LINCOLN — In the sweep over Kentucky, it happened in the first set.

During the five-game loss to Florida, it was in set four.

Against Creighton, it came during set three of a 3-0 victory.

The Nebraska volleyball team has showed glimpses of dominance in all three of its matches in 2010. But managing three impressive sets out of the 11 the Huskers have played, coach John Cook said, simply isn’t good enough.

“We’re a little too inconsistent right now,” Cook said, “and I think our team maybe is feeling the burden of expectations. So as a coaching staff, we’ve got to find a way to let them have a little more fun and relax a bit.”

Cook knows that his team will have to be at its best this weekend with its next three matches in a span of less than 24 hours. The seventh-ranked Huskers return to the court Friday night at BYU’s tournament, where they’ll battle the host Cougars. On Saturday, NU will play both Cal Poly and Idaho State.

None of Nebraska’s weekend opponents is ranked, though Cal Poly is receiving votes after opening its season upending then-No. 18 Arizona. Still, Cook knows that the Huskers aren’t yet playing well enough to take any team lightly, and he’s concerned about how his players might perform under the demands of such a condensed schedule.

Cook said both Gina Mancuso and Jordan Wilberger — two players who weren’t in the starting rotation at the AVCA Showcase — could see significant time on the court this weekend as the Huskers try to remain fresh. It’s possible, too, that several Nebraska reserves will make their 2010 debut during the two matches Saturday.

Morgan Broekhuis, who sat out at Creighton to rest a minor foot injury, will play Friday, Cook said. The Huskers then will see how Broekhuis feels before deciding on her status for the second day of the tournament.

In reflecting on Nebraska’s 2-1 start, Cook said the team’s 25-9, first-set rout against No. 16 Kentucky set a misleading tone. The Huskers looked so good early while overpowering the Wildcats, he said, it masked some of the deficiencies that popped up later in that season-opening match.

But it became clear that Nebraska has plenty to work on — better passing; fewer errors at the net — as it lost to No. 6 Florida and got off to a shaky start against the Bluejays. That said, Cook still loves the potential for NU’s 6-2 attack to get better as the season progresses.

“We started off about as good as you could possibly play,” Cook said. “But I do have a very deep belief in this team that it can play at that level for a long time. We just can’t play with fear. We have to be aggressive and really go for it.”

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com

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