Ahead of No. 3 Nebraska volleyball’s trip to No. 19 Creighton on Wednesday, defensive specialist Kenzie Knuckles and setter Nicklin Hames spoke to the media about the matchup, playing in front of 14,000 fans and more.
Here are some notes from their comments:
*** Knuckles has experienced a lot of change this off-season. First, she transitioned to playing defensive specialist after being Nebraska’s starting libero for two years.
“It’s been really awesome for me because I feel I can play a little bit more of my game and play a little bit more loose and free,” Knuckles said. “Just playing the position that I’ve always grown up playing, so it’s a lot easier for me.”
*** Because she no longer wears the libero jersey, Knuckles can hit from the back row and has had a few opportunities to do so this season. Against Georgia on Friday, she saved what would have been a free ball for the Bulldogs.
“I was like, okay, coach always says, ‘hit it if you can hit it, we don’t want to give up free balls,’ so I was like, ‘you know what, I’m gonna swing it, I’m gonna hit it,'” the 5-foot-8 junior said. “So I remember Whitney (Lauenstein) was coming down, ready to freeball it over and I was like, ‘No! Mine! I got it!'”
That was Knuckles’s first kill of the season.
“It feels awesome just being able to contribute and give that back to the team,” she said. “I know that I can hit a ball if I need to. So it’s like, ‘hey if I’m gonna be back there, I got to keep up my word’ and I got to get up there and hit.”
*** Knuckles is also named a first-time captain this season and has been trying to navigate her new role off the court, not just on in.
In her new position, Knuckles doesn’t spend all her time on the court during the game. She said she thought it would be a lot to coordinate with having to get water, talk to her team and then return to the court with focus but it’s actually been convenient for her as a captain.
“I get to think about what the team needs and what we need to do next,” Knuckles said. “I can actually like to pause, take a beat and be able to figure out what we need to do instead of just trying to figure out it all with serving and passing.”
*** Against Creighton, Nebraska will be playing in front of 14,000 fans at the CHI Health Center in Omaha instead of their 8,000 fans at the Devaney Sports Center. With a lot of freshmen and a few sophomores who aren’t used to playing for large crowds, there will definitely be some nerves.
Knuckles said she is always paying attention to what her teammates need and helps a lot with things like nerves before big matches. She said because the team is so close, they are able to be open with each other about their feelings.
She has noticed the best way for the entire team to stay grounded before big matches.
“I think the more that we’re talking and we’re having fun and just being college girls and being able to talk,” Knuckles said. “I think that’s the best that we play coming up in the game.”
*** Unlike Knuckles, fellow team captain and setter Hames rarely leaves the court during matches. Head coach John Cook said Nebraska has been gaining rhythm in the last three games with Hames back from injury. He said the rhythm starts with her.
“From the start, my goal this past week was to get two feet in with tempo. I feel like the past couple of weeks, I’ve been just one foot in, kind of adjusting,” Hames said. “But being full in on the tempo and committing to it, understanding that I’m gonna miss some sets, with tempo you’re gonna miss, it happens.”
*** Hames has played against Creighton in the CHI Health Center before and remembers the electricity of the environment well.
“I remember I think we went down 0-2 and we came back and won in five, and just the atmosphere was insane,” she said. “I was telling (the team) all about it today. We got to travel to Omaha, stay the night before and then play in the center. It was really cool.”
*** Nebraska’s last match in the center was against Texas in the Elite Eight during the NCAA Tournament. There was limited attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“It was really weird because you would like get really hype about a point and you look around and it’s like a couple of claps and your parents are just sitting there,” Hames said.
“But in that big arena where we played in Omaha, no one really got the full experience of that atmosphere,” she said.
*** In what could be her last season at Nebraska, Hames is trying to make the most of the experience and enjoy every moment.
“I think when I play for my teammates and I get really hyped for them, that’s when I have the most fun,” she said. “So that’s my goal this season is to really work on going out there and having a blast because I really do love this sport and love this team. And I just hope that everyone can see that.”