No. 4 Huskers Travel to Baylor Looking for No. 14 in a Row

Match: #18: No. 4 Nebraska (16-1, 10-0 Big 12) at Baylor (10-10, 3-7)
Waco, Texas ? Ferrell Center ? Saturday, Oct. 23 ? 7 p.m.
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com
Live Internet Video: Live Video Streaming is on HuskersNside.com, for more info, visit Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 18-0, dating back to Oct. 17, 1981

Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-0 (30-22, 30-22, 30-15) at the NU Coliseum on Oct. 6, 2004
Coach Cook vs. Baylor: 9-0

No. 4 Huskers Travel to Baylor Looking for No. 14 in a Row
Lincoln -- Nebraska looks to build upon its two-game lead in the Big 12 race Saturday evening, as the Huskers travel to Waco, Texas, for a match-up with Baylor. First serve is set for 7 p.m. from the Ferrell Center and the match will be carried on the Pinnacle Sports Netork, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, with John Baylor and Tina Westerhold calling the action. In addition, fans with high-speed Internet access can watch all of the action on HuskersNside, a subscription-based website of the NU Athletic Department, as every regular-season match will be carried on the website.

Nebraska turned in a comeback for the ages on Wednesday, rallying from an 0-2 deficit to defeat No. 10 Texas in five games (21-30, 31-33, 30-27, 30-23, 16-14) to extend their winning streak to 13 matches. It marked only the fourth time in school history that Nebraska had faced an 0-2 deficit in a league match and came back to win. The Huskers improved to 16-1 overall and are 10-0 in the Big 12 at the halfway point of the league schedule, while Baylor comes into the contest with a 10-10 mark, including a 3-7 in the league. Nebraska will look to improve to 19-0 all-time against Baylor, but the Bears are a much tougher team at home earning two of their three Big 12 wins this season at the Ferrell Center.

Storylines
?- Freshman Sarah Pavan is poised to make a big move on NU’s all-time freshman list this week. With 262 kills coming into Saturday’s match, Pavan is four kills away from tying Virginia Stahr (266, 1986) for third on NU’s freshman list and needs only 15 to match the total of former National Player of the Year Allison Weston (277, 1992) for second on the Husker freshman list.

?-Nebraska has used its depth to its advantage, as four different players have led the Huskers in kills over its last five matches: Christina Houghtelling (Oklahoma), Sarah Pavan (Creighton and Kansas State), Tracy Stalls (Iowa State) and Jennifer Saleaumua (Texas).

?-One Husker tradition that has continued in 2004 has been outstanding blocking, as the Huskers have out-blocked all 17 foes this season, and the last 23 dating back to last season.

?- The Huskers will be looking for their 19th consecutive win over Baylor. NU has won all 18 meetings in the series, including the first matchup in Lincoln on Oct. 6, and have swept Baylor all eight times in Waco.

? - The Huskers have won 40 straight matches against the league’s Texas schools (Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M) since a five-game loss to Texas in Austin on Oct. 24, 1999.

? - Nebraska had held 14 straight opponents under .200 hitting before Texas hit .229 - nearly .100 points under its Big 12 leading average going in to the match (.316). NU has allowed opponents to hit just .103 this season, which is on pace for the lowest opponent total in school history.

? - One of the overlooked reasons for the success of the Huskers in 2004 has been the improved play of sophomore Dani Busboom, who is second in the Big 12 averaging 13.26 assists per game. Her average is the highest by a Husker setter since three-time All-American Fiona Nepo averaged 13.79 as a senior in 1998. In fact, only four setters in NU history have averaged more than 13 assists per game, while Busboom ranks 16th nationally in assists per game.

Husker Probable Starters
L - #1 Amanda McCormick (5-8, So., Muncie, Ind.) - Sophomore co-captain returned as Nebraska’s starter at libero and leads the Big 12 with 4.74 digs per game. She has reached double-figure totals in digs in 15 of NU’s 17 matches, including 25 against No. 11 Texas A&M on Sept. 25, 21 at No. 10 Texas on Oct. 20 and 20 vs. Florida A&M on Sept. 10. Her 25 digs against the Aggies tied Mandy Monson for the second-most ever by a Husker in a three-game match. McCormick also paces the Big 12 in digs in league matches at 5.15 per game after a 21-dig effort at Texas on Wednesday. McCormick will be looking to become the first Husker to lead the Big 12 in digs.

MB - #8 Melissa Elmer (6-2, Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind.) - Returning AVCA All-American who anchors the Huskers’ blocking corps and averages 2.82 kills and a Big 12-high 1.77 blocks per game. Elmer tops NU in hitting percentage (.346), a total that was fifth in the Big 12. She had at least five blocks in 10 of the Huskers’ last 11 matches, including a season-high 10 blocks against Iowa State on Saturday. With her six blocks against Texas on Wednesday, Elmer now has 418 blocks and moved into sole possession of 10th place on NU’s career list, moving past Carla Baker, who had 414 blocks between 1986 and 1989. She earned All-Big 12 honors in 2003, leading NU with 1.59 blocks per game along 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.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls (6-3, Fr., Arvada, Colo.) - Stalls has started 15 matches at middle blocker and is fourth in the Big 12 with 1.58 blocks per game. She has had at least five blocks in 10 matches, including a season-high eight blocks on four occasions, most recently against No. 10 Texas on Oct. 20. Stalls missed the Baylor and Oklahoma matches with an injury, but is averaging 3.50 kills on .692 hitting and 0.50 service aces over Nebraska’s last three matches. Last Wednesday at Kansas State, she set season highs in kills (12) and blocks (eight) while hitting .579 before hitting an amazing .824 with a career-best 14 kills (14-0-17) against Iowa State last Saturday. Her hitting percentage against the Cyclones tied for fourth on NU’s all-time list and the highest percentage in the Big 12 in 2004. Stalls served a two-year stint in 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 tourneys, including the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Yeltsin Cup.

S - #18 Dani Busboom (5-11, So., Cortland, Neb.) - Busboom enters the weekend ranked second in the Big 12 with 13.26 assists per game. She leads the team with 10 double-doubles, including a 66-assist, 10-dig effort at Kansas State on Oct. 13. Her 66 assists not only was a career high, but tied for 17th on NU’s all-time single-game assist list (seventh in four-game matches). She has had 50 or more assists six times, including 64 at Notre Dame on Sept. 4 and 59 in Wednesday’s win over No. 10 Texas. She also averages 2.63 digs and 0.58 blocks per game. She guides an offense that ranked second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.287) and in kills per game (17.25). Busboom totaled 700 assists in 2003, which is the second most by any Husker freshman.

RS - #9 Sarah Pavan (6-5, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario) - The Big 12 Preseason co-Freshman of the Year, Pavan leads the Huskers and is third in the Big 12 in kills per game (4.60). She has had 10 or more kills in 16 matches while pacing the Huskers in that categories 11 times. Three of her 20-kill matches have come against ranked opponents. She dominated in a sweep over No. 11 Texas A&M on Sept. 25, recording 23 kills on .500 hitting with four blocks and eight digs. She had 23 kills on .356 hitting while adding five blocks at Kansas State on Oct. 13. Despite battling the flu, she had 18 kills and five blocks in Wednesday’s win at Texas. In league matches, she is third in the Big 12 in kills (4.55), sixth in blocks (1.45) and eighth in hitting percentage (.331). Pavan hit a season-best .550 (14 kills on 20 attacks) and added six blocks in a sweep of Texas Tech on Sept. 18. She recorded her first career double-double with 24 kills and 15 digs against Florida A&M on Sept. 10. Considered by many to be the nation’s top freshman, Pavan has been a member of the Canadian National Team since July of 2003 - at age 16.

OH - #26 Jennifer Saleaumua (5-11, Jr., National City, Calif.) - Two-time All-Big 12 outside hitter who is second on the team in digs (3.95) and kills (3.08 per game) while hitting .277. She has eight double-doubles (kills and digs) this year, including four in the last five matches (vs. Baylor, Creighton and ISU). She comes off one of the best efforts of her career against No. 10 Texas, matching a career high with 19 kills on .450 hitting and adding 11 assists in the five-game win. She had 10 kills, 10 digs and matched a season-high with five blocks against Creighton and had 11 kills and a season-high 20 blocks vs. Iowa State last Saturday. Saleaumua had a 18 kills - one off a career high - at No. 25 Notre Dame on Sept. 4. She is fourth in the Big 12 in digs and is 36 digs away from becoming the seventh Husker to record 1,000 career digs. Saleaumua led the Huskers in kills (3.27) and digs (3.90) per game in 2003, as her 441 digs were a school record, breaking the previous mark of 390 by Kate Crnich in 1996.

OH - #3 Christina Houghtelling (6-2, So., Cambridge, Neb.) - Sophomore who moved from middle blocker to outside hitter in 2004 and has started all 10 of NU’s Big 12 contests. She averages 2.86 kills, 2.28 digs and 0.34 service aces per game. She started slowly at Texas, but finished with 12 kills, including eight in the final two games, and two service aces. Houghtelling led Nebraska in kills against Oklahoma with a career-high 15 kills on .433 hitting. She recorded her first career double-double against Baylor on Oct. 6 with 12 kills and a career-high 13 digs. Houghtelling shined in the win at No. 24 Kansas on Sept. 29, setting then-career highs in kills (13) and hitting percentage (.500).

Texas Recap
Nebraska turned in one of the most remarkable comebacks in school history, rallying from an 0-2 deficit to defeat No. 10 Texas 21-30, 31-33, 30-27, 30-23, 16-14 at Gregory Gym Wednesday evening.

Jennifer Saleaumua led the Husker comeback, matching a career-high with 19 kills on .450 hitting on 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the year to lead a balanced attack. Saleaumua, whose previous season high was 18 kills at Notre Dame on Sept. 4, tied her career high set at Kansas last season to lead four Huskers with at least 10 kills in the win. Sarah Pavan had 18 kills, while Christina Houghtelling and Melissa Elmer added 12 kills each. Elmer hit .391 and had six blocks in helping Nebraska pick up its first win over a top-10 team since the 2001 season. With the win, NU also remained a perfect 7-0 against ranked teams this season.

The two-hour and 36 minute epic lived up to its billing, as the first top-10 match-up between the two teams since 1996. The comeback was NU’s first when facing an 0-2 deficit since a five-game win over Texas Tech during the 1997 season. Nebraska out-hit Texas, which was fourth nationally in hitting, .244-.229, as the Longhorns hit only .169 over the final four games. The Huskers also enjoyed a 15-11 edge in blocks.

With the win, Nebraska improved to 16-1 on the season and remained undefeated in the Big 12 at 10-0, building a two-game cushion on second-place Texas (16-2, 8-2 Big 12). The win was NU’s 10th straight over Texas, but the second straight win over UT that went five games.

Scouting Baylor
The Bears come into Saturday’s match with a 10-10 record after losing at No. 18 Kansas State, 3-0, on Wednesday. The Bears are in a three-way tie with Kansas and Texas Tech for seventh in the league with a 3-7 record. BU is 1-4 against ranked teams, highlighted by a 3-1 win over then No. 24 Kansas in early October.

Head Coach Jim Barnes is in his first season at Baylor after spending the previous two years at Wyoming. Barnes also spent six seasons at Lamar, guiding the Cardinals to a pair of conference titles before taking the Wyoming job in 2002.

The Bears returned four starters from a team that went 12-22 and tied for eighth in the Big 12 with a 4-16 record. Sophomore middle blocker Desiree Guillard-Young is their Bears’ top player, as she is sixth in the league in hitting percentage (.342). Middle blocker Adeline Meira is fourth in the league in blocks at 1.69 per game, while Stella Odion paces BU with 3.16 kills per game.

Nebraska-Baylor Series
Nebraska has owned the all-time series with Baylor, winning all 18 previous match-ups, including all 17 conference since the league was formed in 1996. Baylor has not won a game in the eight previous meetings in Waco.

Nebraska-Baylor Series
Christina Houghtelling recorded her first career double-double, lifting fifth-ranked Nebraska to a 30-22, 30-23, 30-13 win over Baylor in front of a sellout crowd of 4,124 at the NU Coliseum on Oct. 6.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore finished with a match-high 12 kills, a career-high 13 digs and a season-high three service aces, as the Huskers posted their eighth consecutive sweep. Houghtelling was one of three Huskers with double-doubles in the win as Jennifer Saleaumua finished with 10 kills and 14, while Dani Busboom also had a double-double with 37 assists and 11 digs. The double-doubles, along with another solid defensive performance, helped the Huskers overcome a slow start en route to their 18th win in as many meetings over Baylor. Nebraska held Baylor to .022 hitting and out-blocked the Bears, 14-8, sparked by a 8-0 advantage in the finale.

Sarah Pavan totaled 10 kills, five blocks and seven digs, while All-American Melissa Elmer had nine kills and six blocks. Ally Rebholz, making her first start of the year, also provided the big spark in game three with four blocks, as she finished with five kills and six blocks.