LINCOLN — Nebraska secured what might have been its toughest victory of the volleyball season in a five-set win at Oklahoma last week.

The Huskers found a way to overcome OU and a boisterous crowd. Some said NU even had to overcome the game officials.

Those watching the match on ESPNU could see Sooner fans — including a number of Oklahoma women's basketball players — crowding the Husker servers. It was particularly evident late in the fourth game when Tara Mueller went on a serving run.

The atmosphere in Norman has not gone unnoticed.

“Obviously we've gotten a lot of e-mails and concerns,” Nebraska coach John Cook said Monday at his weekly press conference. “We certainly wouldn't treat any student-athletes at Nebraska in any sport like that.”

Cook said he didn't complain to the officials because he had his hands full just coaching, and he didn't want to distract his players further. He said the game officials that night have been removed by the Big 12.

Cook did complain to OU officials before the match about the Ruf/Neks student boosters who were carrying Ruf/Nek sticks with them. He said the Oklahoma officials took care of that problem immediately.

Some OU fans were nearly on top of the Nebraska servers.

Cook said fans who sit behind the rims at basketball games and try to distract free-throw shooters present a different situation. At basketball games, the fans are usually at least 20 feet away from the shooters.

“It certainly borders on the lines of harassment,” Cook said. “These kids are student-athletes playing volleyball. I'm really pleased with how our players handled it.”

The Huskers encountered a similar problem a few years ago at Missouri. Cook said Steve Pederson, NU's athletic director at the time, wrote a letter to Missouri officials. As a result, MU moved the students away from the end lines.

Cook said Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne is handling the situation with OU.

“It's an administrative thing, not a coaching thing,” he said.

The Huskers, who rose from No. 10 to No. 9 in the coaches' ratings, will host matches against Kansas on Wednesday and Kansas State on Saturday.

The win over OU snapped a two-match skid for the Huskers (10-4). Cook said it was just the kind of victory his team needed.

“We came out of there with a win, which is a positive,” Cook said. “Right now we're looking for any positives we can build on. That was a tough environment.”

Cook took advantage of Nebraska's bye last weekend to travel to Los Angeles to watch his daughter Lauren, a freshman setter, play for No. 16 UCLA. The Bruins (12-5) defeated California but lost to Stanford. Cal dropped from No. 9 to No. 15, and Stanford rose from No. 11 to No. 7.

Cook said volleyball is not nearly as popular in Los Angeles as it is in Lincoln.

“The one thing it made me appreciate is what we have here at Nebraska,” Cook said.

RATING NOTES: Penn State remained No. 1 in the coaches' rankings, while Texas stayed at No. 2. In addition to No. 9 NU, No. 14 Iowa State is the only other Big 12 team in the rankings.