Jayhawk Volleyball Prepares For No. 9 Nebraska

Oct. 6, 2009

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Kansas at Nebraska Game Notes

No. 9 Nebraska is just the first of three-straight top 15 opponents the Kansas volleyball team will face in the next week. The Jayhawks (9-5, 2-3 Big 12) travel to nationally-ranked Nebraska (10-4, 3-2 Big 12) on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The match, scheduled for 7 p.m., is KU’s first televised match of the season and set to air on NET (Nebraska Education Television).

Fans can access Nebraska’s free live stats and radio broadcast on the KU Athletics website at

www.KUAthletics.com.

About Kansas

For the second-straight week Kansas went 1-1 in conference action. The Jayhawks defeated Colorado last Wednesday but endured a loss on the road at Texas A&M over the weekend to bring their Big 12 record to 2-3 and their overall mark to 9-5. Junior Karina Garlington is third in the Big 12 with 4.25 kps in league matches and fourth on the year averaging 3.83 kps in all contests. The Jayhawks receive help on the offensive end from senior middle blocker Paige Mazour, whose .362 attack percentage ranks third in the Big 12. Steering the KU offense is sophomore setter Nicole Tate. She is averaging the league’s third-most assists with 10.96 aps, also the 23rd-best average in the nation. In the back court, junior libero Melissa Manda leads KU with 4.24 dps, which is seventh among Big 12 players. Tayler Tolefree is the only freshman listed in the top 10 of the conference in blocking as her 1.16 bps is fourth in the league.

Scouting Nebraska

After falling at Texas A&M and versus No. 2 Texas, Nebraska bounced back with a win at Oklahoma last Wednesday to bring a 10-4 overall record and 3-2 conference mark into this week’s match. NU did not play over the weekend due to a bye in its schedule. Since the start of conference play the Huskers have featured a balanced attack as five people average over two kills per set in league contests. Junior Lindsey Licht leads the team with just under three kills per set. Returning All-American Tara Mueller, a junior, averages a team-best 3.22 kps through all matches. Junior Sydney Anderson, also a 2008 All-American, controls the offense with 10.35 aps, sixth in the Big 12. Defensively, junior Kayla Banworth is third among all conference players digging up 4.57 balls per set. Along the front line, Licht and Brooke Delano both rank in the top 10 of the Big 12 averaging 1.04 and 1.12 bps, respectively. In his 10th season as head coach at Nebraska, John Cook owns a 291-24 record with the Huskers.

Series Info: Since October of 1975 Nebraska has been undefeated against Kansas posting an 82-0-1 record. The Jayhawks did battle in their last away match taking the Huskers to four games before losing 3-1. It marked the first time KU won a set in Lincoln since 1998.

Bechard Approaching Milestone

Kansas head coach Ray Bechard is just one win shy of hitting 900 career victories. Bechard, who is in his 12th season at KU, is 899-225 (.801 percent) in his 25th season as a head coach. He spent 13 seasons at Barton County Community College prior to coming to Kansas, where he accumulated a 716-60 mark at the school.

Tough Schedule Ahead

KU’s match versus No. 9 Nebraska Wednesday is just its first of three-straight contests versus top 15 teams. The Jayhawks will host No. 14 Iowa State this Saturday before welcoming Texas on Oct. 7. UT has been ranked No. 2 in the nation for seven straight weeks.

Up Next

The Jayhawks will take on their second-straight top 15 foe on Saturday, Oct. 10 versus No. 14 Iowa State. The match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.