Nebraska’s Mueller aims for consistency in stats

The 2009 season has been a balancing act for Tara Mueller.

The junior outside-hitter has had to shoulder a larger role with an increased responsibility in the No. 10 Cornhuskers' passing and blocking game.

"I'm in more passing rotations, and I know I need to be a consistent passer," Mueller said. "I need to be with Kayla (Banwarth), and we need to set that tone of being consistent passers."

Mueller said she has worked extensively on broadening her game on a Nebraska squad that has relied on a team concept all year long. The added focus on passing, blocking and defense has rewarded Mueller on the stat sheet. She had 200 digs and 33 total blocks going into Wednesday's match against Missouri.

The challenge for Mueller, though, has been keeping her attack numbers up at the same time. The 2008 second team All-American is only hitting .189 on the year, after hitting .258 last season.

"(NU head coach John Cook) talked to me about my attack numbers, and it's gone down a little bit, but I mean I'm not really too upset about that because if you look (at the stats), everything else has gone up," Mueller said.

A prime example of what Mueller has been going through came on Oct. 24 in NU's victory against Oklahoma.

Mueller only recorded nine kills and seven errors on a .069 hitting percentage, but the rest of her game excelled. She had 12 digs, four service aces and three block assists in the four-set victory against the Sooners. Cook said it was important to make a commitment to Mueller because her new role has added more pressure, but her attacking numbers would eventually turn around.

"Technically, there are some things she can do to help her hitting," Cook said on Tuesday, "but we're working on it. It's just not something you can fix overnight."

Cook has twice pulled Mueller out of games for short periods of time this season in attempts to refocus his star player and help her reach her outstanding potential. Setter Sydney Anderson said she has gone through a similar phase of figuring out what she needs to do for NU to be successful.

"Everybody goes through their ups and downs," Anderson said. "Tara is a great player, and I'm so excited for people to see it. And it now comes down to her believing in herself and remembering what she does great and just trying to figure it out."

Wednesday night's win over MU was a sign that Mueller is starting to put every part of her game together. She racked up 11 kills and one error for a .400 hitting percentage. She completed her stat line with seven digs, a block and an ace.

Mueller has had two matches with 20 or more kills this season and four matches with 15 or more digs.

Mueller has showed she can be productive in every aspect of the game, but said she is still trying to balance them out.

"I love playing defense. I love passing. I love hitting. I really like the challenge," Mueller said. "There is a little bit of pressure to be consistent all the time, but it's something I've been working really hard on."

dougburger@dailynebraskan.com