Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook said Sunday he might need the help of Messrs. Rand and McNally to locate Jackson State, the Huskers' first-round opponent in the NCAA volleyball tournament.
His counterpart on Thursday night, Jackson State coach Rose Washington, isn't exactly familiar with the site for her Lady Tigers' first-ever NCAA tournament match, either. Not in person, anyway.
"Do you hear this accent in my voice? I'm from the Virgin Islands," Washington said by phone from Jackson, Miss., Monday. "I don't like the cold. I've never been to Lincoln or anywhere close to it."
But Washington, in her 10th season at Jackson State (29-9), knows the type of atmosphere that awaits the Lady Tigers when they play Nebraska on Thursday night at the NU Coliseum by reputation alone. The crowd of around 4,100 will be something new to her team, which played in front of audiences of just a few hundred fans during its run through the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
"They're happy. They're excited," Washington said. "They'll be excited to play in that stadium that's always packed to the max. It'll be crazy."
Jackson State, a school of around 8,600 students whose alumni include NFL Hall of Famer Walter Payton, will bring a senior-laden team to the Coliseum. The Lady Tigers have rolled to 25 straight wins and captured an automatic bid by winning the SWAC tournament, taking down nemesis Alabama A&M in the final.
Washington said the win exorcised some demons from last season for the Lady Tigers, when they lost a five-game thriller in the SWAC final to Alabama A&M, extending the Lady Bulldogs' run to 10 SWAC titles in 11 seasons.
"A sense of pride. That's what this university is about anyway," Washington said. "I have five seniors, you can imagine going out in this fashion — going out with a bang."
While she may not be familiar with Nebraska's geography, Washington isn't a total stranger to the NU roster. She said volleyball matches take up most of the space on her DVR, including Husker clashes with Penn State and Minnesota from earlier this season.
A couple of other NU matches had to be sacrificed when the DVR ran out of space, but Nebraska junior Hannah Werth left enough of an impression on Washington to be immediately recalled from memory.
"Hannah, Hannah, 44, she's awesome," said Washington, referring to Werth's number. "She's powerful. When I saw powerful, her approach is so strong."
Earlier this month, Jackson State had four players named first-team All-SWAC, led by junior outside hitter Christine Edwards, a transfer from Maryland-Eastern Shore. Edwards was named MVP of the SWAC tournament and leads the Lady Tigers with 4.21 kills per set in her first season with the team.
Senior middle blocker Paige Williams and senior libero Daedra Carline joined Edwards as first-team All-SWAC honorees along with senior setter LaToya Clark.
"LaToya Clark, our setter, is THE leader," Washington emphasized. "She's been a leader since day one she got on campus. She'll be the one controlling everything on the floor."
Washington credited her seniors in helping steady the team after a rough start. JSU began the season 4-9 with losses to Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana and Kennesaw State, among others, but the Lady Tigers haven't lost since Sept. 20.
"The thing about the preseason, just like every other conference, you try to play up," Washington said. "That's the reason for the slow start. All I ask my girls in those cases, like this weekend, is be competitive. Play the game the way it's supposed to be played and see what happens."
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