BURGER: NU volleyball freshmen strive to overcome inexperience

Kayla Banwarth has said her team needs to learn how to play "Nebraska volleyball" on every point.

Nebraska came into the season ranked third in the nation. Now, five weeks and four losses later, they have dropped to No. 10.

NU's fans are not used to seeing the team's ranking fall that low, but NU coach John Cook has continually said he knows where the setback in play is coming from.

"It's called youth and inexperience," Cook said. "I told them that's a muscle they have to develop. It could be Monday. It could be six months from now, I don't know.

"That's part of developing a team," he said. "This is why we never want to have to play freshmen, because that inexperience showed at times."

But Cook doesn't have the luxury of sitting his freshmen.

Hannah Werth is too good, Gina Mancuso has too much potential, and Megan Pendergast, when she's on her game, can run points from the service line.

For now, NU's freshmen are going to have to grow up on the job.

"Our team is young. We established that, and it's clear," Werth said. "The game knows no age. We have to recognize you're not a freshman – you're a Nebraska volleyball player. You're expected to meet your goals, and not meeting your goals in unacceptable."

The Huskers are coming off a four-set loss to No. 2 Texas over the weekend and have lost two matches in a row, something that hasn't happened since 2003.

Nebraska (9-4) hasn't lost more than four matches in a season since its five-loss 2003 season.

The players are confident, though, that the early season struggles will be worked out, and Banwarth said NU will start moving in the right direction.

"We take steps forward, and we takes step back, and that's not getting us anywhere," she said. "We have to take two steps forward and one step back. We have to continue to make progress. One of these days, I promise you, it will click for us. Watch out for us."

The Huskers have had chances to turn the corner and win that defining match, but they've come up short every time. Three of the team's losses have come against opponents currently ranked No. 16 or better.

"In the past, we always have great teams," senior Kori Cooper said. "And this team will be great. I see greatness in this team. It's going to take a little longer to get there than it has in the past."

"Something that my dad always says is, ‘You can be young, or you can be good,'" Cooper said. "When you decide to stop being young and start being good, that's when you're going to be great."

Eventually, Werth hopes this team will be defined not by its youth but its greatness.

"One day it's going to click," Werth said. "We have all the talent in the world. Once we get out of our own ways, we're going to do great things."

Doug Burger is a sophomore news-editorial major. Reach him at dougburger@dailynebraskan.com.