Huskers Face KSU in Pivotal Big 12 Showdown

#7 Nebraska (15-1, 7-0) vs. #12 Kansas State (15-3, 5-1)
When: Saturday, Oct. 11, 5 p.m.
Where: NU Coliseum
Series: Nebraska leads, 66-1
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-0, 11/30/02
Cook vs. Kansas State: 7-1 (7-0 at NU).

Media Information
Television: None.
Radio: NU-Kansas State can be heard live on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and select Pinnacle Sports Network affiliates. John Baylor will call the action, while NU volleyball Director of Operations Diane Mendenhall will provide color analysis.
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Audio: Huskers.com (4:50 p.m. pregame)
Live Video: None

Storylines

• Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer is coming off the best match of her career. Elmer had career-highs in kills (16) and blocks (15) at Kansas Oct. 8. Elmer's 15 blocks are five more than her previous career high and rank third all-time on the NU single-match performance list. Nebraska's 22 team blocks against the Jayhawks were the most by a Husker team in 83 matches. NU had 23 team blocks against Hawaii in the 2000 NCAA semifinals Dec. 14.
• Nebraska opened the Big 12 Conference season as the preseason favorite to win the league title. The Huskers have won 77 consecutive regular-season Big 12 matches and 78 straight matches against Big 12 teams. Nebraska has won five straight conference titles, and NU head coach John Cook is 67-0 in regular-season league matches.
• Kansas State is the fourth ranked opponent Nebraska has faced this season. NU is 2-1 against teams listed in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches top 25, with wins over Santa Clara and Michigan State and a loss to Georgia Tech.
• Following tonight's contest, the Huskers will play their third straight match against a team in the top half of the league standings. Nebraska plays host to Missouri Oct. 15 at the NU Coliseum at 8 p.m. The match will be televised live on CSTV (DirecTV channel 610) and locally on NETV.

Huskers Face KSU in Pivotal Big 12 Showdown
The seventh-ranked Nebraska volleyball team faces No. 12 Kansas State Saturday at 5 p.m. at the NU Coliseum in a match that could have important implications on the Big 12 Conference race. Nebraska ranks first in the conference with a 7-0 mark, and KSU defeated Missouri in give games Wednesday to take over second place in the league standings with a 5-1 Big 12 record.

The Huskers are also coming off a hard-fought victory, as they defeated Kansas in four games in Lawrence Wednesday. Nebraska produced its best blocking performance of the season with 22 team blocks to KU's three stops. Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer led the way with 15 blocks. The mark ranks third all-time on the NU single-match performance list.

Elmer also had a career-best 16 kills and hit at an incredible .577 clip, while sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua tallied a career-best 19 kills. Saleaumua has led Nebraska in kills in five of the last six matches. Saleaumua leads Nebraska in conference matches with 3.67 kills per game.

Nebraska carries several streaks into tonight's match. NU has won 78 straight matches against conference opponents, including 42 straight at home. Kansas State was actually the last Big 12 team to defeat the Huskers at the Coliseum. The Wildcats stole a five-game match from NU in 1999.

Following tonight's contest, the Huskers will play their third straight match against a team in the top half of the league standings. Nebraska plays host to Missouri Oct. 15 at the NU Coliseum at 8 p.m. The match will be televised live on CSTV (DirecTV channel 610) and NETV.

Big 12 Streaks to Watch
The Huskers carry several streaks into this week's matches, including:

• NU head coach John Cook is 67-0 in the Big 12 Conference with three league championships.
• Nebraska has won five straight Big 12 titles and six of a possible seven crowns. NU has won the Big 12 every year since the conference's inception, except 1997.
• The Huskers have won 77 consecutive regular-season Big 12 matches and 78 straight matches against Big 12 teams. NU's last regular-season loss to a Big 12 opponent was at Texas on Oct. 24, 1999. Nebraska won 10 straight conference matches to close the 1999 season, and went 20-0 in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Nebraska's 78-match league winning streak ranks fourth in NCAA history.
• NU has won 42 straight Big 12 matches at home, dating back to a five-game loss to Kansas State Sept. 22, 1999. After the KSU loss, Nebraska won its last nine Big 12 home matches that year, then won 10 in each of the next three seasons.

33 Consecutive Sellouts
Nebraska owns a streak of 33 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers sold out all 17 matches they played at the Coliseum last season (NU played one match at the 13,500-seat Bob Devaney Sports Center). NU ended the 2001 season with 10 straight sellout crowds at the Coliseum. The Huskers sold out every match at the Coliseum in 2001 except a Tuesday, Sept. 25 match against Creighton. NU has sold out all five of its home matches in 2003.

Kansas State Quickly (15-3, 5-1)
No. 12 Kansas State is coming off a huge win over Missouri Wednesday night in Manhattan. The Wildcats defeated the Tigers in five games to move into second-place in the league standings. KSU, which is 15-3 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12, is 1-2 against ranked teams this season. Kansas State defeated then-No. 22 Texas A&M in four games at College Station Oct. 4, and the Wildcats opened the season with back-to-back losses to No. 2 Hawaii and No. 3 Florida in the NACWAA Classic.

The Wildcats have been led offensively this season by senior middle blocker Lauren Goehring. A 2002 first-team All-Big 12 pick, Goehring leads the Big 12 with a .443 hitting percentage, and she is averaging 3.50 kills per game. Junior Gabby Guerre ranks second in the league with 12.37 assists per game. Guerre has led KSU to a .269 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the conference.

Kansas State lists two players from Nebraska on its roster. Sophomore outside hitter Katie Stanzel is a graduate of Omaha Marian. She has played in 52 of KSU's 62 games and averages 1.21 kills per game. Junior outside hitter Michaela Franklin, a graduate of Lincoln High, has played in 34 of 62 games and averages 1.18 kills per game.

Suzie Fritz is in her third season as Kansas State's head coach. The 2002 Big 12 Coach of the Year, she owns a 56-20 record.

Nebraska-Kansas State Series
Nebraska enters 2003 with an eight-match winning streak against Kansas State, including a pair of three-game wins last season. The Huskers are 66-1 all-time vs. KSU, and 54 of those victories have been two- (11) or three-game (43) sweeps.

However, over the past four seasons, Kansas State has emerged as one of Nebraska's most difficult challenges in the Big 12 Conference. In 1999, the Wildcats defeated NU in five games in Lincoln, becoming the first Big Eight/Big 12 team to defeat Nebraska at home during the regular season and ruining the Huskers' 101-0 mark against league schools in Lincoln.

The 2000 Nebraska team needed five games in Manhattan to become just the second squad in NU history to go undefeated during the regular season. In 2001, the Huskers eliminated Kansas from the NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 second-round victory in Manhattan.

Nebraska swept KSU twice last season.

Last Meeting: Nebraska 3, Kansas State 0
Senior middle blocker Amber Holmquist produced 13 block assists to break the Big 12 Conference record for block assists in a three-game match while leading Nebraska to a 30-20, 30-21, 30-19 win over No. 22 Kansas State at the NU Coliseum.

On senior night, Holmquist led NU to a season-high 20.5 blocks against the Wildcats and also tied her own league record for total blocks in a three-game match. The match was also the last regular-season home contest for All-Americans Laura Pilakowski and Greichaly Cepero, as well as four-year starter Lindsay Wischmeier. With the win, Nebraska finished the regular season with a 28-1 overall record and a 20-0 Big 12 mark.

KSU Brings out the best in Schrad
Senior outside hitter Anna Schrad led Nebraska statistically in two matches against Kansas State last season, producing 4.33 kills per game on a .383 hitting percentage to go along with 1.33 blocks per game. Schrad tallied 16 kills and hit .405 against KSU Sept. 18, then recorded 10 kills and hit .348 against the Wildcats Nov. 30. This season, Schrad leads NU with 3.46 kills per game.

Elmer Stops KU with Career Match
Melissa Elmer produced career highs in kills and blocks Wednesday night in Nebraska's four-game win at Kansas. The sophomore middle blocker tallied 15 blocks (two solo, 13 assists), which bested her previous career-high by five and ranks third all-time on the NU single-match performance charts behind former All-Americans Amber Holmquist (16, 2000) and Karen Dahlgren (18, 1984). The total is the highest by a Husker in the rally-scoring era. Elmer's 15 blocks are also the most by any player in the Big 12 Conference this season. Elmer leads the league with 1.73 blocks per game.

Elmer also drilled 16 kills on a .577 hitting percentage in the victory, erring just once in 26 attempts. NU hit .240 for the match, and Elmer and sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua were the only Huskers to hit over .200 against the KU defense.

The Nebraska coaches had been waiting for Elmer to have a break-out match offensively. Elmer ranked second in the conference in 2002 with a .381 hitting percentage, but had reached that mark just three times this season before Wednesday night as the Husker 6-2 offense struggled with the middle attack early in the season. With an efficient match against the Jayhawks, Elmer improved her season hitting percentage to .314, which it tied for the team lead and is tied for 10th in the Big 12 statistical rankings.

Saleaumua Does Everything for NU
NU Coach John Cook has labeled Jennifer Saleaumua as the Huskers' top all-around player, and the sophomore outside hitter is proving why during Big 12 Conference play. In league matches, Saleuamua has quietly taken over the team lead in kills per game (3.67) and ranks second in digs per game (3.25). She is hitting .337 against conference teams and has compiled eight service aces, which ranks fourth on the team and is the highest among the Huskers who don't jump serve. Saleaumua ranks ninth in the Big 12 in service aces and sixth in digs.

Although she is known more for her defensive play, Saleaumua has been hurting teams with her offense in recent weeks. She has posted double-figure kill totals in eight of Nebraska's last nine matches after reaching the mark just once in NU's first six contests. Saleaumua, who averaged 2.42 kills per game in her first six matches, has recorded 3.47 kills per game in her last nine. She tallied a then-career-best 17 kills Sept. 17 to help Nebraska defeat Texas A&M in a come-from-behind victory. Oct. 8 at KU, Saleaumua recorded 19 kills on a .340 hitting percentage.

Saleaumua has hit over .400 in four of her last six matches. She bettered her season-high hitting percentage in three straight matches from Sept. 20 to Sept. 27. She hit at a .407 clip at Texas Sept. 20 while leading NU with 13 kills. She bettered the mark with a .445 (12-2-22) hitting percentage against Iowa State Sept. 24, then topped that with a .476 (12-2-21) hitting percentage against Texas Tech.

This and That

• Nebraska's 22 team blocks at Kansas Oct. 8 were the most by a Husker team in 83 matches. NU had 23 team blocks against Hawaii in the 2000 NCAA semifinals Dec. 14.
• NU has just one service ace at KU, which was its lowest total in 16 matches.
• Senior middle blocker Sara Westling has been in the starting lineup the past two matches after not starting since Sept. 14 against Georgia Tech. Westling led NU with three service aces at Oklahoma, then had a career-best six blocks at Kansas Oct. 8. Freshman Christina Houghtelling, who got the starting nod in five straight matches from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1, has been sidelined with knee problems.
• Right side hitters Ally Rebholz and Kelsey Fautsch, who were hitting .373 combined in conference matches heading into the Kansas match, hit an uncharacteristically low .075 against the Jayhawks.
• Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua leads NU in road matches with 3.74 kills per game on a .367 hitting percentage.
• At home, seven Huskers are averaging more than 2.00 kills per game.

Super Servers
Through 16 matches, Nebraska has compiled 115 service aces to its opponents' 42. The Huskers have already amassed nearly 65 percent of their 2002 service aces total (169 in 33 matches). NU's 2003 average of 2.09 service aces per game ranks second in the Big 12. In conference matches, the Huskers lead the Big 12 with 2.46 service aces per game. Nine Huskers own a service ace, and six have at least 12. Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer leads NU with 23 aces, followed by freshman setter Dani Busboom with 20. Sophomore setter Michelle Lynch has 18.

Nebraska tied the 13-year-old school record for service aces in a three-game match with 16 at Texas Sept. 20. Lynch led the effort with five aces, while sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua and freshman middle blocker Christina Houghtelling each had four.

Block Party
Nebraska entered its Oct. 8 match against Kansas averaging 2.94 blocks per game after posting at least 3.17 blocks per game in the previous three seasons. However, a dominant performance at the net against the Jayhawks pushed the Huskers over 3.00 mark, and NU will most likely enter the NCAA top 10 nationally when the Oct. 14 statistics are released. The Huskers totaled a season-high 22 team blocks against Kansas, which is the best mark by a Big 12 team this season. The total was the most by a Husker team in 83 matches. NU had 23 team blocks against Hawaii in the 2000 NCAA semifinals Dec. 14.

Although Nebraska's blocking numbers are down in 2003, NU still leads the Big 12 with 3.13 blocks per game. Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer, who ranked second in the Big 12 behind former NU All-American Amber Holmquist in blocks per game last season, leads NU and ranks first in the Big 12 with 1.73 stops per game. Elmer had a career-high 16 blocks against Kansas Junior right side hitter Ally Rebholz is emerging as a top blocking threat, as she ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 1.11 blocks per game.

Cook's Winning Ways
Nebraska Coach John Cook has been amazingly successful during his four seasons at the helm, posting a 111-5 record. Cook picked up his 100th victory as Nebraska head coach Sept. 5 when NU defeated New Orleans, 3-0.

Cook's only losses in his first three seasons were to 2001 NCAA champion Stanford, 2001 NCAA runner-up Long Beach State, 2002 NCAA champion USC and 2002 NCAA semifinal participant Hawaii. The Huskers have played 381 games during Cook's tenure, winning 337 and losing just 44 (.885).

Cook has never lost a Big 12 Conference match, going 66-0 and winning three league titles. NU has dropped just 14 of the 213 conference games they have played over the past three seasons, good for a .941 winning percentage.

Cook was the AVCA Coach of the Year in 2000 after leading Nebraska to a 34-0 season and a national title. He was also named the 2001 Big 12 Coach of the Year. In 2001, NU posted a 31-2 mark and advanced to the NCAA semifinals. Last season, Nebraska also finished with a 31-2 record and advanced to the NCAA regional finals. The Huskers have won three Big 12 titles under Cook.