No. 1 Huskers Look to Avoid Bear Trap at Baylor

Match: #26:   NU (25-0, 16-0 Big 12) at Baylor (14-14, 5-11)
 Wednesday, Nov. 16 ? 7 p.m. ? Ferrell Center
Radio:  Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Live Stats/Audio:  Huskers.com  
Live Internet Video:  HuskersNside (subscription required)
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 20-0
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-0 (30-21, 30-17, 30-18 in Lincoln on Oct. 1)

Match: #27:   NU vs. Kansas State (17-9, 8-8 Big 12)
 Saturday, Nov. 19 ? 7 p.m. ? NU Coliseum

“Toys for Tots Night”
Fans are encouraged to bring new unwrapped toys or a cash dontation for kids in the Lincoln community

Radio:  Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Live Stats/Audio:  Huskers.com  
Live Internet Video:  HuskersNside (subscription required)
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 69-3
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-0 (30-20, 30-17, 30-18 in Manhattan on Oct. 19)

No. 1 Huskers Look to Avoid Bear Trap at Baylor
For the third time in 19 days, the Nebraska volleyball team travels to Texas for a Big 12 match, as the No. 1 Huskers head to Baylor for a matchup with the Bears this Wednesday, Nov. 16. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried on selected Pinnacle Sports Network stations, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, and on Huskers.com. HuskersNside subscribers can also watch Wednesday’s match live, as nearly every regular-season match will be available on the site.

In a week where 13 ranked teams suffered at least one loss, the Huskers (25-0, 16-0 Big 12) kept their dreams for a perfect season alive on Sunday, climbing out of an 0-2 hole to defeat No. 12 Missouri in five games in front of a national television audience. Nebraska had three players earn double-doubles, including All-American Melissa Elmer, who had 12 kills and 11 blocks.

Baylor (14-14, 5-11 Big 12) has been a streaky squad of late, winning four straight matches before dropping its last four contests. BU is in the midst of completing a stretch of three straight matches against ranked foes. The Huskers will be tested by a Baylor block that is second in the Big 12 with 3.09 blocks per game. In the first matchup in Lincoln, freshman Jordan Larson had 14 kills and four service aces in a three-game sweep of the Bears.

Worth Noting
? Christina Houghtelling is hitting .421 over NU’s last four matches, averaging 3.93 kills, 1.86 digs and 1.00 blocks per game.
? After averaging 1.13 aces through the first 19 matches, the Huskers have averaged 1.55 per game over the last six contests. NU also matched its season low with four errors in Sunday’s five-game win,
?-Nebraska has won all 20 matches against BU, including 18 sweeps. The teams met only once prior to the start of the Big 12.
? Nebraska has won its last 50 matches against the four Big 12 schools from Texas (Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech) dating back to 1999.
? Nebraska is 57-1 in Big 12 road matches under Head Coach John Cook with the only loss coming at Kansas State in 2003.
? Nebraska has won its last 26 road matches. In fact, NU has won 30 of its last 31 matches outside of Lincoln in that span with the only loss coming to USC in the 2004 NCAA Regional Final.
? The Huskers have won their last 39 matches in Big 12 play, dating back to Nov. 19, 2003.
? Nebraska has won its last 49 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 All-American and arguably the country’s top middle blocker. She leads the nation in blocking (2.27/gm) and is fifth nationally in hitting percentage (.416, 2nd in Big 12), as she averaged 2.73 kills per game. She has totaled 10 or more blcoks seven times, including an 11-block effort against No. 12 Missouri on Sunday. In Big 12 matches, she is first in both blocks (2.17) and hitting percentage (.420). Elmer has 705 career blocks and is 23 away from tying Amber Holmquist’s school mark of 728 (1999-02). She has three double-doubles on the year (vs. Pepperdine; at Kansas; vs. Missouri) and recorded a season-best 17 kills on .546 hitting at No. 7 Missouri on Oct. 5. Elmer tied a Big 12 record with 16 blocks at Kansas on Oct. 8. She has been named MVP of the (Sports Imports Classic and InfoUSA/Arby’s Players Challenge.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-3, So., Arvada, Colo. - Stalls has played in 18 matches, averaging 1.57 blocks and 1.39 kills per game, ranking third in the league in blocks. Stalls has been playing her best volleyball in recent weeks, averaging 1.70 kills on .325 hitting and 1.74 blocks per game over NU’s last seven contests. She had at least seven kills in each of the last three matches, including a season-high nine kills on .500 hitting at Iowa State on Nov. 5 and eight kills vs. No. 12 Missouri on Nov. 13. Stalls matched her career high with nine blocks at Texas Tech on Oct. 29, one of three straight matches with at least seven blocks. Stalls also had eight kills and eight blocks at Oklahoma on Sept. 28. 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: 6-5, So., Kitchener, Ontario - The 2004 AVCA National Freshman of the Year and first-team All-American, Pavan averages 3.80 kills, 1.67 digs, 1.29 blocks and 0.30 service aces per game, ranking among the league leaders in hitting percentage (.363, seventh), kills (seventh), blocks (eighth), aces (13th) and points per game (4.78, fifth). Over NU’s last 10 matches, Pavan, who was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, is hitting .415 and averaging 4.12 kills per game. She had a season-high 22 kills, six blocks and two aces against No. 12 Missouri on Nov. 13 and had 12 kills on .571 hitting at Texas A&M on Wednesday, marking the eighth time she has hit over .450 this season.  Pavan, who earned first-team academic all-district honors on Thursday, 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. 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: 6-2, Jr., Cambridge, Neb. - Houghtelling has emerged as an All-American and academic All-American candidate in 2005, ranking among the Big 12 leaders in kills (3.60, 10th) and hitting percentage (.356, eighth). She has reached double figures in kills 19 times, including 19 kills on .405 hitting against No. 12 Missouri on Nov. 13. She has hit .421 over NU’s last four matches, averaging 3.93 kills per game, and has hit over .400 in 13 of NU’s 25 matches. She had 14 kills on .462 hitting at No. 23 Kansas State on Oct. 19. Houghtelling picked up her third double-double of 2005 at Kansas on Oct. 8 with 14 kills on .454 hitting and 10 digs. Houghtelling starred in NU’s win at OU on Sept. 28, delivering a career-high 20 kills and hitting .404. 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 fifth in the Big 12 with 3.87 digs per game and has recorded double figures in digs 12 times, including three matches of at least 20 digs. She had a career-high 27 at Minnesota on Sept. 5 and also topped 20 against MU (23) and Kansas State (22). She ranks 10th in school history in kills (1,162), moving into NU’s top-10 list on Sunday against Missouri when she had nine kills and 22 digs. At Texas Tech on Oct. 29, 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. She totaled 12 kills on 16 swings, while adding 14 digs vs. No. 4 Hawaii on Aug. 26. She holds NU’s record in digs (1,453) and has 36 career double-doubles. The Big 12 co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, she was in the USA Volleyball Program last 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 3.05 kills on .295 hitting and 2.83 digs per game, topping all Big 12 rookies in kills, digs and hitting percentage and ranking second in service aces (0.38). Larson has four double-doubles, including three against top-10 teams. She has led NU in kills a 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 in 2004 while establishing an all-class record with 179 service aces. 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 6.42 assists and 1.98 digs per game, helping the Huskers rank fourth nationally in team hitting and seventh in assists. Busboom is seventh on NU’s career assist list with 2,622, passing Tisha Delaney, who had 2,605 assists from 1985 to 1986. She has three double-doubles, including a 30 assist, 13-dig effort against No. 10 Missouri on Nov. 10. She also has double-doubles against No. 15 Texas (31 asst./11 digs) and at No. 5 Minnesota (31 asst./11 digs). 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 7.46 assists and 1.51 digs per game. Griffin, who has helped NU rank fourth nationally in hitting, has three double-doubles, including a 33-assist, 11-dig performance against No. 11 Missouri. She also had double-doubles in wins over Kansas and No. 7 Missouri, when she established season highs in assists (37) and digs (15). 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 Baylor
Baylor looks to snap a four-match losing streak, as the Bears are 14-14 overall. The Bears, who have been beset by injuries throughout the 2005 season, were  5-7 in the league before dropping their last four matches, including losses to No. 14 Texas, No. 12 Missouri and No. 25 Colorado.

Baylor, which was picked seventh in the league’s preseason poll, returned all seven starters from a year ago, but have been hit by the injury bug, as middle blockers Desiree Guilliard-Young and Adeline Meira were sidelined by knee injuries. Meira, who had 11 blocks against NU in Waco, will miss the entire season, while Guilliard-Young missed most of the first half of the season.
Baylor has four players who total at least 2.50 kills per game, including Nicole LeBlanc, who averages a team-high 3.57 kills and 2.86 digs per game, and Stella Odion, who averages 3.12 kills and 1.17 blocks per game. Guilliard-Young, a preseason All-Big 12 pick, averages 1.77 blocks per game and is one of three Bears who averages better than one block per game.
Wednesday’s contest will mark the 21st meeting in the all-time series, as NU has won all 20 previous meetings, including 18 by sweep.

Last Time Out: NU 3, Missouri 2
Sarah Pavan’s 22 kills led three Huskers in double figures, as No. 1 Nebraska rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat No. 12 Missouri, 28-30, 27-30, 30-21, 30-24, 15-3, in front of a sold out NU Coliseum and a national television audience.

Sunday’s comeback marked just the second time in school history that NU rallied from an 0-2 deficit at home and the first since a five-game win over Texas on Nov. 5, 1998. It was just the ninth time ever that NU had dug itself a 0-2 hole and came back to win.
Pavan’s 22 kills, six blocks and six digs led the Huskers, as she recorded her eighth 20-kill effort of her career and first of the season. Christina Houghtelling had 19 kills, one off her career high, on .405 hitting and nine digs, while All-American Melissa
Elmer had 12 kills and 11 blocks for her third double-double of the year. It also marked the seventh time this year that Elmer has had at least 10 blocks in a match.

Elmer was one of three Huskers to record double-doubles in the victory, as setters Maggie Griffin (33 assists, 11 digs) and Dani Busboom (30 assists, 13 digs) helped NU to its 39th straight conference win.