Volleyball comes together for Texas Tech game

What do you call it when 16 college women have no cell phones, are stuck in the middle of Texas and have no one but each other to turn to?

Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook calls it bunker mentality.

"We're on the road, no distractions," Cook said. "Potentially no cell phones, no boyfriends, no school: that bunker mentality. We're by ourselves. It's just us, and I think it will be a great opportunity to reconnect and bond."

The Cornhuskers are hitting the road for an extended trip through Texas before they take on Texas Tech on Wednesday and head up the road to face the Longhorns Friday night. With downtime to spare this week and classes abandoned in Lincoln, libero Kayla Banwarth said the trip would be a chemistry-cementing ride.

"We really only have each other," Banwarth said. "We're in a hotel room all day, and we're playing volleyball for two hours a day, and then we're in a hotel room.

"We're stranded, being out in the middle of Texas, and we have no place to go but to each other."

With hopes high, the junior pointed to the 2006 Husker squad as an example of how bunker mentality can work. She said the team's trip to China was similar in building relationships and momentum because the former Huskers had no one but one other to talk to.

Banwarth made it clear that a simple extended stay in Texas would have nowhere near the impact of an overseas trip, but that wouldn't sway her hopes that Nebraska's upcoming alone time will build camaraderie among her teammates.

"I think that's going to be really cool for us this week to see how we can come together and how we can grow more," Banwarth said. "I definitely think it's important, and it's not going to be easy."

For a team that has continually admitted to having a lack of trust in each other and problems communicating on the court, Banwarth said the trip can only help in building relationships that will pay off during games.

The Huskers won't just be sitting around waiting for Texas. Banwarth said she and fellow team leaders Sydney Anderson, Kori Cooper and Tara Mueller have planned activities to help bring the team closer. Although Cook doesn't know what his team leaders have planned, he said it was a positive step to see his team already making the most of the unusual weekend.

"It gives us an opportunity to build on (unity)," Cook said, "to meet and to talk and let those guys hang out without distractions. You never have that opportunity.

"I'd say it's at least worth a point a game, maybe that's the difference."

The Huskers' hopes of coming together were spurred by Texas' change of schedule. Cook said the Longhorns wanted to move the game off its original date on Halloween night to bring in a bigger crowd to the Gregory Gymnasium Friday.

Cook said the trip will save the Nebraska athletic department more than $20,000 in traveling expenses.

"It sends a message saying, ‘Hey, we're willing to make some sacrifices here,'" Cook said, in regards to the three days of school his team will miss. "We're trying to do everything we can to save some money."

Expected to save money all around — both in cell phone minutes and in gas mileage — the Huskers will have plenty of time to focus on one another. Before they do, though, they'll face a Texas Tech team looking to avenge a 3-0 sweep surrendered to the Huskers back on Sept. 16. Cook said team unity will be crucial for his team if the Huskers are going to be able to pull off the Texas two-step.

"We're starting to play more as a team now," Cook said. "There's more confidence as a group."

davehoufek@dailynebraskan.com