Huskers Open Season with Ameritas Players Challenge

• The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team officially starts the 2022 season by hosting the Ameritas Players Challenge this weekend at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. 

• Nebraska will play three times this weekend. The Huskers open the season on Friday at 11 a.m. against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, an NCAA Tournament qualifier in 2021. Nebraska faces Tulsa on Friday at 6:30 p.m. That will be the only televised match of the weekend, appearing on Nebraska Public Media. The Huskers cap the weekend against Pepperdine, another 2021 NCAA Tournament team, at 7 p.m. on Saturday. 

• The Friday tournament schedule is: Tulsa vs. Pepperdine (9 a.m.); Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Nebraska (11 a.m.); Pepperdine vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (4 p.m.), and Tulsa vs. Nebraska (6:30 p.m.).

• The Saturday schedule is: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Tulsa (1:30 p.m.) and Pepperdine vs. Nebraska (7 p.m.). 
• The Friday morning and evening sessions require separate tickets. The arena will be cleared in between sessions. 

• Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. match between Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Tulsa is free admission. Doors open at 12:30 p.m., and the venue will be cleared before the Nebraska-Pepperdine match. Doors for the Nebraska match will open at 5:30 p.m.
• Nebraska is 40-7 all-time in season openers, including an 18-4 record under John Cook.  
• Every match this weekend will be streamed online at B1G+ (BigTenPlus.com, subscription required). The Huskers’ Friday night match vs. Tulsa will be televised on Nebraska Public Media, in addition to being streamed on B1G+. 
• The Huskers Radio Network will broadcast all the action on their radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha. A live audio stream will be provided at Huskers.com and the Huskers app. John Baylor is in his 29th season doing play-by-play for the Husker volleyball program. Lauren (Cook) West, a former All-America setter for the Huskers, will provide color commentary.

SERIES HISTORY

• Nebraska has never played Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. 

• Nebraska is 1-0 all-time against Tulsa. The only meeting was a 3-0 Husker sweep in 2015 in Lincoln.

• Nebraska is 5-3 all-time against Pepperdine. The teams last played in 2005 with the Huskers winning 3-1 at the NU Coliseum. NU has won five in a row in the series after dropping the first three between 1976-81. 

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI

• Texas A&M Corpus-Christi went 19-10 last year and won the Southland Conference title, going 13-1 in conference play. The Islanders fell to No. 5 seed Baylor in the NCAA Tournament first round, 3-0. 

• The Islanders return three all-conference players, led by Southland Libero of the Year Carissa Barnes, who led the nation in digs last year with 6.47 per set. Faith Panhans was the Southland Setter of the Year, averaging 11.21 assists per set. Kyndal Payne was an all-conference hitter, leading the team with 3.37 kills per set. 

• Steve Greene is in his seventh year as head coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Greene took A&M-Corpus Christi to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021, as well as his first season in 2016.

SCOUTING TULSA

• Tulsa is coming off a 14-16 season and 9-11 record and seventh place in the American Conference. 

• The Golden Hurricane are led by all-conference outside hitter Kayley Cassaday, who averaged 3.99 kills per set last year.

• Ryan Wills is in his ninth season as head coach at Tulsa and has a 124-108 overall record. 

SCOUTING PEPPERDINE

• Pepperdine finished 22-6 last year and finished second in the West Coast Conference with a 14-4 record. The Waves went to the NCAA Tournament but lost in the first round to UCF, 3-1. 

• Outside hitter Rachel Ahrens finished eighth in the nation last year with 4.89 kills per set and was an All-WCC selection. Setter Isabel Zelaya was also an all-conference pick, averaging 10.79 assists per set. Middle blocker Meg Brown was an All-WCC player with 2.29 kills and 0.84 blocks per set. Defensive specialist Kayleigh Hames is the younger sister of Husker senior Nicklin Hames. 

• Scott Wong is in his eighth year as head coach at Pepperdine with a 125-76 overall record. Wong has taken the Waves to three of the last four NCAA Tournaments. 

KNUCKLES, KUBIK, RODRIGUEZ NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS

• The three team captains for the Nebraska volleyball program in 2022 are senior defensive specialist Kenzie Knuckles, outside hitter Madi Kubik and sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez.

• After two years as NU’s libero, Knuckles moved into a defensive specialist role last season and was named a team captain for the first time. She averaged 2.06 digs with 0.29 aces per set. Knuckles finished with a double-digit dig performance seven times and ranked 10th in Big Ten play for aces per set (0.31). Knuckles also contributed 52 kills as an attacker out of the back row. 

• Kubik was an AVCA third-team All-American in 2021, and she received first-team AVCA North All-Region and first-team All-Big Ten honors. She averaged a team-leading 3.49 kills per set to go with 2.11 digs while adding 21 aces and 55 blocks. Kubik ranked third in Big Ten play in kills per set with 4.11. 

• Rodriguez was recognized as the National Freshman of the Year, a first-team AVCA All-American, North Region Freshman of the Year and first-team North All-Region by the AVCA in 2021. She was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection.

HUSKERS RANKED NO. 1 IN AVCA POLL

• Nebraska is ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll. 

• The Huskers have been ranked No. 1 in 101 all-time polls, the most in NCAA history. The last time the Huskers were ranked No. 1 to start a season was prior to the 2016 season. Nebraska was last ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Poll on Sept. 16, 2019. 

• The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 516 times, which is also the most in NCAA history.

• Nebraska has appeared in all 572 AVCA Coaches Polls it has been eligible for since it was established in 1982. Nebraska is the only program to be ranked in every eligible poll all-time.

THREE HUSKERS NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM

• Three members of the Nebraska volleyball team were named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Kaitlyn Hord, Madi Kubik and Lexi Rodriguez were all voted to the 15-player preseason team by the conference’s head coaches. All three were All-Big Ten First Team selections last year. Kubik was the only player in the Big Ten unanimously chosen to the preseason all-conference team. 

• Kubik was an AVCA third-team All-American in 2021, and she received first-team AVCA All-North Region and first-team All-Big Ten honors. She averaged a team-leading 3.49 kills per set to go with 2.11 digs while adding 21 aces and 55 blocks. Kubik ranked third in Big Ten play in kills per set with 4.11. 

• Rodriguez was recognized as the AVCA National Freshman of the Year, a first-team All-American, North Region Freshman of the Year and first-team All-North Region in 2021. She was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection.

• Hord, a transfer from Penn State, was named to the AVCA All-America Second Team and was a first-team All-Big Ten choice for the third straight season last year. She averaged a career-best 2.92 kills per set while hitting .394. Hord recorded 1.40 blocks per set, which ranked third in the Big Ten and seventh nationally.

• The Huskers were picked second in the Big Ten preseason poll behind defending national champion Wisconsin. Minnesota was third, followed by Ohio State and Penn State. 

AVCA HALL OF FAMER JOHN COOK IN 23RD SEASON AT NEBRASKA

• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 23rd season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2022. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, 10 final fours, 12 conference championships and 20 top-10 final rankings since 2000. 

• Cook has 791 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .873 win percentage (630-92). 

• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 57 AVCA All-Americans and 19 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000 and 2005, and a seven-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2017, his first and second Big Ten honors with the Huskers in their Big Ten era (2011-present).

• Cook is one of only three active coaches – and one of six all-time – to be a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year and was honored in 2008 by USA Volleyball, receiving its All-Time Great Coach Award.

• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall. 

REYES STEPS INTO LEAD ASSISTANT ROLE

• Last December, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Jaylen Reyes moved into the Huskers’ lead assistant role following the departure of associate head coach Tyler Hildebrand, who was named the new head women’s volleyball coach at Long Beach State.

• Reyes joined the Husker staff in March 2018. As the Huskers’ recruiting coordinator, he has helped NU land the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2021 and the No. 2 class for 2022, according to PrepVolleyball.com.

• Reyes coaches the Husker liberos and defense while helping coordinate game plans and scouting reports and assisting with other positions. 

• In 2021, Nebraska boasted an elite defense and held opposing teams to just .148 hitting for the year. A former libero at BYU, Reyes led Nebraska’s back row defense to unprecedented heights in the 2021 season. Led by AVCA first-team All-American and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Lexi Rodriguez, the Husker defense propelled the young squad all the way to the NCAA Championship match. Rodriguez set a Nebraska freshman record for digs in a season (524), and as a team the Huskers averaged 16.98 digs per set, the third-highest total in school history. 

HUNTER EARNS FULL-TIME ASSISTANT POSITION AT ALMA MATER

• Last December, volunteer assistant coach Kelly Hunter was promoted to a full-time assistant role for the Huskers beginning in 2022.

• Following her professional playing career overseas, Hunter joined the Husker staff two years ago. She has served in multiple roles as a volunteer assistant (2020-21), interim assistant coach (January-August 2020) and graduate assistant (2019). She fulfilled her stint as an interim assistant coach in 2020 while former associate head coach Tyler Hildebrand prepared for the 2020 Olympic Games prior to his arrival in Lincoln.

• Hunter set the Huskers to national championships in 2015 and 2017 and was a two-time All-American. She was also the 2017 Big Ten Setter of the Year and a two-time All-Big Ten selection. The three-year Husker captain received numerous honors from volleyball publications, including National Player of the Year and All-America first-team honors from PrepVolleyball.com. Hunter was also named co-Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship with teammate Mikaela Foecke after the Huskers beat Florida in the national title match in 2017.

CLOSING IN ON 300 CONSECUTIVE REGULAR-SEASON SELLOUTS

• All season and single-game tickets for the 2022 Nebraska volleyball season have been sold. The Huskers entered the season with 286 consecutive regular-season sellouts and – barring any cancellations – will celebrate their 300th consecutive regular-season sellout on Nov. 11 against Iowa. 

• Nebraska’s sellout streak is an NCAA women’s record. The Huskers have led the nation in attendance every season since moving into the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2013. 

• Nebraska set a new school record for attendance – 8,632 – against No. 2 Stanford on Sept. 18, 2019. 

• A new NCAA attendance record was set at the 2021 NCAA Championship with 18,755 fans turning out to watch Wisconsin and Nebraska battle for the national title at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio last December. 

• The top eight crowds in NCAA Volleyball history are all matches that have involved the Huskers.  

OMAHA TO HOST NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THIRD TIME IN EIGHT YEARS

• The NCAA Championship returns to Omaha in 2022 for the third time in the last eight years and the fifth time overall. The University of Nebraska and the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA) will host the NCAA Championship at the CHI Health Center on Dec. 15-17.

• Omaha has served as the most frequent host of the NCAA Championship in the 41-year history of the tournament. Omaha has hosted the event four times: 2006, 2008, 2015 and 2020.

• Omaha hosted the entire 48-team NCAA Tournament in April 2021 after the 2020 season was delayed until the spring because of COVID-19. Kentucky beat Texas, 3-1, to win its first NCAA title that season. 

• The Huskers won NCAA titles in Omaha in both 2006 (vs. Stanford) and 2015 (vs. Texas), and the Big Red reached the final four in 2008 before losing a five-set thriller to Penn State in the semifinals. 

• Four of the top 11 crowds in NCAA history have occurred at the NCAA Semifinals and Finals played at the CHI Health Center in Omaha. 

• Future NCAA Volleyball Championship sites include Tampa (2023), Louisville (2024) and Kansas City (2025). 

HORD HEADLINES TALENTED GROUP OF NEW HUSKERS

• Nebraska has five new players on its roster this season: Penn State graduate transfer Kaitlyn Hord (Lexington, Ky.), freshman middle blocker Bekka Allick (Lincoln, Neb.), freshman defensive specialist Maisie Boesiger (Firth, Neb.), freshman outside hitter Hayden Kubik (West Des Moines, Iowa) and freshman middle blocker Maggie Mendelson (Ogden, Utah). The Huskers’ signing class was the No. 2-ranked class by PrepVolleyball.

• The 6-4 Hord was named to the AVCA All-America Second Team and was a first-team All-Big Ten choice for the third straight season last year at Penn State. She averaged a career-best 2.92 kills per set while hitting .394. Hord recorded 1.40 blocks per set, which ranked third in the Big Ten and seventh nationally.

• Hord ranks among the NCAA active career leaders in three categories. The middle blocker is No. 2 among active NCAA Division I players in career hitting percentage (.409), total blocks (522) and blocks per set (1.31).  

NINETEEN TV APPEARANCES FOR THE BIG RED IN 2022

• Nebraska plays on TV 19 times this season, including 14 national TV broadcasts.

• The Huskers appear on the Big Ten Network 12 times during the regular season, and Nebraska plays at Creighton on FS1 on Sept. 7 and at Kentucky on ESPNU on Sept. 18. 

• In addition to the 14 national TV broadcasts, Nebraska Public Media is televising five matches: Tulsa (Aug. 26), Loyola Marymount (Sept. 1), Ohio State (Sept. 24), Northwestern (Oct. 16) and Iowa (Nov. 11). 

• The 10 matches that are not on TV can be streamed with a B1G+ subscription. Every match throughout the season airs on the Huskers Radio Network and can be heard on Huskers.com and the Huskers app. 

MENDELSON, U.S. U19 TEAM WIN GOLD AT PAN AMERICAN CUP

• Nebraska freshman middle blocker Maggie Mendelson and the U.S. Girls’ U19 National Team won the gold medal at the Pan American Cup in Tulsa, Okla., in late July. The U.S. team went 5-0 at the tournament without dropping a set.

• Mendelson, the team captain, had six kills, two blocks and two ace serves in the USA’s 25-15, 25-14, 25-17 sweep of Brazil in the championship match.

ALLICK, RODRIGUEZ CLAIM GOLD AT PAN AMERICAN CUP

• The U.S. Women’s U21 National Team – with Nebraska freshman middle blocker Bekka Allick and sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez – defeated Argentina 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 25-14) in June to win the Pan American Cup at La Paz Arena in Baja California Sur.

• It is the second time the U.S. has won the title. The last time was in 2017. Both the U.S. Women (5-0) and Argentina (4-2) qualified for the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championship.

• Allick added 14 points on 12 kills and two blocks. Rodriguez, the libero and team captain, was credited with 24 digs and 12 excellent receptions.