No. 1 Huskers Take on No. 9 Minnesota

NCAA Gainesville Regional Final - No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Minnesota
Saturday, Dec. 9 ? Gainsville, Fla. ? Stephen C. O’Connell Center

• Radio: The Husker Sports Network  (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com (click here to listen)
• Live Stats: Huskers.com and NCAAsports.com (click here for live stats)
• Television: Live on ESPNU  (Ch. 609 on DirecTV, Ch. 148 on Dish Network; Ch. 220 on Cox Cable in Omaha)

No. 1 Huskers Take on No. 9 Minnesota for NCAA Semifinal Berth
The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team faces its most difficult test of the season, as the Huskers will take on No. 9 Minnesota in the championship match of the Gainesville Regional Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. (central). Fans can listen to Saturday’s match live on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha and on the Internet at Huskers.com. Saturday’s match will also be televised nationally on ESPNU (Ch. 609 on DirecTV, Ch. 148 on Dish Network; Ch. 220 on Cox Cable in Omaha).

The Huskers (30-1) are bidding to make their 10th appearance in the NCAA National Semifinals next Thursday in Omaha. Nebraska swept San Diego on Friday in three games, hitting .385 as a team. Sarah Pavan led NU with 15 kills on .500 hitting, while freshman Kori Cooper and Jordan Larson chipped in nine and eight kills, respectively. NU held the No. 14 Toreros to just .071 hitting, the third straight NCAA foe that Nebraska has held under .100 hitting.

Minnesota (26-7) pulled one of the biggest surprises of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, eliminating the host Florida Gators in four games in Friday’s second semifinal. In that match, the Gophers had four players in double figures in kills, including a team-high 17 kills from Meredith Nelson. Minnesota also racked up 13 service aces in handing Florida just its third loss of the season and first home postseason loss since 1995.

The Huskers will be making their third straight NCAA Regional final appearance, as they lost in five games to two-time NCAA Champion USC in 2004 before sweeping Florida in 2005. The Huskers are 9-8 in NCAA Regional finals appearances, dating back to the school’s first regional final appearance in 1984. With Friday’s win, NU is now 67-22 (.753) in its 25 NCAA Tournament appearances, ranking second among all programs in both wins and winning percentage.

Did You Know?
?- With NU’s win on Friday, the Huskers reached the 30-win plateau for the third straight year and the 18th time in school history. The Huskers have reached 30 wins for the eighth time in Big 12 history, while the rest of the Big 12 has combined for one.

?-Seniors Dani Mancuso and Dani Busboom have helped Nebraska to a 121-10 record (.924) and three Big 12 titles over the last four years.

?-The 2006 season marks the third straight year and the fourth time since 2000 that Nebraska is the No. 1 seed entering the NCAA Tournament.

?-NU is 35-3 (.921) against ranked opponents since the start of the 2004 season and 72-11 (.867) under John Cook.

Worth Noting
?-According to research by Rich Kern, Nebraska’s 18-1 record against the other NCAA Tournament qualifiers is the best of any team in the NCAA Tournament field.

vs. 2006 NCAA Field
1. Nebraska 18-1
2. Florida 18-2
3. Penn State 17-2
4. UCLA 17-3
5. Stanford 16-3

?-Nebraska is making its 25th NCAA Tournament appearance, a total which ties for fourth among all Division I programs. Only Penn State, Stanford and UC Santa Barbara have longer streaks, as those three schools have qualified for all 26 NCAA Championships.

?-The Huskers’ streak of 13 straight NCAA Regionals is the longest active in the country, as only five programs have reached regionals in each of the past four seasons. NU is 27-12 all-time in NCAA regionals.

?- This year marks only the second time since 1999 that Nebraska has been on the road for a regional. NU has been on the road for regionals eight times and reached the regional final on five occasions (1984, 1985, 1987, 1997 and 2004).

?-Sarah Pavan joined an elite group when she earned her second straight Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honor on Nov. 28. She is the first NU player to be named player of the year in consecutive years since former AVCA National Player of the Year Allison Weston in 1994 and 1995, and only the sixth Husker to ever be named a two-time conference player of the year.

?-Nebraska is 9-0 against ranked teams this season, including eight wins by sweeps.

?-Nebraska’s four first-team All-Big 12 selections are the most since 2002 and the fifth time that NU had at least four first-team All-Big 12 honorees (1996-2000-01-02-06).

?-Over the last 11 matches, Nebraska is averaging 1.65 service aces per game and has a 61-to-54 ace-to-error ratio since Nov. 1. In NU’s seven-match win streak, NU has had more aces and errors six times.

?-Nebraska has hit .350 or better five times in the last seven matches, including .423 against Northern Iowa in the second round, and is hitting .362 in that stretch.

?-Sarah Pavan now has 15 career matches with at least 20 kills (7 in 2004; 1 in 2005; 7 in 2006). Her 15 matches with at least 20 kills are nearly half of NU’s total of 32 since John Cook took over in 2000. Three other current Huskers have had at least one 20-kill match during their Husker careers: Dani Mancuso (2004 at KSU), Christina Houghtelling (2005 at OU) and Jordan Larson (20 vs. KSU).

?-Nebraska finished 19-0 at the NU Coliseum, which marked the 16th time - and fourth time in seven seasons - that NU has had a perfect home record.

?-NU has won its last 54 home matches, dating back to the 2004 season, including its last 48 at the NU Coliseum. The current home streak is the nation’s longest active streak and ranks eighth on the NCAA’s all-time list.

?-The Big 12 has turned in an impressive showing in the NCAA Tournament, going 11-4 in the first three rounds and placing two teams - Nebraska and Texas - in today’s regional finals. Big 12 teams went a perfect 6-0 in the first round.

Teams in NCAA Regionals
1. Pac-10   -3
2. Big 12    -2
    Big Ten   -2
4. WAC     -1

?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s AVCA poll, the Huskers have spent 69 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 29 of the last 30 polls dating back to the start of 2005.

?-NU has held opponents to a Big 12-low .137 hitting percentage, as only five teams have hit over .200 against the Husker defense during 2006. NU ranks second among the remaining teams entering Saturday’s matches.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Fr., Amarillo, Texas - Cooper splits time with Amanda Gates at middle blocker, averaging 1.73 kills and 0.97 blocks per game. Cooper is fourth in the Big 12 with a .359 hitting percentage and was second in league matches (.354). She had a strong performance in the NCAA Regional semifinal, totaling nine kills on .571 hitting and a team-high six blocks against No. 14 San Diego. Her best match of the regular season came in a win over Iowa State on Nov. 8, where she totaled a career-high 12 kills on .429 hitting and five blocks. She also totaled six kills in six swings at Kansas on Nov. 22 and had seven kills and a career-best eight blocks at No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18. 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 earned first-team All-Big 12 honors at middle blocker, averaging 2.62 kills and 1.42 blocks per game. She leads the Big 12 and is 11th nationally in hitting percentage and is fourth in the league in blocks. Stalls has reached double figures in kills 10 times, including a career-high 16 kills and 12 blocks at Colorado on Nov. 11. She had six kills and 10 blocks against American and 10 kills on .467 hitting in the sweep of Northern Iowa. She also totaled 14 kills in wins over NCAA qualifiers Long Beach State and Minnesota. Stalls has also had 11 matches where she has hit .500 or better, including a season-best .727 vs. Texas Tech (9-1-11) on Sept. 23 and .714 (10-0-14) vs. NCAA qualifier Middle Tennessee on Sept. 2. Stalls ranked among the top-15 blockers nationally in each of her first two years as a Husker. 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 - The two-time Big 12 Player of the Year, Pavan leads the Big 12 and ranks ninth nationally in kills per game (5.12), while also ranking among Big 12 leaders in points per game (6.03, first) and service aces per game (0.31, eighth). Pavan has seven matches with at least 20 kills, including a season-high 24 kills in three contests (vs. Long Beach State, at Baylor and vs. Iowa State). A two-time Big 12 Player of the Week, she earned her most recent honor on Nov. 21, when she totaled 46 kills on .544 hitting and seven aces in a pair of sweeps. She has reached double figures in her last 27 matches and 29 times in 30 matches this season. Pavan led NU with 18 kills in a sweep of No. 8 Texas on Nov. 25 and finished with 23 kills and matched her career high with four aces against Baylor on Nov. 18. Pavan has three double-doubles on the year, with her most recent coming with 17 kills, 10 digs and eight blocks at Colorado on Nov. 11. She earned 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 wins. 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 one of the country’s top all-around performers, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors for the first time in 2006. She averages 4.21 kills and 3.38 digs per game, ranking in the Big 12’s top 10 in aces (0.50/gm, second), points (5.20, third), kills (fourth) and digs (10th). Larson, the co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, is the only player in the league’s top 10 in kills and digs. She leads NU with 20 double-doubles, including a stretch of 10 in a row earlier this season. Larson averaged 4.00 kills on .353 hitting, 1.11 blocks and 1.00 aces per game during the NCAA Tournament. She had one of her best matches of the year at Kansas on Nov. 22, totaling 13 kills on a season-high .571 hitting. She had 13 kills, 17 digs and matched her career high with six blocks at Colorado on Nov. 11 and had a match-high 16 kills in a sweep of No. 17 Oklahoma on Nov. 4. Larson earned the Big 12 weekly honor in early October after averaging 5.17 kills and 4.17 digs in two sweeps, including a career-high 20 kills against Kansas State on Oct. 4. As a freshman, Larson led 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, averaging 2.52 digs and 0.17aces per game. She has tied or set career highs in digs seven times this season, and has reached double figures in digs 15 times in 2006, including five of NU’s last six matches. Schwartz came up with a career-high 15 digs in NU’s win at No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18 and enjoyed her best match of the year at Baylor on Sept. 30, totaling a then-career high 14 digs and a career-high three aces. Schwartz had 10 digs and a pair of aces in NU’s sweep of Northern Iowa on Dec. 2. She 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 2.50 kills, 0.66 blocks and 0.76 digs per game, primarily playing the front row. She has reached double figures in kills in five of NU’s last eight matches, averaging 2.70 kills per game while hitting .294 in that stretch. Mancuso tied her season highs with 11 kills and six blocks in NU’s first-round win over American and had eight kills on .375 hitting against Northern Iowa on Dec. 2. She had 11 kills on a season-high .647 hitting at Kansas on Nov. 22 and had 10 kills on .316 hitting in a sweep of Texas A&M on Nov. 15. She recorded seven kills on .455 hitting at KSU on Oct. 28. Mancuso had nine kills and matched her career best with six blocks in NU’s win over No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18 and nine kills on .400 hitting against Missouri on Oct. 11. 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), earning first-team All-Big 12 honors in the process. She averages 13.41 assists, 2.62 digs and 1.17 kills per game, ranking third in the Big 12 and 10th nationally in assists. Holloway has 12 double-doubles, including one in five of the last eight matches. She has tallied at least 50 assists eight times this year and has helped NU hit .400 or better six times this season, including four of the past seven matches. She totaled 39 assists and five kills while helping NU hit .423 against Northern Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Holloway tied her career high with 57 assists against both Colorado and Iowa State, adding 13 digs and four blocks at Colorado on Nov. 11 and four stuffs at ISU on Nov. 8. She was chosen as the Big 12’s Player of the Week on Oct. 16, after averaging 16.00 assists per game in sweeps of Colorado and Missouri. Holloway, who leads all freshmen nationally in assists, totaled 57 assists, eight digs and seven kills against Minnesota, helping NU hit .337. Last 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 earned Big 12 co-Libero-of-the-Year accolades in 2006, totaling 5.03 digs per game to lead the Big 12 while also chipping in .82 assists per game. She has reached double figures in digs 29 times in 31 matches, including a streak of 21 straight matches in double figures before it was snapped against Texas A&M on Nov. 15. Busboom became the first Husker to record 500 digs in a season following her 17-dig effort versus Northern Iowa on Dec. 2 and also ranks second on NU’s career dig list (1,214). She has totaled at least 20 digs seven times, including a career-high 23 in three matches. Last season, she averaged 6.45 assists and 1.82 digs in NU’s 6-2 offense, helping NU hit .322 as a team. Busboom is seventh on NU’s career assists list with 2,921 and is the second player in school history on top-10 lists in both assists and digs, joining former NU All-American Val Novak.

Regional Semifinal: No. 1 Nebraska 3, No. 14 USD 0
Sarah Pavan had a match-high 15 kills on .500 hitting, as No. 1 Nebraska rolled into the Gainesville Regional final with a 30-21, 30-20, 30-15 sweep of No. 14 San Diego at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Dec. 8.

With the win, the Huskers improved to 30-1 on the season and reached the 30-win plateau for the third straight year and the 18th time in school history.

Pavan put on a show in the final two games, totaling 13 of her 15 kills, as the Huskers finished the night hitting .385 as a team. NU also got outstanding performances from freshman Kori Cooper, who totaled nine kills on .571 hitting and a match-high six blocks, and sophomore Jordan Larson, who finished with eight kills, four blocks, nine digs and three service aces in completing NU’s 24th sweep of the year.

Rachel Holloway guided a Husker attack that saw three players hit .500 or better, totaling 35 assists, five digs, four kills and a pair of service aces. The Huskers totaled seven aces and held USD without an ace, as NU totaled a positive ace-to-service error ratio for the seventh time in the past eight matches.

Scouting Minnesota
Minnesota (26-7): The Golden Gophers come into this weekend’s regional final as one of the hottest teams in the country. The Gophers, who opened the season with a 2-4 mark, have won 24 of their last 27 matches and finished second in the Big Ten with a 17-3 record. Coach Mike Hebert (283-97 in 11 seasons at Minnesota) and the Gophers feature a trio of first-team All-Big Ten honorees in right side hitter Kelly Bowman, middle blocker Meredith Nelson and libero Malama Peniata, who also claimed the conference’s defensive player of the year. Nelson leads the Gophers with 3.30 kills per game and is one of three Gophers averaging better than 3.00 kills per game. Bowman is one of the league’s top all-around performers, averaging 2.30 kills, 1.07 assists and 2.99 digs per game, while Peniata leads the Big Ten with 5.25 digs per game. Papillion native Kyla Roehring is second on the team in kills with 3.26 per game.

Series History: The Huskers lead the series, 25-4, and have won the last 10 meetings in the series, including a 3-1 Nebraska win in Lincoln on September 10. In that match, Sarah Pavan totaled 23 kills on .407 hitting, while Jordan Larson had 17 kills on .343 hitting.

What to Watch For
?-Nebraska is one win away from reaching its second straight NCAA National semifinal and the 10th in school history.

?-With 522 kills this season, Sarah Pavan is eight kills away from passing Kathi DeBoer for fourth place on NU’s single-season list

?-With her performance on Friday against USD, Jordan Larson cracked a pair of top-10 single-season lists. Her 52 aces ties in 2006 for eighth on NU’s single-season list and is the most by a Husker since Val Novak had 58. She also now has 30 solo blocks, which ties for seventh on NU’s single-season chart and is the most ever by a Husker outside hitter, a fact made more impressive that larson averages just 0.70 blocks per game.

?-With 18 service aces in nine career NCAA matches, Larson tied Jennifer Saleaumua’s career postseason record for service aces. Larson has played just 28 games in the NCAA Tournament, while it took Saleaumua 54 games to reach her mark.

?-With 13.41 assists per game, Rachel Holloway is threatening to be the seventh Husker - and first since 1998 - to average more than 13.50 assists per game.