John Cook always has something interesting to say. This week he told reporters that he was going to put a picture of a NASCAR in the pits up for the team to see. The idea behind is this: NASCAR teams are always fine tuning their cars to get another mile per hour or so out of it. That's what Cook is trying to do with his Husker volleyball team. The talent is there. It just has to be fine tuned so it's ready when the NCAA Tournament starts in just two weeks.

When you consider the Huskers lost two All-Americans to gradution, including the school's all-time leading blocker, and player of the year Christina Houghtelling to injury, the surprising thing isn't that NU lost a match. The surprising thing is it took until well into November before it happened. This team is certainly a Final Four contender, but it's important to win the remaining three matches in order to get that top seed in the tournament. That could determine if the Huskers make it to Omaha or will be sitting at home watching on TV.