• Watch video of Husker volleyball coach John Cook at Tuesday's press conference:

LINCOLN — Should things not go Nebraska's way tonight at Baylor, John Cook knows the Huskers still will have half of a volleyball season to bounce back.

But Cook wasn't exaggerating much when he labeled No. 7 Nebraska's showdown with the 19th-ranked Bears a make-or-break type of match.

Nebraska still has tough road tests remaining at second-ranked Texas and at No. 13 Iowa State. The Huskers have a five-set away victory over an LSU team that's now 24th in the coaches poll. But tonight's match at Baylor will be NU's first on the road against a team ranked at the time of the match.

“We have to go down there, and we have to be low-error,” Cook said. “We have to make those guys earn everything and really pressure them.”

Without question, a win tonight in Waco could give the Huskers a huge boost of confidence. And it might provide further evidence of how Cook's young and inexperienced club appears to have turned a corner.

Nebraska shot itself in the foot with serving and attack errors while losing back-to-back contests against Texas A&M and Texas in late September.

The Huskers (12-4, 5-2 Big 12) have cut down on that trend dramatically while stringing together a three-match winning streak. On Saturday, while dominating Kansas State in a home sweep, Nebraska looked especially impressive from the service line.

NU had a season-high eight aces, including four by freshman Gina Mancuso. Even more encouraging against the Wildcats was the Huskers' two service errors — which equaled the program's lowest total during the past decade.

The past few weeks during serving drills in practice, Cook has had the Huskers do sprints and other grueling exercises as a punishment for off-target serves, junior libero Kayla Banwarth said. That renewed emphasis has paid off, she said, when NU plays for real.

“The consequences for missed serves in practice have really carried over to the matches,” Banwarth said. “Just having more of a focus on it every day has really helped.”

Texas remains perfect in league play at 7-0. Baylor, Iowa State, Texas A&M and Nebraska are bunched together below the Longhorns with two conference losses each.

Baylor (17-2, 6-2) is off to its best start in program history. Much like A&M — the team NU struggled so badly against last month on the road — the Bears are loaded with proven veterans.

Baylor boasts three four-year starters at key positions and lost only one player off last season's 18-13 squad. Senior Taylor Barnes is one of the top setters in the Big 12, while All-Big 12 middle blocker Anna Breyfogle leads the conference in both blocks (1.53 per set) and hitting percentage (.385).

“We're right with Baylor in the conference,” Banwarth said, “so we're going to have to get ready for a battle, that's for sure.”

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com