It was apparent from all the joking and laughing that came from the hall as Sydney Anderson and Tara Mueller walked back to the locker room. It was apparent in the way Nebraska volleyball head coach John Cook sat back, holding his hands behind his head while he talked about his team's match.
The Cornhuskers clicked, and it showed during a 25-19, 25-16, 25-16 sweep of Missouri Wednesday night.
"It was a good example tonight of our team hitting on all cylinders," Cook said. "This is really the first night all season where I felt like we came out and played like Nebraska volleyball."
Cook didn't need to say it was his team's best performance of the year — it showed across the stats line.
The Huskers had a team attacking percentage of .451 — their highest of the year. Six NU players ended the match hitting over .400.
Brooke Delano led the high-percentage charge with the sixth-best hitting percentage in school history (with 10 or more kills) at .833. Her 10 kills on 12 attempts was a part of an offensive night Nebraska has been desperately searching for.
"I had no idea how they would respond tonight," Cook said. "They obviously responded in a way that this team wants more. They want more out of this season than what they've gotten so far."
Hannah Werth, once again, led NU in total attacks with 12 kills on 21 attempts. Mueller added 11 kills with only one error on 25 attempts.
According to Cook, Anderson's setting generated the offensive output.
"I thought Sydney was exceptional tonight," Cook said. "It might be one of the best setting matches that she had at Nebraska."
After the match, Anderson was quick to distribute the praise and said her job was made easy by a great passing night by her teammates.
Digs came from everyone as Mueller, Werth and Gina Mancuso each had seven. Libero Kayla Banwarth also led the way with 15 digs while adding two assists.
"We're understanding what it takes to be a team," Anderson said. "People could probably see it: We felt it, and it's fun. Volleyball is fun. We need to remember that as a team. We always come together and have one goal, one focus point, and tonight's was finish. I believe we did that. I believe that the team believed it, and they followed, and they were leading, as well."
Cook has said all year that games ultimately come down to serving and passing. Wednesday was the showcase night. He said his team has practiced well all season, that they've done all the things they've needed to do, only failing to excel when it counts in games.
Wednesday was different.
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