Huskers 411

Five Nebraska volleyball players were honored Tuesday, as the 2011 All-Big Ten team was announced. Nebraska and Penn State had a league-best three first-team honorees apiece, as Lauren Cook, Gina Mancuso and Hannah Werth claimed first-team selections, while Morgan Broekhuis and Brooke Delano received honorable-mention accolades. In addition, Brigette Root was selected as a Sportsmanship Award honoree.

It was Werth and Delano’s second straight All-Conference honor, while the other three Huskers were recognized for the first time in their careers.

Mancuso earned a unanimous All-Big Ten award by averaging 3.54 kills and 2.67 digs per set, while ranking ninth in the Big Ten in kills. Mancuso has notched at least 10 kills in 23 matches this season, while posting a career-high of 24 kills against Colorado State. She hit .300 or better in eight of her 20 Big Ten contests. She was also named the Big Ten Player-of-the-Week two times in 2011.

Lauren Cook put together a strong season in her first full year as a starter. She averaged 10.94 assists, .48 kills and 2.76 digs per set. She ranked fourth in the league in assists while notching a team-best 16 double-doubles (assists-digs). Cook helped Nebraska hit .300 or better in nine matches, including a season-high .413 against Albany on Sept. 3. She totaled 50 or more assists in six matches, including a season-high 54 in a 3-1 win over then-No. 1 Illinois on Oct. 22.

Werth has had an outstanding junior season, with 2.83 kills per set and 3.07 digs per set. She ranks second on the team in total digs with 319 on the season. She tabbed at least 10 kills in 17 matches, while notching at least 10 digs in 17 matches. Werth has produced 10 double-doubles as a junior and was a two-time Big Ten Player-of-the-Week as well as the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week on Nov. 22.

Broekhuis was the only sophomore selected for honorable mention, as she averaged 3.06 kills and 1.64 digs per set in her second year as a starter. She owns six double-doubles on the year and has a hitting percentage of .246. She has recorded a total of 93 blocks in 2011, while hitting at least .300 in seven matches this season, including a season-best .545 at Michigan State. She tabbed a career-high 22 kills at Michigan on Oct. 1.

Delano capped her senior season with the third-straight All-Conference honors of her career, being named an honorable mention selection. With an average of 1.73 kills per set and a hitting percentage of .306, Delano has continued her impressive string of success in her final season. She has ranked in the top 10 for hitting percentage in the conference throughout the entire season, most recently checking in at eighth. She also ranks fifth in hitting percentage in league play with a mark of .306.

The Big Ten also recognized 12 Sportsmanship Award honorees as student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Root received the honor for her contributions this season. She made her first career start against Michigan State on Nov. 5 and notched the first double-double of her career, with 25 assists and 11 digs.

The Huskers open the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 1, when they face Jackson State at the NU Coliseum. The match is set to start at 7 p.m., or 30 minutes after the 4:30 p.m. match between Wichita State and Kansas State. The first-round winners will then meet on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.

<a href="http://www.wowt.com/sports/headlines/Five_Huskers_Earn_All-Big_Ten_Honors_134700253.html?ref=253tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.wowt.com/sports/headlines/Five_Huskers_Earn_All-Big_Ten_Honors_134700253.html?ref=253Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:55:35 GMT">Five Huskers Earn All-Big Ten Honors

After dropping a heartbreaking five-set match on Sunday to Florida during the finale of the Runza/AVCA Showcase at the Qwest Center, the No. 7 Nebraska volleyball returned to Omaha on Tuesday night to post hard-fought sweep of the Creighton Bluejays (26-24, 25-18, 25-15) in front of a sold-out crowd at the D.J. Sokol Arena.

Jordan Wilberger came off the Husker bench to give Nebraska a boost in her first action of the year, as put away eight kills on just 13 swings (.615) and added five blocks, including one solo stuff. Sydney Anderson contributed her first double-double of the year with 20 assists and 10 digs, while Brooke Delano led all Husker attackers with 10 kills.

Playing at the Sokol Arena for the first time in program history, the Huskers got out to a slow start in set one as Creighton took the first two points and continued to build its lead throughout the set, including six-point leads at 18-12 and 20-14. With the Jays knocking on the first-set door at 23-18, the Huskers dug deep with a 6-1 run to tie the score at 24 apiece. Following a Creighton timeout, Tara Mueller continued to control the Jays’ defense with her serve to force Creighton into committing two errors and give the Huskers set one, 26-24.

Hannah Werth and Delano carried the Huskers’ attack in set one with four kills each. Neither squad attacked well, as the Huskers hit .176 and Creighton hit .093.

Creighton again started hot in set two with a 3-0 run, before the Huskers answered with a 5-0 run of their won, including two kills from Mueller. Creighton took back the lead at 9-8, but Werth put up a solo stuff of Karisa Almgren to square the score at 9-9. The teams traded points until 17-17, when Nebraska went on 4-0 run to take the lead 21-17. After the teams traded service errors, Delano served NU to the win behind a two blocks from Wilberger and a kill from Gina Mancuso.

The Huskers’ found their rhythm both offensively and defensively in set two as they hit at a .342 clip, while holding Creighton to just .049 hitting. After recording only one block in set one, NU stepped up the pressure with four blocks in the second stanza.

Nebraska started set three with a 2-0 lead behind kills from Werth and Wilberger, marking the first time all night at that the Huskers scored the first point of a set. Following Creighton’s first point of the set, Nebraska went on an 8-2 run to take the lead 10-6, with Delano adding three more kills during the run.

The Jays did not go away quietly, as they answered back with three straight points, before a well-placed back-corner kill by Wilberger ended the run. The Jays added two more points, but the Huskers responded fast with a 6-0 run to take the lead 17-8. The duo of Mancuso and Wilberger continued to give support off the bench as the two each produced a kill and added two blocks over the run. The Huskers ended up being too much over the long haul, as they took set three 25-15 to produce their fourth straight sweep in the series.

The Huskers will now take tomorrow off before heading to Provo, Utah, on Thursday for the BYU Tournament at Smith Fieldhouse. Nebraska and host-school BYU will play on Friday at 8 p.m. (Central), before the Huskers face Cal Poly (1 p.m.) and Idaho State (6 p.m.) on Saturday. Fan can catch both days’ action on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha. Outside the state, live audio will be streamed for free on Huskers.com.

<a href="http://www.wowt.com/sports/headlines/101943178.html?ref=178tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.wowt.com/sports/headlines/101943178.html?ref=178Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:58:50 GMT 00:00">Huskers Sweep Bluejays