Huskers Host Longhorns on Senior Night

Match: #27:
No. 3 Nebraska (25-1, 18-0 Big 12) vs. No. 11 Texas (23-3, 15-3)
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

Match: #28:
No. 3 Nebraska at No. 18 Texas A&M (17-7, 13-5 Big 12)
G. Rollie White Coliseum ? Saturday, Nov. 27 ? 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, 20-6, dating back to Sept. 24, 1977
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-0 (30-20, 30-20, 30-27) at the NU Coliseum on Sept. 25, 2004
Coach Cook vs. Texas A&M: 11-0

Huskers Host Longhorns on Senior Night
After winning a pair of matches on the road last week, the second-ranked Nebraska volleyball team returns to the NU Coliseum for one of the biggest matches of the regular season, as the Huskers take on No. 11 Texas Wednesday evening at the NU Coliseum. While Nebraska claimed the outright Big 12 title - its seventh in nine years of conference competition - with Saturday’s win at Oklahoma, both teams have a lot to play for with the NCAA Tounament field announcement set for Sunday, Nov. 28. Wednesday’s match will also mark the final regular-season home match for Ally Rebholz, who will be honored following the match.

First serve from the NU Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be shown live state-wide on Nebraska Educational Television and on College Sports Television (CSTV), on a tape-delayed basis on Thursday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. The match will also be carried on selected Pinnacle Sports Network affiliates, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, and shown live on the Internet on HuskersNside.com, as every regular-season match will be carried on the site. NU jumped from third to second in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches poll released Monday.

Storylines
?- Nebraska enters Wednesday’s match with a 10-0 record against ranked teams, as 40 percent of the Husker wins are against ranked opponents.

? - Senior Ally Rebholz plays in her final regular-season home match on Wednesday, as Nebraska is 115-10 (.920) with three Big 12 titles during her Husker career.

?- All-American middle blocker Melissa Elmer has made a strong case for Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors throughout the year, as she leads the nation in blocks. Elmer has been at her best the last two weeks, averaging 3.70 kills on .478 hitting and 2.80 blocks per match. She tied or set season bests in kills (18) and blocks in Saturday’s win at Oklahoma.

?- Wednesday’s matchup features Nebraska, which leads the nation by allowing opponents to hit .097 taking on Texas, which leads the Big 12 and ranks second nationally in hitting at .317.

?- Nebraska will be looking for its 22nd straight Big 12 win on Wednesday, as NU has won its last 21 conference matches dating back to Nov. 23, 2003.

?- Nebraska’s current 10-match winning streak over Texas is the longest by either team in the all-time series. The Huskers have won 21 of the last 24 matches in the series between the two schools.

? - The Huskers have won 42 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 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.

?- Jennifer Saleaumua is in fourth place on NU’s career digs list with 1,072 entering Wednesday’s match against Texas. The junior outside hitter is two digs away from tying Eileen Shannon (1,074, 1989-92) and 14 shy of Angie Oxley ?s (1,086, 1997-2000) total for second on NU’s career list.

? - Nebraska has had six different players lead the team in kills this season (Sarah Pavan, Christina Houghtelling, Melissa Elmer, Jennifer Saleaumua, Tracy Stalls and Dani Mancuso).

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 4.59 digs per game. She has reached double figures in her last 15 matches and 24 times in 26 matches this season. Her 389 digs rank third on NU’s single-season list and she needs only 11 digs to become the second Husker to reach 400 digs in a season. McCormick has had 20-or-more digs three times, including a season-high 25 against Texas A&M on Sept. 25, a total that 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 17 digs in the win over Oklahoma and also tops the Big 12 with 4.58 digs per game in league play.

MB - #8 Melissa Elmer (6-2, Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind.) - Returning AVCA All-American who averages 2.88 kills and a nation-best 1.94 blocks per game. She tops NU in hitting percentage (.360), an average that ranks sixth in the Big 12 and is hitting .478 in the Huskers’ last three matches. Elmer has three matches of at least 10 blocks this season, including a 12-block, 18-kill effort on .485 hitting at Oklahoma on Saturday. With 439 career block assists, she is three block assists away from tying Megan Krover (442, 1996-98) and 10 away from matching Virginia Stahr (449, 1986-89) for fifth on NU’s career chart. Elmer earned All-Big 12 honors in 2003, leading NU with 1.59 blocks per game along with a .352 hitting percentage. Elmer,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 23 matches at middle blocker and is fourth in the Big 12 (and 14th nationally) with 1.60 blocks per game. She leads all Big 12 freshman in both blocks and hitting percentage (.322, eighth) and has five 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 on Nov. 12. 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 St. 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 tourneys, including the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Yeltsin Cup.

S - #18 Dani Busboom (5-11, So., Cortland, Neb.) - Busboom is second in the Big 12 (20th nationally) with 13.22 assists while averaging 2.50 digs and 0.59 blocks per game. She leads the team with 12 double-doubles (assists-digs), including a 55-assist, 12-dig effort at Oklahoma on Nov. 20. 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 eight 50-assist matches this season. She guides an offense that ranked second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.284) and third in kills per game (17.12) - 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 4.41 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 22 times in 26 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 at No. 25 Missouri on Wednesday. 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 (3.92) and kills (3.13) 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. 12. 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 2.92 kills per game while adding 2.29 digs and a 0.31 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. Mancuso nearly recorded her second double-double of the year at Oklahoma with 11 kills, nine digs and five blocks. 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 18 starts, averaging 2.79 kills, 2.12 digs and 0.26 service aces per game. She has nine matches with at least 10 kills, including a career-best 17 kills against No. 25 Missouri on Nov. 17. Her .739 percentage 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 Texas
Texas is 23-3 overall and 15-3 in the Big 12 heading into the final week of the season. While all three of the Longhorns’ losses have been in the league, Texas can clinch second with a win on Wednesday. UT owns one of the most impressive wins in the Big 12 with a four-game win at then-No. 5 Florida in Gainseville on Sept. 29.

Fourth-year Coach Jerritt Elliott (78-40 at UT) has guided the Longhorns back after a disappointing 15-14 season in 2003. Texas features two of the Big 12’s top performers in seniors Mira Topic and Bethany Howden. Topic leads the Big 12 with 5.74 kills per game while also averaging 3.25 digs per contest. Howden, UT’s leading hitter at .387, also averages 4.03 kills and 1.03 blocks per game. Brandy Magee averages 2.90 kills and 1.04 blocks per game, while freshman Michelle Moriarty is third in the Big 12 at 13.16 assists per game.

Texas-Nebraska Series
Nebraska is 23-11 all-time against Texas, and the Huskers have won 10 straight matches in the series. NU is 13-2 all-time against the Longhorns in Lincoln, as the two schools are the only Big 12 schools to win NCAA volleyball crowns. The first meeting in Austin featured the first matchup with both teams in the top-10 since 1996. NU has rallied from an 0-2 deficit twice against Texas, the most against any NCAA school. Perhaps the most memorable match in NU-UT history was when the Huskers defeated Texas, 3-1, in the 1995 NCAA championship game in Amherst, Mass., to claim its first national title.

Last Matchup
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.

Jennifer Saleaumua led the Husker comeback, matching a career-high with 19 kills on .450 hitting on 11 digs to lead a balanced attack. Saleaumua tied her career high set at Kansas in 2003 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.

The two-hour and 36 minute epic lived up to its billing, as the first top-10 matchup 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 in 1997. NU out-hit Texas, which was fourth nationally in hitting, .244-.229, and enjoyed a 15-11 edge in blocks.

Oklahoma Recap
Melissa Elmer recorded her first double-double of the season, leading third-ranked Nebraska to a 30-27, 33-35, 30-13, 30-19 victory over Oklahoma.

Elmer finished with a season-high 18 kills on .485 hitting and tied a season best with 12 blocks, as Nebraska (25-1, 18-0 Big 12) clinched the outright Big 12 title for the sixth time in seven years. Elmer’s total in kills topped her previous season high of 13 set five other times and was one off her career best of 19 against Kansas State last season.

The Huskers had five players record 10 or more kills, including Tracy Stalls, who had 11 kills and hit .385 in the win, NU’s 15th straight over the Sooners. Sarah Pavan had 13 kills, while Dani Mancuso and Jennifer Saleuamua added 11 and 10 kills, respectively, as the Huskers hit .294 as a team, including totals of .385 and .357 in the final two games. Dani Busboom recorded her team-best 12th double-double with 55 assists and 12 digs, while Amanda McCormick also chipped in a match-high 17 digs.

Elmer led the Huskers’ blocking efforts, as she reached double-figures for the fourth time this season, as her 12 blocks tied the single-match high in the Big 12 this season. In all, NU out-blocked Oklahoma, 18-7, as Pavan and also Mancuso chipped in five blocks apiece.