Husker volleyball hoping to rebound against OU Sooners

In the midst of a tedious Big 12 volleyball schedule, great teams have the ability to count their losses and move forward.  
With the bitter taste of a gut-wrenching loss to Iowa State still fresh in their mouths, the Nebraska volleyball team hit the practice floor Thursday in preparation for a rematch with the Oklahoma Sooners.   
"I thought they were great today," NU coach John Cook said of his players. "When you have a match like that, with a young team that is developing, there is a great opportunity for leadership. I thought we had everyone ready to go today, and we had a great practice."
Nebraska doesn't have much time to straighten up its offensive sloppiness. After Wednesday's loss, which featured 34 attack errors, the Huskers are for a more crisp offensive game Saturday. In their previous meeting with the Sooners, the Huskers committed 26 attack errors, fourth-most this season, but they still managed to win in five sets.

Co-captain Sydney Anderson thinks the ISU loss will motivate the team to come out and "urgently change" in preparation for Saturday's match with OU.  
"This is a chance to get better," Anderson said. "Coach keeps saying that there are two ways to respond: You can either get better from this or let it hurt you and dwell on it. So it's a new day, and we're preparing for the next game."
Despite all the errors, NU posted some of its most impressive offensive numbers in its last match against Oklahoma. The team tied its five-set kills season record at 71, its attempt record at 198 and its assists record at 70.  
The Huskers' offense will continue to rely heavily on freshman Hannah Werth's performance, who has led the team in kills in five of the last six outings and earned her third Big 12 Rookie of the Week honor last week.

Werth was also a dominant part in the Huskers' victory over OU, where she put up 17 kills on 51 swings.
Aside from the offense, serving will be a pivotal part in Nebraska's game plan. NU committed 14 service errors in its last match against the Sooners, one shy of its season high of 15.

Of course, much of the Huskers' serving problems that night can be attributed to what Anderson described as "not the nicest of fans" at Oklahoma.

Now that they're back in the comforts of the Coliseum, NU has averaged only five service errors in its last four matches.

The Sooners are fresh off a three-set victory over Texas A&M, a team that Cook said "waxed" Nebraska in four sets on Sept. 23. OU currently occupies the sixth-place slot in the Big 12 standings, where the Huskers are third.

Saturday's match could have significant Big 12 implications, and Anderson said she's looking forward to a "huge game."

"Right now, with the loss to Iowa State, any match is a huge game," Anderson said. "There are about three or four of us now fighting for that second place, so this is a huge, huge match for us."