Huskers Head to Lexington Regional To Face BYU

• For the nation-leading 21st time in 22 years, the Nebraska volleyball team will compete in an NCAA regional for a chance to qualify for the NCAA semifinals in Omaha next week.
• The fourth-seeded Huskers will be the top seed at the Lexington (Kentucky) Regional this weekend and will open against 13th-seeded BYU on Friday at 4 p.m. (CT) at Memorial Coliseum, home of the Kentucky volleyball team. The other match pits No. 5-seed Washington against No. 12-seed Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. (CT).
• Friday’s match will be streamed online only at ESPN3.com. It can also be heard on Husker Sports Network affiliates (107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha). A free live audio stream and live stats will also be available.
• The regional semifinal winners will meet on Saturday at 3 p.m. (CT) in the regional final on ESPNU and ESPN3.com.
• Three of the four teams in the regional - BYU, Nebraska and Washington - were also grouped together in the Seattle Regional last year. BYU won the regional, defeating Nebraska 3-0 to reach the final four. The Huskers knocked off third-seeded Washington, 3-1, on its home floor to reach a third straight regional final.
• The Lexington Regional is one of two where the four national seeds all advanced. With Washington ranked No. 1 and Nebraska No. 5 in the AVCA poll, the Lexington Regional is the only one with two top-five ranked teams.
• Tickets for the regional are available at www.ncaa.com/tickets/volleyball-women/d1. Gates will open one hour before first serve.

HUSKERS AT A GLANCE
• Nebraska (28-4) has won 12 consecutive matches, its longest win streak since 2011.
• Nebraska opened the NCAA Tournament at home last weekend with 3-1 and 3-0 wins over Harvard and Wichita State, respectively.
• The Huskers rank 12th nationally in kills per set (14.44) and are 14th in hitting percentage (.274).
• Nebraska is 24th nationally in blocks per set (2.74) and is 31st in opponent hitting percentage (.169).
• Nebraska led all Big Ten teams with a 14.33 kills per set and 15.70 digs per set average during the regular season.
• The Huskers hit .271 as a team in the regular season and held opponents to .168, ranking second and third, respectively, in the conference.
• Nebraska turned up its defensive play in Big Ten action, averaging 2.94 blocks per set to rank second in the conference.

SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska is 7-3 all-time against BYU. The Cougars won the last meeting in the NCAA regional final last year, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-21), in Seattle. In that match, the Cougars had 12 blocks and Alexa Gray had 11 kills while hitting .310 to lead BYU. Nebraska hit just .173, falling one win shy of reaching the NCAA semifinals for the first time since 2008.
• Nebraska is 4-2 all-time against Washington, and the last five meetings have all come in the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals or later, dating back to 2005. The Huskers upset the Huskies, 3-1, last year in Seattle to advance to the regional final. The teams have met in regionals in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014.
• Nebraska is 11-6 all-time against Ohio State and 1-1 in NCAA Tournament matches. The Buckeyes won the only matchup this season, 3-2, in Columbus on Oct. 3. That was the Huskers’ only road loss of the Big Ten season, and came one night after Nebraska won in five sets at then-No. 1 Penn State. The Buckeyes have won two in a row against Nebraska.

UP NEXT
• The winner of Saturday’s regional final will advance to the NCAA semifinals at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb., next week. The NCAA semifinals will be at 6 and 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17 on ESPN2, and the NCAA final will commence on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• Two-time All-American Kadie Rolfzen is putting up a team-best 3.26 kills per set along with 2.79 digs per set. Rolfzen has recorded 14 double-doubles this season and has seven straight postseason double-doubles dating back to her freshman season in 2013. The junior outside hitter earned her third career All-Big Ten honor as a unanimous selection, as well as AVCA All-Region.
• Junior libero Justine Wong-Orantes averages 4.44 digs per set and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and AVCA All-Region. Wong-Orantes averaged 4.57 digs per set in conference matches to rank second in the Big Ten.
• All-Big Ten and AVCA All-Region middle blocker Amber Rolfzen leads the team with 161 blocks. Her 1.59 blocks per set ranks first in the Big Ten and fourth nationally, and her block average is the best by a Husker since Melissa Elmer’s school-record 2.17 in 2005.
• True freshman outside hitter Mikaela Foecke averages 3.03 kills per set and was a unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, as well as an AVCA All-Region pick.
• Setter Kelly Hunter guides the Husker attack with 11.47 assists per set and was a two-time Big Ten Setter of the Week and AVCA All-Region selection.
• Outside hitter Kelsey Fien, an All-Big Ten performer in 2014, is averaging 2.60 kills per set.
• Senior middle blocker Cecilia Hall is putting up 1.72 kills per set and 1.05 blocks per set on the season.
• Sophomore Annika Albrecht has a team-leading 39 service aces. She served six aces in a three-set win over Rutgers on Oct. 30, one shy of the school record for aces in a match.

SCOUTING BRIGHAM YOUNG
• BYU (28-3) is making its fourth straight regional appearance. The Cougars returned five starters from their 2014 squad that went on a run to reach the NCAA final.
• The Cougars are led by first-year head coach Heather Olmstead, who took over for her brother, Shawn Olmstead, who became the coach of the BYU men’s team.
• Alexa Gray leads the team with 5.22 kills per set and is hitting .302 on the season. She is second nationally in kills per set. Gray was the West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the second straight season.
• Middle blocker Amy Boswell was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year. She averages 1.40 blocks per set to go with 2.61 kills and a .378 hitting percentage.
• The Cougars are 11th nationally in hitting (.280) and 17th in blocks per set (2.86).

SCOUTING WASHINGTON
• Washington (30-2) has won 30-or-more matches in three straight seasons. Under first-year head coach Keegan Cook, the Huskies shared the Pac-12 title.
• Cassie Strickland and Lianna Sybeldon were All-Pac 12 selections. Strickland leads the Huskies with 4.32 digs per set and averages 0.29 aces per set. Sybeldon leads the NCAA in hitting (.465) and puts up 1.37 blocks per set.
• Courtney Schwan leads the team in kills with 2.94 per set.
• Washington is the top-hitting team in the country at .316. The Huskies are also tough defensively, ranking fifth with a .146 opponent hitting percentage.
• Washington’s two losses this season are at USC (1-3) and Stanford (2-3).

SCOUTING OHIO STATE
• All-Big Ten selection Taylor Sandbothe leads the Buckeyes with 2.99 kills per set, 1.25 blocks per set and a .371 hitting percentage.
• Elizabeth Campbell leads the team in kills (3.63 per set) and adds 2.19 digs per set.
• All-Big Ten Freshman Team pick Audra Appold contributes 2.84 kills per set.
• Setter Taylor Hughes was also an All-Big Ten Freshman pick and adds 9.25 assists per set.
• The Buckeyes are 7-7 in their last 14 matches after starting the year 18-2.

ROLFZEN ECLIPSES 1,000 CAREER KILLS
Junior outside hitter Kadie Rolfzen became the 21st Husker to reach 1,000 career kills when she did so against Wisconsin on Oct. 24. Rolfzen is just the ninth Husker to do so before her senior season and the first since Jordan Larson as a junior in 2007.

• A two-time third-team All-American, Rolfzen proved herself to once again be a top six-rotation player in the Big Ten with 3.26 kills per set and 2.72 digs per set in conference play, earning All-Big Ten and AVCA All-Region honors for the third straight season.
• Rolfzen earned the first Big Ten Player of the Week award of her career on Nov. 2 after 3.7 kills and 2.5 digs per set vs. Rutgers and Maryland, including a career-best .692 hitting percentage vs. Maryland.
• Rolfzen has a team-high 39 career double-doubles (14 this season) and was the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 21.
• In addition to three All-Big Ten honors, Rolfzen is an academic All-Big Ten honoree.

WONG-ORANTES GAINING RECOGNITION
Junior libero Justine Wong-Orantes ranks fifth in school history in career digs. Wong-Orantes is in the midst of one of the best defensive seasons by a Husker all-time and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for her efforts, as well as an AVCA All-Region selection:

• Wong-Orantes has 480 digs on the season for an average of 4.44 per set, which would be the fifth-best single-season mark in school history. Assistant coach Dani Busboom Kelly holds the school record at 5.04 digs per set in 2006.
• Wong-Orantes surpassed 1,000 career digs at Iowa State on Sept. 19, becoming the fastest Husker to reach 1,000 digs, doing so in just 75 matches.
• Wong-Orantes was named the espnW National Player of the Week after a career-high 30 digs in a comeback win at No. 1 Penn State on Oct. 2.
• Wong-Orantes earned two Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards in the month of October, the most recent following 27 digs at Illinois on Oct. 17, a career high for a three-set match.

POSITION SWITCH PAYS OFF FOR AMBER ROLFZEN
Junior Amber Rolfzen made a position switch from outside hitter to middle blocker in the offseason, and the return has been significant.

• Rolfzen leads the Big Ten in blocking with 1.59 blocks per set, ranking fourth in the nation. She capped the regular season with the first All-Big Ten selection of her career and also added AVCA All-Region honors.
• Rolfzen’s block average is the best by a Husker since Melissa Elmer’s school-record 2.17 in 2005.
• Rolfzen posted at least five blocks in eight straight matches from Sept. 26 to Oct. 23. The last Husker to do that was three-time All-American Melissa Elmer in 2005.
• Rolfzen was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 12 following a pair of eight-block matches along with a season-best 12 kills against Michigan.
• Rolfzen again earned the weekly defensive honor on Nov. 2 after matching her season high of eight blocks against Maryland, averaging 2.0 blocks per set in sweeps of the Terrapins and Rutgers.
• Rolfzen added a third Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor on Nov. 30 after 17 kills and 15 blocks combined against Illinois and Penn State, including a .567 hitting percentage.

HUSKERS TURN TO SOPHOMORE SETTER HUNTER
Redshirt sophomore Kelly Hunter coordinates the Husker attack with 11.47 assists per set and earned AVCA All-Region accolades in her first season as the Huskers’ starting setter. The Papillion, Neb., native - who was high school teammates with Husker twins Kadie and Amber Rolfzen - has helped the Huskers play at a faster tempo this season and has the Huskers hitting .274 on the season after hitting .236 in 2014. Although she played sparingly in 16 matches as a freshman in 2013, Hunter is seeing the first regular match action of her career after redshirting last year behind senior Mary Pollmiller. Hunter’s impact was felt immediately as the season began:

• Hunter earned Big Ten Co-Setter of the Week on Nov. 23 after posting 12.71 assists per set and leading the Huskers to a combined .340 hitting percentage in two wins.
• Hunter was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week on Aug. 31 and the Nebraska Invitational MVP on opening weekend after a 50-assist, 11-dig, eight-kill performance against Pittsburgh.
• Hunter had a career-high 57 assists and nine kills in a 3-2 comeback win against Oregon on Sept. 5.
• Hunter has notched 50 or more assists eight times this season.
• Hunter has 10 double-doubles this season.

FRESHMAN FOECKE MAKES INSTANT IMPACT
True freshman Mikaela Foecke, PrepVolleyball.com’s No. 2 recruit, has been an impact player for the Huskers since the beginning of the season. Foecke is second on the team in kills per set (3.03) and service aces (23).

• Foecke was one of four Big Ten freshmen to earn a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. She was also one of two freshmen on the AVCA All-North Region team.
• Foecke was a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, earning the honor in back-to-back weeks on Sept. 14 and Sept. 21. Her first honor came after hitting .632 vs. Georgia Tech with 12 kills and no errors. Her second honor came following 13 kills and four digs in back-to-back matches at Creighton and Iowa State.
• Foecke had a career-high 22 kills in a 3-2 comeback win at Penn State on Oct. 2.
• After switching from the right side to her more natural left side, Foecke recorded six consecutive matches of double-digit kills from Sept. 5 to Sept. 19.
• Foecke had 12 kills in each of her first two NCAA Tournament matches. She also added a career-high nine digs in the first-round win over Harvard.
• Foecke served five aces in back-to-back sweeps at Northwestern and Illinois on Oct. 16 and Oct. 17.