Nebraska volleyball team begins fall practices

LINCOLN - Lindsey Licht still picked up the water bottles to carry down to the locker room Monday morning, only now she has help with what's known as freshman duties around the Nebraska volleyball team.

Licht, who trained with the Huskers last spring after graduating high school early, has been joined by four other newcomers for the start of fall practices. It's the biggest incoming class in recent memory for a program that touts five returning All-Americans.

Working the freshmen into the system is one of several things that head coach John Cook said the Huskers must focus on in two-a-days.

“That's a big group right there, and we need to find out who is ready to step in and play,” he said.

Light, a 6-foot-5 right-side hitter from Aurora, Colo., got a jump by training with the Huskers in the spring. Licht could play a role if Nebraska goes to a two-setter system, either full-time or situationally, during the season.

Brooke Delano of state champion Bellevue West and walk-on Jordan Wilberger of Scottsbluff are both training as middle blockers this fall. The other newcomers are outside hitter Tara Mueller of Scottsdale, Ariz., and libero Kayla Banwarth of Dubuque, Iowa.

Nebraska's recruiting class was ranked fifth nationally by prepvolleyball.com, but that talent level never means much on the first day of practice.

“I remember last spring, I didn't want to screw up the drill for the team,” Licht said, adding that she still doesn't know all of the drills by name. “But once I see it now, I know it.”

In preparing for Monday's first practices, Licht tried to prepare the other freshmen as much as possible.

“I tried to answer most of their questions,” she said, “but some of them I don't know.”

The biggest questions that Cook needs to answer in fall camp revolve around what system NU will run - a 5-1 or two setters - and which players need to be on the court to make the Huskers the best team that they can be.

Cook said it is important to work Christina Houghtelling back into the lineup and to determine who will step up as libero. The leading candidates are junior Rachel Schwartz, who played a key role as a defensive specialist last season, and Banwarth.

Mueller, who played libero with USA Volleyball this summer, will likely train primarily as Nebraska's third outside hitter.

“We've got some options,” Cook said, “but two-a-days are also about establishing fundamentals and a system.”