No. 5 Huskers Host No. 14 Iowa State Wednesday Night

No. 5 Nebraska (14-4, 7-2 Big 12) vs. No. 14 Iowa State (15-3, 7-2 Big 12) Wednesday, Oct. 21 ?  NU Coliseum ? 7 p.m. Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com TV: NET-1 (Ch. 12) and NET-HD (Ch. 112) Live Stats: Huskers.com Video: Free Video on Huskers.com

Following a 2-0 road trip, the Nebraska volleyball team returns to the Nebraska Coliseum to close out the first half of the league slate against Iowa State. First serve at a sold-out NU Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on the Husker Sports Network stations and Huskers.com with John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall calling all of the action. Wednesday’s match will also be televised live on NET-1 and NET-HD with Larry Punteney and Kathi Weiskamp on the call.

The Huskers (14-4, 7-2 Big 12) are enjoying one of their best offensive stretches of the season, hitting .307 and averaging 16.00 kills per set over the last four contests. Nebraska, which jumped from seventh to fifth in this week’s AVCA coaches poll, comes off a solid win at Missouri, as the Huskers handed the Tigers their first home loss of the season. Sydney Anderson matched a career high with 57 assists and added nine digs, as three Huskers (Hannah Werth, Lindsey Licht and Tara Mueller) all reached double figures in kills, while middle blockers Kori Cooper, Brooke Delano and Jordan Wilberger combined for 21 kills on the night.

Nebraska will be tested against one of the Big 12’s top defenses, as No. 14 Iowa State (15-3, 7-2 Big 12) is holding opponents to a Big 12-low .135 hitting percentage, while ranking first or second in both blocks (2.67, second) and digs (17.78, first). The Cyclones have won six straight matches since back-to-back losses to Texas and Baylor in September to move into a tie for second place with Nebraska entering Wednesday’s match.

By the Numbers
5.78 - Digs per set by libero Kayla Banwarth over NU’s last five matches. Banwarth had four 20-dig efforts in that stretch, including a double-double with 26 digs and 10 assists at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. Banwarth was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 19, as she collected 47 digs in a pair of wins.
7- Number of times that Hannah Werth has led the Huskers in kills this season, including each of the last five matches. Werth is up to 3.05 kills per set.
.421 - Kori Cooper’s hitting percentage over the last five contests, as she is now hitting a season-best .330.

Scouting Iowa State
Under former Husker All-American Christy Johnson, Iowa State comes to Lincoln with a 15-3 record and No. 14 ranking in Monday’s AVCA poll. The Cyclones, who have won six straight since back-to-back losses to Texas and Baylor early in Big 12 action, are tied with Nebraska for second in the Big 12 entering tonight’s match. Like Nebraska, all three of the Cyclones’ losses have been to teams ranked in the polls this season, including a four-set loss at Minnesota. Johnson has guided the Cyclones to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances over the last two seasons.

The Cyclones basically returned their entire roster that reached the Elite Eight  in 2008, including All-Big 12 performers Kaylee Manns, Victoria Henson and Ashley Mass. Henson, who earned All-America honors last season at outside hitter, is second in the Big 12 averaging 4.25 kills per set. Manns leads the Big 12 with 12.28 assists per set while helping the Cyclones rank fourth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.244). Mass, the reigning Big 12 Libero of the Year, leads the Big 12 with 5.15 digs per set, while helping ISU lead the Big 12 in opponent hitting percentage (.135).

The Huskers have dominated the all-time series, going 74-0 all-time against Iowa State since 1975. Last year’s meetings both went four sets, as the Huskers.

Last Matchup:  Jordan Larson totaled 17 kills to lead three Huskers in double figures, leading No. 2 Nebraska to a 3-1 win over Iowa State. Larson collected her 45th career double-double, finishing with 17 kills, 15 digs and two aces. Lindsey Licht and Tara Mueller joined Larson in double figures for the Huskers, who improved to 21-1 overall and 12-1 in the Big 12. Licht drilled 12 kills on .435 hitting and added a pair of blocks, while Mueller collected her fifth double-double with 12 kills, 12 digs and three blocks.
Sydney Anderson guided a balanced Husker offense, as all five primary hitters totaled at least eight kills, to help NU out-hit the Cyclones, .259-.156. Anderson finished with 51 assists, four blocks and four kills. Middle blockers Kori Cooper and Amanda Gates also shined in the win, combining for 17 kills on .433 hitting and 11 blocks.

Nebraska-Iowa State Series Notes
?-The Cyclones feature four players from Nebraska, including starters Jamie Straube (1.85 kills and 1.15 blocks per set), Kelsey Peterson (2.29 kills and 0.83 blocks per set) and Caitlin Mahoney (2.20 digs per set).
? Iowa State Head Coach Christy Johnson was the starting setter on Nebraska’s 1995 national championship team. Johnson also served as an assistant to John Cook at Wisconsin in 1997 and 1998.
? Nebraska held Iowa State to two points in a 3-0 win on Nov. 13, 1999.
? Iowa State has won just 17 of 231 sets in the history of the series.
? Nebraska’s match in Ames on Nov. 11, 2007, drew a school-record crowd of 6,705 - the largest volleyball crowd in the history of the state of Iowa.

Husker Potential Starters
MB -  #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Sr., Amarillo, Texas - Senior co-captain is easing her way back into the lineup following knee surgery last November. Cooper is averaging 2.14 kills and 0.80 blocks per set in 11 matches. She has played at a high level since returning to the lineup full time on Sept. 23, averaging 2.44 kills on .382 hitting over the last seven contests. Cooper had nine kills on a season-high .471 hitting at Missouri in NU’s last match after totaling  10 kills on .381 hitting at Baylor on Oct. 14, marking the second time she’s been in double figures this year.  She had season bests in kills (13) and hitting percentage (.462) at Oklahoma on Sept. 30, marking the third straight match she has enjoyed season bests in kills. Cooper added nine kills on .316 hitting against No. 2 Texas on Sept. 26. Cooper was named first-team All-Big 12 and honorable-mention All-American in 2008 after averaging 2.09 kills  on .396 hitting and 0.88 blocks per set. Cooper has 43 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 - #8 Brooke Delano: 6-2, So., Bellevue, Neb. - Sophomore who has started at middle blocker in 2009, and averages 2.38 kills and 1.16 blocks per set. She is second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.359) and third in blocks. Delano reached double figures in kills seven times, including a season-best 14 kills on .414 hitting at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. She has hit .400 or better nine times on the season, including a career-best .600 with 10 kills, five blocks and five digs against Kansas on Oct. 7. Delano chipped in 10 kills and four blocks on .470 hitting in a sweep of No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 19.  She was one of two Huskers named to the Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament team, as she averaged 2.33 kills per set on .415 hitting and 1.00 blocks per set. Delano averaged 2.00 kills on .424 hitting and 1.88 blocks per set in two matches at the Tiger Classic. She had nine kills on .389 hitting and a career-high nine blocks (including four solo stuffs) against LSU on Sept. 4, and followed up with seven kills on .467 hitting and six blocks in a sweep of Tulane. She earned a spot on the AVCA Showcase All-Tournament team, as she averaged 2.62 kills on .348 hitting and 0.88 blocks per set. Delano had career bests in kills (14), blocks (five) and hitting percentage (.400) in the victory over No. 11 Minnesota on Aug. 29 at the Runza/AVCA Showcase. Delano appeared in 13 matches in 2008, averaging 1.00 kill, 0.67 blocks and 0.81 digs per set before undergoing season-ending surgery last November.

RS - #4 Lindsey Licht: 6-5, Jr., Aurora, Colo. - Licht returns for her second year on the right side and is averaging 2.53 kills and 1.09 blocks per set to rank eighth in the Big 12 in blocks. Licht has been in double figures in kills seven times in 2009, including 13 kills against Missouri on Oct. 17, and has topped NU in blocks in seven matches, most recently with five at No. 19 Baylor along with nine kills on Oct. 14. She led Nebraska with six blocks and added seven kills against K-State on Oct. 10.  Licht had 14 kills and three blocks in the win at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. She played well at Texas A&M on Sept. 23, recording 13 kills on .423 hitting and three blocks.  Licht had a strong performance at Colorado on Sept. 19, drilling 16 kills on a season-high .481 hitting and adding two blocks. Licht totaled nine kills and had a season-high seven blocks in the loss to No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13. She turned in a strong effort at the Tiger Classic, averaging 2.91 kills and 1.18 blocks per set in three contests. Licht put together her best match of the year against LSU with a season-best 15 kills and six blocks, highlighted by four kills and two blocks in the fifth set. Against Tulane, she came back with 11 kills on .409 hitting and five blocks in a sweep of the Green Wave.  She 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.

-or- OH - #7 Gina Mancuso: 6-1, Fr., Omaha, Neb. - Mancuso is seeing time at both the outside hitter position and as a back-row specialist on the right side. She is averaging 0.80 kills, 1.61 digs and 0.22 service aces per set in 16 matches. Against Kansas State on Oct. 10, she racked up a career best four service aces and added five digs against the Wildcats. Mancuso also added two aces at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14.  She matched her career high with 13 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30, one of 10 matches this year with at least five digs.  She had eight digs, a pair of kills and a service ace against Colorado on Sept. 19.  She had a career-high 10 kills and added eight digs in a sweep of UL-Lafayette and collected eight kills on .312 hitting and four blocks against Tulane on Sept. 5. She made her first start at outside hitter against No. 11 Minnesota, totaling nine kills, 13 digs and four blocks against the Golden Gophers. Mancuso 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 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.

L - #2 Kayla Banwarth: 5-10, Jr., Dubuque, Iowa - Banwarth is in her third year as NU’s starting libero and is third in the Big 12 with 4.85 digs per set and also chips in 1.26 assists per set. Banwarth has reached double figures in digs in NU’s last 24 contests dating back to last season following a 25-dig effort at Missouri on Oct. 17.  She has eight matches with at least 20 digs this year and recorded her first career double-double at Oklahoma on Sept. 30 with 26 digs and a career-best 10 assists.  Banwarth had 22 digs in a sweep at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14 and  20 digs in a sweep of K-State on Oct. 10. Banwarth had 20 digs and a then-career-best eight assists at Texas A&M on Sept. 20. She was named the Defensive MVP of the Tiger Classic, as she collected 4.82 digs per set, while limiting NU’s three opponents to a combined .054 hitting. She had 21 digs and a career-high seven assists in the victory over LSU. Banwarth had career highs in digs (32) and assists (6) in the win over No. 11 Minnesota on Aug. 29, as her 32 digs ranked third in school history. Banwarth was third in the Big 12 in digs per set (4.12) in 2008, while her 470 digs ranked third in school history.

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 averages 10.85 assists, 0.71 kills and 2.69 digs per set. Anderson is fourth in the league in assists and has a team-best 10 double-doubles (assists-digs), most recently a 39-assist, 10-dig effort at No. 18 Baylor on Oct. 14. She comes off one of her best efforts of the year, dishing out a career-high 57 assists and adding nine digs at Missouri on Oct. 17.  Anderson had season bests with 54 assists and 16 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30  Against Kansas State on Oct. 10, Anderson dished out 36 assists and helped the Huskers hit .319 as a team.  She has eight matches with at least 40 assists this season, including 51 digs at LSU on Sept. 4. Anderson was selected to the Ameritas Players Challenge all-tournament team, as she averaged 10.58 assists, 1.00 kill and 2.83 digs per set. Against BYU, she dished out 49 assists and added 10 digs and a career-best seven kills on .778 hitting. Anderson was selected as the Offensive MVP of the LSU Tiger Classic on Sept. 5, when she averaged 9.90 assists, 2.40 digs and 0.50 blocks per set. She had a double-double against LSU, collecting a season-high 51 assists and matching her Husker career best with 14 digs. Anderson earned a spot on the 2009 Runza/AVCA Showcase all-tournament team with 46 assists and 11 digs in Nebraska’s win over No. 11 Minnesota. She averaged 11.60 assists, 2.05 digs and 0.29 aces per set in 2008, ranking eighth nationally in assists and among the Big 12 leaders in service aces.

OH - #19 Tara Mueller: 6-0, Jr., Scottsdale, Ariz. - Mueller is a returning All-American at outside hitter and is averaging a team-high 3.13 kills and 2.51 digs per set. She comes off her fifth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 11 digs at Missouri on Oct. 17. Mueller tied for team-high honors with 10 kills on .368 hitting against Kansas State on Oct. 10, and added eight kills and five digs in a sweep at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14. She had just five kills, but matched her career best with 16 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. Mueller had a team-high 13 kills and a season-best four blocks (including two solos) against No. 2 Texas on Sept. 26. She led NU with a match-high 21 kills and added six digs at Texas A&M on Sept. 23, her fourth career match with at least 20 kills. Mueller had 11 kills on .350 hitting and added eight digs at Colorado on Sept. 19. She totaled 44 kills and eight aces in three matches at the Ameritas Players Challenge, including 17 kills in NU’s loss to No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13. Mueller averaged 3.62 kills and 2.88 digs per set in two wins at the Tiger Classic to earn a place on the all-tournament team. She had a season-high 22 kills and 15 digs in the win over LSU on Sept. 4, and hit .412 on 17 swings against Tulane on Sept. 5. Mueller had a match-high 17 kills and tied a career high with 16 digs in the win against No. 11 Minnesota. 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 seven 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 has earned one of the starting spots at outside hitter. She is averaging 3.05 kills and 2.81 digs per set, ranking second on the team in both kills and digs per set.  Werth leads all Big 12 freshmen in kills per set and is third (first among non-liberos) in digs per set. A four-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week, Werth tied her career best with 17 kills and added 15 digs at Missouri on Oct. 17 for her seventh double-double. Werth had 13 kills on .389 hitting and 12 digs in a sweep  at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14. She was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week for a third time on Oct. 12, as she averaged 4.17 kills per set on .426 hitting. She had 10 kills on .389 hitting in a sweep of Kansas State on Oct. 10.  Werth enjoyed one of her best matches of the year, drilling 15 kills on .448 hitting to go along with nine digs against Kansas on Oct. 7. It was one of five times she has topped NU in kills this season. Werth had a career-high 17 kills and 10 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30 for her fifth double-double of the year.  She earned Big 12 Rookie honors for the second time this year, averaging  2.75 kills and 2.62 digs per set against Texas A&M and No. 2 Texas.  Werth had her fourth double-double of the season at Texas A&M with 11 kills and 12 digs.  She recorded 14 kills  and a season-high 23 digs against No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13. She had a then-career-high 13 kills on .455 hitting against UL-Lafayette and collected her first career double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs against LSU on Sept. 4. Werth was the MVP of the 2008 AVCA/Under Armour High School All-America match. She 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.

Last Time Out: Huskers Top Tigers
Sydney Anderson tied her career high with 57 assists, while No. 7 Nebraska hit over .300 for the third straight match in defeating Missouri, 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 21-25, 25-13) on Oct. 17. With the win, the Huskers became the first team to win in Columbia this season, snapping Missouri’s eight-match home win streak.
Anderson’s 57 assists tied a career high set against Washington in last year’s NCAA Regional final, as she helped three Huskers finish in double figures. Hannah Werth tied a career high with a team-best 17 kills and added 15 digs, while right side hitter Lindsey Licht added 13 kills on .367 hitting and two solo blocks. All-American Tara Mueller was the third Husker to finish in double figures with 10 kills and 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the year.
Nebraska held Missouri to just .155 hitting as Kayla Banwarth totaled a match-high 25 digs ? her third straight  match with at least 20 digs and the seventh time this year she has eclipsed the 20-dig mark.
 
Power of Pink Match Set for Wednesday
The Huskers volleyball team will participate in the Power of Pink in their next home match against Iowa State on Wednesday, Oct. 21. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and volleyball programs around the country are participating in a variety of activities. The Match Club will be selling pink T-shirts to raise money as well.

Saturday’s Match vs. OU to Start at 7 p.m.
The Nebraska Athletic Department announced that NU’s volleyball match with Oklahoma this Saturday, Oct. 24, will take place at 7 p.m. at the Nebraska Coliseum. The start time was confirmed following the Big 12’s announcement that the Nebraska-Iowa State football game that day will kickoff at 11:30 a.m. and be televised by FSN.

Two Huskers Honored by Big 12 Monday
Nebraska’s Kayla Banwarth and Hannah Werth were honored by the Big 12 Conference on Oct. 19.  Banwarth was chosen as the league’s Defensive Player of the Week, while Werth was tabbed as the league’s co-Rookie of the Week with Missouri’s Paola Ampudia.
Banwarth earned her first career accolade, as she averaged 6.71 digs, 0.86 assists and 0.29 service aces per set to help the Huskers to a 2-0 week. Banwarth totaled a match-high 22 digs in a sweep at No. 19 Baylor on Wednesday, adding five assists and helping limit Baylor to just .169 hitting. On Saturday at Missouri, she collected a match-high 25 digs at Missouri while matching a season-high with two service aces, as Nebraska became the first team to win in Columbia this year, snapping the Tigers’ eight-match home win streak.
Werth was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this year, as she averaged 4.29 kills on .328 hitting and 3.86 digs per set in a pair of road wins. She her career high with 17 kills and added 15 digs, as Nebraska became the first team to win at Missouri this season with a 3-1 win on Oct. 17. Earlier in the week, she led NU with 13 kills on .379 hitting and adding 12 digs.

Husker Quick Sets
?-The Huskers picked up their 250th Big 12 victory on Oct. 17 at Missouri. Nebraska’s 250 wins since the league’s inception tops all schools, as only Texas (201) is above 200 league wins.
?-Nebraska has hit over .300 in each of the last three matches, the first time that has happened all year and the first time it has occurred since a three-match stretch from Nov. 8-15, 2009. The Huskers have not hit .300 or better in four straight matches since late in the 2007 campaign.
?-Freshman Hannah Werth has topped the Huskers in kills in the last five matches, the longest stretch by a Husker freshman since Sarah Pavan topped NU in kills in the first six matches of her collegiate career. In that stretch, Werth is averaging 4.00 kills on .309 hitting and 2.78 digs per set.
?-Nebraska’s two service errors against Kansas State on Oct. 10, equalled the Huskers’ lowest total this decade. NU also had just two service errors against Texas A&M on Oct. 22, 2008.  The last time NU had fewer service errors in a match was against Baylor on Nov. 20, 1999, when the Huskers had just once service error.
?-Four Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 25 of the NCAA initial RPI released Oct. 19. The teams include Texas (No. 1),  Iowa State (No. 15), Nebraska (No. 17) and Baylor (No. 24).
?-Brooke Delano’s .600 hitting percentage against Kansas on Oct. 7, was the best by a Husker this season. The last time a Husker hit .600 or better in a match (min. 10 attacks) was Amanda Gates, when she hit .615 (8-0-13) against Michigan in the NCAA Regional Semifinals.
?-Kori Cooper has been playing her best volleyball over the last three weeks, as she is averaging 2.71 kills per set on .421 hitting in Nebraska’s last five matches. Cooper is now hitting .330 on the year and has two double-figure performances in that span.
?-Werth’s 17 kills against both Missouri and at Oklahoma are the most by a true freshman at NU since Jordan Larson had 19 at Minnesota on Sept. 5, 2005.
?-The Huskers are 102-7 (.936) in their last 109 conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.
?-The Huskers are now 91-3 (.968) in conference home matches under John Cook.
?-Texas snapped Nebraska’s 56-match Big 12 home winning streak on Sept. 26, as the Longhorns became the first Big 12 team to win in Lincoln since Missouri accomplished the feat on Oct. 15, 2003.
?-Nebraska has already received 10 double-digit kill efforts from its middle blockers this season, including seven from Brooke Delano. Last year, NU totaled nine double-digit kill efforts from its middles in 34 matches. 
?-Tara Mueller has two 20-kill matches in 2009, equaling her entire total of 20-kill matches from last season. Mueller has also tied her career bests with 16 digs twice this season, most recently at Oklahoma on Sept. 30.
?-Lindsey Licht has topped Nebraska in kills in three matches this season after pacing the Huskers just once in 2008. Licht has also reached double figures in kills in four of NU’s last six matches.
?-With double-doubles in matches against No. 8 UCLA and Texas Tech, Hannah Werth became the first Husker freshman outside hitter to accomplish the feat since Jennifer Saleaumua in 2002 (vs. Texas Tech; at Texas).
?-Hannah Werth’s 23 digs against No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13 marked the most digs by a Husker outside hitter since Christina Houghtelling had 26 at Kansas State in 2007, and the most by a Husker freshman since 2003.
?-Brooke Delano’s four blocks at LSU on Sept. 4, were the most by a Husker since Tracy Stalls had five against Kansas State on Nov. 19, 2005. It is only the sixth time in the decade that a Husker has had as many as four solo stuffs in a match.
?-Kayla Banwarth’s 32 digs against Minnesota on Aug. 29, marked the third-best performance in school history and Nebraska’s highest total in the rally scoring era (2001-present).
?-Werth became the first freshman to start a season-opening match since Jordan Larson in 2005 and just the fifth true freshman to start a season opener since the 2000 season.