Husker volleyball looking for two-point lead in NCAA Championship

It sounds simple enough.

Score two more points in three of five sets and move on to the next round. That will be Nebraska's approach as it heads into the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Championships.

NU has played 14 two-point sets this season, but the outcomes of these nail-biters haven't always gone the Cornhuskers' way.

No. 7 Nebraska has six losses this season. In each of those losses, the Huskers have dropped a set that was decided by three points or less.

The Huskers head into the tournament as the No. 10 overall seed, coach John Cook said, and in the tournament all games will come down to the wire.

"There's no tomorrow, so you go for it," Cook said. "You just have to be three games, two points better, and that's the bottom line. Win and advance. Stats don't matter. Whether it's sweep at three or not, it doesn't matter."

After an Oct. 30 three-set, combined 11-point loss to Texas, Nebraska has gone on a seven-match winning steak, not dropping a single set in the process. Cook has coached a Nebraska team that has gone undefeated in November before, but the 2009 team is the first to do it without losing a set. During the run, six sets were decided by three points or less.

"In the beginning of the year, we were down two or three points, and we panicked and we took ourselves out of it," NU's Kayla Banwarth said. "Now, we've developed that confidence that if we are down two or three points, it's not a big deal. We'll be able to come back from it."

A big indication of how far the Huskers have come was a 32-30, 26-24, 25-22 victory over Kansas State on Nov. 25. Cook said his team should have lost the first two games, but they were able to come out on top.

"When it mattered most, they played their best," Cook said. "That's what this team has now learned how to do. We were losing those games or would get behind and couldn't come back and win early in the year."

Nebraska (23-6) will host the first two rounds of the tournament in the NU Coliseum this weekend. The Huskers will open the tournament against Coastal Carolina on Friday night and, with a victory, will face the winner of Washington St. and Northern Iowa. UN is on a 28-match winning streak, and WSU has a win against No. 6 overall seed Washington this season.

Cook said this year's opening weekend competition includes some of the most challenging opponents he's ever faced in the first two rounds.

"It's the highlight of their careers to play in the Coliseum and play in front of the crowd and play against Nebraska," Cook said. "They are going to be emotionally charged up, and they will play out of their minds."

Even with the recent success, Cook said his team is just starting to prove what it can do. The rocky start to the season has been a motivating factor for the Huskers all year long, and that will carry over to the first two rounds of the tournament.

"We still have a lot to prove, and the first step is getting to Omaha and proving to people that we're going to get there," Banwarth said. "We are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the tournament."

The post-season is about to begin for the Huskers, and Cook will continue to emphasize a simple message to his team.

"That's all you're focused on, is two points better," Cook said. "We've been hammering that all year, but now is when it really matters."

dougburger@dailynebraskan.com