If you're going to play in Nebraska, you gotta have some Cornhuskers on the court. And USA Volleyball will next week when the women's national team visits Lincoln to take on Poland, Turkey and Italy at the Devaney Center May 15-17 in the Volleyball Nations League.
Two-time Olympian and former Husker Jordan Larson was named captain of the team for the competition. She'll be making her return to the Devaney Center alongside outside hitter Kelsey Robinson and libero Justine Wong-Orantes.
#USAVwnt heads to @Huskervball territory May 15-17 for #VNL action vs Italy, Poland and Turkey. @JordanLarson10 talks about importance of playing at home in Lincoln, while @jwongorantes and @annie_drews discuss what it is like playing in #DevaneyCenter. https://t.co/ZsCxlNsXS7 pic.twitter.com/cZnzO9QT1j
— USA Volleyball (@usavolleyball) May 8, 2018
The three Huskers are part of eight former Big Ten players on the 14-woman roster. S Micha Hancock (Penn State), M Tori Dixon (Minnesota), M Lauren Gibbemeyer, OPP Annie Drews (Purdue) and OH Michelle Bartsch-Hackley (Illinois) will also represent the conference in Lincoln.
Team USA, ranked second in the latest FIVB rankings, faces No. 22 Poland on May 15, No. 12 Turkey on May 16 and No. 7 Italy on May 17. All matches start at 7 p.m. CT.
Tickets are available here.
Presented with Just One Comment
It's quite clear this is simply a provocation, so it's not worth getting into from that angle. But as someone who doesn't really listen to any national sports talk radio, is this what works? Is this what people want?
I guess its existence indicates the answer to that question. I just know it's not for me, no matter the topic. Maybe this is common, maybe it's my own neuroses, but I think about the tone of our coverage a lot. I think about it a lot because I never assume we've gotten it totally right and it never needs to change. I'm always looking for what I don't know in that regard.
But now I know I don't want it to be that.
The Grab Bag
- Bruce Feldman is back with some odds and ends from his time in Lincoln for Sports Illustrated.
- The College Football Playoff is for closers. At least that was my takeaway from this dive into four years or rankings.
- Johnny Stanton earned a spot on Minnesota's training-camp roster.
- ICYMI: Tim Miles talks about the interest he saw in the Huskers' open assistant's job, Mike Babcock takes us back to the 1981 season in his latest and if you ever wanted to combine a Reuben and a burger, here's a handy guide.
Today's Song of Today
Brandon is the Managing Editor for Hail Varsity and has covered Nebraska athletics for the magazine and web since 2012, Hail Varsity’s first season on the scene. His sports writing has also been featured by Fox Sports, The Guardian and CBS Sports.
