Huskers set NCAA record with 88th consecutive home win

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By TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star

Nebraska’s home-court success was built upon talented teams playing with discipline, and Tuesday’s record-setting win over Creighton was a step — albeit a baby one — in the right direction for the Huskers’ youthful 2009 edition.

Tara Mueller had 13 kills and super sub Jordan Wilberger added a career-high 10 as No. 6 Nebraska won 25-19, 25-23, 25-16 at the NU Coliseum, the Huskers’ 88th consecutive home-court victory.

Nebraska entered the season tied with Penn State of 1995-2000 as the NCAA record holders, and even though the Huskers lost at Qwest Center Omaha last weekend, the setback to Michigan counted as a neutral match. Same story for Penn State in the 2008 final four.

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(From left) Nebraska's Kayla Banwarth, Tara Mueller, Jordan Wilberger, Hannah Werth and Lindsey Licht celebrate during the second set against Creighton on Tuesday. (Erin Duerr / Lincoln Journal Star)

(From left) Nebraska's Kayla Banwarth, Tara Mueller, Jordan Wilberger, Hannah Werth and Lindsey Licht celebrate during the second set against Creighton on Tuesday. (Erin Duerr / Lincoln Journal Star)

Officially, Nebraska hasn’t lost at home since that 2004 shocker against Florida A&M.

“I was unaware,” said libero Kayla Banwarth. “Obviously, losing in Omaha isn’t something we want to do.

“We don’t want to ever lose in Nebraska.”

Coach John Cook, on the other hand, heralded the record as both “awesome” and “incredible.”

“The hardest thing to do, in whatever business you’re in, is to be consistently good over a long period of time,” he said. “That’s a reflection on Nebraska volleyball, and all the effort and work that goes into it.”

Cook came away from Tuesday’s win satisfied, even after Nebraska (2-1) was challenged at times by a Creighton lineup with its share of freshmen.

Cook sent out Hannah Werth at outside hitter, beginning a rotation with Gina Mancuso that he intends to carry through the weekend.

Wilberger played in place of Kori Cooper, who Cook said looked tired in Monday’s practice. Cooper is coming off knee surgery last season that opened the door for Wilberger.

“I just don’t want to have Kori be in there fatigued and have her get hurt,” said Cook, who compared some of Wilberger’s kills Tuesday to past greats Allison Weston and Tracy Stalls.

Coming off the bench with little warning “is a fun role to play,” Wilberger said. “My goal is to be that player that he can count on if he needs me.”

The Huskers opened and closed the first set with 5-0 runs, pulling away only after Creighton had closed to 20-19.

The Blue Jays (1-2) hung tight despite never winning more than three consecutive rallies. That was a big improvement for Nebraska, which gave up big runs at times to both Minnesota and Michigan.

Those runs, Cook said, were an indication of some undisciplined play that Banwarth said is a function of a young team.

“I personally think that being disciplined comes with trust,” Banwarth said, specifically noting defensive positioning. “When you trust your teammates, you can stay on the sideline. You don’t have to worry about covering areas that you wouldn’t normally cover.”

Offensively, the Huskers had their highs and lows. Creighton managed three blocks in set one and four in set two, adding to the 20 blocks that opponents scored last weekend.

Creighton snuck within 24-23 in set two before Werth closed out the win with a kill.

Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7320 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.