Three Huskers Selected for Big 12 10th Anniversary Team

DALLAS -- Three former Nebraska volleyball standouts were among the seven players chosen for the Big 12’s 10th Anniversary Team released Tuesday. The team was chosen by a combined media panel of writers that cover Big 12 volleyball and an on-line fan poll. In order to be eligible for consideration, candidates had to be a first-team All-Big 12 selection during their careers.

All-Americans Greichaly Cepero, Amber Holmquist and Nancy Metcalf highlighted the conference’s anniversary team. With their help, Nebraska has won seven of the nine league titles and has dropped just 12 of 194 matches over the last decade. They were joined by Colorado’s Kelly Campbell, Texas’ Demetria Sance and Mira Topic and Texas A&M’s Stacy Sykora.

Cepero, the only four-time all-conference selection in school history, was a three-time All-American during her Nebraska career from 1999 to 2002.  A three-time AVCA All-American and 2000 Honda Award winner, she the Big 12 Player of the Year twice, winning the honor outright in 2000 and sharing the award with Holmquist and Laura Pilakowski in 2002. The best blocking setter in NU history, Cepero ended her career tied for fourth on the all-time charts with 84 career solo blocks, and ranks seventh all-time in total blocks (507) and third in set assists (3,987). In her three seasons as the starting setter, NU never hit less than .304 as a team in a season and ranked among the top 10 nationally in that category each of her three seasons.

Holmquist was a three-time All-Big 12 selection and was one of the best middle blockers in school history during her career, which also ran from 1999 to 2002. The Houston, Texas, native was a three-time All-American, earning first-team honors in 2001 and 2002. She finished her career owning or sharing 17 school records and eight Big 12 marks, and shared Big 12 Player-of-the Year honors in 2002. Holmquist finished her career as the only player in school history to lead NU in hitting percentage and blocks per game in four consecutive seasons. Holmquist concluded her career ranked first in career blocks with 728, second on the all-time charts with a .396 hitting percentage and 11th on the all-time kills chart with 1,122.

Nancy Metcalf (Meendering) was one of the best outside hitters to ever come through the Husker program. She was just the second three-time AVCA First-Team All-American at Nebraska and played for the United States in the 2004 Olympics. A two-time Big 12 Player of the Year (1999 and 2001), Metcalf finished her career with 1,603 kills and 412 blocks, joining U.S. National Team captain Allison Weston as the only players in program history to rank among the NU top 11 in career kills and career blocks. Metcalf was the only Husker to record six 30-kill matches in a career, and owned or shared 13 school records, including kills in a single match with 39 against Kansas State in 1999.

Anniversary teams will be chosen for each conference sport during the 2005-06 season in celebration of the Big 12's 10th anniversary. Nearly 1,000 fans took part in the fan voting on the league web site at www.big12sports.com.  Fan polls will also be conducted for the men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball and softball anniversary teams.

BIG 12 VOLLEYBALL 10TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM

Player School Pos. Years of All-Big 12 First Team SelectionKelly Campbell Colorado S 1996, `97, `98, `99Greichaly Cepero Nebraska S 1999, 2000, `01, `02Amber Holmquist Nebraska MB 2000, `01, `02Nancy Metcalf Nebraska RS 1998, `99, `01Demetria Sance Texas OH 1996, `97, `98Mira Topic Texas OH 2001, `02, `03, `04Stacy Sykora Texas A&M OH 1997, `98