VB: Huskers prepare to compete against former rival Kansas State in second round of NCAA Tournament

One down, five to go. The problem is, the next five will be much tougher than the first for the Nebraska volleyball team: NU faces longtime Big 12 nemesis Kansas State Friday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats come in on a bit of a run, having won three straight matches, including a 25-18, 25-22, 25-17 sweep of Wichita State Thursday afternoon to advance to face the Huskers. But KSU in general has struggled outside of its home arena, going 5-6 in true road matches, as its match with NU will be. The Huskers, meanwhile, have yet to lose in 15 home matches, including a win against Iowa State at the Devaney Center.

In what will be the final match at the NU Coliseum for seniors Brooke Delano, Brigette Root and Jordan Wilberger, perhaps it's fitting KSU will be the opponent – after all, the trio has faced KSU a combined six times in their careers.

If the Wildcats' match with WSU is any indication, stopping Kaitlynn Pelger should be priority No. 1 for NU coach John Cook. Pelger led the Wildcats with 15 kills on .290 hitting, and added 17 digs and two block assists for good measure. NU has some experience with her, though, as Pelger was on last year's Wildcat team, which failed to win a set in its two matches against the Huskers.

"They're playing well and they've got an elite player in Pelger," Cook said. "She's a great player and they're playing well, they're going at a faster tempo than what they have in the past. Serving's going to be really big for us tomorrow night, to get them out of system."

While the Wildcat players couldn't comment on facing Nebraska directly — NU had yet to defeat Jackson State for the right — coach Suzie Feliz said the team intended to play its finest volleyball Friday night. With the volleyball field reduced to the top-32 teams, NU is fully prepared to face some top competition.

"Are they the 32nd ranked team in the country? Their RPI's (26) higher," Cook said. "Unless you're Penn State, you're going to have to play a pretty good team in the second round."

The Wildcats play a distinct style from much of the Big Ten competition Nebraska is used to, focusing much of their offensive attention to middle blockers like Pelger. Despite that, Cook feels that the team should be ready to face the Big 12's fourth-ranked team.

"They run a slower set in the middle so they can throw it up there anytime they want and they do a nice job of taking swings on that," Cook said. "It's a little bit different style."

If the Huskers win, they will advance to Hawaii for the West Regional and face either Pepperdine or North Carolina, which upset California Thursday night. If they lose, several streaks would be snapped: The Huskers would fail to reach the final 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years and the Huskers' 37-match home winning streak, including postseason, would come to an end.

As would the season, and the careers of the three seniors. So, no pressure right?

"I'm going to just love it," Brooke Delano said. "The Coliseum has been good to me these last five years, so what better way to end than on a win?"

seanwhalen@dailynebraskan.com