Huskers beat ISU in 4
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By TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star
Lindsey Licht says she tries to not focus too much on losses, which makes sense, considering that before Wednesday, Nebraska’s sophomore right-side hitter had never played any kind of a significant role in a match where the Huskers hadn’t been winners.
While you could say with some certainty that Nebraska’s three seniors would respond positively to NU’s surprising loss at Colorado, there remained the question of how NU’s younger players would respond.
Would they begin questioning how good they really were, a possibility considering few, if any, ever expected Nebraska to roll to 20 straight victories with three sophomores stepping in to replace All-Americans.
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Or would those youngsters approach the loss like veterans, as simply another opportunity to get better.
The answer came not just in Saturday’s bounce-back win, a solid 25-17, 22-25, 25-20, 25-19 victory for the second-ranked Huskers against a dangerous Iowa State team, but on the practice court both Thursday and Friday.
“I knew Lindsey was going to play great tonight,” said NU coach John Cook, who could sense confidence in his 6-foot-5 sophomore even after a roller-coaster ride of a hitting night in Wednesday’s loss to the Buffs.
A renewed sense of urgency was evident from all of the Huskers, from the senior co-captains through more-experienced players like junior Kori Cooper and sophomore libero Kayla Banwarth to newcomers like first-year starter Tara Mueller.
“Kayla asked me several times after Wednesday what she needed to do, and she was really solid tonight,” Cook added. “And Tara, while she struggled at times, she pulled herself out of it.
“Those three did a great job tonight of competing.”
Saturday’s rare matinee was a blessing of sorts for the Huskers, who because of the early start had a few less hours to hear the questions of how they would react to just the fifth regular-season loss in the last five seasons.
The Huskers started with a bang, allowing Iowa State only four points on serve and blocking the Cyclones six times in the opening-set win.
And while it would be easy to view their loss in set two as a disappointment, Cook spun it as just another step in the team’s maturation process.
Nebraska (21-1, 12-1 Big 12) quickly seized control in the third set thanks in part to Licht’s kill that capped a dizzying rally featuring several awe-inspiring digs.
“That’s a huge statement, how we came out in game three,” Cook said. “We didn’t let the hangover of Colorado or losing that (set) affect us.
“That might have been the highlight of the day.”
Senior Jordan Larson led NU with 17 kills and 15 digs, the record-setting 43rd double-double of her career. Mueller and Licht each added 12 kills but in differing fashions.
Mueller went a stretch with seven errors in 12 swings, while Licht, who hit .435, had one of her most efficient matches since the Huskers’ big win against Texas.
“We could never really find a way to stop her,” Iowa State coach Christy Johnson said.
The Cyclones (15-9, 7-6) brought a three-match winning streak into Lincoln, and while they didn’t pull off the upset, they did achieve something in at least winning a set.
Sparked by 15 kills from 5-11 dynamo Victoria Henson, Iowa State had been swept 13 straight times in Lincoln dating to when Johnson was the Huskers’ starting setter.
“I do feel as a program, we’re closing that gap,” Johnson said. “We played well at times. I just didn’t feel like we were able to sustain it.”
As for the Huskers, we’ll see if they’re able to sustain the momentum regained since Wednesday.
“Our three senior leaders took it upon themselves to have this team ready,” Cook said. “For us, I thought it was a great match.”
Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7320 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.
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