With only one senior loss, Husker volleyball team preps for 2010

The Nebraska volleyball team doesn't look a whole lot different from when its season ended in December.

The Huskers lost senior Kori Cooper to graduation, but she was the only regular rotation player who won't be back for the 2010 season.

Nebraska also has the luxury of working with top recruit Morgan Broekhuis, who enrolled early in January and is now practicing with the team. The Huskers are looking forward to getting back on the court and will head to Tempe, Ariz., to kick off their spring season against Arizona State on Saturday.

"What makes it exciting is that we basically have our 2010 team here with Morgan coming in early," NU coach John Cook said. "We have 15 players. We can scrimmage, and we can work on things. We've probably got more work done in the first three weeks here than sometimes it takes us six weeks during the fall."

Broekhuis is a 6-foot-5-inch right-side hitter from Colorado Springs, Colo. She was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association High School All-American in 2009 and led her high school squad to a 30-0 record. Cook said she has shown the potential to make a significant difference as a player in the Nebraska volleyball program.

"The key for her is that she improves each week," Cook said. "From our perspective, it's like she is a different player every week because she is improving so much. She has a chance to have a major impact here."

Along with Broekhuis, the Huskers welcomed Cook's daughter, Lauren, to the program after she transferred back to Nebraska after a semester at UCLA. Libero Kayla Banwarth said the team has been using the spring to build relationships that lead to trust on the court.

"It's been great," Banwarth said. "Just getting to know them and welcoming them to the team has been awesome. You know they're great people, and they are fun to be around, and they fit right in."

The Huskers were knocked out of the NCAA tournament last season by Texas in the regional final. Nebraska finished the 2009 season with a 26-7 record, but will return a core group of players. After having just one senior last season, the Huskers will have four in 2010.

"By the time they are seniors here, they should be great players and know what it takes," Cook said. "Those guys have been doing a great job setting the tempo and the demeanor and the attitude in practice. I'm seeing the seniors all going to another level."

Cook said his players are showing they are all committed and on the same page during spring practices. With the ability to fill out the entire team at this time of year, Cook said the Huskers are getting some training work done on their system and fundamentals.

"With Kori leaving, it allows a lot of players to step up and bring that energy," Cook said. "Right now, it's pretty much coming from the whole team. They know they have the opportunity to be a great team. They are working really hard."

It's still only April, and there is a long way to go until the actual season begins, but the Huskers are back in full force and ready for the volleyball to begin.