Huskers Host Longhorns on National TV

No. 13 Texas at No. 3 Nebraska • Saturday, Oct. 2 • NU Coliseum • 3:30 p.m.
TV:FSN (Time Warner: SD-37/HD-120  |  DirecTV:  SD/HD-671 |  Dish Network: SD/HD-418)
Radio:Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Web Video: None
Live Stats: Huskers.com

The No. 3 Nebraska volleyball team will look to snap a four-match losing streak to the No. 13 Texas Longhorns this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the NU Coliseum. The match will be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net and it could mark the last meeting between the two programs at the Coliseum with the Huskers moving to the Big Ten next season.

Even with Texas taking the last four meetings, the Huskers still hold a 29-17 advantage in the all-time series. Nebraska's last victory came at home in September of 2008, before Texas won in Austin later in the year and then won all three meetings last season, including a showdown in the finals of the NCAA Midwest Regional in Omaha.

The two powerhouse programs have been atop the Big 12 Conference since its inception in 1996, as they have combined to win 13 of the 14 league titles.

FSN can be seen in Lincoln on Time Warner Cable channel 37(SD)/120(HD), as well as DirecTV channel 671 and Dish Network channel 418.

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. Fans outside the state will also be able to catch the live audio feed for free on Huskers.com.

Scouting the Longhorns

• Texas enters Saturday's match with an 8-4 overall record and a 3-1 record in the Big 12 Conference.
• The No. 13 ranked Longhorns fell out of the AVCA Coaches Poll top 10 for the first time in 62 straight weeks on Sept. 20.
• Texas holds a four-match winning streak over the Huskers, its second longest streak in the series after winning five straight matches from 1984-1988.
• Texas is the eighth winningest program in NCAA Volleyball history and is one of eight programs to win 1,000 or more matches.
• The Longhorns lead the Big 12 in service aces with 1.53 per set. Texas is 7-0 this season when it produces more aces than its opponent. In Big 12 play, the Longhorns also hold the conference lead with 1.27 aces per set.
• Hannah Allison dished out a conference-high 58 assists against Missouri on Sept. 22.
• Juliann Faucette put on a serving show on Aug. 27 when she pin-pointed a conference-high 7 aces in a sweep of TCU.

The Last Meeting Between Nebraska and Texas (Dec. 12, 2009)
The second-seeded Texas volleyball team used another outstanding offensive performance and a dominant effort at the net to defeat No. 10 seed Nebraska, 3-1, in the NCAA Omaha Regional Final in front of 9,253 fans at the Qwest Center. With the win, the Longhorns advanced to the NCAA National Semifinals for the second straight year.

The Longhorns dropped the first set, but just as was the case in the previous four times it lost the opening set, Texas rallied to win. After falling 25-21 in set one, Texas took the next three sets by scores of 25-18, 25-16, 25-17 to improve to 28-1 on the season. The Longhorns also became the first team in the NCAA era to defeat Nebraska three times in the same season.

Scouting the Huskers

• Nebraska is 13-1 overall in 2010 and remains the only undefeated team in the Big 12 this season at 5-0 entering Saturday afternoon's match with Texas.
• The Huskers are ranked No. 3 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, their highest ranking this season since they were ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll.
• The Huskers are 12-0 this season when holding opponents below .200 hitting. Nebraska is 1-1 when opposing teams hit above .200.
• The Huskers entered the week ranked in the top-five nationally in three categories, including blocks (1st-3.17), kills (3rd-14.94) and assists (4th-13.89) per set.
• Nebraska has totaled double-digit blocks in eight of its last nine matches, including a season-high 18 blocks against Oklahoma. The Huskers hit double-digits just once in their first five matches (11 against BYU) of 2010.
• The Huskers won 12 straight matches, the longest streak by either team in the series, before Texas snapped the streak on Nov. 26, 2005.
• Nebraska defeated Texas, 3-1, in the 1995 NCAA Championship match to win its first national title.
• In Big 12 play this season, Nebraska is ranks first or second in five of the seven major statistical categories.
• In conference matches the Huskers are tops in hitting percentage (.256) and opponent hitting (.145) as well as assists (14.33), kills (15.22) and blocks (3.78) per set.
• Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers improved to 287-8 when winning the first set of the match after their 3-0 win at Baylor. The last time Nebraska won the first set and then lost the match was during the 2009 NCAA Regional Final, when Texas won 3-1 after NU took set one, 25-21.
• Four Huskers have combined for 11 double-doubles on the season, including five from Hannah Werth and three from Tara Mueller.
• The Huskers are 176-0 under Head Coach John Cook when hitting .300 or better after they hit .362 against Colorado on Sept. 18.
• Junior middle blocker Brooke Delano leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.413) and blocks per set (1.51). Nationally, Delano ranks 10th in hitting percentage and 12th in blocks.
• The Huskers return three AVCA All-Americans in 2010, including seniors Sydney Anderson and Tara Mueller, as well as junior Brooke Delano.

Time to Wake Up
Nebraska has been slow out of the gates this year, as they have dropped the first set six times in 13 matches. On five occasions the Huskers have come back to win, including four matches where they've taken the next three sets. Against Illinois, the Huskers got down 0-2, before taking three straight at the Devaney Center.

The only time the Huskers lost after dropping the first set was during their five-set loss to Florida on the season's opening weekend.

Block Party
With 32 blocks in their last two matches, including a season-high 18 against Oklahoma, the Huskers lead the NCAA in blocks with 3.27 per set. It has been a team effort as only Brooke Delano ranks in the national top-50.

Along with Delano's 1.51 blocks per set, three other Huskers are averaging at least one stuff, including Lindsey Licht (1.20), Jordan Wilberger (1.17), and Allison McNeal (1.00).

Since Head Coach John Cook took over in 2000, Nebraska has earned the NCAA blocking title five times, including 2000, '01, '02, '04 and '05.

Delano's Defense
After earning second-team AVCA All-America honors as a sophomore, junior Brooke Delano has continued to dominate at the net for the Huskers in 2010.

The Bellevue, Neb. native paces the Huskers in hitting percentage (.413) and blocks per set (1.51), while also ranking second on the team in kills with 2.78 per set.

During Big 12 play she has taken her defensive game even higher with 1.61 blocks per set, including a career-best 10 blocks against Oklahoma on Sept. 29. It was the first time in over two years that a Huskers had totaled 10 blocks, as Amanda Gates was the last to do so on Sept. 17, 2008 against Kansas State.

Ready for the Challenge
Saturday's match with Texas will mark the sixth time this season the Huskers have played a ranked team.

Nebraska enters the match with a 4-1 record against ranked teams this season, including three wins over top-15 teams. Nebraska's top win came over then-No. 3 Illinois.

The Huskers only loss on the year came to then-No. 13 Florida at the Runza/AVCA Showcase.  Florida is currently 10-1 and is ranked No. 2 in the country.

Dishing it Out
Entering the week setters Sydney Anderson and Lauren Cook have led the Huskers to a fourth-place ranking nationally and the top mark in the Big 12 Conference when it comes to assists with 13.88 per set.

With the Huskers running a 6-2 rotation, neither Anderson or Cook rank in the top-50 nationally or in the 10 top in the conference, but the pair has helped the Huskers rank 22nd nationally and second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .273.

Sharing the Rock
As a team in 2010 the Huskers rank first in the Big 12 Conference and third nationally with 14.86 kills per set, but Nebraska doesn't have one player on the individual Big 12 top-10 list or national top-50 list.

Four Huskers average at least two kills per set, including Lindsey Licht (3.06), Brooke Delano (2.78), Hannah Werth (2.64) and Tara Mueller (2.25).

Conference Wake Up
Sophomore Allison McNeal has taken her game to a new level during Big 12 play. Through nine non-conference matches McNeal had posted 22 kills and 13 blocks, but has blown up in five  Big 12 Conference matches with 25 kills and 18 blocks.

Recently on the road at Baylor, McNeal posted eight blocks, which shattered her previous best of four.

Dubuque Digger
Dubuque, Iowa, native Kayla Banwarth is on her way to breaking NU's career record in digs, currently held by Jennifer Saleaumu (1,567). A senior in 2010, Banwarth needs just 382 digs in 2010 to break the mark and should have no problem achieving the feat after she compiled 570 digs in 2009. Her 570 digs nearly broke Dani Busboom's 2006 single-season record of 580.

Through 14 matches this season, Banwarth leads NU with 250 digs. The senior libero also ranks second in the Big 12 with 4.90 digs per set.

Ace in the Hole
In 2010, sophomore Lauren Cook has produced an ace in 12 of Nebraska's 14 matches, with 10 aces coming in consecutive matches. It was the longest streak by a Husker since Jordan Larson ended the 2007 season with an ace in 12 consecutive matches. Earlier in 2007, Sarah Pavan produced at least one ace in 13 straight matches.

Huskers Look to Stay Hot in October
Historically, the Huskers' two best months are September (287-25) and November (207-18), as they have all-time winning percentages of .920 in each.

This season the Huskers went a perfect 10-0 in September, the sixth time under Head Coach John Cook that the Huskers haven't lost a match in the month. Cook is now 110-7 all-time in the year's ninth month.

Prior to Nebraska's three losses in September of 2009, NU hadn't lost a match in September since 2004.

No Place Like Home
The Huskers hold a home-court advantage at the Coliseum due to the Huskers' passionate fan base.

Nebraska currently holds a streak of 139 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum, the longest sellout streak across all NCAA women's athletics. The Huskers averaged 5,197 fans per home contest last season and are averaging 4,090 fans through four matches at the Coliseum in 2010.

Proving Her Werth
Coming off a freshman season that saw her earn Big 12 Freshman of the Year, honorable-mention All-America and honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors, Hannah Werth has continued to put up solid numbers in 2010.

Through 13 matches, Werth has produced a team-high five double-doubles, including double-doubles in NU's last two of Nebraska's last three matches

After becoming the first Husker freshman to lead the team in kills per set (3.18) since Sarah Pavan in 2004, Werth ranks third on the team this season in kills (2.64) and is tied with Tara Mueller for the No. 2 spot in digs (2.84) per set.

Staring on the Right Foot
Under Head Coach John Cook the Husker are a perfect 11-0 in Big 12 Conference openers after their win over Iowa State. Nebraska also extended it Big 12 home-opening record to 11-0 with a win over Colorado.

Setter-U
Sydney Anderson had been the latest setter to shine in the scarlet and cream, as last season she became the eighth setter in NU history to earn multiple AVCA All-America honors.

A senior in 2010, Anderson will try to become just the third setter in school history to capture All-America three times during their career at NU. If she achieves the feat, Anderson would join Griechaly Cepero (2000-02) and Fiona Nepo (1996-98).

The Other Blackshirts
The Nebraska football team isn't the only team on campus with a dominant defense, as the Husker volleyball team held Colorado to just seven points in the second set on Saturday, Sept. 18 at the NU Coliseum. It was the least amount of points a team have scored against the Huskers since the NCAA switched to 25-point rally scoring prior to the 2008 season. Nebraska had previously held a team to nine points on two occasions, including Tulane in 2009 and Kentucky in 2010's season opener.

Spoiler
Nebraska win over No. 3 Illinois this season marked Nebraska's first win since 2008 over a top-three team when the Huskers are ranked lower than their opponent.

The last time the Huskers beat a high-ranked team that was in the top three was on Aug. 29, 2008, when No. 7 Nebraska took down No. 2 Stanford in three sets.

Packing the House
The Nebraska volleyball team currently ranks second nationally in home attendance with an average of 5,650 fans per match. Through five matches, including a match at the Devaney Center, 28,252 fans have seen the Huskers play this season. Only national leader Hawaii (6,186 fans per contest) and Nebraska average more than 4,000 fans per match. Wisconsin ranks a distant third with 3,930 fans per match.

1. Hawaii (6,186)
2. Nebraska (5,650)
3. Wisconsin (3,930)
4. Penn State (3,804)
5. Florida (3,248)

M-V-P
Huskers Kayla Banwarth and Brooke Delano each picked up MVP awards this season at non-conference tournament. Banwarth was named MVP of the BYU Nike Invitational and Delano followed the next weekend at the Ameritas Players Challenge.

Volleyball Fever
Nebraska volleyball fans once again packed into the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2010 for the Huskers' lone appearance at the facility on Saturday, Sept. 11 against Illinois. The night's attendance of 11,892 ranked as the seventh-largest regular-season crowd in NCAA volleyball history.

All-time, the Devaney Center holds seven of the top-10 all-time attendance marks, including the top-three spots. In 2009, the Devaney Center set the NCAA record during Nebraska match against UCLA, with a crowd of 13,870.

The state of Nebraska holds every spot on the top-10 list when it comes to attendance, as the other three top-10 marks have come at the Qwest Center in Omaha.