K-State faces these Huskers — ranked No. 1 and currently on a 22-match win streak — tonight at 7 when the No. 17-ranked Wildcats travel to Lincoln in what could prove to a pivotal match in the hunt for the Big 12 title.
"They're big, they're physical and have four legitimate all-Americans on the floor," Fritz said, "and I think it's probably the best Nebraska team I've seen since I've been here."
Nebraska, which is 72-3 all-time against K-State and owns a 28-2 advantage in Lincoln against the Cats, is 12-0 and 5-0 in conference play this season. K-State is tied for second in the Big 12 at 5-1 with Okalahoma, also its only league loss, while posting a 13-3 overall record and a three-match win streak.
But with so much riding on this match and with a key match against No. 7 Texas this weekend at Ahearn Field House, Fritz said nothing changes with their preparation this week — it's business as usual, no matter who the Cats are playing.
"We prepare for everybody exactly the same, no matter who we play, home or away," she said Tuesday. "We don't change what we're doing just because it's Nebraska, or Kansas, or Iowa State, or anybody else. I expect that they understand the tradition or history of Nebraska volleyball, so we don't really talk about it."
And despite Fritz' efforts to treat Nebraska just like any other program, the Huskers are proving this season — at least so far — that they are no ordinary team.
Not only is Nebraska unbeaten in match play this season, but the Huskers have lost only one game all season, posting 11 sweeps in the others — including wins over No. 3 Penn State, No. 17 Cal Poly, No. 11 Duke, and No. 7 Texas.
Fritz, who hasn't had a team win in Lincoln since 2003, said it's not that playing at Nebraska is so tough, but that it's a challenge simply because of how good the Huskers are — it's just hard to beat Nebraska anywhere.
"It's a wonderful environment for volleyball and I don't know that its hard to play there, but that they are just very, very good and been dominant for years," she said. "Outside of that, it's a wonderful environment for volleyball — 5,000 people — they're on you nice and tight, they're volleyball knowledgeable, they (fans) support good play. It's not in those terms, a hostile place to play.
"It's hard to play there because they're good."
And that the Huskers are — no matter where they play. Since the start of the 2004 campaign, Nebraska is 108-5 overall, while carrying a No. 1 overall ranking in 38 of the last 39 national polls.
This is a match any team should be up for? Right?
"Seriously, we treat everyone the same," Fritz reiterated, "no matter who they are. I know it's not what everyone wants to hear, but it's the truth. I hope they get up for every match. That's what we're striving for — to not just gang up on one and save it all up for one opponent."
But getting much time to prepare for any opponent is tough enough, Fritz said, let alone Nebraska. With the conference season in full tilt now, K-State plays every Wednesday and Saturday.
Considering that, the Wildcats practice hard on Mondays, go light on Tuesdays and then recover on Thursdays, before going light again on Fridays.
"In there we get two hours of practice time a week, so you have to pick and choose your battles," Fritz said.
And despite that, Fritz is pleased in the direction her team is going right now, but like all coaches, always sees room for improvement — which they're doing.
"I think the things we're working on are improving," she said. "In some aspects we're making some good progress. We've spent a whole bunch of time working on offense, rhythm things, set location, attacking choice, those types of things and I do see improvement in those areas — which is big."
