LINCOLN — Heading into Big 12 play, Nebraska coach John Cook's assessment of his volleyball team hasn't changed since the start of the season.

The coach sees a group with lots of talent and tons of room to improve.

“I've been saying that from the beginning,” Cook said. “Once these guys get some things figured out, we have a chance to be a very good team — a dangerous team to play late in November.”

The 7-2 Huskers open their league schedule tonight with a home match against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders, picked to finish last in the league, are off to a 2-7 start.

But after facing Tech, Nebraska closes September with a tough stretch of matches, including three of four on the road. The Huskers will be at Colorado on Saturday and at Texas A&M on Sept. 23. They then take on No. 2 Texas at home on Sept. 26 before visiting Oklahoma on Sept. 30.

Cook is confident that his team's early schedule has prepared it well for the rigors of the Big 12. And he said the ups and downs aren't only because the team has started true freshmen such as Hannah Werth, Megan Pendergast and Gina Mancuso.

The coach said it also has been a significant adjustment for juniors Sydney Anderson, Kayla Banwarth and Tara Mueller to get comfortable being team leaders for the first time in their careers. Plus, middle blocker Kori Cooper, NU's only senior, has missed the past four matches as she continues to recover from offseason knee surgeries.

Sunday's five-set loss to No. 7 UCLA snapped the Huskers' NCAA-record 90-match home winning streak, and Nebraska hasn't entered the conference schedule with multiple losses since 1999.

But upon reviewing the game tape, Cook said he gained a new perspective that his team wasn't far away from coming out on top against the Bruins — a hunch that was shared by the coach's sister, who watched the match on TV in California.

“We're playing with a little anxiety right now, and I think we saw that on Sunday,” Cook said. “I think we had more pressure on us than UCLA did. I think they were happy to play well and be in the fifth game, and they looked a lot looser than we did. I think our kids were feeling some pressure, and they have to learn how to handle that.”

Regardless, the goal, is for the Huskers to be playing their best volleyball heading into the postseason. Mueller said nobody has lost faith that this team can be where it wants to be at the end of the year.

The loss to UCLA “was tough,” Mueller said. “But I think we just need to look at it as a learning experience and not get too upset over it. We know what we need to do, and once we get into the Big 12, we just need to start going back up and play how we can play.”

• NOTES: UCLA's Lauren Cook was named the AVCA's Division I player of the week Tuesday, while Wayne State's Jennifer Hefner earned the same honor in Division II. Cook, a Lincoln Pius X graduate and the daughter of NU's coach, was singled out for helping the Bruins go 3-0 at the Huskers' Players Challenge tournament. Cook, the tournament MVP, averaged 10.38 assists, 3.38 digs and 1.15 kills per set. Hefner, a junior middle blocker from Archer, Neb., helped Wayne State go 5-0 last week, including a 4-0 mark at Rockhurst's tournament. For the week, Hefner averaged 4.38 kills, 0.62 blocks and 5.06 points per set.

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com