Beason is proud of Murray, he is serving success, exploring Purdue

At Nebraska, John Cook is both.

Cook is therefore cautious when it comes to the improvement the team has made in serving since the start of the season.

“Serving happens night after night, day after day, minute after minute,” Cook said. “We challenged them to become a better pitching team and I think they embraced that.”

Cook plays a big role in the strategy behind Nebraska's serve. He decides before the game which players will serve. During the game, he signals from the bench just before each serve which zone on the court to target and is quick to encourage the server.

In the first five games of the season, Nebraska had 27 service errors, but at 46, they also had far too many service errors.

In the last five games there were 25 aces and 25 errors. It was particularly good in Nebraska's last game with seven aces and just one error in a win over Iowa.

Mistakes are only part of the equation when it comes to how well a team serves. They must also consistently have powerful serves that force a team's offense to break out of system.

According to Cook, the Nebraska portion overall was “really good.”

“They were really focused on serving,” he said. “We stress the teams, we mix up the pace, we hit locations.

“I just feel a sense of pride when they go back there to serve. There is a feeling of pride. It's not like, 'Oh, I hope we can do it.' It's like, 'I'm going to get a point for our team.' I just feel like that's our mindset right now.”

During the final practice before each game, Cook closely watches who will be pitching that night, such as between Lindsay Krause and Olivia Mauch.

“As we say, who beats it,” Cook said.

It can be contagious when served. If one player practices a few good serves and starts running, the next player might do the same.

“It’s like basketball,” Cook said. “When a few guys come in and shoot threes, suddenly everyone gets fired up.”

Nebraska will face a top-10 opponent for the first time in Big Ten play when the second-ranked Huskers host No. 10 Purdue on Friday. The 7:30 p.m. game will be on Big Ten Network.

Nebraska's serving is something to watch because when Nebraska sends easy serves, that means more quality shot attempts for some talented attackers like outside hitter Eva Hudson, outside hitter Chloe Chicoine and middle blocker Raven Colvin.

Each of Purdue's (12-3, 3-1) losses came to a top-10 team — Penn State, Creighton and Kansas. His best wins came against Kentucky and Minnesota.

Colvin, a senior middle blocker from Indianapolis, is one of the Big Ten's best all-around players.

She ranks second nationally in blocks (1.7 per set) and 11th in hitting percentage (.439). She also leads the team in ace serves with 22 and had seven aces in a five-set win against Minnesota.

“She’s an elite attacker and an elite blocker,” Cook said. “She did a great job. She’s really improved every year she’s been there and is playing at a really high level.”

Colvin has batted over .300 in each of the last 10 games.

“That’s what sets these guys apart,” Cook said. “Who can do it the longest and most consistently, and she is very consistent. She can always block and always hits with a high hit rate.”

Nebraska defended Colvin well in a five-set win last season, limiting her to seven kills and a negative hitting percentage. She had seven blocks.

In response to a question about team culture this season, senior co-captain Merritt Beason said she was proud of sophomore All-American Harper Murray.

Murray had two legal cases that drained some of the program's energy in the offseason.

“I want to use this to give a big shout out to Harper,” Beason said. “I think that would be a defining moment for us and how she would respond to it. And she was absolutely amazing. Like I was overwhelmed by the response she got. She really looked in the mirror and found ways to be a better teammate and a better person.”