No. 9 Huskers Look to Trap Bears Wednesday Night

The Nebraska volleyball team begins the homestretch of the 2009 regular season Wednesday night, as the ninth-ranked Huskers host No. 24 Baylor at the NU Coliseum. First serve for the match is slated for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on selected Husker Sports Network stations, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com with John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall on the call. Wednesday’s match will also be carried state-wide on NET-1 and NET-HD with Larry Punteney and Kathi Weiskamp on the call. It is the last of 13 regular-season matches televised in 2009.

The Huskers (19-6, 12-4 Big 12) will look to not only extend a three-match win streak, but will also go for their 20th victory of the year. NU will be bidding for their 35th straight 20-win season, as the Huskers have reached that plateau since beginning the program in 1975. Nebraska comes off another solid effort, sweeping Texas A&M on Nov. 13. In that match, middle blockers Kori Cooper and Brooke Delano combined for 25 kills on .657 hitting and seven blocks. Cooper totaled a team-high 13 kills on a career-best .765 hitting, while Delano had 12 kills on .556 hitting and five of the Huskers’ eight blocks on the night.

Baylor (21-7, 10-7 Big 12) is enjoying one of its best seasons in school history and is making a strong case to earn its first NCAA bid since 2001. The Bears have an experienced team led by senior middle blocker Anna Breyfogle, who leads the Big 12 with 1.44 blocks per game, and senior setter Taylor Barnes, who averages 10.75 assists, 1.31 kills and a league-high 0.43 service aces per set.

Scouting Baylor
Under Coach Jim Barnes (98-88 in six years at Baylor), the Bears are enjoying one of their best seasons in school history. BU is 21-7 on the year, highlighted by a three-set sweep over Iowa State back in September. The Bears, who had won their last two matches before being upset by Kansas in Lawrence last Saturday, are looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2001 campaign.
Baylor, which lost just one player from a team that won 18 matches in 2008, features one of the Big 12’s top setters in Taylor Barnes. She averages 10.75 assists, 1.31 kills on .354 hitting and 0.43 service aces per set, while helping the Bears hit .247 as a team. All-Big 12 middle blocker Anna Breyfogle leads the Big 12 in blocks (1.44) and averages 2.56 kills per set. In all, Baylor has four players averaging more than two kills per set, including a team-high 3.11 kills per set by senior Katie Sanders and 2.55 kills per set by Ashlie Christenson. Freshman middle blocker Torri Campbell is the fourth BU player averaging more then 2.00 kills per set, as she averages 2.39 kills and 1.02 blocks per set.
Series History: Nebraska is a perfect 28-0 all-time against Baylor, as the teams met only once prior to the start of the Big 12 in 1996. NU has dropped only five sets in the series history.

Last Matchup: Hannah Werth’s 13 kills led three Huskers in double figures, as No. 7 Nebraska rolled to a 3-0 win (28-26, 25-17, 25-17) over No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14 at the Ferrell Center. The Huskers put together one of their best efforts of the season, hitting .320 on the night against a Baylor squad that was holding opponents to a .140 hitting percentage.

Werth led the Huskers with a match-high 13 kills on .379 hitting and 12 digs for her sixth double-double of the year. Brooke Delano added 10 kills on .500 hitting and four blocks, while Kori Cooper added 10 kills for Nebraska.  Lindsey Licht (nine kills and five blocks) and Tara Mueller (eight kills and five digs) all had at least eight kills, as Nebraska became only the second team to knock off the Bears in Waco this season.  Anderson dished out 39 assists and added 10 digs for her 10th double-double of the year, while Kayla Banwarth totaled 22 digs and five assists in the sweep.

Nebraska-Baylor Series Notes
? The two programs met only once - a Husker sweep on Sept. 22, 1995 - before the Big 12 Conference was formed.
? Nebraska has swept Baylor in 23 of the 28 all-time meetings, as Baylor has won five sets in the all-time series.
? Nebraska hit .500 as a team on Sept. 29, 2007 - its best single-match performance since the 2001 season.

By the Numbers
4 - Number of matches this season where both Brooke Delano and Kori Cooper have been in double figures in kills.
3.37 - Kills per set for junior right side hitter Lindsey Licht in Nebraska’s last six matches. She is also hitting .369 in that stretch  and had 13 kills on a season-best .619 hitting against Texas A&M on Nov. 11.
424 - Number of digs for Kayla Banwarth this season, a total which is sixth on NU’s single-season list. She is 12 digs away from fifth on NU’s single-season list and is one of only two Huskers with multiple 400-dig seasons (Jennifer Saleaumua).

Husker Potential Starters
MB -  #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Sr., Amarillo, Texas - Senior co-captain is returning to All-America form following knee surgery last November. Cooper is averaging 2.45 kills and 0.85 blocks per set and leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage overall (.363) and in conference action (.388). She has played at a high level since returning to the lineup full time on Sept. 23, averaging 2.67 kills on .398 hitting over the last 13 matches. Cooper has reached double figures in kills four times in 2009, including a career-best 16 kills on .414 hitting against No. 14 Iowa State on Oct. 21. She comes off a career night against Texas A&M on Nov. 13, delivering 13 kills on a career-best .765 hitting. She has tied for the team lead in kills in each of the last two contests, including nine kills and three blocks at No. 8 Iowa State on Nov. 7. Cooper had 12 kills on .409 hitting and tied her season high with five blocks against Oklahoma on Oct. 24.  Cooper was named first-team All-Big 12 and honorable-mention All-America in 2008 after averaging 2.09 kills  on .396 hitting and 0.88 blocks per set. Cooper has 47 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, and averages 2.33 kills and 1.18 blocks per set. She is third in the Big 12 in both blocks and hitting percentage (.357). Delano reached double figures in kills 10 times, including a season-best 14 kills on .414 hitting at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. She has been on a tear as of late, hitting .636 and averaging 3.33 kills per set over her last three matches. She had 12 kills on .556 hitting and five blocks in a sweep of Texas A&M. She totaled 10 kills on a career-best .833 hitting - the sixth best hitting percentage in school history - against Missouri on Nov. 4. It was one of 12 matches where Delano has hit .400 or better. She hit .571 with eight kills and added two blocks at No. 8 Iowa State on Nov. 7.   Delano had 12 kills and a team-high five blocks against No. 14 Iowa State on Oct. 21.  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 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.  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. 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 2.71 kills and 1.04 blocks per set to rank eighth in the Big 12 in blocks. Licht has been in double figures in kills 11 times in 2009, including a season-high 16 kills and six blocks against Oklahoma on Oct. 24. Licht has shared team-high honors in three of the last four matches, including 13 kills on a season-best .619 hitting against Texas A&M on Nov. 11.  She had a team-high nine kills at No. 8 Iowa State on Nov. 7, and topped NU with 10 kills at No. 2 Texas on Oct. 30.  She has also topped NU in blocks eight times, most recently with four blocks against Missouri on Nov. 4. Licht had a strong performance at Colorado on Sept. 19, drilling 16 kills on a season-high .481 hitting. 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 a strong match at LSU with 15 kills and six blocks, highlighted by four kills and two blocks in the fifth set.  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 14 times, 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 as a back-row specialist on the right side, averaging 0.58 kills, 1.69 digs and 0.27 service aces per set, ranking seventh in the Big 12 in service aces per set. She now has 13 matches this season with at least five digs and six matches with at least two service aces following a six-dig, two-ace match against Texas A&M on Nov. 11. Mancuso totaled three aces and seven digs in a sweep of Missouri on Nov. 4. She played well at No. 2 Texas on Oct. 30, recording seven digs and adding a pair of service aces.  Mancuso had a career-high 16 digs and a service ace against No. 14 Iowa State on Oct. 21. Against Kansas State on Oct. 10, she racked up a career best four service aces. Mancuso’s career high in kills is 10 set against UL-Lafayette on Sept. 4. She collected eight kills on .312 hitting and four blocks against Tulane on Sept. 5. Mancuso made her first career start against No. 11 Minnesota, totaling nine kills, 13 digs and four blocks. 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 ranks second in state high school history with 2,371 career kills, and also totaled 1,320 digs. 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 second in the Big 12 with 4.71 digs per set and chips in 1.13 assists per set. She has 10 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. She was the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 19, when she averaged 6.71 digs per set in a pair of wins, collecting 23 against Missouri and 22 in a sweep at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14. 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 seven assists in the victory over LSU. Banwarth had a career highs 32 digs against 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 11.26 assists, 0.76 kills and 2.51 digs per set. Anderson is second in the league in assists and has a team-best 13 double-doubles (assists-digs), most recently a 39-assist, 10-dig effort at Texas Tech on Oct. 28. Anderson has five matches with at least 50 assists this season, including a career-high 57 assists at Missouri on Oct. 17.  Anderson had 54 assists and a career-best 16 digs at Oklahoma on Sept. 30. She was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and AVCA National Player of the Week on Nov. 9 after averaging 13.67 assists per set and helping NU hit .384 in two matches. Anderson had 39 assists and a season-high three aces at No. 8 Iowa State on Nov. 7.  She has helped NU hit over .300 on nine occasions, including a season-high .451 against Missouri on Nov. 4, as she totaled 43 assists and two aces. 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 51 assists and adding 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. Last season, she averaged 11.60 assists, 2.05 digs and 0.29 aces per set in 2008, ranking eighth nationally in assists.

OH - #19 Tara Mueller: 6-0, Jr., Scottsdale, Ariz. - Mueller is a returning All-American at outside hitter and is averaging  2.93 kills, 2.49 digs and 0.39 service aces per set. Mueller is fourth in the Big 12 in service aces and has seven matches with at least two aces. She had a solid effort at No. 8 Iowa State on Nov. 8, recording eight kills on .300 hitting and six digs against the Cyclones.  She had 10 kills on .400 hitting and an ace in a sweep of Missouri on Nov. 4. Mueller collected her sixth double-double of the year at Texas Tech on Oct. 28, finishing with 11 kills on .360 hitting and 10 digs.  Mueller had nine kills, 12 digs and a career-high four service aces in a win over Oklahoma on Oct. 25. She had 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.  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 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. 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.

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 a team-high 3.17 kills per set and adds 2.90 digs per set, ranking second on the team in digs.  Werth leads all Big 12 freshmen in kills per set and is third (first among non-liberos) among freshmen in digs per set.  She is second to Sydney Anderson with 10 double-doubles and has been a five-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week. Werth earned her latest honor on Nov. 9, when she recorded 3.50 kills per set on .312 hitting and 3.67 digs per set in wins over Missouri and No. 8 Iowa State. She topped NU in both kills (nine) and digs (15) in a sweep against ISU on Nov. 7, and totaled a team-high 12 kills on .429 hitting and seven digs against Missouri on Nov. 4. Werth established a career high with 19 kills against Oklahoma on Oct. 24, equaling the most kills by a Husker freshman in the last five seasons.  Werth had 13 kills on .389 hitting and 12 digs in a sweep  at No. 19 Baylor on Oct. 14.  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.  She recorded 14 kills  and a season-high 23 digs against No. 8 UCLA on Sept. 13. 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 Aggies
Kori Cooper and Brooke Delano combined for 25 kills and seven blocks, leading No. 9 Nebraska to a 3-0 sweep (29-27, 25-17, 25-15) over Texas A&M on Nov. 11. Nebraska’s middle attack keyed a big offensive night, as the Huskers hit .372 against Texas A&M in picking up their third straight win. It was also the third straight match Nebraska has hit .300 or better. Cooper paced Nebraska with 13 kills on a career-high .765 hitting, while Delano totaled 12 kills on .556 hitting and five of the Huskers’ eight blocks.

Right side hitter Lindsey Licht continued her strong play, tying Cooper for match-high honors with 13 kills on a season-best .619 hitting, as the trio combined for 38 kills and just two errors on 56 swings. All-American Sydney Anderson dished out 47 assists and added two blocks, as Nebraska hit .450 or better in each of the last two sets to avenge a four-set loss in College Station in September.

NCAA Regional Passes Now on Sale
All-session passes for the 2009 NCAA Omaha Regional at the Qwest Center are now on sale. All-session tickets are priced from $26-$34 for the two days of action on Dec. 11-12. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 277-1700.  Omaha is one of four pre-determined regional sites, joining Gainesville, Fla. (Florida), Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota), and Stanford, Calif. (Stanford).  The Omaha Regional semifinals will take place at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11, with the finals taking place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12.

Toys for Tots Collection Wednesday Night
The Nebraska Athletic Department will be participating in Toys for Tots drive for Wednesday’s match against Baylor. Fans are encouraged to bring  unwrapped toys and cash donations for the cause and donations will be taken at the door prior to the match. The remaining Toys for Tots collection dates this week are Saturday, Nov. 21 (FB vs. Kansas State and MBB vs. TCU) and Sunday, Nov. 22 (WBB vs. Washington State).

NU-Kansas Time Change on Saturday
Kansas and the Big 12 announced Monday morning that the start time for this Saturday’s Nebraska-Kansas match in Lawrence, Kan., has been changed to 3 p.m. The match was originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. but was pushed up so as not to interfere with the Kansas-Texas football game being played that evening at 7 p.m. and televised on ABC.

Husker Quick Sets
?-The Huskers have now been ranked in the top 10 of the AVCA poll every week since the start of the 2004 season, a span of 94 weeks.
?-Brooke Delano has been on a tear lately, hitting .636 in her last three matches. It is the best three-match stretch by a Husker since Tracy Stalls hit .762 in a three-match stretch at the end of the 2007 regular season. Delano is the first Husker to hit .550 in three consecutive matches since Kori Cooper accomplished the feat in 2007.
?-Nebraska has put together its best offensive stretch of the season, hitting .379 over the last three matches. The run includes a season-high .451 against Missouri on Nov. 4 and becoming the first team to hit .300 against Iowa State when NU hit .327 against the Cyclones on Nov. 7. That snapped ISU’s 33-match streak of holding opponents under .300.
Overall, the Huskers are hitting .299 during the second half of the conference season after hitting .235 during the first round of Big 12 action. Nebraska is now second in league action in hitting percentage (.257) and first in both kills (14.91) and assists (14.05) against the Big 12.
?-John Cook collected his 300th win at Nebraska in Friday’s sweep over Texas A&M. Cook is now 300-25 (.923) in 10 seasons at NU. It is the first time Nebraska has won 300 matches in a decade.
?-One of the overlooked aspects of NU in recent weeks has been improved serving. Over the last 11 matches, the Huskers are averaging 1.43 aces per set after averaging just 0.95 aces per set in NU’s first 14 matches. In league action, Nebraska leads the Big 12, averaging 1.29 aces per set.
?-Nebraska had eight aces and two errors against Missouri, matching its season best in both areas. It marks the 10th time in John Cook’s 10 years that Nebraska had at least a +6 on service aces to service errors. Nebraska’s two errors also tied the lowest amount of service errors in a match under Cook, set two other times (vs. KSU, 10/10/09; vs. Texas A&M, 10/22/08).
?-Brooke Delano put together the best offensive night of her career against Missouri with 10 kills on .833 hitting. It is one of 10 times Delano has been in double figures in kills - most by a Husker middle blocker since Tracy Stalls accomplished the feat 12 times in 2007 - while her hitting percentage ties for sixth all-time at Nebraska.
?-Freshman Gina Mancuso has also been a force at the service line in recent weeks, recording 15 aces (0.44 aces/set) and only seven service errors in her last 10 contests. Mancuso leads all Big 12 freshmen, averaging 0.27 aces per set.
?-The Huskers are 107-9 (.921) in their last 116 conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.
?-The Huskers are 94-4 (.959) in conference home matches under John Cook.
?-Three Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 15 of the NCAA RPI released Nov. 16. The teams include Texas (No. 1),  Iowa State (No. 10) and Nebraska (No. 12). In addition, four of NU’s non-conference opponents (UCLA, LSU, Minnesota and Michigan) are ranked in the top 15 of the RPI.
?-Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers are now 16-2 in matches after a loss in the same season (Cook’s other seven losses have come in the NCAA Tournament).
?-Nebraska’s lone senior, Kori Cooper has helped the Huskers to a 113-12 mark over the last four years, including three Big 12 titles, two NCAA Final Fours (2006, 2008) and a national title in 2008.
?-With her 13 kills against Texas A&M, Lindsey Licht has led NU in kills in three of the last four matches and six times this season.  Prior to 2009, she had led NU in kills once.
?-Nebraska has already received 15 double-digit kill efforts from its middle blockers this season, including 10 from Brooke Delano, and is averaging nearly a kill per set more from its middle attack compared to 2008.
?-Hannah Werth’s 19 kills against Oklahoma on Oct. 24 equals the most kills by a Husker freshman in the last five seasons. The last Husker rookie to have more than 19 kills in a match was Sarah Pavan, when she had 35 against USC in the 2004 NCAA Regional final.
?-Kori Cooper’s 16 kills against Iowa State on Oct. 21 equaled the most kills by a Husker middle blocker in three seasons. The last time a Husker middle had more than 16 kills in a match was in the 2006 NCAA Semifinals, when Tracy Stalls  had a career-high 17 kills against UCLA.
?-Freshman Hannah Werth led the Huskers in kills in five straight matches from Sept. 30 to Oct. 17. It was the longest stretch by a Husker freshman leading NU in kills since All-American Sarah Pavan began her career in 2004 by leading the Huskers in kills in her first six 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.
?-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 any Husker freshman since 2003.
?-Brooke Delano’s four solo 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.
?-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.