Nebraska/Creighton Volleyball Tickets in North Platte Go on Sale Wednesday

Lincoln ? The University of Nebraska Ticket Office announced Tuesday that tickets for the Nebraska-Creighton volleyball match in North Platte will go on sale on Wednesday, Aug. 4.

Tickets for the Husker/Bluejay matchup at North Platte High School set for Sunday, Oct. 10, at 3 p.m., are $10 apiece and can be purchased at the Nebraska Ticket Office in Lincoln during regular business hours or by phone at 800-8-BIGRED. Tickets can also be purchased online at Huskers.com. Tickets for the contest in North Platte are not included in season ticket packages. Single-game match tickets for the remainder of the 2004 schedule also go on sale Wednesday.

After playing exhibition matches to sold-out crowds in Ogallala and Scottsbluff the past two springs, Nebraska Head Coach John Cook said it was only natural that the Huskers take a regular-season contest to the fans in the western portion of the state.

"We have traveled to the western part of the state twice in the spring and have had a great response from our fans out there," Cook said. "Playing a regular-season match in North Platte allows us to continue our exposure to our fans in the western part of the state. By playing Creighton, it not only promotes the in-state rivalry between the two programs, but also allows us to showcase the level of volleyball played in the state. It is a win-win situation for both programs, and should be a great experience for our student-athletes."

"We think it is a great situation for us to have a college match of this magnitude come to the western part of the state," North Platte High School Athletic Director Tom Millsap said. "Fans have little opportunity to see a live Husker sporting event in this part of the state, so we think it will be an exciting event."

The match is also a showcase for quality of volleyball throughout the state, as the two teams combine to have a total of 14 Nebraska natives on their 2004 rosters.

The Huskers finished the 2003 season ranked 13th nationally with a 28-5 record, and features six players from the state, including returning starters Dani Busboom and Dani Mancuso. In all, NU returns nine letterwinners from last season’s Big 12 runner-up squad, including All-American Melissa Elmer and All-Big 12 honoree Jen Saleaumua, and welcomes the nation’s top recruiting class to campus.

This is the second time Nebraska has played a match in North Platte, as the Huskers defeated Wyoming in 1992 at Mid-Plains Community College

Creighton returns five starters and 10 players from a team that went 12-18 and finished fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bluejays have eight players from the state on their 2004 roster, including North Platte native Abby Baumann.

-- Huskers.com --