Digs: Nebraska volleyball hopes for competitive spring exhibition after promising spring
Nebraska volleyball will unveil its 2023 squad on Saturday, April 29 during its Spring exhibition match. The Huskers take on Wichita State at 2:00 p.m. CT in Central City’s Bison Dome.
Head Coach John Cook said his only expectation and hope is for a competitive match.
The Huskers and Shockers will be playing a regular match. There will not be any autographs before or after the game like in years past.
This won’t be the Huskers’ first scrimmage of the spring as they played Creighton last weekend.
Cook said Nebraska volleyball played two different lineups in the exhibition and both did really well.
“I think for a spring match for both teams it was really high level,” he said. “Usually, those things can be pretty ugly.”
Luckily, Creighton had a pretty full roster and Nebraska’s whole team was available.
With six newcomers, including five freshmen, there were definitely some nerves before the match. It gave Cook a heads-up for what was to come against Wichita State.
“These guys are pumped,” he said. “They are going to be pumped. We’re going to have to do some breathing before we go onto the court. When we played Creighton, we had two freshmen that couldn’t breathe. These guys get really fired, but they’ve got to learn to control that a little bit. It’s fun to see that because they are just so fired up to play.”
Freshman outside hitter Harper Murray said she was one of those freshmen.
“I’m still getting used to those big moments,” she said.
The 6-foot-2 Michigan native had some big takeaways from the scrimmage against Creighton.
“There were a lot of good learning moments in that,” she said. “That was the first time that all of us went out and played together like a real game. So a lot of good learning moments and a lot of ups and downs but we’re going to figure it out and that’s what scrimmages are for.”
As for the exhibition lineup against Wichita State, Cook said Nebraska volleyball will have a group of people that will start and then try to get everyone else in. However, it’s hard to know how the match will go.
This spring, there has been lots of competition in the Huskers’ gym. Cook said he would pay to watch their practices because of how competitive they are.
Even though nearly half of the roster is new, Nebraska has installed a lot of new things over the last five weeks.
“We are trying a lot of new things that we’re capable of doing, which has gone really well,” the coach said. “This group has a great learning mindset. They’ve worked really hard to try and get better. These guys have done a heck of a job.”
Nebraska has a very new team. And even though they practice hard and well together, doesn’t mean it will translate to game day. They’ll show a glimpse on Saturday.
But both Cook and Murray feel like they are on the right path.
“I think we’re all still learning to play with each other and play with confidence,” she said. “That’s something that’s going to come with time, but I think that it’s coming together really well.”
Notes:
***Tickets for Nebraska’s match at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30 went on sale for season-ticket holders and alumni on April 25. Cook said the Husker Ticketing office received many calls from people struggling to get tickets.
He said some alumni were trying to buy large groups of tickets. Someone wanted 500 tickets and another wanted 35 tickets. He thought the alumni were limited on how many tickets they could by on Tuesday because they were going so fast.
The coach said it’s a historic event that many people want to say they were a part of.
Tickets for the general public go on sale on Wed. April 26 at 10:00 a.m.
***Cook said Nebraska hasn’t practiced a 6-2 this spring. The Huskers ran that system for almost the entirety of the 2022 season.
***Lindsay Krause has been playing at left outside hitter this spring. Cook promised her she would play on the left and has kept his word.
He said there is also a lot of competition at the outside hitter position. Every day a different player stands out.
***Nebraska volleyball has been competing this week to earn a starting spot during its exhibition. This includes setters Kennedi Orr and Bergan Reilly.
***During Tuesday’s practice, a few players asked to stop practice to regroup. Cook said that is common. The Huskers have some great leadership and that was an example of that. Nebraska hasn’t named their captains yet but those moments show a good glimpse into the future.
Cook said it is very important for players to step up after captains and long-time starters Kenzie Knuckles, Madi Kubik and Nicklin Hames graduated.
Every week, the Huskers do an optional leadership workshop. Cook said he thinks almost every player showed up.
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