NU volleyball splits four-game set against Arizona State

Nebraska will have a core group of four seniors for the 2010 season, but it could very well be the Cornhuskers' youth who make the difference.

Nebraska received significant contribution from freshmen Hannah Werth and Gina Mancuso last season. Both will factor large in the success of next year's squad.

Werth was a consistent starter and led the Huskers with 3.18 kills per set. Werth was also second on the team in digs per set at 3.07, behind libero Kayla Banwarth.

"Hannah at times is just unstoppable attacking," NU coach John Cook said. "We're still working on her being a great volleyball player, and that's her big challenge. She has to continue developing being a great volleyball player and not just relying on her athleticism."

Mancuso only started four matches during the season and averaged just over half a kill per set. As the season went on, though, Mancuso showed her ability to become an effective attacker from the back row. She also improved her defense, finishing the year with 1.58 digs per set.

"Gina has gotten stronger so that's really helped her," Cook said. "I think Gina is a really smart volleyball player, and we're starting to see that now. She's focused on being an all-around player."

The Huskers suffered only one significant loss from last season with the graduation of Kori Cooper. Nebraska will be returning second team AVCA All-American Brooke Delano to the middle blocker position, and have capable substitutes for Cooper.

Junior to-be Jordan Wilberger saw court time early in the 2009 season while Cooper was recuperating from an injury. She started eight matches on the season and finished with 1.2 kills per set.

Sophomore Allison McNeal and redshirt freshman Hayley Thramer will also be competing at the middle blocker position.

"We have a lot of young middles training hard, and everybody is fighting for their spot," Banwarth said. "Everybody is improving and everybody is making steps towards being a better player."

Nebraska got its spring schedule started with a match against Arizona State on Saturday. The two teams agreed to play just four sets prior to the match, and no stats were recorded. The Huskers won the second and fourth sets (25-19, 25-21), and the Sun Devils took the first and third (25-13, 25-23).

"We started off shaky, but got better as the match went on," assistant coach Lizzy Stemke said. "After the first game where we made too many errors, we started getting into a rhythm and played some good volleyball. After the first set, we did a nice job of distributing in our offense and spacing out our attack."

Nebraska rotated its lineup throughout the match and all 14 players who traveled saw time on the court. Thramer and early enrollee Morgan Broekhuis saw their first live match action over the weekend, as well.

"For us, that was the biggest thing, allowing some of our younger players to get an opportunity in a match against an experienced team," Stemke said. "We have seen what they can do in practice, and tonight allowed us a chance to see what they can do in game situations."

dougburger@dailynebraskan.com