) all reached the NCAA Semifinals.
?-This weekend’s event features six returning AVCA All-Americans, including two Huskers and three Minnesota players. Taylor Carico, who is at Minnesota, was an AVCA All-American at USC in 2007 and played in last year’s showcase before transferring to Minnesota.

Nebraska and the Runza/AVCA Showcase
?-The Huskers are making their eighth appearance in the showcase (also 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008) and are a perfect 8-0 in the event under Head Coach John Cook, including six wins over top-five teams.
?-The 2009 season marks the sixth time that Nebraska has served as host of the event - the most of any program. The inaugural event was held at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln in 1995. The NU Coliseum also played host to the 1999 event, while the Qwest Center has served as host in 2005, 2007 and 2008.
?-The Huskers are 9-0 in season openers under John Cook and have not lost a season opener since falling to Pacific in the 1999 NACWAA Classic (the forerunner to the current Runza/AVCA Showcase).

Nebraska vs. the AVCA Showcase Field
Nebraska has fared well against Big Ten teams going 15-1 against the league since the 2000 season. The Huskers saw their streak of 17 straight wins against Big Ten teams snapped in the 2008 NCAA Semifinals.

vs. Michgan: The Huskers lead the all-time series with Michigan, 3-0, with all three matchups this decade. The Huskers posted sweeps against the Wolverines in 2000, 2005 and in the last meeting at the 2008 NCAA Seattle Regional.

vs. Minnesota: The Huskers lead the all-time series with Michigan, 25-4, but have not faced the Golden Gophers since the 2006 NCAA Regional Finals in Gainesville, Fla. In that  match, the Huskers dropped the first two sets, only to come back and take the match in a decisive fifth set. It marked the first time Nebraska had ever gone on the road and won an NCAA Regional title and propelled the Huskers to the 2006 NCAA title.

Husker Potential Starters
MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Sr., Amarillo, Texas - Senior co-captain who makes her return following knee surgery last November. She was named first-team All-Big 12 and honorable-mention All-American after averaging 2.09 kills  on .396 hitting and 0.88 blocks per set. She has a career .366 hitting percentage, which ranks sixth among all players with at least 500 kills. Cooper has 40 career matches where she has hit .400 or better (with a minimum of 10 swings) and hit a personal-best .396 in 2008 to rank second in the Big 12 and 10th nationally.

MB - #6 Jordan Wilberger: 6-1, So., Scottsbluff, Neb. - Wilberger started at middle blocker during the postseason and averaged 1.12 kills on .338 hitting and 0.85 blocks per set in 2008. She had a career-high seven kills on .700 hitting against Liberty in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Wilberger played the majority of the final set at No. 4 Texas, coming up with a pair of kills and a block.

- or - MB/RS - #8 Brooke Delano: 6-2, So., Bellevue, Neb. - Sophomore who is healthy and could be used at middle blocker or right side hitter this fall. She appeared in 13 matches in 2008,  averaging 1.00 kill, 0.67 blocks and 0.81 digs per set. Her best match of the year came in her first career start at No. 17 Kansas State on Sept. 17. In that match, she established career bests for kills (seven), digs (16) and blocks (four) while also recording her first ace.

-or-  RS - #4 Lindsey Licht: 6-5, Jr., Aurora, Colo. - Licht  started on the right side in 2008, averaging 2.56 kills and 0.90 blocks per set to rank among team leaders in both categories. She reached double figures in kills in 14 matches, including a career-best 17 kills on .500 hitting against No. 3 Texas on Sept. 20, 2008. Licht was named to the Seattle Regional All-Tournament team, averaging 2.12 kills and 1.38 blocks per set, leading NU with six stuffs against No. 19 Michigan on Dec. 12.

L - #2 Kayla Banwarth: 5-10, Jr., Dubuque, Iowa - Banwarth is in her third year as NU’s starting libero, as she earned the job late in her freshman year. She ranked third in the Big 12 in digs per set (4.12), while her 470 digs in 2008 ranked third in school history. She reached double figures in digs in 29 matches last season, including five matches with at least 20 digs. Her career high is 27 set against Texas A&M on Nov. 5, 2008.

S - #1 Sydney Anderson: 6-0, Jr., Salt Lake City, Utah - Anderson is a returning AVCA All-American who has been chosen as one of the 2009 captains. She averaged 11.60 assists, 2.05 digs and 0.29 aces per set, ranking eighth nationally in assists and among the Big 12 leaders in service aces. She totaled eight double-doubles in 2008, as Nebraska ranked in the top-15 nationally in kills and assists per set and hitting  percentage.

-or - S - #11 Jessica Yanz: 6-0, Jr., Boilingbrook, Ill. - Yanz will be called on if the Huskers open the season in a 6-2 offensive set. She had to sit out the 2008 season after transferring from Penn State. Yanz played in 18 matches in 2007, averaging 6.33 assists per set, including 22 assists in a match against Nebraska at the Qwest Center. She started four matches and had a career-high 42 assists against Virginia Commonwealth to  help the Nittany Lions to an NCAA title.

OH - #19 Tara Mueller: 6-0, Jr., Scottsdale, Ariz. - Mueller is a returning All-American at outside hitter in 2009. She averaged 3.51 kills and 2.37 digs per set in 2008, ranking sixth in the Big 12 in kills per set. She totaled eight double-doubles, setting career highs of 24 kills and 16 digs against No. 5 Washington on Dec. 13, 2008. Mueller was the Most Outstanding Player of the Seattle Regional, averaging 4.00 kills and 3.25 digs per set in wins over Washington and Michigan. Mueller has two career matches with at least 20 kills, as she also totaled 20 kills against Kansas State in 2008.

OH - #44 Hannah Werth: 6-1, Fr., Springfield, Ill. - Werth enrolled at Nebraska in January and is battling for the starting outside hitter role. She started all three spring matches, totaling a match-high 15 kills at Hawaii in her Husker debut. She was the MVP of the 2008 AVCA/Under Armour High School All-America match at the Qwest Center. Werth was a  first-team All-American by Volleyball Magazine and the AVCA after totaling 606 kills on .414 hitting, 252 assists, 220 digs and 54 aces. She finished her career with a state record 2,022 kills and was the  Gatorade Illinois High School Player of the Year in 2008.

- or - OH - #7 Gina Mancuso: 6-1, Fr., Omaha, Neb. - Mancuso is one of the contenders to start on the outside in 2008. She was the Gatorade and Volleyball Magazine National High School Player of the Year in 2008, totaling 721 kills on .452 hitting and 373 digs at Papillion-LaVista High School. She was a three-time all-state performer who ranks second in state history with 2,371 career kills and she also totaled 1,320 digs in high school. She led the Nebraska Juniors to the 2009 Junior Olympic 18-and-under title, earning MVP honors. Her older sister, Dani, started on NU’s 2006 NCAA title team.

Red/White Scrimmage Wrapup
 The third-ranked Nebraska volleyball team trilled a sold out NU Coliseum crowd, as the Reds swept the White squad, 4-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-15, 25-19) on Aug. 22.

The Reds were led by All-American Tara Mueller, who recorded a team-high 14 kills, 11 digs and a pair of service aces. Mueller was one of two Husker red squad members to post double-doubles, as All-American setter Sydney Anderson added a match-high 44 assists, 12 digs and three blocks.  The sellout crowd of 4,158 was treated to high level volleyball, especially during the first two sets when the teams were evenly matched. The Reds outhit the Whites, .179-.076, on the night and totaled 73 digs, including 21 by Kayla Banwarth.

Several players split time playing for both squads, including Lindsey Licht, who totaled 13 kills on .357 hittting and a pair of blocks and Gina Mancuso, who led all players with 15 kills and added 21 digs while chipping in three blocks. Megan Pendergast also had 21 digs, splitting time on both teams during the match, while Hannah Werth added 11 kills and 10 digs.

Back Home in Omaha
 Qwest Center Omaha has been a second home to the Nebraska volleyball program over the last four years. Since bringing the 2005 Runza/AVCA Showcase to Omaha, the Huskers have played 14 matches in the building, compiling a 13-1 record. The lone loss was the No. 1 Penn State in the 2008 NCAA Semifinals, marking the Huskers’ first loss in the state in the last 97 matches dating back to 2004.  Of the Huskers’ 13 wins in the building, nine have been against top-five foes, including wins over Hawaii, Stanford (three times), Florida, UCLA (twice), USC and Penn State. The Huskers will look to make a second trip to Omaha this December, when the Qwest Center hosts one of four NCAA Regionals.