Four Huskers Named to AVCA All-Central Region Team

Lincoln ? Four members of the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team were honored Tuesday, as they were selected to the AVCA All-Central Region Team. Middle blocker Melissa Elmer (Fort Wayne, Ind.), outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua (National City, Calif.) and opposite hitter Sarah Pavan (Kitchener, Ontario) were chosen to the 12-member first-team, which consisted of schools from the Big 12, Missouri Valley, Southland and Mid-Continent conferences. In addition, setter Dani Busboom (Cortland, Neb.) was an honorable-mention selection. All four Huskers will advance to the national ballot and are under consideration for AVCA All-America honors.

Pavan heads the list of recipients, as she was also chosen as the Central Region Freshman of the Year. The 6-foot-5 opposite hitter was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and was the league’s freshman of the year as she ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 4.46 kills. Pavan led all Big 12 freshmen in kills and hitting percentage (.331), while ranking 10th in the league in blocks (1.20 per game). The first Husker to receive the honor since Greichaly Cepero in 1999, Pavan has six 20-kill efforts in 2004, the most by a Husker since former Big 12 Player of the Year Nancy Metcalf had seven in 1999. She has topped the Huskers in kills 19 times while her 437 kills is the second-highest total in school annals.

Elmer, a two-time all-region selection, leads the nation in blocking (1.91 blocks/gm) while ranking among the Big 12 leaders with a .364 hitting percentage. Elmer has 187 blocks entering the regional, a total that is sixth on NU’s all-time single-season chart, and has recorded 10-or-more blocks on four occasions in 2004. One of her best matches in 2004 was an 18-kill, 12-block effort at Oklahoma on Nov. 20, the match that clinched the outright Big 12 title.

Saleaumua is a three-time all-region honoree. She ranks second on Nebraska in both digs (3.78) and kills (3.08) per game and has recorded nine double-doubles in 2004. A first-team All-Big 12 selection, she was chosen as the league’s co-Defensive Player-of-the-Year after helping Nebraska lead the nation in opponent hitting (.097) and topping the Big 12 with 17.28 digs per game. Her best performance of the season came in a comeback win at No. 10 Texas, when she matched her career high with 19 kills and hit .450 with 11 digs, as Nebraska rallied from a 2-0 deficit.

Busboom rounds out the Husker quartet, as she earned honorable-mention honors in her first year as a starter. The 5-foot-11 sophomore guides an offense that is in the top-11 nationally in both hitting percentage (.288, 10th) and kills per game (17.16, 11th). She ranks third in the Big 12 and 24th nationally with 13.12 assists per game. Her total is the highest by a Husker setter since Fiona Nepo in 1998, and she also averages 2.55 digs and 0.57 blocks per game. Busboom tops the Huskers with 14 double-doubles and totaled a career-best 66 assists in a win at No. 13 Kansas State on Oct. 17, the highest assist total by a Husker in five seasons.

The Huskers travel to Louisville, Ky., for a matchup with the No. 15 Cardinals Friday night at 6 p.m. (central). Fans can listen to the match on the Pinnacle Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln.

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