This weekend it gets real for the Nebraska volleyball team. So much so that the athletic department is encouraging fans to wear red. What's with all these redouts and blackouts all the sudden? I find this a little weird. Don't we always we red to the games? Maybe they want me to break out my red pants and red socks and red shoes and red face paint all while dying my hair red and painting my fingernails red.
But anyway, that's beside the point. Nebraska plays a team this weekend that they could very well lose to. Yes, it's hard to believe that the ladies could be beaten by a former Big XII team that they dominated, but things are different this year. This isn't quite the all powerful Nebraska Volleyball team of past years. And, of course, there is this whole Big Ten thing going on now.
Nebraska has struggled at times this year. They almost dropped the match in Albuquerque to New Mexico State.
The Nebraska Volleyball team opened the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic Friday night with a gritty comeback effort to beat the New Mexico State Aggies 3-2 (20-25, 24-26, 25-13, 25-12,15-8).
The last time the Huskers came back from a 0-2 deficit was against Illinois on Sept. 11, 2010 at the Devaney Center. The Huskers have overcome an 0-2 deficit 15 times in program history, including eight times under John Cook.
They did lose to Colorado State in Fort Collins.
In front of a boisterous record-setting crowd at Moby Arena on Friday night, the fifth-ranked Huskers fell to the No. 15 Colorado State Rams 3-2 (25-12, 25-11, 16-25, 20-25, 9-15).In their second five-set match of the season, the Huskers could not withstand the comeback effort from the Rams.
And even St. Mary's took them to five sets last weekend.
The No. 11 Nebraska volleyball team prevailed 3-2 (25-13, 21-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-13) over the Saint Mary's Gaels in front of a sold-out crowd at the NU Coliseum on Friday night to post its second win of the 2011 Ameritas Players Challenge.
In a match that kept the 4,097 in attendance on the edge of their seats, the Huskers saw sophomore Morgan Broekhuis lead the way with 17 kills. Junior Gina Mancuso notched her third double-double of the season with 15 kills and 11 digs for NU. Junior Lauren Cook posted 51 assists, tying her season-high mark, while junior Hannah Werth also tabbed a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs in the match.
Up next is a Cyclone team that has been very good this year. They are 9-1 with quality wins against Arizona State, Iowa and Florida. Of course, they followed up the win in Gainesville with a stinker to Northern Iowa for their only match loss of the year. The match is Saturday at 8PMat the NU Coliseum. The game will be taped and air on the BTN on Sunday at 6PM. This is the last opponent before Big Ten play starts next Wednesday. In a game that will be on BTN, Penn State visits Lincoln in what will surely be a marquee national match-up. More on that match-up to come.