It's time for the Nebraska volleyball team to show, not tell.
The players and coaches have often spoken of the substantial progress they believe has been made since the opening two weeks of NU's season, a four-game road trip that saw the Huskers struggle against New Mexico State and lose to Colorado State.
NU coach John Cook called the team's progress since "a pretty dramatic improvement," and suggested that, if the team keeps it up, good things will be on the horizon.
Thing is, all of that improvement has occurred inside the friendly confines of the NU Coliseum. With seven straight home wins — the last three coming against ranked opponents — NU will have its first chance in almost a month to show off its road chops this weekend in Michigan.
Expect it to be a tough challenge.
"Friday night, (the challenge will) be the quality of the opponent and the facility and that it's our first Big Ten road match," Cook said. "Saturday will be the back-to-back and the quality of the opponent and the facility. I think they'll both be tough; every night will be tough. "
This weekend will also be the first time the Huskers are forced into back-to-back games during conference play, as they play on both Friday and Saturday nights. With the additional strains on the Huskers, Cook envisions playing lesser-used substitutes more to conserve starters' energy, and hoping Friday's Michigan-Iowa match goes five sets.
"This weekend, we'll see, it'll be our first back-to-back Big Ten experience," Morgan Broekhuis said. "I think it will be good, we've been preparing for it. It's as much physical as it is a mindset, coming off a Friday game and having to prepare for a Saturday with the same mind set. "
Another thing that should concern Husker fans is the quality of this weekend's opponents.
On Friday night, NU squares off against a Michigan State squad that, offensively, is amongst the best in the country. The Spartans are first in the nation in team hitting percentage at .321, a full 28 points higher than second-place Washington. They also lead the Big Ten in points off blocks. Much of both comes from star middle blocker Alexis Matthews, who leads the conference in attack percentage (.411) and ranks second in blocks.
Despite those flashy statistics, and a 12-2 record, why didn't MSU receive a single vote in this week's AVCA top-25 poll? Simple: they can't defend or serve, ranking dead last in digs, 10th in service aces, and ninth in kills allowed among Big Ten teams.
Cook hopes that NU, a team as good defensively as MSU is offensively, can contain the Spartans and keep the pressure up during its first-ever Big Ten road game. But, more importantly, he hopes Nebraska can put forth the effort he feels will be needed every night during Big Ten season.
On Saturday, NU takes on No. 18 Michigan in Ann Arbor, a game that will be broadcast after the fact at 2 p.m. on ESPN2 Sunday. After the tough match the Huskers have with Michigan State the night before — and it being unlikely Michigan will need five sets to dispatch Iowa — the Wolverines may have more than just home court advantage — they may be better rested as well.
At even-strength, the Wolverines would be a challenge. Michigan is built on similar lines to MSU, except that it serves better, ranking tops in the conference in service aces per set. The Wolverines are also more battle tested, having swept ranked Dayton and Florida State teams in Dayton in the non-conference season, and playing unbeaten Purdue tough on the road, despite losing in a sweep.
The players are certainly aware of the challenges facing a team like Michigan 24 hours after a Big Ten road match.
"That's the great thing you can say about the Big Ten is that there's so many great volleyball schools," Broekhuis said. "Every weekend's a tough weekend. (This one) is different, but I think we're ready for it. We've been preparing physically, mentally and in that side of things, we're going to be good. "
They'll need to be. It's a rough world out there in Big Ten volleyball, and even a team as talented as Nebraska has to bring it every match.
"You've got to bring your A-game every night," Cook said. "That's our challenge is to go out and play at a high level every night — I don't care who we're playing or where we're playing — that's the real challenge. "
seanwhalen@dailynebraskan.com
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