No. 2 Huskers Close Big 12 Play at No. 18 Texas A&M

Match: #28:

No. 2 Nebraska (26-1, 19-0 Big 12) at No. 18 Texas A&M (18-7, 14-5 Big 12)
G. Rollie White Coliseum ? Saturday, Nov. 27 ? 7p.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

Match: #29:
No. 2 Nebraska vs. TBA (NCAA Tournament)
NCAA First and Second Rounds ? Thurs.-Sun., Dec. 2-5 ? Campus Sites

NCAA Selection Announcement: Sunday, Nov. 28, at 5:45 p.m. live on ESPNews
All-Time NCAA Tournament Record/Appearances: 56-20/23 appearances

No. 2 Huskers Close Big 12 Play at No. 18 Texas A&M
Second-ranked Nebraska closes out the Big 12 regular season on Saturday, Nov. 27, when they travel to College Station, Texas, to take on the No. 18 Texas A&M Aggies. First serve from G. Rollie White Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. and the match will 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.

The Huskers, 26-1 and 19-0 in the Big 12 following a three-game sweep of No. 11 Texas Wednesday night, will be seeking its 15th perfect season in conference play, including fourth since the inception of the Big 12 (also 2000-01-02). Nebraska’s perfect slate in Big 12 play in 2004 is more impressive considering that eight of the 19 league matches before Saturday’s contest were against ranked teams. From 2000 to 2002, NU played a total of 11 conference matches against teams that were ranked at the time of the match. Texas A&M (18-7, 14-5 Big 12) has been ranked in the top 15 for most of the season and comes off a four-game win over No. 23 Kansas State on Wednesday. With a win on Saturday, the Aggies can lock up a share of third place in the Big 12 and enhance their chances of being one of the 16 first/second round sites next week.

Storylines
?- Nebraska enters Saturday’s match with a 11-0 record against ranked teams, as more than 40 percent of the Husker wins are against ranked opponents.

?- 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 3.46 kills on .448 hitting and 2.69 blocks per match. She tied or set season bests in kills (18) and blocks in Saturday’s win at Oklahoma and had eight kills and seven blocks in the sweep of No. 10 Texas.

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

? - The Huskers are looking for their 11th straight win over Texas A&M,as the current 10-match winning streak equals the longest in the series history (also 1982 to 1998).

? - The Huskers have won 43 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 third place on NU’s career digs list with 1,078 entering Saturday’s match at Texas A&M. The junior outside hitter eight digs away from tying Angie Oxley (1,086, 1997-2000) 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 4.54 digs per game. She has reached double figures in her last 16 matches and 25 times in 27 matches this season. With 404 digs, she is only the second Husker to reach 400 digs in a season, joining Jennifer Saleaumua, who had 441 digs in 2003. 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 sweep of Texas 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 2.88 kills and a nation-best 1.96 blocks per game. She tops NU in hitting percentage (.360), an average that ranks sixth in the Big 12 and is hitting .448 in the Huskers’ last four 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 Nov. 20. With 446 career block assists, she is three block assists 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 25 matches at middle blocker and is fourth in the Big 12 (and 14th nationally) with 1.61 blocks per game. She leads all Big 12 freshman in both blocks and hitting percentage (.320, eighth) and has five double-digit kill efforts this season. She has had at least five blocks in 17 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 13.17 assists while averaging 2.57 digs and 0.57 blocks per game. She leads the team with 13 double-doubles (assists-digs), including a 35-assist, 14-dig perfomance in Wednesday’s sweep of Texas. Her 14 digs were a season-high, topping the 13 she had against Missouri on Sept. 15. 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 (.282) and third in kills per game (17.06) - 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 4.43 kills per game. She also ranks ninth in the league in blocks per game (1.17). Pavan has led NU in kills 17 times, including five 20-kill efforts - as she has been in double figures 23 times in 27 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. Pavan had 15 kills on .375 hitting and nine blocks, holding Texas All-America candidate Mira Topic to a season-low six kills on -.081 hitting. 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 (3.85) and kills (3.08) per game. She is also second on the team with eight double-doubles, giving her 31 in her career. She ranks third on NU’s all-time digs list (1,074) 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 19 starts, averaging 2.82 kills, 2.13 digs and 0.31 service aces per game. She has 10 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 against MU was the highest ever by a Husker with at least 15 kills. Houghtelling played one of her best all-around matches vs. Texas with 10 kills on .333 hitting, a career-best four aces, seven digs and three blocks. 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 A&M
Texas A&M enters the regular-season finale with an 18-7 record, including a 14-5 mark in the Big 12. Texas A&M can finish anywhere from second to fourth in the final standing depending on Saturday’s matches. Under the direction of Coach Laurie Corbelli (277-102 in 12 seasons at Texas A&M), the Aggies have reached the NCAA Tournament the last 11 seasons and have been ranked in the top 15 for most of this season.

The Aggies feature two of the Big 12’s top performers in middle blocker Melissa Munsch and outside hitter Laura Jones. Munsch is second to Melissa Elmer in blocks (1.71 b/gm) while averaging 3.80 kills and a team-best 3.07 blocks per contest. Outside hitter Laura Jones is second in the conference in kills, averaging a team-best 4.76 kills per game.

Texas A&M-Nebraska Series
Nebraska leads the all-time series against the Aggies, 20-6, and the Huskers have won 10 straight dating back to the 1999 season. The Aggies have enjoyed as much success against the Huskers as anyone in the league, winning twice in five-game matches since the conference’s inception in 1996 ? once in 1998 and once in 1999.

Last Matchup vs. TAMU
Sarah Pavan’s 23 kills led seventh-ranked Nebraska to its sixth consecutive win, as the Huskers downed No. 12 Texas A&M, 30-20, 30-20, 30-27 in front of a sellout crowd of 4,135 at the NU Coliseum and a national television audience.

The 6-foot-5 freshman hit .500 on 40 swings and added eight digs, as she was one kill shy of her career high of 24 against Florida A&M.

The Huskers (10-1, 4-0 Big 12) had a balanced attack, as five players had at least eight kills. All-American Melissa Elmer tied a season-high with 13 kills and added five blocks, while Christina Houghtelling and Tracy Stalls chipped in seven kills apiece.

Jennifer Saleaumua had seven kills and 17 digs, while libero Amanda McCormick had 25 digs ? three shy of a 21-year-old record in a three-game match ? as the Huskers totaled 72 digs and held Texas A&M (6-4, 2-2 Big 12) to a season-low .103 hitting.

The Huskers shut down Texas A&M All-American Melissa Munsch, who had just four kills on 24 swings against a Husker defense that has held five of its last six opponents to under .125 hitting.

Texas Recap
Freshman Sarah Pavan had 15 kills and a career-high nine blocks, as No. 2 Nebraska wrapped a ribbon around the Big 12 title with a 30-20, 30-19, 30-22 victory over No. 11 Texas Wednesday night in front of a sellout crowd of 4,207 at the NU Coliseum.

The Huskers, who donned red ribbons in honor of senior Ally Rebholz, wrapped up Texas, holding the Longhorns to a season-low .032 hitting while recording 16 blocks in the three-game sweep. The Huskers, who improved to 11-0 against ranked teams, improved 26-1 overall and 19-0 in the Big 12, while Texas dips to 23-4 overall and 15-4 in conference play.

Pavan shut down Texas All-American candidate Mira Topic, holding her to a season-low six kills and -.081 hitting on 37 swings, far under her Big 12 leading 6.00 kills per game. As a team, Texas was second nationally in hitting percentage, but the Huskers stifled the Longhorn attack, keeping Topic and fellow All-Big 12 hitter Bethany Howden in check throughout the entire match.

Pavan led a balanced Nebraska attack with a match-high 15 kills and hit .375 on 32 swings. Sophomore Christina Houghtelling joined Pavan in double figures with 10 kills, seven digs and a career-high four service aces, while the middle blocking duo of Melissa Elmer and Tracy Stalls also combined for 13 kills and 12 blocks.