LINCOLN — John Cook perhaps never has looked angrier following a loss than he did 1½ weeks ago.

On the night Iowa State worked out its first volleyball victory ever over Nebraska, the Huskers coach saw red as he talked about his error-prone team. If ever there was a match Cook wanted to erase from his memory banks, it seemed to be NU’s five-set defeat to the Cyclones.

But heading into Friday’s anticipated showdown against powerhouse Texas, Cook has changed his tune.

He wants the Huskers to remember well how relaxed and focused Iowa State’s players looked at the Coliseum. The Cyclones performed like a group that felt no pressure, and Cook wants No. 8 Nebraska to play exactly the same way when it visits second-ranked Texas.

“I think that’s one of the things we learned from that Iowa State match — just come in and go for it,” Cook said. “If you’re loose and just play, the home team will start feeling it. We’re going to find out if we can do that at Texas.”

It’s hard to remember when — or if — the Huskers last looked like this big of an underdog going into a regular-season match.

Texas also was favored in September, when it beat Nebraska in four sets at the Coliseum. But before that match, the Longhorns hadn’t won in Lincoln since 1988.

Tonight, however, few people will be giving NU much of a chance as it goes for its first victory in Austin since 2006. The 16-5 Huskers are third in the Big 12 at 9-3. They were beaten at home by Texas and Iowa State, and they’ve lost on the road to Texas A&M.

As expected, the Longhorns (17-0, 12-0) are steamrolling their way through the schedule. Star seniors Destinee Hooker and Ashley Engle were at their dominant best Wednesday night as Texas routed No. 25 A&M in College Station. If there were any thoughts that the Longhorns might slip up against the rival Aggies, they went out the window as UT hit at a sizzling .500 clip in set one.

UT now has won 26 straight regular-season matches, which is tied for the longest streak in program history.

Nebraska, meanwhile, didn’t play its best while sweeping last-place Texas Tech on Wednesday in Lubbock. The Huskers started off strong against the Red Raiders, then reverted to playing mistake-filled volleyball even while securing the sweep.

But Cook has pointed out often this year how his young and inexperienced team has not responded well under the weight of high expectations. For one match, at least, the Huskers should feel some sense of freedom knowing that all the burden to win will be on the Longhorns’ side of the court.

“I think we just need to go into this match serving aggressive and just worrying about playing the best we can,” junior outside hitter Tara Mueller said. “We know Texas is a really physical team, and we know they’re going to take big swings and get their kills. But we can’t let that affect us.”

And for the most part, Cook believes his team has improved significantly since it lost to Texas on Sept. 26. While winning six of its past seven matches, the coach said, NU is serving and passing with better efficiency and has gained more confidence about how well it can play as a team.

“I think we were very unsure that first time we played Texas this year,” Cook said. “We still have to deal with Texas in their gym and in front of their crown, and all that. But I think we can actually play bettter on the road, because our players feel less pressure.”

Jays take off on tough trip

Creighton will hit the road this weekend with hopes of extending its season-best three-match winning streak. But that won’t be easy because the Bluejays will be making their toughest Missouri Valley trip of the season.

CU (9-12, 6-5 Valley) plays at second-place Missouri State (15-7, 8-2) tonight before visiting third-place Wichita State (16-4, 7-3) on Saturday. Both matches begin at 7, and they may be heard on KOIL 1180 AM.

The Bluejays split a pair of contests when the teams came to Omaha earlier this season. Creighton defeated then-No. 25 Wichita State on Oct. 2 for its first win over a ranked team in program history. The next night, Missouri State overwhelmed the Bluejays in three sets.

Both the Shockers and Bears have 9-0 records at home in 2009.

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com

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