No. 1 Huskers Take on No. 15 MU

No. 1 Huskers Take on No. 15 MU
The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team faces one of its sternest tests of the season, as the Huskers travel to Columbia, Mo., for a key Big 12 matchup with No. 15 Missouri Wednesday night. First serve at the Hearnes Center is set for 6:30 p.m., and fans can listen to the match on selected Husker Sports Network Stations, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha, and on Huskers.com.

Fans throughout the Midwest can also watch Wednesday’s match on FSN Midwest including: Ch. 37 in Lincoln on Time Warner Cable; Ch. 47 in Omaha on Cox Cable; Ch. 647 (DirecTV) and Ch. 418 (Dish Network). For a list of cable stations in your area carrying Wednesday’s match, check with your local cable or satellite operator.

No. 1 Nebraska (15-0, 7-0) at
No. 15 Missouri (13-4, 7-1 Big 12) Wednesday, Oct. 11
Hearnes Center ? 6:30 p.m.

Radio:  Husker Sports Network
(B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Live Stats:
Huskers.com
Free Audio:
Huskers.com  
Live Video Feed:
HuskersNside
Television:
Fox Sports Midwest - (Ch. 37 on Time Warner Cable in Lincoln; Ch. 47 on Cox Cable in Omaha; Ch. 647 on DirecTV; Ch. 418 on DISH Network)

No. 1 Nebraska vs.
Colorado (9-5, 5-2 Big 12)

 Saturday, Oct. 14
NU Coliseum ?  3 p.m. (time change)

Radio:  Husker Sports Network
(B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Live Stats:
Huskers.com
Free Audio:
Huskers.com  
Live Video Feed:  
HuskersNside (subscription required)

The Huskers bring a perfect 15-0 record into Wednesday’s match following a 3-0 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday. NU hit .342 against the Aggies - its best offensive hitting performance in a month - as Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson combined for 28 kills on 61 swings. In addition, the Huskers received strong performances from middle blockers Kori Cooper and Tracy Stalls, who totaled eight and seven kills, respectively, while both hitting over .580.

Missouri, which enters Wednesday’s match in sole possession of second place in the Big 12, has a six-match winning streak, including sweeps in its last three contests. The Tigers have already knocked off one top-five team this season, sweeping fifth-ranked Texas on Sept. 23. MU tuned up for Wednesday’s match with a sweep at Iowa State on Saturday evening. In that match, Julianna Klein totaled a match-high 15 kills, while Nicole Wilson chipped in 14 kills on .406 hitting and seven blocks against the Cyclones.

Did You Know?
?-Nebraska is one of four remaining unbeaten teams in the country, joining Penn State (No. 2), UCLA (No. 3) and USC (No. 4).

?-Freshman Kori Cooper averaged 2.67 kills on .394 hitting and 1.33 blocks in NU’s two matches last week. Cooper tied her career high with eight kills in both matches.

?-Jordan Larson has posted double- doubles in each of NU’s last seven matches. It is the longest streak since Jennifer Saleaumua had seven straight double-doubles in 2003. With a double-double on Wednesday, Larson will be the first Husker under John Cook to record eight straight double-doubles. Larson was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, averaging 5.17 kills and 4.17 digs per game.

?-With 5.29 kills per game, Sarah Pavan is on pace to break the school record for most kills per game, currently held by U.S. Olympian Nancy Metcalf (Meendering) in 1999.

Worth Noting
?-Nebraska has won 50 of its last 51 matches against Big 12 teams dating back to the 2003 season. The Huskers had won 43 straight conference matches before Texas ended that streak in the 2005 regular-season finale.

?-Nebraska is 29-3 (.906) against ranked opponents since the start of the 2004 season and 66-11 (.857) since John Cook took over the Husker program in 2000.

?-Nebraska is 23-1 all-time in Columbia and has not lost at Missouri since a five-game setback on Sept. 30, 1982.

?-Nebraska is 61-2 (.968) on the road in conference play since the start of 2000.

?-NU has opened the season with at least 15 straight wins for the sixth time in school history. The following chart lists the other quick starts in school annals.

?-The 2006 season has seen a changing of the guard at the setter position. In fact, six of the league’s 11 schools now start rookies at the position, including NU’s Rachel Holloway and Missouri’s Lei Wang. Holloway leads all conference freshmen and ranks third in the Big 12 with 13.16 assists per game. Her assist per game total also leads all freshmen nationally.  The trend also continues nationally where three of the top five teams in this week’s AVCA poll are led by freshmen setters: No. 1 Nebraska; No. 2 Penn State (Alisha Glass) and No. 4 USC (Taylor Carico).

?-The Big 12 conference features four teams in the top-25 this week: No. 1 Nebraska, No. 10 Texas, No. 15 Missouri and No. 24 Oklahoma. In addition, Colorado and Baylor are also receiving votes in this week’s poll.

?-Nebraska has been stout on the defensive end, holding eight of its last nine opponents to under .200 hitting. NU leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth among this week’s AVCA Top-25 teams, holding opponents to .126 hitting.

?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s AVCA poll, the Huskers have spent 62 weeks all-time at No. 1, the most of any Division I program. UCLA is second with 51 weeks. NU has been ranked No. 1 in 22 of the last 23 polls dating back to the start of 2005.

Scouting Missouri
Under second-year Coach Wayne Kreklow, the Tigers are 13-4 on the season and 7-1 in the Big 12 heading into Wednesday’s match with the Huskers. MU, which advanced to the regional final before losing to Tennessee a year ago, went just 6-4 in its first 10 matches, including losses to Long Beach State, No. 2 Penn State and then-No. 4 Santa Clara before rattling off seven straight wins, including a sweep of then fifth-ranked Texas.

The Tigers feature one of the Big 12’s top outside hitters in senior Jessica Vander Kooi. She averages a team-best 4.30 kills per game to rank sixth in the Big 12 in that category and is second on the squad in both digs (3.33) and blocks (1.18). She is one of three returning All-Big 12 performers, joining libero Tatum Ailes (4.79 digs per game) and middle blocker Nicole Wilson (3.15 k/gm and 1.32 b/gm).

The Tigers have a distinctive Husker look, as four players, Ailes, Nicole Wilson, Megan Wilson and Amanda Hnatouli all hail from Nebraska. In fact, the 10-player roster features as many players from China  as from Missouri.

The Huskers lead the all-time series, 61-3-1, in a series that dates back to Oct. 31, 1975. The Huskers have won the last five matches in the series, including both contests last season. In the first matchup, four Huskers totaled double figures in kills, as the Huskers won in four games at Missouri in front of the Tigers’ largest home crowd in school history. In the rematch, NU fell behind 2-0 at home, only to win the last three games. Sarah Pavan had a season-high 22 kills that match, just the second time NU had rallied from a 2-0 deficit at home.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #15 Kori Cooper, 6-2, Fr., Amarillo, Texas - Cooper splits time with Amanda Gates at middle blcoker, averaging 1.73 kills and 0.68 blocks per game, while hitting .434. Cooper made consecutive starts last week against Kansas State and Texas A&M, averaging 2.67 kills and 1.33 blocks per game in two matches. Against KSU, she set career bests in both kills (eight) and blocks (five). At Texas A&M, she also totaled eight kills and three blocks while hitting .615. A Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 pick, Cooper enrolled at NU in January after graduating from Amarillo High School a semester early. Cooper was a co-captain of the 2005 U.S. Youth National Team, helping Team USA to a fourth-place finish.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-3, Jr., Denver, Colo. - Stalls has been one of the Big 12’s top middle blockers, averaging 2.60 kills and 1.38 blocks per game. She leads the Big 12 and ranks seventh nationally in hitting percentage (.445) and is eighth in the league in blocks. Stalls has had six matches where she has hit at least .500, including a season-best of .727 (9-1-11) with six blocks against Texas Tech on Sept. 24. Stalls had seven kills on just 12 swings and three blocks in a sweep of Texas A&M on Oct. 7. Stalls turned in a dominant match at Creighton on Sept. 24 with 11 kills and a season-high eight stuffs. She had one of her best matches of the year against Iowa State on Sept. 20, totaling eight kills and season highs in both blocks (eight) and digs (seven). Stalls has matched her career high in kills twice, including a 14-kill effort at Minnesota on Sept. 10 and 14 kills on .600 hitting aganinst Long Beach State on Sept. 3. Last season, Stalls ranked third in the Big 12 with 1.59 blocks per game and led NU in blocks nine times, including a career-high 12 blocks vs. Kansas State. Stalls ranked 11th nationally in blocking as a freshman at 1.65 blocks per game. Before enrolling at NU, Stalls was a two-year member of the U.S. National Developmental Program and a member of Team USA.

OPP - #9 Sarah Pavan: 6-5, Jr., Kitchener, Ontario - A two-time first-team AVCA All-American, Pavan leads the Big 12 in both kills (5.29) and points per game (6.29) while hitting .318 on the year. Pavan, who ranks seventh nationally in kills per game, totaled a match-high 17 kills on .394 hitting at Texas A&M on Oct. 5 and picked up her second double-double of the year with 13 kills and 10 digs against Kansas State on Oct. 4. She has had a trio of 20-kill matches this season, including a 24-kill effort at Baylor on Sept. 30.  She earned tournament MVP honors in both of NU’s early-season tournaments and was the Big 12 Player of the Week on Sept. 11, averaging 6.70 points and 5.90 kills (.409 hitting percentage) in three matches. She had one of the best matches of her career against Long Beach State on Sept. 9, totaling 24 kills on .400 hitting against the 49ers, including eight kills on eight swings in the opener.  Pavan was the 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year, averaging 3.82 kills, 1.66 digs and 1.25 blocks per game. She established her career high in kills as a freshman with 35 in the NCAA Regional against USC. Pavan, who carries a 4.0 GPA in biochemistry, was a member of the Canadian National Team at age 16.

OH - #10 Jordan Larson: 6-2, So., Hooper, Neb. - Larson is a returning starter at outside hitter who was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2005. She averages 4.31 kills and 3.77 digs per game, ranking in the top 10 in aces (0.62/gm, first), points (5.41, second), kills (fifth) and digs (ninth). Named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, Larson has a team-best 11 double-doubles, including nine in NU’s last 10 contests. She earned the Big 12 honor after averaging 5.17 kills and 4.17 digs in two matches last week. She had her best performance of the year against Kansas State on Oct. 4, posting a career-high 20 kills on .400 hitting and 10 digs. Larson had 18 kills and 13 digs in a win over Creighton on Sept. 24 and totaled identical 17-kill, 11-dig efforts at Oklahoma on Sept. 16 and against Minnesota on Sept. 10. Against No. 20 Louisville, she set a career high with five aces while adding 14 kills on .440 hitting. As a freshman, Larson averaged 2.82 kills, 2.79 digs and 0.38 service aces per game, topping all conference freshmen in kills, digs, hitting percentage and service aces. She was rated the No. 2 player in the country by Prepvolleyball.com and spent two years on the U.S. Junior National Team.

DS - #5 Rachel Schwartz: 5-9, So., Lincoln, Neb. - Schwartz is a former walk-on who is used as a defensive specialist and averages 2.23 digs per game. She has tied or set career highs in digs seven times this season, including in four of NU’s last five matches. Schwartz keyed NU’s strong defensive effort against Kansas State on Oct. 4, matching her career best with 14 digs.  Schwartz had her best match of the year at Baylor on Sept. 30, totaling 14 digs and a career-high three aces at Baylor. She also had 14 digs in a win over Creighton on Sept. 24 and 12 digs against Texas Tech on Sept. 23.  Schwartz appeared in 30 matches as a freshman as NU’s defensive specialist, finishing with 18 digs and five aces. She was a first-team all-state selection at outside hitter at Lincoln East High School in 2004.

-or- OH - #7 Dani Mancuso: 6-2, Sr., Omaha, Neb. - Mancuso moved into the outside hitter position vacated after Christina Houghtelling’s season-ending injury. Mancuso averages 2.52 kills, 0.67 blocks and 0.65 digs per game, primarily playing the front row. She has notched at least eight kills in six of NU’s last seven matches, tying her season high with 11 kills against Creighton on Sept. 24. In 2005, Mancuso was NU’s backup at all three outside hitter spots, averaging 1.38 kills, 1.15 digs and 0.68 blocks per game. She shared the outside hitter spot with Houghtelling in 2004, averaging 2.77 kills and 0.29 service aces per game, including a career-high 22 kills in a win at Kansas State.

S - #12 Rachel Holloway: 5-10, R-Fr., Franklin, Tenn. - Holloway is the first Husker freshman to start in a 5-1 system in the NCAA era (1981-present) after earning the starting nod in fall camp. She averages 13.16 assists, 2.91 digs and 1.20 kills per game, ranking third in the Big 12 and 19th nationally in assists. She has six double-doubles, including a 54-assist, 15-dig, seven-kill effort at Baylor on Sept. 30, matching career highs in both digs and kills. Holloway, who leads all freshmen nationally in assists, played one of her best matches of the year against Minnesota on Sept. 10, with a career-high 57 assists, eight digs and seven kills, while helping NU hit .337 against the Golden Gophers. Over the summer, Holloway captained the U.S. Youth National Team to a gold medal at the NORCECA Junior Championships in Mexico. Holloway, who graduated high school a year early, was the Colorado Gatorade High School Player of the Year in 2004.

L -  #18 Dani Busboom: 5-11, Sr., Cortland, Neb.  - Busboom makes the shift to libero after sharing time at setter in her first three years at NU. She leads the Big 12 with 5.23 digs per game and has reached double figures in digs 14 times in 15 matches. With her 13 digs at Texas A&M on Oct. 7, Busboom moved into sole possession of 10th place on NU’s career digs list. She has totaled 20-or-more digs in four matches, including a career-high 23 against Creighton on Sept. 24. She also turned in 20+ dig effforts against No. 25 Cal Poly on Sept. 3, No. 20 San Diego on Aug. 29 and at Oklahoma on Sept. 15.  Against No. 20 Louisville on Sept. 8, Busboom had 14 digs and three aces while helping to hold Louisville to .044 hitting. Last season, she averaged 6.45 assists and 1.82 digs in NU’s 6-2 offense, helping NU hit .322 as a team. She is seventh on NU’s career assists list with 2,868 and is the second player in school history on top-10 lists in both assists and digs, joining former NU All-American Val Novak.

Last Time Out: No. 1 Nebraska 3, Texas A&M 0
Sarah Pavan pounded a match-high 17 kills, while Jordan Larson recorded her seventh straight double-double, powering No. 1 Nebraska to a 30-25, 30-24, 30-20 sweep of Texas A&M at G. Rollie White Coliseum on Oct. 7

Pavan, who has averaged nearly six kills per game in her career against Texas A&M, totaled 17 kills on .394 hitting and four blocks to pace the Huskers to a .342 hitting performance, their best offensive total in nearly a month.

Larson joined Pavan in double figures in kills with 11 and added a match-high 15 digs, as she became the first Husker to record seven straight double-doubles since Jennifer Saleaumua in 2003. It was her team-best 11th double-double of the year.

The Huskers (15-0, 7-0 Big 12) also received strong performances from both middle blockers, as Tracy Stalls and Kori Cooper combined for 15 kills on just 25 swings. Cooper, returning to her home state, matched her career high with eight kills on .615 hitting and three blocks, while Stalls added seven kills on .583 hitting.

The CliffNotes Season in Review
 Nebraska takes a 15-0 record and a No. 1 ranking into Saturday’s match at Missouri. In honor of CliffsNotes (which was founded in Lincoln in 1958), here is quick refresher of the season to date.

? The Huskers graduated two AVCA All-Americans in middle blocker Melissa Elmer and outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua from last year’s NCAA runner-up squad, while reigning AVCA National Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in July.

? The Huskers opened No. 1 in the AVCA preseason poll for the third time in school history (2001 and 2005) and have remained No. 1 for the first seven polls of the season.

? NU sold out its entire season ticket package prior to the season for the second straight year, needing less than two weeks to sell out all 18 matches.

? The Huskers are 3-0 against ranked opponents, sweeping No. 20 San Diego (Aug. 29); No. 20 Louisville (Sept. 8) and No. 25 Cal Poly (Sept. 29). NU is also 4-0 against teams ranked in this week’s top 25.

? NU held Middle Tennessee to -.088 hitting, the third-lowest percentage by a Husker opponent since the 2000 campaign.

? Nebraska’s victory over Long Beach State on Sept. 3 snapped a three-match losing streak to the 49ers dating back to 1985.

? Nebraska held No. 20 Louisville to 13 points in two of the three games - the Cardinals’ lowest-ever total in rally scoring. In addition, it was the eighth and ninth times that NU held a ranked opponent to 15 points or less (not counting game five).

? The Huskers opened the season with six straight sweeps for the first time since 1976.

? Sarah Pavan earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors for her performance at the Ameritas Players Challenge. In three matches, she averaged 6.70 points, 5.90 kills on .409 hitting and 2.30 digs per game.

? Nebraska dropped only one game in its first 11 matches, the first time that has happened at NU since  1988 and only the fourth time in school history.

? Nebraska wrapped up an unbeaten non-conference slate with its win over Creighton on Sept. 24. It marked the third time under John Cook (also 2000 and 2005) that NU completed the non-conference schedule unblemished.

? Nebraska totaled 72 digs against Kansas State on Oct. 4, its highest three-game total in the rally-scoring era. Five Huskers had at least 10 digs, including 19 by Dani Busboom.

? On Oct. 9, Jordan Larson was named Big 12 Player of the Week, as she averaged 5.17 kills and 4.17 digs per game in sweeps of Kansas State and Texas A&M.

Husker Attack on Record-Breaking Pace
Despite losing three All-Americans and breaking in several first-year starters, Nebraska’s offensive output is on track for a record-breaking year. The Huskers rank in the top two nationally in both kills and assists per game, numbers that would easily top the school records in both categories.

Pavan & Larson Cause Double Trouble for Foes
 Nebraska’s Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson are in rare company among Husker outside hitting duos at this point in the season.  The pair will look to join the 1995 duo of Allison Weston and Lisa Reitsma as the only group to both average more than 4.00 kills per game. In fact, two Huskers have totaled 3.80 kills in the same season only four other times.

Pavan Produces Points at Prolific Pace
 Junior All-American Sarah Pavan is producing kills at a record-breaking pace in 2006. The 6-foot-5 right side hitter from Kitchener, Ontario, leads the Big 12 by nearly a half kill per game (Texas Tech’s Philister Sang is second with 4.61 kills per game) with 5.29 kills per game. She also leads the conference in points per game (6.29) and is hitting .319. At this pace, Pavan is on track to re-write the Husker record books this season.

 ? She will look to become the first Husker to lead the Big 12 in kills since Lisa Reitsma in 1996 - the only time a Husker led the Big 12 in that category.

 ? She would easily top NU’s single-season record for kills per game, a mark that was set in 1999 by U.S. Olympian Nancy Metcalf. In fact, Pavan would become the third Husker to average more than 5.00 kills per game.  ? Pavan’s 5.29 kills per game would rank seventh on the Big 12’s single-season list.

 Pavan already set one milestone on Sept. 8 against No. 20 Louisville, when she reached 1,000 career kills quicker than any other Husker in school history. Pavan needed 236 games to reach 1,000 kills, eclipsing Metcalf’s mark of 238 games set in 1999. A two-time AVCA All-American, Pavan already ranks 12th on NU’s all-time kills list, and is within six kills of passing former NU All-American Laura Pilakowski for sole possesion of 11th place.

Larson’s All-Around Game Shines
One of the reasons for Nebraska’s continued success is the improved all-around play of outside hitter Jordan Larson. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2005, Larson is off to an All-America-caliber start this season.

She ranks in the top 10 in the Big 12 in kills (4.31, fifth), services aces (0.62, first), digs (3.77, ninth) and points per game (5.41, second) and is the only player in the Big 12 on the top-10 list for both kills and digs.

The Hooper, Neb., native has 11 double-doubles in NU’s 15 contests, more than doubling her total of five double-doubles as a freshman. She has notched double-doubles in each of her last seven matches, including 20 kills and 10 digs against Kansas State on Oct. 4. Nebraska is 16-0 in Larson’s career when she totals a double-double, while her seven straight double-doubles is the most by a Husker since Jennifer Saleaumua totaled seven straight in 2003 - the longest consecutive streak by a Husker in the Big 12 era.

Busboom Digs in at Libero
After not playing with a libero during the 2005 season, Nebraska can still claim a returning starter at the position, as Dani Busboom has made the shift from setter to libero. The senior shared setting duties last year in NU’s 6-2 offense and was a three-year performer at setter, guiding NU to a 63-4 mark the last two seasons.

Busboom has adapted quickly, ranking second in the Big 12 with  5.23 digs per game, a fact that is more impressive when you consider the league also returns its libero of the year in both 2004 (KSU’s Angie Lastra) and 2005 (MU’s Tatum Ailes). NU Head Coach John Cook credits Busboom’s play in putting the Huskers on record-setting pace for most digs per game.

Busboom has reached double figures in digs 14 times in 15 matches, including four matches with at least 20 digs. She totaled a career-high 23 digs in a four-game win against Creighton on Sept. 20, while all three of her other 20-dig matches came in Husker sweeps. The only match Busboom didn’t reach double figures came against a Middle Tennessee team that hit -.088 against NU.

Busboom, who ranks seventh on NU’s all-time assist chart with 2,868 assists, will finish her career as one of only two players ranked in the top 10 in both assists and digs (also Val Novak), as Busboom moved into 10th place on NU’s career digs list against Texas A&M.

No Stalling Stalls
Traditionally, Nebraska’s strength has been the play of its middle blockers, and junior Tracy Stalls has continued the excellence at the position in 2006. The Denver, Colo., native is enjoying the best offensive stretch of her career this season, averaging 2.60 kills per game and 1.35 blocks while hitting .445. She leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage and ranks seventh nationally in the latest NCAA rankings.

Stalls’ .443 hitting percentage is not only on pace to break NU’s single-season record (Virginia Starh, .400, 1989) but would top the Big 12 single-season record of .415 set by Missouri’s Nicole Wilson in 2005.

Stalls, who missed part of last season after knee surgery, has reached double figures in kills three times after accomplishing the feat once in 2005. She totaled a season-best 14 kills against Long Beach State on Sept. 3 and against Minnesota on Sept. 10.

Three weeks ago, Stalls powered the Huskers to three wins, totaling 2.80 kills on .451 hitting, 2.20 blocks and 1.50 digs per game. She established a season best in blocks with eight in two matches and delivered nine kills on 11 swings in a sweep of Texas Tech on Sept. 23.

The Set-Up on Holloway
Rachel Holloway made Husker history in the season opener against San Diego on Aug. 29, becoming the first NU freshman in the NCAA era (1981-present) to start a match under the 5-1 system. NU had two other freshmen split time in the 6-2 offense (Lindsay Wischmeier-1999; Dani Busboom-2003), but neither started their first match as a Husker.

The Franklin, Tenn., native has been impressive during her first season, averaging 13.16 assists per game to rank third in the Big 12 and 19th nationally, while helping the Huskers lead the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.299). Holloway’s total not only ranks among the Big 12 leaders, but tops all freshmen nationally.

After a debut that saw NU hit just .191 in a sweep of No. 20 San Diego, Holloway helped the Huskers hit .356 over a six-match stretch, including a string of four straight contests where they hit .350 or better - the first time that has happened at NU since 2002.

Holloway has been named to a pair of all-tournament teams and is second on the squad with six double-doubles. Against Minnesota on Sept. 10, Holloway totaled career highs in assists (57), kills (seven) and blocks (two). Against Saint Mary’s on Sept. 1, Holloway guided the Huskers to a .487 hitting percentage - NU’s highest single-match performance since 2002.  Holloway, who also averages 2.91 digs and 1.21 kills per game, nearly recorded a triple-double at Baylor on Sept. 30 with seven kills, 54 assists and 15 digs, setting season bests in both kills and digs. Holloway spent part of the summer leading the U.S. Junior National Team to a gold medal at the NORCECA Junior Championships.

Huskers No Strangers to Big Crowds
Nebraska is used to playing in front of the biggest crowds in college volleyball. Not only have the Huskers sold out their last 82 home matches, but they also have their fingerprints on the NCAA attendance marks.

Over the last two seasons, there have been five matches that have had crowds of at least 10,000 fans - and Nebraska has been a part of all of them.

Cook’s Winning Ways
Nebraska Coach John Cook has been amazingly successful during his seven seasons at the helm, posting a 202-13 record (.939 winning percentage). All 13 losses have come against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including the eventual NCAA champion in 2001 (Stanford), 2002 (USC) and 2005 (Washington). Cook picked up his 200th career win at Nebraska on Sept. 30, against Baylor.

A two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Cook has enjoyed greater success in the Big 12, going 123-4 in conference play. The Huskers have won five Big 12 titles over the last six seasons (2000-02, 2004-05) and have dropped just 43 of the 422 conference games they have played over the past seven years.

Rank and File
Nebraska is one of two teams to be ranked in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches poll for all 342 weeks of its existence.  The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 for 308 of the 342 weeks, which ranks second behind Stanford’s 313.

Additional Television Time for the Huskers
A pair of Husker road matches have been added to the 2006 NU volleyball television schedule. Nebraska’s road match against No. 15 Missouri on Wednesday will be carried by FSN Midwest, while the Oct. 18 contest at No. 10 Texas will be carried nationally on ESPNU.  The two addtions will give the Huskers a total of nine nationally or regionally televised matches this fall. NU is currently 4-0 on TV in 2006.

Huskers in the NCAA Rankings
Nebraska is well represented in the NCAA rankings released last Wednesday. The Huskers rank in the top 10 nationally in three categories, while four Huskers are also in the individual rankings lists.

Huskers Strong on the Block
Nebraska volleyball has been traditionally known for its blocking attack, and the 2006 squad is looking to continue NU’s blocking reputation. The Huskers, who have led the nation in blocks in five of the last six seasons, are among the national blocking leaders again with 3.06 per game. 

Last season, Nebraska averaged a nation-leading 4.12 blocks per game, topping the 4.00 blocks per game mark for the sixth time in school history (also 1986, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2004) and fourth time under Head Coach John Cook.

Johnson-Tagaloa Inducted into BYU Hall of Fame
Nebraska assistant coach Charlene Johnson-Tagaloa received a special honor last month - induction into BYU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Johnson-Tagaloa was a two-time All-American during her playing career at BYU from 1991-94, earning Western Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Year honors  when she guided the Cougars to an NCAA semifinal appearance in 1994. Following her BYU career, she was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1997 to 2001, representing the United States at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Several Husker players and head assistant coach Lee Maes were busy during the summer helping out the USA Volleyball Program;
 ? Maes coached the A2 Red team to a gold medal at the USA Volleyball Girls’ High Performance Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
 ? Tracy Stalls and Maggie Griffin trained with the USA National Program in Colorado Springs during July.
 ? Rachel Holloway captained the U.S. Junior National Team to a gold medal at the NORCECA Junior Championships in Monterrey, Mexico, in early August.

Volleyball Tickets Sold Out for 2006 Season  
For Husker volleyball, one record-setting streak is guaranteed to continue this fall, as the Nebraska Ticket Office announced on Aug. 16 that the entire regular-season home schedule is officially sold out.

Single-match tickets went on sale on Aug. 3, with fans camped out overnight waiting for tickets. In fact, 11 of the first 17 matches sold out within three hours of the ticket windows opening, and the final tickets were sold prior to the Huskers’ annual Red/White Match.

The sellout streak began in the 2001 season and will reach 88 at the end of the regular season.

NU Picked to Repeat as Big 12 Champs
Nebraska is the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 title for the 10th consecutive season in a vote of the league head coaches, the conference office announced on Aug. 3. The Huskers received eight of the 11 possible first-place votes and 98 points overall, while coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.

In 2005, NU finished the season as the national runner-up to Washington, tallying a 33-2 overall record and 19-1 conference mark. The Huskers also claimed their eighth Big 12 crown (1996, 1998-02, 2004-05). Coach John Cook earned AVCA Division I National Coach-of-the-Year honors for the second time in his career, in addition to being named Big 12 Coach of the Year (2001, 2005).  Nebraska also returns reigning conference player of the year Sarah Pavan.

Texas was second behind NU with 93 points, including three first-place votes. The Longhorns were followed by Missouri, Kansas State and Texas A&M filling the top five spots. Colorado was sixth with Kansas, Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas Tech rounding out the poll.

Pavan headlines the individual honors as the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight season. Last year, the junior from Kitchener, Ontario, averaged 3.82 kills, 1.24 blocks, 1.66 digs and 0.31 aces in 35 matches. Pavan tallied four double-doubles and a triple-double of 11 kills, 11 blocks and 10 digs against Pepperdine.  

Pavan was one of two Huskers chosen for the preseason All-Big 12 team, as she was joined by sophomore outside hitter Jordan Larson, who averaged 2.82 kills and 2.79 digs per game in 2005, earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors.

Houghtelling to Miss 2006 Season
Nebraska Head Coach John Cook announced on Aug. 8 that AVCA National Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling will miss all of the 2006 season following shoulder surgery.

Houghtelling, a first-team All-American in 2005, underwent surgery on her right shoulder on July 13, and underwent arthroscopic surgery on her right knee later that month. Last season, Houghtelling averaged 3.69 kills, 2.49 digs and 1.03 blocks per game, ranking among the Big 12 leaders in  kills (10th) and hitting percentage (.375, fifth).

According to Head Coach John Cook, having the surgery at this time allows Houghtelling, who has not redshirted, to be completely healthy for the 2007 season and to enhance her chances at success following her Husker career.

“She developed a shoulder problem in the spring, and we felt it was best to repair it now so that she can come back completely healthy for her senior year,” Cook said. “She is a big-time athlete and has the opportunity to continue in this sport following her collegiate career, whether it is with Team USA or professionally. We wanted to give her every opportunity to be successful following her career, and we made the decision that she had surgery.”

Omaha Hosts 2006 NCAA Championships
For college volleyball teams around the country, Omaha is the destination, as the University of Nebraska and Qwest Center Omaha play host to the 2006 NCAA Championship this December.

The NCAA semifinals take place on Thursday, Dec. 14, with the national championship match taking place on Saturday, Dec. 16. Husker fans have come out in full force, selling out the arena in just four hours the day tickets went on sale in January

The Qwest Center hosted an NCAA Regional for the first time in 2005 to record-setting numbers. The two-day event drew an NCAA postseason record of 29,608 fans, including a near sellout of 15,119 for the regional final. The two crowds were the largest of the 2005 season and easily topped the previous NCAA postseason marks for single match (13,194) and all-session (23,978) both set by Wisconsin in 1998