Nebraska Opens Season With Husker Invitational

The fifth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team (0-0) opens the 2021 campaign this weekend with the Husker Invitational, Aug. 27-28, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers’ original season opener with Tulsa was cancelled in accordance with COVID-19 protocols, and the schedule for this weekend’s tournament was amended to three total matches. First serve in NU’s opener vs. Colgate (0-0) is set for 6:30 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. Saturday finale for the Huskers against Kansas State (0-0).
 
Friday’s match will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+. Saturday’s match will be televised live on BTN and available on the FOX Sports app, with Connor Onion on play-by-play and Emily Ehman providing color commentary.
 
This weekend’s action will be carried on Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren Cook West on the call. Baylor is in his 28th season handling play-by-play duties for the Husker volleyball program, and West, a former All-America setter at NU, will provide color commentary for the sixth straight year.
 
Huskers Radio Network will carry the matches on HRN radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha on Friday, then 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 104.9 in Omaha on Saturday. A live audio stream will be available at Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.
 
Quick Hits
• Fresh off her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, gold medalist and former Husker All-American Justine Wong-Orantes will be recognized during Saturday’s match with K-State.
• Nebraska held its annual Red/White Scrimmage last Saturday at the Devaney Center, with the match ending in a 2-2 tie in front of a crowd of 7,940 fans.
• Lexi Sun, who has 1,329 career kills between her years at Nebraska and Texas, owns 992 to her credit as a Husker entering the opening weekend of play.
 
Scouting the Colgate Raiders
Colgate finished the 2020-21 season at 8-2, including 7-1 in Patriot League play. The Raiders won conference’s regular-season title and dropped a four-set decision to Army in the Patriot League Tournament championship final. Alli Lowe is the two-time defending Patriot League Player of the Year after averaging 4.34 kills per set last season. Julia Kurowski was named Patriot League Setter of the Year after leading the conference with 9.71 assists per set.
 
Colgate was picked the preseason favorite in the Patriot League poll released last week, and Lowe and Kurowski were both preseason all-league selections.
 
Head coach Ryan Baker enters his 16th season at Colgate with a career mark of 239-182.
 
Nebraska leads 2-0 in the all-time series, with both matches contested in the John Cook era. NU last faced the Raiders on Sept. 13, 2014, sweeping 3-0 (25-9, 25-12, 25-15). The match marked Nebraska’s sixth-best crowd at the Devaney Center with 8,539 fans in attendance.
 
Scouting the Kansas State Wildcats
K-State received votes in the AVCA’s 2021 preseason poll. The Wildcats finished third in the Big 12 last season, going 13-8 (10-6 Big 12) during the fall conference slate. K-State returns 10 letterwinners and four starters from its 2020 squad. Aliyah Carter, the 2020 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, averaged 4.11 kills per set in her debut season. Kadye Fernholz is the team’s leading returning blocker with 0.80 blocks per set, and Mackenzie Morris had a team-best 4.02 digs per set.
 
Head coach Susie Fritz enters her 21st year at K-State and carries a career record of 363-236.
 
Nebraska leads the all-time series with the Wildcats 22-4, including 22-3 in the John Cook era. K-State and the Huskers last met on Sept. 15, 2017, when NU picked up a 3- 0 win (25-22, 25-11, 25-16).
 
Success in Season Openers
Nebraska is 17-4 in season openers since the John Cook era began in 2000. The Huskers have won two straight in season debuts and four of their last six.
 
Up Next
Nebraska plays host to the Ameritas Players Challenge, Sept. 3-4, at the Devaney Center. On Friday, the Huskers face Omaha at 11 a.m. and Georgia at 6 p.m., followed by a Saturday finale with Arizona State at 6 p.m.