Courtesy Photo Lara Taylor-Dykstra (far right), a 2011 NU verbal commitment, will be playing at the USAV Nationals for the Sports Shack 18 Asics team, which is seeded fourth in the 18 Open Division.

Editors Note: Different Nebraska teams who have qualified for the USAV Nationals at the end of June will be featured in the coming weeks. Check back often to read about these successful Nebraska girls as they prepare for the biggest club tournament in the country.

Previous Countdown stories:

Mandolfo eager to join Creighton team after finishing club season for Elite Thriller 18s at Nationals

Click to read Ron Powell's story on Lincoln Journal Star

LINCOLN - For former standout Nebraska defensive specialist Rachel Schwartz, taking the volleyball coaching job at Lincoln Christian for the 2010 season means her sports career has come full circle.

One of her first endeavors into athletics was attending Christian’s girls basketball camp as a third-grader, something she didn’t want to do at the time.

Lincoln – A pair of matches against Big Ten powers and a trip to Arizona State highlight the 2010 Nebraska spring volleyball schedule released today.

The Huskers will make trips to Arizona State on Saturday, April 10 (6 p.m.) and NCAA semifinalist Minnesota on Saturday, April 24 (4 p.m.). Nebraska’s lone spring home contest at the NU Coliseum will be against Illinois on Saturday, April 17 at 7 p.m., capping a full day of Husker activities around the Red/White Spring Football game.

Both reserved and general admission tickets will be sold for the match against the Fighting Illini and will go on sale at 8 a.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 3) at Huskers.com, by calling the NU Ticket Office at 800-8BIGRED or by visiting in person weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Reserved tickets are $10 with GA tickets set at $8. In addition, The Block – the Husker student seating section – will have free tickets for students to the match, but they are available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. on Huskers.com.

Lincoln – Five Nebraska volleyball players were honored Monday afternoon, as the 2009 All-Big 12 team was announced. Nebraska and Iowa State had a league-best five honorees apiece, as Kori Cooper, Brooke Delano and Sydney Anderson claimed first-team selections, while Kayla Banwarth and Hannah Werth received honorable-mention accolades.

It was Cooper and Anderson’s second straight All-Big 12 honor, while the other three Huskers were recognized for the first time in their careers. Werth was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, the first Husker honored since Jordan Larson in 2005. Werth is the fifth Husker freshman to receive the Big 12’s top rookie honor.

Cooper received her second straight All-Big 12 award by averaging 2.46 kills and 0.85 blocks per set, while leading the Big 12 with a .378 hitting percentage. In league action, Cooper hit a conference-best .400 and had six league matches with at league 10 kills, including a career-high 16 kills against Iowa State. Cooper hit .400 or better in nine of her 18 Big 12 contests.

Read story in the Lincoln Journal Star

Three weeks after she was honored as the nation’s top freshman volleyball player, Lauren Cook has left the UCLA program and appears headed home to play at Nebraska.

Indeed, Cook flew from Los Angeles to her snowbound Lincoln home on Wednesday as multiple sources were confirming to the Journal Star her decision to part from the Bruins.

Read story in Norfolk Daily News

LINCOLN — When the pre-match lineups were announced, Michelle Kuester received a standing ovation.

Not many players suiting up in a uniform other than the Nebraska Cornhuskers can say that happens to them at the Nebraska Coliseum.

View Mike Patterson's story in Omaha World-Herald

OMAHA - Parents probably would agree that most 14-year-olds find it difficult to commit to just about anything.

But not Amber and Kadie Rolfzen, who already have the next eight years of their lives mapped out. The next four will be spent attending Papillion-La Vista South High School, and the four after that will be spent at the University of Nebraska.

IRVING, Texas – Husker volleyball fans will have a trio of opportunities to see Nebraska volleyball this fall, as three matches were selected as part of the Big 12′s TV package with ESPN and FSN on Friday.

The Huskers’ Big 12 opener at Iowa State on Wednesday, Sept. 15 kicks off the package with an ESPNU national telecast. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Omaha Regional semifinal. Nebraska’s other ESPNU telecast will come on Wednesday, Oct. 27, when the Huskers travel to Austin for the final regular-season conference matchup between the two programs. First serve from Gregory Gymnasium is slated for 8 p.m. (central).

The Huskers will also be involved in the league’s lone FSN appearance, as the Huskers will host Texas at the Nebraska Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 2. The start time of that match has been moved from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. to accommodate the nationally televised matchup that features two teams that have won the league in 13 of the conference’s 14 years of existence.

University of Nebraska recruit Taylor Simpson recently found out that she would be one of a select number of girls in the United States representing her country at the first-ever Youth Olympic Games held Aug. 21-26 in Singapore. The Youth Olympic Games is an initiative of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

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Click to view story on Nashville City Paper

Rachel Holloway an All-American player at Nebraska, has been named the new head volleyball coach at Christ Presbyterian Academy, the school announced Tuesday.

She replaces Pat Perry, who resigned after four season with the Lions to pursue other interests. She also brings a unique perspective as someone who played at the highest level yet decided that it was not the most important aspect of her life.