NU's new setter relieved to be here
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BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star
Sydney Anderson made it to Nebraska on a Thursday earlier this month.
By Monday, the transfer student from Utah was in the classroom. The course: History of Nebraska.
“I learned right away that there’s a lot of corn in the state,” she joked.
As Nebraska’s apparent starting setter this fall, Anderson doesn’t need a professor or any textbook to know the weight that is on her shoulders. After missing the final four last year, the Huskers are looking to bounce back with a lineup that’s minus two past national players of the year and two others who earned All-American honors and held national title rings.
“I love taking on those kind of roles,” Anderson said last week, pausing for a second to glimpse over her shoulder at the Coliseum court where the Huskers play. “I want to do great for all of them.”
Until practice begins officially next month, Anderson’s goal is to gain the trust of teammates who’ve had to deal with their share of surprises since the end of last season.
Foremost, there was the stunning departure of Rachel Holloway, Nebraska’s starting setter the last two years. The news came in January, two months after Anderson had announced that she was headed to NU.
A short time after Holloway’s announcement came news that Jessica Yanz, another setter, would transfer from Penn State. But Yanz never received a release from her scholarship, making her ineligible to play at NU this season.
Anderson, too, had eligibility questions. Because she left Utah during her freshman year, she had to complete an associate’s degree before she could play at another school. In whatever spare time she had, she worked out with everyone from her former club team to the U.S. National Team.
Anderson’s first taste of competitive volleyball in over a year came at the USA Volleyball Adult Open Championships in May. There, Anderson played with and against many players from other college teams, busted her nose and drew rave reviews from those who saw her play.
“I know she’s really looking forward to playing because she’s really been out a year,” said Nebraska head coach John Cook, who is admittedly relieved that Anderson is eligible this fall.
“She’s one of those kids that loves being in the gym,” Cook added. “Whether she’s doing good or doing bad, she’s enjoying being out there, and I think it will be interesting for this group to have a setter with that personality.”
Cook can’t watch Anderson playing with her new teammates this summer, but he says he expects Nebraska to be strong in passing and on defense come fall.
“That gives a setter a chance to have a big impact on the match,” Cook said.
The 6-foot Anderson knows all about winning, having led Utah to a 28-4 mark in 2006, her freshman season, while averaging 12.45 assists per game.
She left the Utes, in part, because she wanted to be on a team where everyone aspired to be the best and shared the same passion for the sport. How is she certain that place is Nebraska?
Well, when everything was complete, all the t’s crossed and i’s dotted for her to be eligible, Anderson got a phone call with the good news.
“My dad says I lifted off the seat,” Anderson says, reflecting on the moment. “It was a load off my shoulders, and from the second I got here, I knew this was the place for me.”
Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7320 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.
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