LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska on paper may be less talented than a year ago, yet the Cornhuskers enter the NCAA volleyball tournament with a better team, Big 12 player of the year Jordan Larson says.

The 2007 Huskers were the defending national champions and, with four returning All-Americans, looked primed to return to the final four.

They lost in regionals.

"This year we don't necessarily have as much talent, but we've learned to max out as a team, and we know in order to win a match we have to play well as a team. There are no ifs, ands or buts about that," Larson said Tuesday. "So that means having everybody on the same page, just bring what you can bring, do what you can do, and it's going to be a fun ride, I think."

The Big 12 co-champion Huskers play host to first- and second-round matches. They open Friday night against Big South champion Liberty. Their match is preceded by UAB-Missouri State. The second round is Saturday, with the winner advancing to next week's Seattle Regional.

The biggest difference between this year and last year's Huskers, Larson said, is that there is better chemistry among the players.

There have been individual awards aplenty, but they were earned through hard work rather than reputation. Larson, besides being Big 12 player of the year, was the conference's defensive player of the year. Sydney Anderson was newcomer of the year, and Kori Cooper and Tara Mueller made the all-conference first team.

"We replaced four All-Americans and had a lot of question marks," said John Cook, the Big 12 coach of the year. "The coaches (who voted) showed how much respect they had for how we played as a team."

Now it's time to forget about the regular season and those awards, Larson said.

"You can't look at that stuff, because it just gets in the way of what we're working for," she said, "and that's loving each other and loving the game of volleyball."

If the Huskers can make it through regionals, they'll play in the national semifinals on Dec. 18 at Omaha's Qwest Center, where they won the 2006 national title.

But Larson said she and the three other holdovers from the '06 squad won't reminisce with the younger players about winning that championship.

"Ultimately, this is a different team and we're going to have a different journey," Larson said. "The first thing we're worried about is the Liberty Flames."

Liberty (25-8), from Lynchburg, Va., is in the NCAA tournament for the second straight year and fifth time overall. The Flames lost in the first round last year to California, the team that knocked Nebraska out of regionals.

Cook said he expects the Flames to be emotional playing in the sold-out Coliseum, where Nebraska has won 85 straight matches. The Huskers are 45-3 in NCAA tournament matches at home.

"A team like Liberty, this is going to be their final four," Cook said. "It's a national championship environment for them. This is as big as it gets for a team like Liberty, up to this point in their season.

"I remember a couple years ago one of the (NCAA) teams was asking our players for autographs after the match. It's that big for them."

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