ith players like Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson gone, the 2009 Cornhuskers are learning that they need to have a solid showing in every aspect of the game to win.
They got that kind of performance Saturday night against Kansas State.
No. 9 NU finished the match with just 19 total errors, eight service aces and 12 total blocks.
"That’s a solid effort all the way across the board for all the skills, and that’s what we’ve been missing," NU coach John Cook said. "You have to be consistent in all those categories, and tonight is probably the best example in a long time of that."
Five different Huskers had at least seven kills in the 25-13, 25-19, 25-18 victory.
Nebraska had a .318 hitting percentage, its best during Big 12 Conference play this year.
Senior Kori Cooper said the team has been working on its cohesiveness and that it’s beginning to show on the court.
"This team is buying into what we are trying to do," Cooper said. "What (Sydney Anderson) and I and Tara (Mueller) and Kayla (Banwarth) are trying to do out there as leaders, the rest of the team is buying in and jumping on board. It’s more of a team effort."
Mueller and freshman Hannah Werth led the Huskers (12-4) with 10 kills each. Lindsey Licht, Brooke Delano and Cooper followed that up with seven kills a piece on a night when no player had more than 20 swings. Sydney Anderson made it happen with 35 assists.
"We were comfortable. We had fun. Things were flowing," Anderson said. "People were doing their jobs."
Earlier in the year, Nebraska’s inability to control opposing team’s runs had led to a few setbacks for the Huskers. Opponents would come back and take a set or two from NU.
Nebraska took the first set with ease but experienced some fight from the Wildcats in the second and third sets. However, Kansas State’s comebacks came up short.
The Huskers took a 4-0 lead in the second set, only to have Kansas State respond with five straight points. Licht stepped up in a big way, scoring two of the next three points to ensure the Wildcat lead was short-lived.
"The key is that they are pulling together and working for each other," Cook said. "When you do that, then you can stop those runs and change that momentum."
Nebraska changed the momentum, winning the second set and taking a 10-4 lead in the third. The Wildcats weren’t finished, going on their own 10-4 run to tie the set at 14.
The Huskers won the next four points and didn’t look back, finishing the set on an 11-4 run.
"Maybe those runs would have affected us earlier in the season, but they didn’t tonight," Cooper said. "And that’s a step forward."
dougburger@dailynebraskan.com
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