The Rally: No. 6 Nebraska Volleyball to be “bulletproof” against opponents

The Nebraska volleyball team is aiming to be “bulletproof” during matches, Husker coach John Cook said on Sports Nightly.

“You’ve got to be bulletproof,” Cook said. “Nothing bothers us, just go onto the next point, not too up or too down.”

Cook said earlier in the season, they were letting a lot of things affect them, a certain point, how a match was going, and that’s why they adopted the “bulletproof” mentality.

“Bulletproof creates a mindset, like O.K. it was a bad set or we made a couple of errors, we let a ball drop, O.K. we’re not going to do that again, we’re onto the next play and we’re going to be a little tougher,” Cook said on Tuesday.

Nebraska has two big tests this week. This first is against No. 3 Wisconsin on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the Devaney Sports Center and will be on BTN. Then the Huskers travel to No. 11 Minnesota for a Saturday night match at 7 p.m. on BTN.

Here is a full breakdown of Nebraska’s big-time opponent’s this week:

No. 3 Wisconsin:

Nebraska versus Wisconsin is a battle for the Big Ten leader. Wisconsin, currently No. 2 in the conference, is 17-1 overall and 9-1 in the Big Ten.

The Badgers lost to Maryland on Sept. 24 in the five sets (23-25, 25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 10-15). Statistically, Wisconsin played better than the Terps with 18 more points and 24 more kills.

Most recently, Wisconsin beat Penn State in a five-set battle where the first two sets went to extra points (25-27, 32-30). The Badgers hit .429 in set five and had 90 digs on the match. Middle blocker Dana Rettke had a team-high 24 kills and hit .512.

Wisconsin swept then-No. 7 Minnesota at the beginning of October (25-17, 25-22, 25-17). They hit .372 with two matches hitting above .400. Freshman outside hitter Julia Orzol led the Badgers with 17 kills, 10 digs and four assists.

No. 11 Minnesota:

The Golden Gophers (12-6, 7-3) are ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten. So far this season, they were swept by then-No. 5 Wisconsin, then-No.14 Penn State and lost at Michigan in five sets.

Minnesota started the season with one of the hardest schedules in the country including games against then-No. 10 Baylor, No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Florida and walked away 1-3.

The Golden Gophers defeated No. 6 Ohio State in four sets. They hit .234 compared to the Buckeyes .198. Outside hitter Stephanie Samedy had 22 kills and 21 digs and outside hitter Airi Miyabe had 16 kills.

In the Big Ten, Minnesota leads the rankings in digs per set with 16.41 but is last in the conference in opponent digs with 16.37.

We have gotten to the point in the schedule where the teams are so talented I could list each team’s entire starting lineup and a few players off the bench. But for the sake of time and sanity, I will only list three of the top performers from each team.

Dana Rettke, Wisconsin:

For those of you who pay any attention to college volleyball, it is no surprise to see this name atop this list. Rettke is one of the best players in the country and Wisconsin school history. She is a four-time First-Team All-American.

Rettke returned for her fifth season at Wisconsin and is leading the NCAA in hitting percentage (.496). The 6-foot-8 middle blocker has 1,640 career kills and averaged 3.59 kills per set in her career.

This season, the 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year has a team-high 228 kills and 84 blocks. Rettke’s best game came against Penn State when she had 24 kills, 25.5 points and hit .512.

Sydney Hilley, Wisconsin:

Sydney Hilley is the reigning two-time Big Ten Setter of the Year (2019, 2020) and making a strong case for this season award by leading the NCAA with 12.10 assists per set. She was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week three times this season.

The 6-foot-0 setter has 5455 career assists with 762 from the 2021 season. Hilley has 28 kills, 140 digs and 49 blocks, the second-highest on the team.

The graduate student was selected as an AVCA All-American all four of her previous seasons: two First-Teams (2019, 2020), a Second-Team selection (2018) and an Honorable Mention in 2017.

Against Penn State, Hilley had one of her best matches this season with 65 assists, 18 digs and four blocks.

Julia Orzol, Wisconsin:

Outside hitter Julia Orzol is leading one of the top campaigns for Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week once so far this season and the Big Ten Player of the Week another time.

The 6-foot-0 freshman from Poland had a career-high 19 kills against Penn State and a season-high three blocks and hit .241. Orzol is hitting .226 this season including a .333 clip against Minnesota.

Stephanie Samedy, Minnesota:

Minnesota outside hitter Stephanie Samedy is another of the greatest players in the Big Ten and the country. She was the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2020 and is a three-time AVCA First-Team All-American.

The 6-foot-2 opposite hitter has a team-high 305 kills and is hitting .250 in 2021. Samedy also adds 237 digs and 43 blocks. She leads the Big Ten in kills per set (4.69) and points per set (5.18), with Rettke at No. 3 with 4.51 points per set.

Most recently in Minnesota’s victory over Ohio State, Samedy had 22 kills and 21 digs. She had a season-high 31 kills against then-No. 5 Florida earlier in the season. Samedy hit .380 in the Golden Gopher’s four-set victory with 14 digs and two blocks.

Samedy is the only Power Five player in the country to have more than seven matches with over 20 kills in 2021. She recorded eight games with more than 20 kills, including two with at least 30 kills. The other game was against Michigan in five sets.

CC McGraw, Minnesota:

Minnesota’s libero CC McGraw is one of the best liberos in the conference with 4.50 digs per set, the second-highest in the Big Ten. McGraw was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after the Golden Gophers defeated then-No. 14 Stanford and then-No. 11 Oregon within two days.

The 2019 First Team All-Big Ten selection has 306 digs and 56 assists this season. As a four-year starter, McGraw has 1,350 career digs and counting. She had her two best games in 2021 against Michigan. McGraw saved 32 balls in Minnesota’s first five-set match with the Wolverines and had 27 digs in the Golden Gophers’s loss to Michigan.

Jenna Wenaas, Minnesota:

Outside hitter Jenna Wenaas is Minnesota’s second-leading hitter with 211 kills behind Samedy. The sophomore is hitting .216 in her first season as a starter.

Wenaas has 41 blocks and 150 digs. She was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after 14 kills against St. Thomas (MN) and Iowa State on Sept. 16 and 18. She hit .333 on the two matches, including a .423 clip against St. Thomas.

.123:

The Huskers held then-No. 7 Purdue to a .123 hitting percentage, their lowest of the season. Nebraska recorded 70 digs against the Boilermakers and held them to hitting zero or below in two matches.

Nebraska’s defense is one of the stars of its current team and, along with serving, will give them the best chance to beat the ranked opponents remaining on their schedule.

Cook said that Nebraska’s serve and defense give the Huskers a good start in trying to beat Wisconsin.

“They’ve always, in the last several years, been at the top in hit efficiency, they’ve had a lot of great hitters,” Cook said. “So that gives us a chance that we can serve, block, play defense. We also have to deal with their defense too, and their serve and block. So it’ll be a great test.”

The Huskers need to continue to dominate defensively and can’t start slow against Wisconsin and Minnesota like they did against Purdue. The Boilermakers hit .429 in set one and took the set 25-23 after Nebraska staged a 23-13 comeback to close the gap.

.144:

Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in many categories including opponent hitting percentage (.144). Nebraska is second in the conference with .146 opponent hitting percentage.

Many people will look at this match and think of powerhouse hitters like Lauren Stivrins and Dana Rettke squaring off and envision a hitting match. Yes, the Stivrins’s slide will be on display and Rettke will inevitably have some incredible kills.

However, this particular match will be a battle between whose defense can protect their side of the court better.

Nebraska libero Lexi Rodriguez is playing her best college volleyball so far and the Huskers have three other elite defensive players in Keonilei Akana, Kenzie Knuckles and setter Nicklin Hames.

Wisconsin’s libero Lauren Barnes has 251 digs this season and averages 3.98 digs per set and had 29 against Penn State. Hilley, Orzol and defensive specialist Joslyn Boyer all have over 100 digs and defensive specialist Giorgia Civita has 93 digs.

Get ready because there will be some great saves on Wednesday when Nebraska and Wisconsin battle to be the best team in the Big Ten.

Lexi Rodriguez wins two Big Ten weekly awards:

Rodriguez captured two Big Ten weekly awards as she was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week.

The 5-foot-5 libero had 17 digs, three assists and two service aces against Iowa. Later in the week versus Purdue, Rodriguez tied her career-high 24 digs and six assists.

“It’s very clear that she is one of the greatest defensive people to pretty much ever come through this program,” Stivrins said. “She’s so talented and we’ve seen that from day one. So it’s no surprise that she keeps getting these accolades.”

Rodriquez was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week previously on Oct. 11 after her performances against Penn State (19 digs and four assists) and Rutgers (17 digs, four assists and two aces).

“She’s one of those people that really doesn’t care about any of that stuff and wants to get the ball up,” Stivrins said.

Nicklin Hames earning weekly awards for first time since freshman year:

Hames was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week on Oct. 11 and the co-setter on Oct. 25 with Wisconsin’s Sydney Hiller.

The senior had 39 assists, two aces and 11 digs against Iowa. She followed that performance with 48 assists, three aces, three kills and 17 digs in Nebraska’s upset over Purdue.

Hames has done a better job of getting setter dumps and forcing other teams to adjust for her in their blocking scheme.

The three-time team captain averages 10.48 assists per set, the fifth-highest in the Big Ten. In conference-only stats, Hames is ranked No. 3 with 11.48 assists per set.

On Huskers Sports Nightly, Cook said that Hames has been the unsung hero of this team. He said she is a good setter, a good blocker for her size, a great defensive player and a leader.

A team can only travel as far as their setter can take them and Hames is pulling together a promising-looking future.

The Huskers haven’t beat Wisconsin in four years:

Nebraska hasn’t won a game against Wisconsin since 2017, the same year the Huskers won their last National Championship.

The Huskers and Wisconsin didn’t meet in the 2020 season due to COVID-19 protocols canceling their matchup. In 2019, the Badgers swept the Huskers three times, twice in conference play and once in the NCAA Regional Final.

Cook said he hasn’t and won’t review the 2019 matches for Wednesday’s match because those games are already etched into his brain.

Being swept by the same team in three matches in one season is… memorable to say the least.

The Huskers have only beaten a Wisconsin team with Rettke on it in that 2017 match. In 2019, Rettke had a combined 29 kills and 16 blocks in the three matches against Nebraska. She dominated, as she typically does, in the only 2018 matchup between the teams with a double-double of 12 kills and 10 blocks.

Overall, Nebraska leads the all-time series with the Badgers 19-8-1 but is 5-1 since 2017. Wisconsin won the Big Ten the last two seasons and is making quite the run for a three-peat in 2021.

Possibly a more important win:

The recent series against Minnesota has been much closer than with Wisconsin.

As for the Minnesota matchups, Nebraska leads 35-10 in all-time matches. However, in the last five seasons, the teams are tied at 5-5.

For this Nebraska team beating the Golden Gophers is more feasible than Wisconsin. The Badgers are the No. 3 team in the country and have a starting lineup full of great players and an impact outside hitter at each pin.

Whether the Huskers win or not on Wednesday will not define their season. There is a lot of volleyball to be played against the best teams in the conference. However, being swept by Wisconsin would be a hard pill to swallow especially if the sets aren’t close.

Nebraska needs to find a way to really compete with this stacked Wisconsin squad.

Please don’t go running around telling your co-workers, families and neighbors that some crazy intern at HuskerOnline is predicting the Huskers’ loss to Wisconsin on Wednesday. That’s not what I’m trying to say.

What I’m trying to articulate is that this one match against the Badgers will not define Nebraska’s season. This is not a make-or-break match, although, with the history of the two teams, it can feel that way.

For example, let’s say the Huskers sweep the Badgers on Wednesday. They could go on to lose the rest of their matches. On the other hand, Nebraska could lose to Wisconsin in five sets, feel they competed well with a very talented, experienced team and go on to crush Minnesota, Ohio State and its other ranked opponents left on the schedule.

Win or lose on Wednesday, Nebraska needs to bounce back against Minnesota. Big wins sometimes get a team too high and some losses are hard to recover from.

Cook said on the Huskers Sports Nightly that with Nebraska’s schedule and playing college volleyball in general, it’s hard to find time for the players to mentally rest. Volleyball is a very emotional game, especially against top-10 ranked opponents with 8,500 fans screaming.

Nebraska, again win or lose, needs to stay emotionally and mentally strong through its remaining 10 matches. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.