Gates continues to help her team

LINCOLN - Call her Auntie Amanda, the relative who never forgets to send a card on your birthday.

Within the tight-knit Nebraska volleyball family, that's Amanda Gates, a junior from Columbus who despite contributing to NU's national championship win last season, must again embrace her role as the Huskers' back-up middle blocker.

“It's been a great challenge for me mentally and physically just coming out everyday and bringing it,” said Gates, a starter in 13 career matches. “Some days, it's harder than others, but your team is what matters. You're motivated to prove yourself and to get better, but you know it's for a bigger cause.”

Gates is coming off the biggest offensive night of her career, an eight-kill performance against Texas A&M on Saturday while filling in for Kori Cooper. Cooper's status for tonight's match at Kansas (9-5, 2-2 Big 12) remains in question while the sophomore starter battles a viral infection.

Cooper, who ranks third in the Big 12 in attack percentage this season, returned to practice with the Huskers (10-0, 3-0) on Monday.

But it's having players like Gates to step in that separates top-ranked Nebraska's program from others. Nebraska head coach John Cook labels her the ultimate team player.

“We always talk to them about how your role players handle their roles determines how good your team is going to be, and Amanda embraces whatever role she has,” Cook said on Tuesday. “And when she gets her chance, she does great.

“She's a great example for the rest of our players, and our team trusts her a lot. So when she goes in, I don't think we miss a beat.”

With 12 scholarship players but only seven who can play starting roles, Cook said it's important in recruiting to identify team players. Cook calls them the “stabilizers” within his team's hierarchy.

“You've got your aircraft carriers, then you've got your winners, your competitors - I have a different term but I'll just move on from that - and then you've got your stabilizers, your role players, those people who are going to work hard and give to the team,” Cook said.

“Some people are more focused on their jobs and what they're doing, and some people are more givers,” he added. “Amanda, she's the one if it's somebody's birthday, she'll make them a birthday card. Even when she was in high school, she would send us her prom picture with a note. She's always thinking about other people first.”

Like Gates, Cook said that back-up setter Maggie Griffin has earned a lot of respect for always making her teammates feel happy. Libero Rachel Schwartz also fits the bill as a stabilizer for the team, he said.

Schwartz nearly matched her career high with 16 digs in Saturday's easy win over Texas A&M. Gates, whose started the first 10 matches last season before Cooper took over, hit .429 and added two early blocks against the Aggies.

Cook said that the biggest difference in Gates from last season is her confidence level. She now expects to make plays, he added.

“When you have great teammates telling you that you can do it, it really helps,” Gates said. “They were probably more confident in me than I was in myself.”