LINCOLN — Before the Nebraska volleyball team got back to work this week, John Cook had an unusual question for his players.

The coach wanted to know how many Huskers had watched “Shark Week'' on TV.

His point? When sharks smell blood, they go into a frenzy.

And now that Nebraska looks vulnerable for the first time since 2003, Cook wants his players to understand that every Big 12 opponent is going to attack when it sees red on the other side of the net.

Coming off consecutive losses to Texas A&M and No. 2 Texas, the 10th-ranked Huskers will try to get back on track tonight at Oklahoma. It has been one of the toughest weeks for the program during Cook's decade on the job, but the coach raved about the way his players got back into the gym and got after it in practice.

“I have no complaints about how they're responding,” Cook said. “That's what we talk with them about — how does a champion respond to adversity? You can tank it, give up and feel sorry for yourself. Or you can come back and try to raise it to another level, and they've definitely done that.”

But can Nebraska keep it going when it counts? Cook said intensity and work ethic have never been problems this season during the day-to-day grind of practice. It's when his young and inexperienced Huskers hit the stage, he said, that they've struggled with some jitters.

And Cook sees proof that his team is playing with fear and hesitation when he looks at the stat sheets against the Aggies and Longhorns: A combined 26 serving miscues to go with 57 attack errors in the two defeats. Those mistakes have overshadowed the fact that the Huskers have done many things well enough recently to win.

“Up — that's pretty much the only place (we can go),” said freshman outside hitter Hannah Werth, who on Monday grabbed her second Big 12 rookie of the week award after averaging 2.75 kills and 2.62 in the two losses. “I think the No. 1 thing for this team is staying disciplined and remembering what we've been taught. When you make an error, don't worry about it. Just go after the next point.”

Cook on Tuesday said he's still toying with the idea of switching to a two-setter attack — because that might be a way to raise a .225 hitting percentage, which ranks fifth in the Big 12. But he said things would have to continue to unravel during the next few weeks before he'd make that change.

Should Nebraska (9-4, 2-2 Big 12) lose again tonight, it would mark the program's first three-match skid since 1997. It also would be the Huskers' first loss to the Sooners since that same season.

The Huskers will have to play well to prevent a loss.

Oklahoma (10-3, 3-1) is off to a strong start, and the Sooners always fight hard when the teams meet at McCasland Field House.

An often relentless defensive club, the Sooners are holding teams to .130 attacking, which ranks second in the Big 12. They also lead the league with 17.84 digs per set. Five players average better than two kills per set in OU's balanced offense, including middle blocker Francie Ekwerekwu. She's hitting .319 while averaging 2.84 kills and one block per set.

Plus, it's sure to be an emotionally charged atmosphere tonight in Okahoma's gym. During this match, to be televised on ESPNU, the Sooners will honor coach Santiago Restrepo's 4-year-old son, Javi, who died in July after a long battle with leukemia.

After they face OU, the Huskers will have their first Big 12 bye this weekend. The Nebraska coach plans to take advantage of the break to spend time with his daughter, UCLA setter Lauren Cook. He'll fly to California to watch the Bruins take on Stanford and Cal, and he expects the time off will benefit everyone on the team.

But the weekend will be far more enjoyable, Cook said, if the Huskers can find a way to shake their slump.

“We've had some nightmare matches down at Oklahoma. But it doesn't matter who we play, we've got to manufacture a big win,” Cook said. “If we can do it on the road, it will be even better. That's where you get confidence. You've got to keep working until it happens, and that's what can change everything around.”

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com