Huskers Take on Oklahoma

Match: #22: NU (21-0, 12-0 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma (6-16, 1-12 Big 12)
Wednesday, Nov. 2 ? 7 p.m. (central) ? NU Coliseum
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Television: Live on Nebraska Educational Television (Ch. 12) and NET-HD (Ch. 112 in Lincoln; Tape-Delayed on CSTV (Nov. 3, 8 p.m.) CSTV is available on DirecTV (Ch. 610) and on Dish Network (Ch. 152)
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Internet Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)
Internet Audio: Huskers.com
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 61-6 (NU has won last 16 matches)
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 28-30, 30-25, 31-29, 30-20 on Sept. 28

Match: #23: NU at Iowa State (13-11, 6-7 Big 12)
Saturday, Nov. 5 ? 4 p.m. (central) ? Hilton Coliseum
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Television: None
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Internet Video: None
Internet Audio: Huskers.com
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 67-0
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 30-8, 30-24, 30-16 on Sept. 24

No. 1 Huskers Take on Oklahoma
Nebraska returns to the friendly confines of the NU Coliseum on Wednesday evening, as the Oklahoma Sooners come to town. First serve between the Huskers and Sooners is set for 7 p.m. in front of the 66th consecutive sellout at the NU Colieum. Wednesday’s contest will be shown live throughout Nebraska on Nebraska Educational Television (NET-1, Ch. 12 and NET-HD, Ch. 112). The match will be carried on select Pinnacle Sports Network Stations, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, and on Huskers.com. The match will also be shown live on HuskersNside, a subsciption-based site of the Nebraska Athletic Department.

The Huskers have been supurb defensively over the last three weeks, holding their last seven opponents to under .125 hitting. NU has five players averaging over one block per game, including the national leader in Melissa Elmer, who is averaging 2.32 blocks per game.

Oklahoma gave the Huskers arguably their toughest Big 12 tussle in the team’s first meeting in Norman on Sept. 28. The Sooners not only took a game from NU, but also hit .229 against the Big Red, becoming one of only three teams to hit over .200 against the Huskers this season (also Stanford and Missouri). In that match, Christina Houghtelling had a career-high 20 kills and hit .405, as NU won the final three games.

Worth Noting and Streaks to Watch
? Over her last six matches, Sarah Pavan is averaging 4.28 kills per game on .429 hitting (77-17-140), along with 2.33 digs and 1.11 blocks per game.

? Jennifer Saleaumua, who moved into 11th place on NU’s career kills list on Wednesday, is one dig away from No. 1,400 in her career.

? Nebraska owns a 25-match home winning streak dating back to Sept. 11, 2004. In that stretch, NU has dropped only one game (against Pepperdine on Sept. 9). The Huskers are also 6-0 against ranked foes - all coming by sweep - during the streak.

? Wednesday’s match will be the 66th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum. Nebraska is 60-5 at home during its Coliseum sellout streak.

? The Huskers have won their last 35 matches in Big 12 play, dating back to Nov. 19, 2003.

? Nebraska has won its last 45 regular-season matches dating back to Sept. 11, 2004.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #8 Melissa Elmer: 6-2, Sr., Fort Wayne, Ind. - Elmer is a two-time AVCA All-American and one of the best middle blockers in the country. The mid-season National Player of the Year by ESPN.com, Elmer ranks among the top-five nationally in both hitting percentage and blocks. She leads the nation with 2.32 blocks per game, including 10 or more blocks six times, and tops the Big 12 with a .439 hitting percentage (fourth nationally), as she averages 2.91 kills per game. She also leads the Big 12 in both categories (2.23 blocks and .460 hitting) in conference matches. She ranks second all-time at NU in total blocks (677), trailing only Amber Holmquist’s school mark of 728 (1999-02). Elmer nearly recorded her third double-double of the year at Kansas State on Oct. 19 with nine kills and 10 blocks. At Missouri on Oct. 5, she had a season-high 17 kills on .546 hitting before totaling a Big 12-record 16 blocks at Kansas on Oct. 8. Elmer has been named MVP in two tournaments (Sports Imports Classic and InfoUSA/Arby’s Players Challenge).

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-3, So., Arvada, Colo. - Stalls has played in 14 matches, averaging 1.60 blocks and 1.17 kills per game. She would rank third in the Big 12 in blocking, but has not played in the minimum number of games. The 6-foot-3 sophomore is hitting .367 and averaging 2.11 blocks per game in NU’s last three matches. At Texas Tech on Oct. 29, Stalls matched her career high with nine blocks and had four kills on .375 hitting in NU’s sweep. She also totaled seven blocks against Kansas on Oct. 26 and is fourth in the league in blocks in conference matches. Stalls enjoyed one of her best efforts of the year in the first meeting with OU on Sept. 28, setting season highs with eight kills and blocks. She had seven blocks against No. 20 Texas A&M on Sept. 21 and five stuffs against fourth-ranked Penn State on Sept. 11. Stalls ranked 11th nationally in blocking as a freshman at 1.65 blocks per game. Before enrolling at NU, Stalls served a two-year stint in the U.S. National Developmental Program and was on the U.S. National Team.

OPP - #9 Sarah Pavan (rhymes with Have-in): 6-5, Soph., Kitchener, Ontario - The AVCA National Freshman of the Year and first-team All-American in 2004, Pavan is having a stellar 2005 season, averaging 3.74 kills, 1.65 digs and 1.33 blocks per game. She ranks seventh in the league in blocks and kills, fifth in points per game (4.74) and sixth in hitting percentage (.356), topping all outside hitters in both blocks and hitting percentage. In Big 12 matches, she is hitting .376 and averaging 4.00 kills per game, ranking third in kills per game. In NU’s sweep of Kansas, Pavan had 12 kills on .458 hitting, as she hit above .450 for the seventh time this year. She was dominant at Kansas State on Oct. 19 with 18 kills, six blocks and six digs. She posted her second double-double of the year with 12 kills and 12 digs against Creighton on Oct. 11. Pavan had 11 kills and nine blocks at Kansas on Oct. 8 and had a season-high 18 kills and 11 digs at Missouri on Oct. 5. She hit .500 or better in NU’s first three Big 12 matches, capped by 13 kills on .522 hitting and seven blocks vs. Iowa State on Sept. 24. Against Pepperdine on Sept. 9, Pavan recorded her first career triple-double with 11 kills, 11 blocks and 10 digs, becoming the first Husker outside hitter since Nancy Metcalf in 1999 to accomplish the feat. Pavan, who carries a 4.0 GPA in biochemistry, was a member of the Canadian National Team at age 16.

OH - #3 Christina Houghtelling (HOTEL-ing): 6-2, Jr., Cambridge, Neb. - Houghtelling has emerged as one of the Big 12’s top performers in 2005. She is second on the team with 3.54 kills per game, while ranking eighth in the league with a .342 hitting percentage. She has reached double figures in kills 15 times, including a 14-kill effort while hitting .462 in a sweep of No. 23 Kansas State on Oct. 19. She picked up her third double-double of 2005 at Kansas on Oct. 8 with 14 kills on .454 hitting and 10 digs. She starred in NU’s win at Oklahoma on Sept. 28, delivering a career-high 20 kills and hitting .404 against the Sooners. Houghtelling has earned all-tournament honors two times, including MVP honors of the AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase, where she averaged 4.83 kills on .404 hitting, 2.33 digs and 1.67 blocks per game in wins over No. 4 Hawaii and No. 3 Stanford. Houghtelling spent the summer in the USA Volleyball training program, competing with the A-2 National team in Switzerland.

OH - #26 Jennifer Saleaumua (Sal-ee-ah-MOO-uh): 5-11, Sr., National City, Calif. - A returning AVCA All-American and three-time All-Big 12 performer, Saleaumua’s all-around abilities key the NU attack. She is fourth in the Big 12 with 3.87 digs per game and has recorded double figures in digs 15 times, including a career-high 27 at Minnesota on Sept. 5 and 22 at No. 23 Kansas State on Oct. 19. Saleaumua’s 22 digs against KSU equaled the highest dig total in a three-game match in the Big 12 in 2005. Last week, Saleaumua averaged 2.33 kills, 3.17 digs and 1.67 blocks, while hitting .455 in two matches. At Texas Tech, Saleaumua had seven kills, six blocks and a match-high nine digs. She had seven kills on .375 hitting, 10 digs and four blocks in a sweep of Kansas on Oct. 26. Saleaumua shined against No. 20 Texas A&M on Sept. 21 with 10 kills, 13 digs and seven blocks. At Ohio State on Sept. 2, Saleaumua became the second Husker to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. She totaled 12 kills on 16 swings, while adding 14 digs in the sweep of No. 4 Hawaii on Aug. 26. Saleaumua already holds NU’s record in digs (1,390) and has 36 career double-doubles. The Big 12 co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, she was in the USA Volleyball Training Program over the summer.

OH - #10 Jordan Larson: 6-2, Fr., Hooper, Neb. - One of two newcomers in the Huskers’ starting lineup, Larson is one of the Big 12’s top freshman performers. She averages 3.27 kills on .317 hitting and 2.78 digs per game, topping all Big 12 rookies in kills, digs and hitting percentage. Larson has four double-doubles, including three against top-10 teams. She has led NU in kills a team-best eight times, including a 14-kill effort on .420 hitting against No. 18 Texas on Oct. 15 and a 13-kill, 14-dig, four-ace effort on Oct. 12 against Texas Tech. Larson also had a match-high 14 kills on .480 hitting against No. 4 Penn State on Sept. 11 and 14 kills against No. 20 Texas A&M on Sept. 21. The Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, Larson was a three-time Super-State selection who was rated the No. 2 player in the country by prepvolleyball.com. Larson set a Class C-1 state record with 501 kills on .490 hitting while establishing an all-class record with 179 service aces in 2004. She also spent two years on the U.S. Junior National Team.

S - #18 Dani Busboom: 5-11, Jr., Cortland, Neb. - Busboom is in her third season as Nebraska’s starting setter and splits time with Maggie Griffin in the Huskers’ 6-2 offense. Busboom averages 6.30 assists and 1.97 digs per game, helping the Huskers rank fourth nationally in team hitting and seventh in assists. Busboom became the eighth Husker to reach 2,500 career assists in Wednesday’s win over Kansas. She had her second double-double of the year with 17 assists and 10 digs against No. 18 Texas on Oct. 15. Busboom recorded her first double-double of the year with 31 assists and 11 digs in a five-game win over No. 5 Minnesota and had 26 assists and nine digs at No. 7 Missouri on Oct. 5. She split time with Michelle Lynch in NU’s 6-2 offense in 2003 before taking over the full-time role last season. She averaged 13.10 assists per game in 2004, the highest total by a Husker in seven years, to earn honorable-mention AVCA All-Midwest Region honors.

S - #1 Maggie Griffin: 6-0, So., St. Charles, Ill. - A transfer from Michigan State, Maggie Griffin is in her first season at Nebraska. She splits time with Dani Busboom in running NU’s 6-2 offense, averaging a team-high 7.64 assists and 1.62 digs per game. Griffin, who has helped NU rank fourth nationally in hitting, had 36 assists, three service aces and six digs in a win at No. 5 Minnesota on Sept. 5. Griffin has two double-doubles, setting season bests in assists (37) and digs (15) in a victory at No. 7 Missouri on Oct. 5. Griffin spent her freshman year at MSU, ranking sixth in the Big Ten with 12.98 assists per game to earn All-Freshman honors. She had eight double-doubles and 50 or more assists 12 times. Griffin was a Fab 50 selection at Rosary (Ill.) High School.

Scouting Oklahoma
The Sooners come into Wednesday’s match with a 6-16 record after losing at Texas A&M last Friday. The Sooners broke a 12-match losing streak with a five-game win over Texas Tech on Oct. 26, and have played well at times, losing five-set matches at Kansas and against Colorado.

The Sooners feature one of the league’s top newcomers in junior college transfer Elaine Santos. The 6-2 middle blocker ranks among OU’s leaders in nearly every offensive category, including kills (4.00 per game), blocks (1.42 per game) and hitting percentage (.282). OU also features preseason All-Big 12 outside hitter Joanna Schmitt, who averages 3.00 kills and 2.26 digs per game.

Nebraska has dominated the all-time series, winning 63 of the previous 69 matches, including each of the last 16. In the first matchup, Santos had a match-high 21 kills on .457 hitting, three blocks and three services aces in a losing effort.

Last Time Out: NU 3, Texas Tech 0
Behind a season-high nine blocks from Tracy Stalls, No. 1 Nebraska became the first team to sweep Texas Tech in Lubbock this season, posting a 30-22, 30-11, 30-16 victory on Oct. 29

Stalls, whose previous season high was eight at Oklahoma on Sept. 28, had three in game one and six more in the finale, as Nebraska totaled 14 blocks and held the Red Raiders to -.019 hitting in the match. It marked the second time the Huskers have held an opponent to negative team hitting this season.

In addition to Stalls, outside hitters Christina Houghtelling and Jennifer Saleaumua combined for 12 blocks. Houghtelling also had eight kills on .375 hitting and a match-high nine digs, as the Huskers posted their 35th straight Big 12 win. Saleaumua added seven kills on .538 hitting and nine digs in the win.

Sarah Pavan paced NU’s balanced offensive output with 13 kills on .381 hitting, as the Huskers hit .387 and topped the .400 mark in their final two games. Five Huskers had at least seven kills, despite playing 11 players in their 16th sweep of the season.