Category: August 2022

By Lincoln Arneal

Meet Whitney Lauenstein, the Assassin. 

It’s not the real Whitney, just her on-court alter ego. However, opposing defenses and hitters should beware of her new intention to kill every ball and smother every attack. 

Nebraska’s sophomore opposite hitter developed the new identity this offseason to help put her in the needed mindset to become one of the Huskers’ most lethal attackers. So far, the results are impressive. In 2021, Lauenstein totaled just 62 kills in 67 sets. After three sweeps this season, she is halfway to that total and averaging 3.44 kills per set with a .353 hitting percentage. On defense, she has 13 blocks after recording 21 all of last season.

“I have to be really calm and quiet and just go up and kill it and block it,” the 6-foot-2 Lauenstein said of her on-court persona. “I embrace it. I like it. I think it gives me a role on the team. I think that really feels good, because last year, I didn’t know my role as much.”

The next challenge for Lauenstein and the Huskers (3-0) will come on Thursday night when NU hosts Loyola Marymount at 6 p.m. at the Devaney Center.

Lauenstein has always been blessed athletically. She came to NU after winning an all-class gold medal in the 300 hurdles as a senior at Waverly. Now, she’s grown more comfortable as a volleyball player. 

NU coach John Cook said he’s noticed the leap from Lauenstein. He said the next step is for her to have the confidence to take over matches and make big swings in crucial moments.

“She’s very quick. She flies. She’s fast off the floor. She has a very fast arm. Those are a lot of things you can’t coach or develop,” Cook said. “She has those and we can refine them, but yeah, she’s got some talent there to work with.”

On top of her physical tools, Lauenstein has worked to develop her mental approach. She uses a meditation app to help her focus on breathing and remain calm in tense moments. 

Also, she’s finally embraced her position as an opposite hitter. After playing middle blocker and outside hitter in high school, Lauenstein switched to the right side as a freshman, where she competed with Lindsay Krause.

“I was in denial for a long time,” she said. “I played outside my whole life. I didn’t want to switch it up in college. I feel like I finally peaked and didn’t want to switch up and then have to start all the way at the bottom again. This summer, I was like, ‘Okay, right side, let’s go.'”

Part of Lauenstein’s evolution is to not just rely on her power, which is usually quite effective. She’s mixed in hitting shots off blocks, tipping the ball and off-speed shots to keep the defense guessing. She said she’s learned to react to what is in front of her rather than just swinging away. 

On Saturday, Pepperdine held set point in the opener following a hitting error by Lauenstein. However, setter Kennedi Orr went right back to Lauenstein, and she read the defense and hit a roll shot to the middle of the court that tied the set that the Huskers eventually won. 

Orr said while Lauenstein plays with a lot of energy, it is contained and used positively.

“She has a lot of composure, and she doesn’t let her emotions get the best of her,” Orr said. “That’s so much growth for her and that’s such a special characteristic to have in a teammate.”

Cook said he thinks Lauenstein is on a mission this year. She’s put in the time to improve and was named the program’s co-lifter of the year on Friday. 

When asked what her mission is, Lauenstein said she wants to be on the floor for the season’s final match and not have to watch another team celebrate. 

“Last year, I just got to watch all my teammates and how we played in the national championship, and I just don’t really want that to happen again,” she said. “I want us to see happy faces after winning it and holding the trophy and like wearing the hats and the confetti falling on us.”

HUSKERS FALL ONE SPOT — Despite finishing the opening weekend with three sweeps, Nebraska fell to No. 2 in this week’s AVCA coaches poll. Texas won six of seven sets against No. 8 Ohio State to move up one spot.

The Huskers increased their point total by 14 to 1552, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Longhorns. NU lost one first-place vote, while Texas collected the first-place votes from Wisconsin (12) and Louisville. 

“Texas went and had two great wins at Ohio State. So they deserve it,” Cook said. “They proved it. We played some good teams, but Pepperdine was not ranked in the top 10 so I’m assuming that’s it. But hey, great, let them have it.”

The Badgers, which lost to Baylor in Fort Worth, fell to No. 6. Louisville, Minnesota and Georgia Tech rounded out the Top 5.

The biggest climbers were Baylor, which went from No. 16 to 9, and San Diego, which jumped 10 spots after defeating then-No. 6 Pitt. UCLA, which lost to Utah State, fell 11 spots to No. 23, while fellow Pac-12 member Washington split a series at Arkansas and dropped six spots to No. 14. 

BACK TO WORK — Nebraska was back at work Monday gearing up for its second week. Cook said the team had plenty to work on and dubbed the day “Fix-It Day.” 

“Footwork, positioning, where we start in our serve receive patterns, blocking technique. You want me to keep going?” Cook said before continuing. “Defensive positioning, being in the right spots, they got a big lecture about serving yesterday. That was a few of the things.”

Cook brought up serving as one area of focus this week. The Huskers are last in the Big Ten with just nine aces in nine sets, compared to 25 service errors, which was the fourth most of any team in the league.

“Serving is the one time it’s you and the ball,” he said. “You don’t need a setter or you don’t need anything else. It’s just you and the ball. So you have to have the mindset that you’re going back to create a point for your team.”

PASSING GRADE — After starting two matches this season, Orr said she would grade herself out at a B. 

She said she was a little nervous in the first match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but settled down and found a rhythm. Even though she played in two matches as a freshman, Orr considered last weekend her first true outing as a Husker. 

Cook said he wants more even play from Orr as NU enters the second week of matches. While Orr averaged almost nine assists per set, NU’s offense struggled for stretches, especially against the Pepperdine block. 

“(Consistency) would look like every set is the same. It’s consistent tempo and consistent location,” he said. “For a setter, she was a little inconsistent this past weekend.”

By Lincoln Arneal

After Nebraska scored the first five points of the match against Pepperdine Saturday night, it appeared like the top-ranked Huskers were going to have another easy early-season match. 

Even though Nebraska swept the Waves, the Huskers (3-0) looked disconnected on offense and sometimes struggled to terminate. NU hit .120 against Pepperdine but relied on a stingy defense and timely kills to remain perfect on the season with a 26-24, 25-19, 25-22 victory in front of 8,066 fans at the Devaney Center.

Coach John Cook said he tried to prepare his team for a more physical Pepperdine lineup that would force close games. 

“We’re trying to win two-point games. There was our first shot, and we found a way to do it,” Cook said. “There’s a lot of new players out there that haven’t been in that situation and they made plays. That’s what we got to get better at.”

After posting hitting percentages of .388 and .318 during the first two matches, the Huskers never found a rhythm against Pepperdine. The Waves recorded 12 blocks, including six in the first set, and also served tough, which caused issues with NU’s attack. 

Senior outside hitter Madi Kubik led the way with 11 kills but committed seven errors. Sophomore Lindsay Krause added nine kills and four errors. Sophomore Whitney Launestein posted the top attack percentage at .238 with eight kills. 

“They have some good servers. I think our passers had to settle in a little bit,” Kubik said. “We had to get in a groove and get (setter Kennedi Orr) in a groove. They had more physical blockers than we had seen this weekend. We just had a little bit of an adjustment period to that.”

Meanwhile, NU’s defense did its job. The Huskers recorded 10 blocks, including six by Ameritas Players Challenge MVP Kaitlyn Hord. Orr added five and Bekka Allick tallied four. 

The Huskers faced their first big deficit of the season in the first set with Pepperdine leading 22-20 after scoring five straight points. Kills by Krause and Kubik tied the match up.  The Waves had a chance to claim the set before Lauenstein delivered a big kill. Two Pepperdine hitting errors closed out the set. 

The Waves (2-1) led 12-8 in the third set, but the Huskers cranked up the pressure and forced miscues. During an 11-4 run, the Waves were blocked twice, had five  hitting errors and missed two serves. Kubik and Hord had the only kills during the streak. 

“This match was a little bit tougher and matches like these help us to grow our resilience muscle,” Kubik said. “We played in some tight sets and being able to find a way in big points is what we need to get good going into the Big Ten.  This match was really good for us and our young team..”

After not playing the first set, Rachel Ahrens paced the Pepperdine offense with nine kills on 25 swings, but she also had nine errors. For the match, the Waves had 28 kills and 27 errors. 

Super senior Nicklin Hames led the defense with 12 digs, while libero Lexi Rodriguez added 11. 

Cook credited Kenzie Knuckles with setting the tone for the match. The senior defensive specialist recorded five digs and served 14 points, including the final two of the first set.

“Kenzie Knuckles would have been our MVP tonight,” Cook said. “Just her energy, her mindset, her passing, digging and serving, really, I think was the difference tonight.”

The match was an emotional night for Hames as she shared the court with her sister, Pepperdine defensive specialist Kayleigh Hames, for the first time since the Tennessee state championship match five years ago. They hugged before the match and talked a little bit before warmups. 

Nicklin said she had eight or nine family members in the crowd, many of whom wore navy blue for the Waves.

The public address announcer put a little extra energy into Kayleigh’s introduction before the match, which also drew a loud response from the crowd. 

Nicklin said she got a little emotional in what she called a “surreal moment.” She appreciated the opportunity to play against her sister in their last seasons of college volleyball.

“It makes me tear up a little bit now,” Hames said after the match. “This place is just so special to me and for them to cheer for her like that, it was really cool. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment and I think it’ll probably still bring tears to my eyes every time I think about it.”

All-Tournament Team: MVP: MB Kaitlyn Hord, NU. OH Whitney Lauenstein, NU. OH Madi Kubik, NU. L Lexi Rodriguez, NU. S Isabel Zelaya, Pepperdine. OH Kayley Cassaday, Tulsa. L Carissa Barnes, TAMU-CC.

By Lincoln Arneal

Nebraska changed half of its lineup for its second match of the day and the results were nearly identical. 

Junior setter Anni Evans, sophomore outside hitter Ally Batenhorst and freshman middle blocker Maggie Mendelson replaced Kennedi Orr, Lindsay Krause and Bekka Allick, respectively, in the starting lineup and the top-ranked Huskers swept Tulsa 25-15, 25-12, 25-13 Friday evening.

NU coach John Cook said he doesn’t think he’s ever before swapped out half of a starting lineup during the same tournament.

“I had a lot of confidence that those guys would play smoothly, and they did a nice job,” he said. “It was fun to watch.”

Evans saw extensive time in two matches last season, but she split time with Orr in both. Against the Golden Hurricanes, the Waverly graduate had complete control of the offense. 

The attackers hardly missed a beat as the Huskers finished with a .318 hitting percentage. Sophomore opposite Whitney Lauenstein was one of the biggest beneficiaries. She finished with 15 kills at a .429 clip with her former high school teammate calling the shots. 

Evans said Cook told her that she would start on Wednesday and she was prepared to set the entire match. Afterward, she said she felt good about her performance. 

“We’ve got a lot of reps in practice and my hitters make my job so easy,” she said. “Honestly, I just go out there and trust my teammates.”

Evans finished with her first career double-double with 36 assists and 10 digs. She had reached double figures in any category only once before with 12 assists against Kansas State last year. Her previous career high for digs was five against Iowa in 2021. 

Senior outside hitter Madi Kubik also lit up the offense with 14 kills and a .414 hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord had eight kills on 13 swings, while Batenhorst added seven kills. 

Mendleson struggled early on and recorded her first career kill in the second set. Her defense was solid with four blocks, including one solo stuff. 

Cook said he was glad to see the 17-year-old stick with it even with a bit of adversity. 

“I just asked her, ‘What’s the most nervous you’ve ever been in your life?’ She’s played a lot of big stuff. She goes, ‘You just saw it,’” Cook said. “Which is great, you know? I could tell, but you can see she gets after it. Nothing bothers her. She comes right back if she makes an error.”

The Huskers totaled nine blocks led by five from Hord. The Penn State transfer said she enjoyed playing with many teammates and watching them succeed.

“We have no person on our bench who’s going to come out and hurt us,” she said. “Anybody can come in and do amazing things.”

Sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez anchored the defense with 16 digs, while senior Nicklin Hames added 11. 

Tulsa hit .038 as a team led by 10 kills from Kayley Cassady. 

Cook told Evans she would get in some matches this season, but he is firmly against running a two-setter system. 

“A two-setter offense takes out our exceptional back row because it limits your subs,” he said. “Look how many points Nicklin won for us tonight. Setting, digging, serving, passing. … With a 6-2, you would do that to try to get more kills but that’d be something we would be giving up. I don’t think we’re there yet.”

After watching nearly every player put up a solid performance in the first two matches of the season, Cook said he needed to sleep on it before he determined the starting lineup for Saturday’s match against Pepperdine. 

However, with so much depth on display for the first two matches, Cook is encouraged by the early results. 

“It’s a long season. We’re going to be in a lot of tough matches and we have to have depth and people that can come in. You just gotta have that in the Big Ten Conference and they got to feel confident coming in.”

By Lincoln Arneal

Bekka Allick’s Nebraska debut was legit. 

At least that’s the word the freshman middle blocker chose to describe her first career game.

Allick looked like a veteran as No. 1 Nebraska made quick work of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a 25-15, 25-16, 25-9 win Friday afternoon at the Devaney Center. 

Allick, who committed to Nebraska before her freshman year of high school, didn’t disappoint as she finished with seven kills on nine swings to go with five blocks in her debut. The Waverly graduate said she usually doesn’t get nervous before matches but admitted to a few jitters in her debut.

“I can’t explain to you the feeling once we come back out in our jerseys. Then it sinks in,” Allick said. “During warmups, I felt good, but I can say that this time I did actually get a little nervous. So I cracked just a little bit.”

Madi Kubik’s 11 kills paced the Huskers, who hit .388 as a team. While Kubik committed five hitting errors, the rest of the team committed just two on 51 attacks. Sophomore setter Kennedi Orr amassed 26 assists. 

NU’s block dominated the net and forced the Islanders to finish in the red for the match with a -.021 hitting percentage. Sophomore opposite Whitney Lauenstein and senior transfer Kaitlyn Hord recorded seven blocks each as the Huskers totaled 12 stuffs as a team. 

Cook said NU has a chance to be an exceptional blocking team this season. 

“We work really hard on it,” he said. “Look at Whitney, she does nice things and she’s really physical. Kaitlyn Hord has already proven herself. Madi’s proven herself. Lindsay Krause is a good blocker. Ally (Batenhorst) is a really good blocker. Kennedi upgraded us from where Nicklin (Hames) was blocking. The other question mark would be the middle blocker spot. Both Maggie (Mendelson) and Bekka for freshmen are really good blockers. So that should be a strength for us”

Behind the block, sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez anchored the defense with 12 digs, while Hames added eight. 

After a quiet first set with one kill on one swing, Lauenstein went off to start the second set. She recorded two blocks in a run of four straight NU roofs. Then she went off with two power swings that resulted in kills before capping a personal 3-0 run block and demolishing an overpass for another kill. 

Lauenstein, who is also a Waverly graduate, finished with eight kills at a .368 clip.

“It feels good (after the big kills), especially since when I turn around my teammates are all like, ‘Let’s go!’ So I feel super good,” Lauenstein said. 

The one area Cook wants NU to improve is serving. The Huskers committed 10 service errors compared to just five aces. Corpus Christi also struggled with nine serving miscues.

Cook said they needed to set Hord more as she had five kills on six swings. The Penn State transfer provides a lot of experience and doesn’t panic. 

“I would pay to watch her play,” he said. “I feel like the game is in slow motion for her. She’s just very smooth and I’d want her as a teammate if I was playing.”

Freshmen Maisie Boesiger and Hayden Kubik also made their NU debuts. Boesiger served a couple of points for NU in the third set and Kubik ended the match with her first career kill. 

Allick, who is Hayden’s roommate, was excited to see her end another match after she had the final point in the spring exhibition against Kansas. 

“Right before the play, I’m like, ‘All right, let’s get it roomy,’ with a little fist bump. It was just awesome to see your friends crush it. … Hayden strikes again. So I thought that was really cool.”

The Huskers are back in action Friday night against Tulsa and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. versus Pepperdine. 

By Lincoln Arneal

Usually players and coaches talk about taking it one match at a time and not looking past anyone. 

However, forgive Nicklin Hames if she is a little more excited for Nebraska’s match on Saturday, the Huskers’ third of the weekend. 

Hames, a fifth-year senior, will face off against her sister, Kayleigh and Pepperdine this weekend as part of the Ameritas Players Challenge. The Huskers open with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday at 11 a.m. and then face Tulsa later that day at 6:30 p.m. 

“It’s so special just to be able to see her and play against her,” Hames said of Kayleigh. “We don’t get to see each other the whole year, basically. So just to have one year where all my family can be here and watch both of us. That’s huge, and I’m really excited about it.”

Pepperdine was originally scheduled to come to Lincoln in 2020 before COVID-19 shut the season down and Nebraska played a Big Ten-only schedule when play resumed in the spring. 

This year’s matchup between the Hames sisters will look quite different than if they met two years ago. After running Nebraska’s offense for four years, Hames changed positions to defensive specialist. Kayleigh also switched to the back row after playing outside hitter for most of the past three seasons. 

Nicklin said her parents and younger brother, Eli, will be in the stands as will a lot of their extended family. 

“We have a huge family so they are all coming into town,” Nicklin said. 

Last year for doubleheaders

Friday’s double dip will likely be the last time Nebraska plays twice on the same day in program history. NU coach John Cook isn’t a fan of two matches as it eliminates recovery. 

Earlier this year, the NCAA changed the scheduling rules to allow teams to schedule 32 match days. Currently, schools can only play 28, which causes them to double up to get more matches during the preseason.

“A lot of these teams want to play three matches (in one weekend), so the only way to get them to come here is to do that,” Cook said. 

With the compressed schedule, the Huskers plan to play a lot of players, which will help provide opportunities for position battles. Cook said he would rotate between freshmen middle blockers Bekka Allick and Maggie Mendelson. 

The outside hitters should get ample opportunities this weekend. Sophomore Ally Batenhorst missed the Red-White scrimmage with an abdominal injury but is expected to play during the weekend. Batenhorst is battling with Lindsay Krause on the left pin. Meanwhile, Whitney Lauenstein is trying to establish herself at Krause’s position last year on the right pin. Freshman Hayden Kubik also looked solid during the scrimmage and could get a chance to play against outside competition. 

Madi Kubik said the challenge will be fighting through adversity because they will make mistakes as they figure out how to play together and build “ultimate trust.” 

“We’re probably going to be ironing out kinks, changing up lineups, so (it’s important to) just lean on each other, trust each other and try to find a way to get kills and win sets and matches,” Kubik said. 

When the weekend is over, the Huskers will have played three matches in 36 hours, which they won’t have to do the rest of the season. 

“Hopefully, we’ve trained and they’re in good enough shape that they can handle that,” Cook said. “It’s like a two-a-day, but there’s more to it because you have to warm up, you play the match, you cool down and you play another match. And when they go four or five games. I mean, it’s a long day.”

Trio named captains

When the Huskers returned to their locker room Monday, three were greeted by plaques on their lockers indicating they were elected captains for the season. 

Kubik, a senior outside hitter, Kenzie Knuckles and sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez were chosen by their teammates. Knuckles served as a captain last year. 

Kubik said she was honored by the title and excited to do it alongside Knuckles, with whom she entered the program more than three years ago. 

“It’s really special because it’s very challenging to be a leader at this program. They have a lot of responsibility,” she said. “I’m just really excited for that challenge. And I’m excited to do it with Kenzie and Lexi because they’re awesome and great leaders and they bring a lot of great things to our team.”

Last week, Rodriguez said one of her goals was to take command of the back row more. She was elected captain of the U21 junior national team at the Pan Am Cup and said that experience helped her grow and develop her leadership skills. 

Hames previously served as captain for the past three seasons but is more than happy to step aside to have other players take on the leadership role, especially her “Little Lexi.” 

“Those three ladies are amazing and I voted for all of them,” Hames said. “I’m just super happy for them. They’ve worked super hard this summer and just to be able to watch them grow into leaders has been a really cool experience.”

By Lincoln Arneal

At the end of a long day, Nicklin Hames wasn’t quite done interacting with the fans.

Following a two-and-a-half-hour fan day autograph session in the morning and then a three-set intrasquad scrimmage, the fifth-year senior grabbed the microphone as fans filed toward the exit.

“Thank you so much for coming,” Hames said. “As you know, there is no place like Nebraska. We can’t wait to see you next week.”

The impromptu message followed a victory by Hames’ Red team 25-21, 25-15, 25-18 Saturday night in front of 7,946 fans at the Devaney Center.

NU coach John Cook said he struggled to put his thoughts into words after the day. All the fans he talked to during the first-ever fan day said the wait was worth it, no matter how long. He also enjoyed watching the student section jam along with the debut of the Red Kingdom song, and the crowd’s energy lifted the team.

“It’s hard to put into words because you never think you’re gonna pack a Red-White game,” Cook said. “I walked in today, and I was just blown away. … Today, people were fired up. They were into it, and it was loud down there. And so, you know, we’re just very thankful.”

Penn State transfer Kaitlyn Hord received one of the biggest cheers during the lineup introductions. She said it was a different vibe than she had ever experienced previously. While the senior has been in Devaney and dealt with a large crowd, she enjoyed having them on her side.

“It was nice to have them cheer for me this time, and it was very welcoming,” Hord said. “It was a very great experience.”

The results of the intrasquad scrimmage match aren’t that important, but it provides a glimpse into what the Huskers will look like when the season opens against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday morning.

Here are three things we learned from the scrimmage and three questions that remain:

WHAT WE LEARNED

THE ORR SHOW: Sophomore setter Kennedi Orr answered any questions about her ability to run an offense at a high level. She led the Red to a .311 hitting percentage with 35 assists.

She looked good mixing up tempo and putting her outside hitters in position to terminate the ball. Coming into the match, Cook said he didn’t know how she would play.

“That was a big worry for me – how confident she would be and how she would do. She hasn’t played in a long time,” he said. “So this will be a good match for her to build on.”

Orr said she loved how her teammates communicated on the court, and she got into the flow of the game after overcoming some early jitters.

“I think the biggest thing was just (proving) that I can run an offense instead of just being a setter – you can set the ball and put it in a good place,” Orr said. “I think I was trying to run an offense during that game. My teammates helped me out a lot and I think it worked out really well tonight.”

She wasn’t just dishing out the ball, Orr also put away three kills, including two via attacks on bump sets from libero Lexi Rodriguez. Orr said they’ve been working on that play and whenever she has first contact, she calls for the ball to come right back to her.

“I think at first it was more just kind of like a whim play that we don’t always do or we really don’t talk about, but she set me and I was like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna go up and hit it,'” Orr said.

NO NERVES: The freshmen came out swinging and didn’t show any nerves playing in their first match at the Devaney Center. Hayden Kubik and Maggie Mendelson each recorded four kills for the White team in the first set. White team libero Maisie Boesinger had two digs and served tough while recording an ace. Bekka Allick added two kills on three swings to go with two blocks for the Red team.

Cook said they’ve focused on remaining calm, not just at the beginning of matches but whenever adversity hits. He said the two biggest tactics are breathing and focusing on playing for the person next two you so you aren’t focused on yourself.

“We’ve been working hard on it when it happens in practice, trying to get them to work through that,” Cook said. “It’s just … like serving and passing.”

HAMES IS COMFORTABLE: After setting for four years, Hames adjusted well to her new role as a defensive specialist. She played the back row for sophomore opposite Whitney Launstein. Although she had just two digs, the super senior seemed comfortable in her new position.

“Nicklin looked pretty happy tonight. She was having fun,” Cook said. “I’ve been telling you guys she can be a great Libero and so if we can get two liberos on the court, that would be pretty cool.

REMAINING QUESTIONS

WHO IS IN THE MIDDLE?: All three middle blockers/hitters flashed moments of brilliance during the scrimmage. Hord finished with just four kills on 13 attacks but added nine blocks. Allick played the first two sets with the Red team before switching sides, while Mendelson did the opposite. Allick combined for six kills and two blocks, while Mendelson recorded seven kills and two blocks.

Cook said he plans to play all three when matches start next week.

“We’re gonna rotate them,” Cook said. “I’ve been telling them that I got confidence in all three of them. This week, on Friday, we play two matches and we’ll rotate them.”

While each of the middles found success with the slide attack, multiple times Orr mistimed their jumps making a full swing on the ball difficult. Cook said that is to be expected after just two weeks of practice, and he expects the timing to improve.

“It’s hard because with Kaitlyn, you almost got to set her higher than you think because she just jumps and keeps jumping and keeps going,” Cook said. “They see her there and then they go, ‘OK, there’s where I gotta set it,’ but you got to hang it for her. It’s just gonna take some time till they get that going.”

IS THE OUTSIDE ATTACK IMPROVED?: Well, we already knew that Madi Kubik is talented, but if the All-American outside hitter can terminate at a better efficiency it will unlock more potential for the Husker offense. She hit .202 last season after a career-best .220 in the spring 2021 season. In the scrimmage, the 6-foot-3 senior finished with a match-high 13 kills on a .385 hitting percentage.

She wasn’t the only outside hitting more efficiently. Sophomore Lindsay Krause, who mainly played right side last season while hitting .225, recorded 12 kills at a .407 clip. Also, Lauenstein came on strong with five of her nine kills coming in the third set.

While impressive, we don’t know if this was a one-match blip or if this improved attack is here to stay. If the Huskers can maintain better hitting from the outsides, their offense will be all the more potent.

“I’ve been on them so that’s a good start,” Cook said. “If you watch them, you’ll see how much they were moving the ball around. It wasn’t just the same shot over and over. It was mixing up shots, hitting high, inside, outside, tool, line, facing one way, hitting the other way. Those are all things we’ve been working on and when they’re feeling good, they do all that and that makes them hard to defend.”

WHERE DOES BATENHORST FIT?: Ally Batenhorst spent Saturday night wearing street clothes standing by the bench and didn’t play as she was dealing with an abdominal injury. After playing a pivotal role in the Huskers’ run in the 2021 NCAA tournament, the sophomore outside hitter will have to wait for her debut this season.

Cook said she was just sore and they didn’t want to risk it, and he hopes to have her back next weekend.

“It is a bummer because it would have been nice to have her out there,” Cook said. “We could have had six-on-six Huskers today. I can’t remember the last time that’s happened.”