No. 2 Huskers Play Host to First National Bank/Arby?s Classic

Match: #4 vs. Florida A&M (1-2)
NU Coliseum
Fri., Sept. 10 7 p.m.
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com
Video Streaming: HuskersNside
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Cook vs. Florida A&M: First meeting
Tickets: GA Tickets Remain (800-8-BIGRED & Huskers.com)

Match: #5 vs. Ball State (3-1)
NU Coliseum
Sat., Sept. 11 6 p.m.
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com
Video Streaming HuskersNside
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-0 (30-20, 30-19, 30-28) on 9/1/02
Cook vs. Ball State: 3-0
Tickets: GA Tickets remain (800-8-BIGRED & Huskers.com)

Match: #6 vs. Maryland (0-3)
NU Coliseum
Sun., Sept. 12 2 p.m.
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com
Video Streaming: HuskersNside
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-0 (15-9, 15-10, 15-6) on 9/17/95 Cook vs. Maryland: 1-0
Tickets: Limited View Tickets Remain (800-8-BIGRED & Huskers.com)

No. 2 Huskers Play Host to First National Bank/Arby’s Classic
Lincoln -- After a successful opening weekend, the Nebraska volleyball team returns home this weekend for the First National Bank/Arby’s Classic. This four-team tournament runs Friday through Sunday at the NU Coliseum and features a trio of NCAA qualifiers in Nebraska, Maryland and Florida A&M. In addition, Ball State was picked to win the Mid-American Conference Western Division this fall. The Huskers will make their 2004 home debut Friday evening against Florida A&M at 7 p.m. before taking on Ball State (Sat. at 6 p.m.) and Maryland (Sun. at 2 p.m.) Saturday’s match against Ball State was moved to a 6 p.m. start to accomodate the Husker football game against Southern Miss, which is set for 11 a.m. Tickets for all three matches are available by calling 800-8-BIGRED on online at Huskers.com.

All three matches this weekend will be carried live on the Pinnacle Sports Radio Network, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and on Huskers.com. Volleyball fans with high-speed internet access can watch live on HuskersNside, a subscription-based service of the NU Athletic Department. Every regular-season match - both home and away - will be video streamed live this season on the site.

Storylines
? - Friday’s home opener will mark the official home debuts of freshmen Sarah Pavan, Meghan Smith and Tracy Stalls. Pavan has led the Huskers in kills in each of NU’s first three matches, while Stalls ranks among the team leaders in both kills and blocks after a nine-kill effort in Monday’s win at Western Michigan.

? - The Husker defense will be tested by one of the best offensive attacks against Florida A&M. Middle blocker Jayli Jackson led the nation in hitting last season (.473), while outside hitter Maria Andonova was third (.442) as the Rattlers led the nation in total hitting (.364) in 2003. Jackson did not play at Michigan State last weekend, but could return to action against Nebraska on Friday night.

? - Sophomore captain Amanda McCormick will see a pair of familiar faces on Saturday, as Ball State features a pair of Cardinals from Muncie in senior libero Stephanie Keller and Ashley Chambers.

? - Another Husker familiar with the Cardinal program is head assistant coach Craig Skinner, who graduated from Ball State in 1993 after playing for the men’s volleyball program from 1990 to 1993. He also coached the Cardinals men’s team in 1999 and 2000 before joining the Husker coaching staff in January of 2000.

? - The Huskers will welcome one of their former players to the NU Coliseum in Maryland Coach Janice Kruger, who played at Nebraska in 1975 and 1976, the first two varsity seasons in school history. Kruger also coached at Nebraska-Omaha from 1979 to 1987, going 352-96-6 and earning Division II National Coach of the Year honors in 1983 and 1986.

Husker Probable Starters
The latest on the probable Husker starting lineup entering this week’s matches.

L - #1 Amanda McCormick (5-8, So., Muncie, Ind.) - Sophomore co-captain who returns as Nebraska’s starter at libero and is averaging 2.73 digs per game. She set a school freshman mark with 3.72 digs per game - the second-highest mark in school annals.

MB - #8 Melissa Elmer (6-2, Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind.) - Returning AVCA All-American who anchors the Huskers’ potent blocking corps. Co-captain who leads NU in hitting percentage (.397) while averaging 3.18 kills and 1.45 blocks per game. Elmer had 10-plus kills in all three matches, including 13 kills on .455 hitting in Monday’s win. She earned All-Big 12 honors in 2003, leading NU with 1.59 blocks per game and with a .352 hitting percentage. Elmer, who was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year by the league coaches, spent the spring working with the U.S. National Training Team. She joins Amanda McCormick as a co-captain for the 2003 season.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls (6-3, Fr., Arvada, Colo.) - Stalls started all three matches at middle blocker, and is tied with Melissa Elmer for the team lead in blocks (1.45 bpg). Had 10 kills and hit .643 in Monday’s win and had seven kills in both matches vs. Notre Dame. She served a two-year stint on the U.S. National Developmental program in Colorado Springs, Colo., after graduating from high school in 2002. She competed with the U.S. National Team in several competitions, including the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Yeltsin Cup.

S - #18 Dani Busboom (5-11, So., Cortland, Neb.) - Busboom performed well in handling NU’s shift to a 5-1 offense, as she is averaging 13.33 assists per game. She had 50 or more assists on Saturday, when she recorded a career-high 64, and Monday. She also averaged 3.00 digs and 0.64 blocks per game. She totaled 700 assists as a freshman, which is the second-best total by any Husker freshman. She was also tied for third with 33 service aces.

OPP - #9 Sarah Pavan (6-5, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario) - The Big 12 preseason co-Freshman of the Year, Pavan leads the Huskers in kills per game (4.82) and topped the Huskers in all three matches. She had 20 kills and seven blocks in the five-game win over Notre Dame on Saturday. Considered by many to be the nation’s top freshman, Pavan has been a member of the Canadian National Team since she made her debut at age 16 in July of 2003.

OH - #26 Jennifer Saleaumua (5-11, Jr., National City, Calif.) - Two-time All-Big 12 outside hitter who is second on the team in kills (3.45 per game) and leads in digs (3.45), while hitting .329. She had 18 kills - one off her career high - in Saturday’s win over Notre Dame. She led the Huskers in kills (3.27) and digs (3.90) per game in 2003, while her 441 digs were a school record, breaking the school mark of 390 by Kate Crnich in 1996.

OH - #3 Christina Houghtelling (6-2, So., Cambridge, Neb.) - Sophomore who moves from middle blocker to outside hitter in 2004. She had one of her best performances in Saturday’s win, establishing career highs in kills (10) and digs (nine). Houghtelling, who missed most of 2003 with a knee injury, had eight-or-more kills four times in 2003, including nine against No. 10 Georgia Tech.

-or- #7 Dani Mancuso (6-2 So., Omaha, Neb.) - Mancuso started two of NU’s three matches at outside hitter and is averaging 2.56 kills per game. Played the best match of her career at Notre Dame on Saturday, getting 11 kills, three blocks and two aces in the final two-plus games vs. the Fighting Irish. She started NU’s final 10 contests, averaging 2.01 kills and 1.72 digs per game.

Scouting Florida A&M
The Rattlers come to Lincoln looking to make a statement against the Huskers this week. Florida A&M is coached by Tony Trifonov, who is 151-66 in eight seasons at the school. The Rattlers are 1-2 on the season after losing to Michigan State and Ohio University last weekend. Florida A&M, which went 27-4 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, returned all six starters this fall. The Rattlers led the nation in hitting percentage (.373) last season. FAMU is led by middle blocker Jayli Jackson, who hit a national-best .473 last season, but did not play last weekend at Michigan State. She may return to the lineup this weekend. In addition, outside hitter Maria Andonova was third nationally in hitting percentage at .442. This year, outside hitter Adriana Kostadinova paces FAMU with 5.11 kills per game. Friday’s matchup will be the first between Nebraska and Florida A&M, as the Rattlers are the only first-time opponent on the 2004 schedule.

Scouting Ball State
Ball State comes to Lincoln with a 3-1 record after going 2-1 at its own tournament last weekend. The Cardinals are coached by Randy Litchfield, who owns a 323-142 record in 16 seasons at the school. Ball State finished with an 18-16 record last season, but return all six starters from a year ago. The Cardinals, who spent part of August in Peru, were picked to win the Mid-American Conference West Division, just ahead of Western Michigan. Ball State returns a pair of all-conference honorees, including first-team All-MAC outside attacker Sarah Obras and second-team All-MAC libero Stephanie Keller. Obras paces BSU with 4.42 kills per game, while Keller averages a team-best 6.00 digs per game after ranking second nationally in that category last weekend. NU won the only meeting between the schools in 2002, as the Huskers swept the Cardinals in Muncie.

Scouting Maryland
Maryland looks to rebound after a rocky first week, as the Terripans come to Lincoln with an 0-3 record, including losses to No. 8 California and No. 15 Kansas State. The Terrapins, who were picked to finish second in the ACC, returned five starters from a squad that went 27-8 last season. Janice Kruger, who played at NU in 1975-76 and coached at Nebraska-Omaha from 1979 to 1987 before taking over the Terrapin program, is 679-306-6 in 29 years of coaching.

The Terps are paced by a pair of preseason All-ACC honorees in setter Aimee Huddleson and middle blocker Rachel Wagener. Huddleson excels in an all-around game, as she averages 1.18 kills, 9.64 assists, 2.09 digs and 0.91 digs. Wagener averages 1.91 kills on .255 hitting while adding 1.09 blocks per game.

The Huskers and Terps have only met twice in school history, a 3-1 win by NU in 1991 at the Devaney Center and a 3-0 win over the Terps (15-9, 15-10, 15-6) at the 1994 Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge, La.

Husker Week in Review
Friday: All-American Melissa Elmer had 11 kills and hit .562, leading second-ranked Nebraska to a 30-19, 30-28, 30-24 win over No. 25 Notre Dame. Elmer had 11 kills on 16 attempts and added four block assists, as Nebraska held Notre Dame to .039 hitting in the win. The Huskers out-blocked the Irish, who led the nation in that category in 2003, 13-10, as freshman Tracy Stalls had two solo blocks and added five block assists in the win. Stalls, one of two freshmen in the Husker starting lineup, also added seven kills, as the Huskers posted their fourth consecutive sweep of Notre Dame, dating back to 1995. Freshman Sarah Pavan led NU with a match-high 16 kills, while Jennifer Saleaumua added 10 more and a team-best 16 digs for a double-double.

Saturday: Dani Mancuso came off the bench to spark No. 2 Nebraska to a 30-23, 26-30, 24-30, 30-19, 15-10 come-from-behind win over No. 25 Notre Dame. Mancuso finished with 11 kills, including 10 in the last two games, and hit .688 to lead the Huskers back from a 2-1 deficit. Jennifer Saleaumua totaled 18 kills - one off her career high and hit .444, as five Huskers finished with 10 or more kills. Freshman Sarah Pavan led the Huskers with 20 kills, while Melissa Elmer and Christina Houghtelling added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Dani Busboom also added a career-high 64 assists as the Huskers hit .278, including .400 in game four and .312 in the finale.

Monday: Sarah Pavan recorded 17 kills to pace second-ranked Nebraska to a 30-22, 30-20, 30-28 victory over Western Michigan on Sept. 6. Pavan led all players with her 17 kills, hitting .441 on 34 swings in the sweep of the Broncos. Melissa Elmer added 13 kills and hit .455 as the Huskers hit a season-high .433, their best percentage since hitting .463 against Dayton in the second round of last season’s NCAA Tournament. Tracy Stalls and Jennifer Saleaumua each contributed 10 kills, as NU showed balance with five players recording at least eight kills in the win.

Freshmen Setting the Standard
Nebraska’s top-ranked recruiting class was on display during the first weekend of the season. Freshman right side hitter Sarah Pavan led the Huskers in kills in all three matches, including 20 in Saturday’s victory over No. 25 Notre Dame. Middle blocker Tracy Stalls also enjoyed a strong opening weekend of action, as she had seven kills and a match-high eight blocks in Saturday’s win.

Friday’s start by both Pavan and Stalls marked the first time that NU started two freshmen in the opener since 1999, while they also became the second and third freshmen to start a season opener under John Cook, joining Jennifer Saleaumua, who started the 2000 opener.

Husker Block Shuts Down Foes
If the first weekend is any indication, the Huskers will continue their tradition of being one of the nation’s premier blocking teams. The Huskers out-blocked all three opponents over the weekend, including 15-12 and 13-10 advantages in the two wins over Notre Dame, which led the country in that category in 2003. Middle blockers Melissa Elmer and Tracy Stalls both average 1.45 blocks per game, as NU is tied for second in the conference in the initial conference rankings with 3.50 blocks per game (prior to Monday’s match at Western Michigan).

Elmer Enjoys Return to Indiana
For All-American Melissa Elmer, last weekend’s trip to Indiana and Michigan was an opportunity to play in front of many family and friends. The 6-2 middle blocker totaled double figures in kills in all three matches, highlighted by a .562 performance on 11 kills in Friday’s sweep. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native recorded seven blocks in Saturday’s five-game win. On the season, the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year is averaging 3.18 kills on .397 hitting and tied for the team lead with 1.45 blocks per game.

In her career, she is averaging 2.75 kills and 1.45 blocks per game, while her .364 career hitting percentage would rank among the top performers in NU history.

Saleaumua Shows All-Around Excellence
One of the strengths of Nebraska’s attack is the all-around game of outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua. The Husker coaching staff believes tha the 5-11 junior from National City, Calif., is one of the best outside hitters in the nation because she does so many thing well.

She leads the Huskers in digs (3.45 per game) and is second in kills (3.45), while hitting well over .300. Saleaumua enjoyed one of her finest performances in NU’s comeback against Notre Dame, recording 18 kills on 36 attacks while leading NU with 16 digs in the five-game win. She recorded double-doubles in kills and digs in both of NU’s wins and has 26 double-doubles in her Husker career, including a team-high 17 in 2003. A two-time All-Big 12 honoree, Saleaumua has a chance to become the Huskers’ first-ever four-time all-conference honoree.

Setting Up
With the switch back to the 5-1 offense this season, sophomore Dani Busboom has taken full advantage of her expanded role. She is third in the Big 12 with 12.38 assists per game, and had a career-high 64 assists in the five-game thriller over Notre Dame. Her total against the Irish was the second-highest total in the league and the most since Greichaly Cepero had 71 against Texas A&M in the 2000 season.

Huskers Show Balanced Offense Nebraska has shown a varied attack through the first three matches, as six players (Melissa Elmer, Christina Houghtelling, Dani Mancuso, Sarah Pavan, Tracy Stalls and Jennifer Saleaumua) have had at least 10 kills in a match through the first three contests.

Rank and File
With the No. 2 ranking in this week’s poll, Nebraska is one of two teams to be ranked in the USA Today/CSTV Coaches poll for all 305 weeks of its existence. The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 for 271 of the 303 weeks, which ranks second behind Stanford’s 286. NU has spent 38 weeks in the top spot, and its most recent No. 1 ranking was Sept. 24, 2001.

Kruse Becomes Fifth Husker to have Jersey Retired
One of the many highlights of the Red/White Scrimmage on Aug. 28, was the retiring of Janet Kruse’s jersey during the evening’s festivities.

Kruse became the fifth Husker volleyball player to earn the program's highest honor, as her No. 17 jersey was retired on Aug. 28. One of the most decorated student-athletes to ever play in the Husker program. The Fort Calhoun, Neb., native was the Huskers' first three-time All-American, earning first-team honors in 1989 and 1990 and second-team accolades in 1991.

A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, Kruse was also an NCAA Top Eight Award winner and NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist. She joined Allison Weston, Lori Endicott, Cathy Noth and Karen Dahlgren in the NU Coliseum display. Kruse’s jersey was the first one retired by the Husker program since 1997.

McCormick, Elmer Named 2004 Captains
NU Volleyball Coach John Cook announced Aug. 24 that junior Melissa Elmer and sophomore Amanda McCormick have been named captains for the 2004 season. The pair are two returning starters from a team that went 28-5 and reached the NCAA Regional semifinals in 2003.

The preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, Elmer is a two-year starter at middle blocker and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2003. She led the Big 12 with 1.59 blocks per game while ranking among the conference leaders with a .352 hitting percentage. The 6-foot-2 junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., was third in school history with 169 blocks, including a career-high 15 in a win over Kansas last season.

McCormick served as the Huskers’ libero in 2003, appearing in 22 matches as a true freshman. The 5-foot-6 sophomore from Muncie, Ind., set a school freshman record with 3.72 digs per game ? the second-highest total in school history. She had a career-high 31 digs ? the highest total in the Big 12 in 2003 ? against Missouri last season.

Husker Look to Blend Youth and Experience
While the 2004 Huskers return five starters and nine players with extensive experience this fall, the roster remains youthful. In fact, among the 13 players on the squad, only four are upperclassmen. Outside hitter Ally Rebholz is the only senior on the 2004 team, while the junior class is represented by Melissa Elmer, Michelle Lynch and Jennifer Saleaumua. Last season, the Huskers played as many as five freshmen at times and a trio of talented freshmen join the mix this season.

Cook’s Winning Ways
Nebraska Coach John Cook has been amazingly successful during his five seasons at the helm, posting a 127-9 record (.934 winning percentage). All nine losses have come against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including the eventual NCAA champion in both 2001 (Stanford) and 2002 (USC). In the Big 12, Cook has enjoyed even greater success, going 77-3 in his four seasons. Nebraska swept through the Big 12 in 2000, 2001 and 2002 before seeing its 77-match Big 12 winning streak (dating back to 1999) end in a loss to Kansas State on Oct. 11, 2003.

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.

Sellout Streak Extends to 41
Nebraska will carry a streak of 41 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum into this weekend’s First National Bank/Arby’s Classic. The Huskers sold out all 14 matches they played at the Coliseum last season (NU played one match at the 13,595 Bob Devaney Sports Center). The streak began with a 10-game stretch to close the 2001 season and extended through the 2002 and 2003 campaigns. The last non-sellout came on Sept. 25, 2001, against Creighton. Nebraska ranked third nationally in total attendance, averaging 4,239 fans per match. In 2004, every reserve seat is sold out for the season while limited general admission seating is available for select games.

All-America U
Melissa Elmer continued Nebraska's remarkable streak of AVCA All-Americans by earning second-team accolades in 2003. With Elmer’s selection, Nebraska has had at least one All-American every season since 1983, a total of 21 straight seasons, including 11 in Coach John Cook's four seasons at Nebraska. A total of 23 players have combined to earn 46 AVCA All-America certificates. Nebraska leads the nation in both categories.

Red, White and Blue
Nebraska continued its Olympic tradition in 2004 with Nancy (Meendering) Metcalf's selection to the U.S. Olympic team. A three-time All-American at Nebraska, Metcalf became the third Husker to make an Olympic team, joining Lori Endicott, who competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, and Allison Weston, who was the captain of the U.S. Team in the 2000 Olympics. Metcalf played in all six matches in Athens, as Team USA reached the quarterfinals before losing to Brazil. Of Team USA’s four losses, three came in five sets, while also sweeping three-time gold medalist Cuba in the preliminary round.

Success in the Classroom
Nebraska continued its successful legacy in the classroom in 2003, as Anna Schrad garnered second-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. Overall, NU has produced an NCAA-leading 17 academic All-Americans, who have earned a nation-best 26 academic All-America certificates. NU has had at least one CoSIDA Academic All-American in 17 of the last 20 seasons.

Pavan Joins Exclusive Husker List
While Nebraska has traditionally excelled in recruiting the Midwest, freshman outside hitter Sarah Pavan joins an exclusive club among Husker volleyball players. The Kitchener, Ontario, product is only the fourth player from outside the United States in the program's 30-year history, joining Greichaly Cepero (Dorado, Puerto Rico; 1999-2002), Maria Hedbeck (Sollentuna, Sweden; 1993-96) and Debbie Brand (Adelaide, Australia; 1989-92).

Huskers to Face Challenging Slate in ?04
As in past years, the Huskers will face a challenging schedule in 2004. In all, 15 of NU’s 28 regular-season contests will be against NCAA Tournament qualifiers from a year ago, including Sweet 16 participants Kansas State, Texas A&M and Colorado State. The Huskers were one of three Big 12 teams ranked in the preseason USA Today/CSTV poll, joining No. 14 Kansas State and No. 15 Texas A&M. Other ranked opponents that Nebraska will face in 2004 include No. 11 Colorado State and No. 25 Notre Dame. In addition to the four ranked opponents, NU will also square off with eight teams that received at least a pair of votes in the coaches poll.

HuskersNside to Carry Every Match in 2004
Volleyball fans who don’t have season tickets for the NU Coliseum can now watch every Husker match in 2004, as HuskersNside has announced plans to carry all 28 regular-season games live on the Internet. Husker fans with high-speed Internet access can watch every serve, block and spike all season. This marks the third season that Nebraska has carried volleyball matches live on HuskersNside, but the first time that Nebraska has video-streamed an entire regular-season schedule for any sport. For non-televised matches, fans will hear the radio feed with play-by-play announcer John Baylor.

To sign up for HuskerNside, go to Huskers.com and click on "subscribe" on the right-hand portion of the front page. The cost for the service is regularly $9.95 per month or $99.95 for a complete year, but fans who sign up this week can receive a subscription for a special rate of $79.95.

Huskers Tabbed to Win Big 12 Title
The Nebraska volleyball team was picked to win the Big 12 Conference title in a vote of the league coaches released Aug. 9. Nebraska received 10 of the 11 first-place votes in the conference preseason poll, as the polling was based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system with a first-place vote receiving 10 points and a 10th-place vote receiving one. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Kansas State was second with 80 points while Texas (75), Texas A&M (66) and Missouri (64) rounded out the top five in the preseason voting. The Huskers have won six of the eight league crowns in Big 12 history, including five straight titles from 1998 to 2002, and have won 25 conference titles in the program’s 28-year history. NU finished second to the Wildcats with a 17-3 mark last season.

Middle blocker Melissa Elmer also was tabbed as the Big 12’s Preseason Player of the Year and was the Huskers’ representative on the preseason All-Big 12 team, while freshman outside hitter Sarah Pavan also was honored, as she shared freshman-of-the-year honors with Emily Brown of Kansas.