No. 3 Huskers Look for Outright Big 12 Crown vs. Sooners

Match: #26:
No. 3 Nebraska (24-1, 17-0 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma (11-15, 3-14)
McCasland Field House ? Saturday, Nov. 20 ? 7 p.m.
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com
Live Internet Video: Live Video Streaming on HuskersNside.com, for more info, visit Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 61-6, dating back to Nov. 8, 1975
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-0 (30-17, 30-22, 30-16) at the NU Coliseum on Oct. 9, 2004
Coach Cook vs. Oklahoma: 9-0

Match: #27:
No. 3 Nebraska vs. No. 11 Texas (22-3, 14-3 Big 12)
NU Coliseum ? Wednesday, Nov. 24 ? 7 p.m.
Tickets: Sold Out (54th consecutive sellout)
Television: Shown live on Nebraska Educational Television and tape-delayed on College Sports Television (CSTV) with the first airing set for Thursday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. (central)
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com
Live Internet Video: Live Video Streaming on HuskersNside.com, for more info, visit Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 23-11, dating back to Oct. 17, 1981
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-2 (21-30, 31-33, 30-27, 30-23, 16-14) in Austin on Oct. 20, 2004
Coach Cook vs. Texas: 10-0

No. 3 Huskers Look for Outright Conference Crown vs. Sooners
The third-ranked Nebraska volleyball team looks to claim the outright Big 12 title Saturday evening when the Huskers travel to Oklahoma to take on the Sooners. First serve from Norman, Okla., is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on selected Pinnacle Sports Network affiliates, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln. Fans who have high-speed Internet access can also watch Saturday’s match live on the Internet at HuskersNside.com, as every regular-season match will be carried on the site.

The Huskers, who have won 21 straight matches dating back to Sept. 10, clinched at least a share of the conference crown on Wednesday with a sweep of No. 25 Missouri in Columbia. The title is the Huskers’ seventh in Big 12 action and their 26th conference crown in 29 seasons. With three matches left in the conference, one Husker win or one Texas loss will give NU the outright crown. The Huskers meet No. 11 Texas on Wednesday before closing the regular season at No. 13 Texas A&M on Nov. 27.

Storylines
?- Nebraska has won its last 14 matches against the Sooners - all by sweeps - dating back to the 1997 season. In fact, it has been over 10 years since a match in the series has gone to four games, a four-game Husker win on Nov. 26, 1994.

?- Nebraska will be looking for its 21st straight Big 12 win on Wednesday, as NU has won its last 20 conference matches dating back to Nov. 23, 2003.

?- Nebraska has improved its serving in recent contests, averaging 2.18 service aces per game over the last eight matches, lifting its season average from 1.26 per game (10th in the Big 12) to 1.56 SA/gm (fifth). In Big 12 matches, Nebraska’s numbers are more striking, averaging 2.32 aces per match over the last six Big 12 matches, more than double NU’s average from the first half of league play.

Big 12 Matches: Second Time Around

Matches Service Aces

Matches 1-10 1.03

Matches 11-16 2.32

? - Nebraska has held six opponents below .000 hitting this season, including Iowa State, which was held to (-.089) hitting on Oct. 30. Iowa State’s -.089 hitting was the lowest against a Husker team in a league match since the Big 12 was formed in 1996. The Huskers led the nation, holding foes to a .096 hitting percentage.

? - The Huskers remained third in Monday’s CSTV/USA Today Coaches poll, and are one of five Big 12 teams ranked this week, joining No. 11 Texas, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 20 Kansas State and No. 25 Missouri.

?- Jennifer Saleaumua is in fifth place on NU’s career digs list with 1,067 entering Saturday’s match against Missouri. The junior outside hitter is one dig away from tying Val Novak (1,068, 1987-90) for fourth place on the Husker career chart.

?- Sarah Pavan has five 20-kill efforts this season, which is the most since Laura Pilakowski had five during the Huskers’ national championship run in 2000. In fact, Pavan’s total tops the entire team total of 20-kill efforts during the 2003 (three), 2002 (none) and 2001 (four) seasons.

? - Nebraska has used its depth to its advantage, as six players (Sarah Pavan, Christina Houghtelling, Melissa Elmer, Jennifer Saleaumua, Tracy Stalls and Dani Mancuso) have led or tied for the team lead in kills over the last 11 matches.

Husker Probable Starters
L - #1 Amanda McCormick (5-8, So., Muncie, Ind.) - Co-captain who is in her second year as a starter at libero and leads the Big 12 with 4.54 digs per game. She has reached double figures in her last 14 matches and 23 times in 25 matches this season. Her 25 digs against Texas A&M on Sept. 25, tied Mandy Monson for the second-most digs by a Husker in a three-game match. McCormick, who is bidding to become the first Husker to lead the Big 12 in digs, had 11 digs in the win over Missouri on Wednesday and also tops the Big 12 with 4.60 digs per game in league play.

MB - #8 Melissa Elmer (6-2, Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind.) - Returning AVCA All-American who averages 2.80 kills and a national best 1.89 blocks per game. Elmer tops NU in hitting percentage (.352), an average that ranks sixth in the Big 12. She has three matches of at least 10 blocks this season, including a season and Big 12-high 12 blocks and nine kills in Friday’s win at Kansas. She has moved from 10th to seventh on NU’s career block list over the last two matches and is 17 away from tying All-American Megan Korver for sixth on that list. Elmer has reached double figures in kills 10 times, including five 13-kill efforts, most recently against Texas Tech on Nov. 3. Elmer had 10 kills on .450 hitting and four blocks vs. Missouri on Wednesday. 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 22 matches at middle blocker and is third in the Big 12 (and 10th nationally) with 1.64 blocks per game. She leads all Big 12 freshman in both blocks and hitting percentage (.319, eighth) and has four double-digit kill efforts this season. She has had at least five blocks in 16 matches, including a season-high nine against No. 9 Colorado State on Nov. 7 and Kansas last Friday. She is averaging 1.93 blocks/gm over her last four matches. Stalls notched her first career double-double at Baylor on Oct. 23 with 10 kills and 10 digs. She hit a career-best .824, including a career-high 14 kills against Iowa State on Oct. 16. The effort 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 competing with the U.S. National Team in several tournaments, including the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Yeltsin Cup.

S - #18 Dani Busboom (5-11, So., Cortland, Neb.) - Busboom enters Saturday’s match ranked second in the Big 12 with 13.20 assists per game while averaging 2.48 digs and 0.60 blocks per game. She leads the team with 12 double-doubles (assists-digs), including a 50-assist, 11-dig effort vs. Kansas State on Nov. 6.

Her 66 assists at KSU on Oct. 13 tied for 17th on NU’s all-time single-match list (seventh in four-game matches) and is one of seven 50-assist matches this season. She guides an offense that ranked second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.283) and third kills per game (17.07) - totals that rank in the top-20 nationally. She totaled 700 assists in 2003, which is the second most by any Husker freshman, while splitting time with Michelle Lynch in the 6-2 offense.

OPP - #9 Sarah Pavan (rhymes with Have-in): 6-5, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario - The Big 12 Preseason co-Freshman of the Year, Pavan is fourth in the Big 12 with a team-best 4.46 kills per game. She also ranks 10th in the league in blocks per game (1.17). Pavan has led NU in kills 16 times, including five 20-kill efforts - as she has been in double figures 21 times in 25 matches. Her best effort of the year came in a sweep of No. 11 Texas A&M on Sept. 25, when she had 23 kills on .500 hitting. She also had 23 kills on .356 hitting in a win at No. 16 Kansas State on Oct. 13 and a season-high 24 kills vs. Florida A&M and Baylor. She had 13 kills and hit .385 in Wednesday’s win over Missouri. Pavan recorded her first double-double vs. FAMU when she set highs in kills (24) and digs (15). 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 (Sal-ee-ah-MOO-uh); 5-11, Jr., National City, Calif. - Two-time All-Big 12 outside hitter who is second on the team in digs (4.00) and kills (3.12) per game. She is also second on the team with eight double-doubles, giving her 31 in her career. She ranks fifth on NU’s all-time digs list (1,067) and recently became the first Husker to reach 1,000 digs before her senior year. Saleaumua earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors on Oct. 25, highlighted by a 19-kill performance at No. 10 Texas, when she hit .450 and added 11 digs. She had 15 kills on .444 hitting and 14 digs against Kansas State on Nov. 6 and had nine kills, 12 digs and matched her career best with seven blocks vs. Kansas on Nov. 6. She led the Huskers in kills (3.27) and digs (3.90) per game in 2003. Her 441 digs were a school record, breaking the previous mark of 390 by Kate Crnich in 1996.

OH - #7 Dani Mancuso (Man-CUE-so): 6-2, So., Omaha, Neb. - Mancuso splits time at outside hitter, ranking third on the team with 2.94 kills per game while adding 2.29 digs and a team-high 0.33 aces per game. Mancuso shined in NU’s win at No. 16 Kansas State on Oct. 13 with a career-high 22 kills on .559 hitting. She made her first Big 12 start of the year on Oct. 27 versus Colorado, delivering a match-high 18 kills and seven digs while hitting .424. She also had her first career double-double vs. Florida A&M on Sept. 10 with 16 kills and 11 digs. She nearly recorded her second double-double of the year with eight kills on .400 hitting and nine digs in the win over Kansas State on Nov. 6. As a freshman, she started NU’s final 10 contests in 2003, averaging 2.01 kills and 1.72 digs per game in that stretch.

-or- #3 Christina Houghtelling (Hoe-tell-ing): 6-2, So., Cambridge, Neb. - Sophomore who moved from middle blocker to outside hitter in 2004 and has made 17 starts, averaging 2.87 kills, 2.11 digs and 0.27 service aces per game. She has nine matches with at least 10 kills, including a career-best 17 kills against Missouri on Wednesday. Her .739 total on 23 attempts was the highest ever by a Husker with at least 15 kills. She had a then-career high 15 kills on .433 hitting in the first meeting with OU on Oct. 9. She provided a spark off the bench against No. 9 Colorado State on Nov. 7 with 11 kills on .391 hitting. Houghtelling had her first career double-double against Baylor on Oct. 6 with 12 kills and a career-best 13 digs.

Scouting Oklahoma
Under the direction of first-year coach Santiago Restrepo, Oklahoma comes into Saturday’s matchup with an 11-15 mark, including a 3-14 record in conference play. The Sooners are in 10th place in the league, a half-game behind Baylor for ninth.

Restrepo came to Oklahoma after three seasons at Southern Miss, where he guided the Golden Eagles to a school record 27-6 mark in 2003, his third and final year at the school.

The Sooners are led by outside hitter Joanna Schmitt, who ranks eighth in the league with an average of 4.03 kills per game. Schmitt is one of three Sooners averaging more than 2.50 kills per game, joining Keri Coats (2.74) and Gabriela Tonan (2.61).

OU also has three players averaging over a block per game, including Laura Tomes, who is ninth in the league in that category (1.26 b/gm).

Nebraska-Oklahoma Series
Nebraska has had the best of the all-time series with Oklahoma, holding a commanding 61-6 lead in a series that dates back to 1975. The Huskers have won the last 14 matches over Oklahoma - all by sweeps - dating back to the 1997 season. Nebraska is 22-4 all-time in Norman.

Last Matchup
Christina Houghtelling and Dani Mancuso combined for 22 kills on .441 hitting, as No. 5 Nebraska swept Oklahoma, 30-17, 30-22, 30-16 in front of a sellout crowd of 4,108 at the NU Coliseum on Oct. 9.

Houghtelling established a career high with a match-high 15 kills on .433 hitting and nine digs, while Mancuso came off the bench to deliver seven kills and hit .463 while playing the entire third game. The Huskers outhit the Sooners, .351-.086 in posting their 14th straight win over Oklahoma.

Freshman Sarah Pavan joined Houghtelling in double figures in kills with 14 on .458 hitting, while Melissa Elmer added seven kills and five blocks.

Missouri Recap
Christina Houghtelling and Michelle Lynch turned in career nights, as third-ranked Nebraska claimed a share of the Big 12 Conference title with a 30-26, 30-27, 30-19 win over No. 25 Missouri Wednesday night at the Hearnes Center.

The Huskers, who improved to 24-1 with their 21st straight win, are now 17-0 in the conference and clinched at least a share of their seventh Big 12 title in nine seasons and 26th conference crown in 29 seasons of competition.

Houghtelling, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Cambridge, was phenomenal, drilling a career-high 17 kills on just 23 attempts, a percentage that ranked 12th on Nebraska’s single-match list. Each of her first nine attempts were kills, as she reached double figures in kills for the ninth time and topped her previous best of 15 against Oklahoma earlier this season.

Houghtelling helped Nebraska to a .402 hitting percentage, its highest total in the conference this season, as Dani Busboom totaled 48 assists and NU topped .300 hitting in all three games. Houghtelling led a balanced attack, as Melissa Elmer added 10 kills on .450 hitting and four blocks while Sarah Pavan had 13 kills and hit .385 to lead NU to its 10th win against a ranked opponent.

While NU’s offense was rolling all night, Michelle Lynch sparked the Huskers at the service line with a career-high six aces, one off the school record. Lynch keyed strong starts in games two and three as NU never trailed after game one. Her previous high in aces was five, accomplished twice last season.