Huskers staying consistent with effort

A win is a win.

That's the way Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook looks at it. His No. 2-ranked Huskers swept their fifth straight opponent Sunday with a three-set sweep at Missouri on Sunday.

That streak was preceded by four straight four-set matches for the Huskers (17-0, 8-0 in the Big 12).

"You take a win any way you can get it," Cook said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. "Before (the sweeps) we played in a bunch of four gamers. Every match was a four-gamer. I just want our team to play well consistently and that's what they've been doing the last few matches. They've been very consistent with their effort and execution.

"They did a great job of that against Missouri. They played really steady. Missouri played really well, but couldn't hang for as long a period of time. That's what this team needs to do."

The Huskers are back in action at 7 p.m. tonight when they host Baylor (12-5, 4-3) at the NU Coliseum in a match that can be seen live on NET Television and CBS College Sports (Channel 613 DirecTV, Channel 152 Dish Network).

The Bears are trying to make a run to the NCAA Tournament under coach Jim Barnes for the first time since 2001. Baylor leads the Big 12 in both blocks and service aces and are second in digs and opponent hitting percentage.

"They have athletes," Cook said. "Baylor is a great school to recruit to. Texas is loaded with talent and they're mostly Texas kids in that program. He has a great middle in Anna Breyfogle. She's on All-American pace right now.

"Athletically they're going to match up great. I think our players are really looking forward to the chance to get tested by a team that's playing for a lot."

Cook said the Husker players are looking forward to the match that will be followed by the team's first bye week of the year. They won't play again until they host Texas A&M on Oct. 22.

"Statistically they are in the top three in almost every category," Cook said of Baylor. "They've had some great matches. They're in the upper half of the Big 12, so I think our players are excited for another Wednesday night match knowing that we have the weekend off. We're trying to come up with a nice activity Saturday night so everybody is ready to go next week."

The Huskers will practice lightly on Thursday and Friday, then take Saturday and Sunday off. Senior defensive specialist Rachel Schwartz said the break comes at a good time after playing two straight Sunday matches against Creighton and Missouri.

"It feels like we've been playing a lot, but it's also gone by really fast," Schwartz said. "We're almost half way through the Big 12 and it really seems like we just started, so it's been good so far."

Cook is a little apprehensive about the break. Hawaii came off an 11-day break on Friday, and then got swept at home on Sunday by New Mexico State.

"I think it's good to have a break, especially the last two weeks playing on Sundays," Cook said. "I think it's really good timing for us. I'm not crazy about taking that much time off. You could probably ask Hawaii right now.

"Sometimes I think you can lose you're momentum and rhythm. We're going to try and do everything we can to give them a break but still keep that edge going."



Quick sets

Cook said freshman outside hitter Kaitlyn James still isn't close to being ready to play after off-season shoulder surgery. He said former Husker All-American Nancy Metcalf had shoulder surgery two months after James and is now preparing to play in Turkey.

But James isn't yet ready to go.

"That's what's so unfortunate," Cook said. "With shoulders you never know how they're going to come back. We have to be patient. There's really nothing we can do.

"She's a great kid. She works her tail off. She has the biggest heart out there. You just hope everything falls in place for her."

All blocks are not created equal.

Some are more devastating than others. That's where 6-foot-5 rightside hitter Lindsey Licht comes in.

Licht had four of those devastating blocks against Missouri's outside hitters on Sunday.

"She did a great job of shutting those guys down," Cook said. "Those are game-changing blocks when she blocks the ball. Some of those blocks are worth two or three points because they're so dramatic.

"It's not like Sydney (Anderson) putting a hand up and the ball falls on the line. Those make those hitters think and they'll start making errors."



Big 12 Standings

Big 12  Overall

Nebraska         8-0       17-0

Texas   6-1       12-2

Kansas St.        6-2       16-3

Baylor  4-3       12-5

Texas A&M     4-3       9-8

Iowa State        3-4       11-7

Colorado          3-4       9-7

Oklahoma        3-6       7-10

Missouri           2-5       8-9

Kansas 2-5       8-8

Texas Tech       0-8       5-14



Wednesday, Oct. 15

Texas at Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m.

Texas Tech at Iowa State, 6:30 p.m.

Kansas at Missouri, 6:30 p.m.

Baylor at Nebraska, 7 p.m.

Colorado at Oklahoma, 7 p.m.



Friday, Oct. 17

Missouri at Texas, 6:30 p.m.

Baylor at Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m.

 

Saturday, Oct. 18

Texas Tech at Kansas State, 7 p.m.

Oklahoma at Kansas, 7 p.m.

Iowa State at Colorado, TBA