Huskers Head to Manhattan to Face KSU

Nebraska (20-1, 12-1 Big 12) at No. 12 Kansas State (18-6, 10-4 Big 12)

Sat., Nov. 3 ? Manhattan, Kan. (Ahearn Field House) ? 7 p.m.

Television:  Live on NET (Ch. 12, NET-Ch. 112)

Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KHUS 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com

Video: Huskers.com (free video)

Live Stats: Huskers.com

The Nebraska volleyball team opens the month of November on the road, as the Huskers travel to Manhattan, Kan., to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. First serve from Ahearn Field House is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, KHUS 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on the Internet at Huskers.com. The match will also be televised across the Cornhusker State on Nebraska Educational Television (Ch. 12) and NET-HD (Ch. 112). Saturday’s match with the Wildcats marks the first-ever NET televised road match in program history and the 10th of 11 telecasts during the year.

The second-ranked Huskers (20-1, 12-1 Big 12) come off a hard-fought five-game win over Missouri Wednesday night at the NU Coliseum. Sarah Pavan led five Huskers in double figures with 22 kills and chipped in 14 digs, as four players recorded double-doubles against the Tigers. Outside hitters Christina Houghtelling (14 kills, 22 digs) and Jordan Larson (17 kills, 16 digs) both recorded double-doubles, while Rachel Holloway dished out a season-high 64 assists and added 13 digs and seven kills on .500 hitting.  Nebraska out-hit Missouri, .302-.161, and totaled 88 digs, including 22 by Christina Houghtelling and a career-best 21 by Rachel Schwartz.

Kansas State (18-6, 10-4 Big 12) has won five of its last six matches to climb to 12th nationally in this week’s CSTV/AVCA Coaches poll. The Wildcats swept Texas Tech in Lubbock on Wednesday, as Rita Liliom totaled a match-high 19 kills on .444 hitting. K-State hit .397 and had four players finish with 10 or more  kills, while holding Texas Tech to .098 hitting.  With the win, KSU moved into a tied with Oklahoma for third place in the Big 12 standings.

NU Volleyball Quick Hits
?-When Christina Houghtelling (22) and Rachel Schwartz (21) both reached 20 digs against MU Wednesday night, it marked only the second time in the last three years that two Huskers recorded 20-plus digs in a match.
?-Sarah Pavan’s 22 kills against Missouri was the 20th time in her career she reached 20 kills in a match.
?-Odd, but True: Missouri took the Huskers to a fifth game in 2003, 2005 and 2007. NU has gone only five games four times in its last 76 home matches, with three of those coming against Missouri.
?-Nebraska dropped out of the No. 1 spot for the first time since the end of the 2005 season on Monday. It ended an AVCA record 26-week run at the top spot.

Scouting Kansas State
Under Suzie Fritz (142-68 in seven seasons at Kansas State) the Wildcats have rebounded from an injury-plagued 2006 campaign to sit in a tie for third in the Big 12 and ranked 12th nationally. KSU, which was not ranked in the preseason AVCA poll, is 18-6 on the season with all six losses coming against teams that are are currently ranked. The Wildcats have won five of the last six matches and are coming off a sweep of Texas Tech on Wednesday night.

KSU, which has five starters averaging more than two kills per game, is led by junior Natalya Korbokova, who ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 4.49 kills per game while also adding 1.15 blocks and 0.38 service aces per game.  Junior right side hitter Rita Liliom has chipped in 3.64 kills per game after missing all of last season with a knee injury. Middle blocker Megan Farr is among the conference leaders in hitting percentage (.368) and is third in the Big 12 with 1.37 blocks per game. Senior setter Stacy Spiegelberg is a three-year starter who is third in the Big 12 in assists (13.28/gm) and fourth in service aces (.41/gm)

The Huskers lead the all-time series, 73-3, including seven straight wins dating back to 2004. The Huskers are 32-1 all-time in Manhattan with the only loss coming in 2003.

Last Time vs. Kansas State
Sarah Pavan’s 16 kills led three Huskers in double figures, as the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team rolled to a 30-16, 30-16, 30-25 sweep of No. 17 Kansas State at the NU Coliseum on Oct. 3.

Pavan totaled 16 kills on .364 hitting and a season-high five blocks, as the Huskers improved to 13-0 overall and 6-0 in Big 12 action with their 11th consecutive sweep.

Pavan  was one of three Huskers to eclipse season bests against K-State. Sophomore Kori Cooper continued her string of impressive efforts, as she totaled 11 kills without an error on 16 swings and paced NU with a team-high seven blocks. Cooper’s blocks were not only a season best, but the highest total by any Husker in 2007. In addition, Christina Houghtelling paced NU with a season-high three aces and led the Huskers with 13 digs while adding seven kills in the victory.

Worth Noting
?-Wednesday’s win was the 400th conference win in school history for the Huskers. Nebraska is now 400-21 all-time in conference matches, dating back to the first season of Big Eight competition.
?-Saturday’s match features the two top serving teams in the Big 12 in K-State (2.07/aces pe gam) and NU (1.68/aces per game).
?-With Wednesday’s win over Missouri, the Huskers have reached the 20-win plateau for the 33rd consecutive season. The next longest active streak of 20-win seasons by a Big 12 school is three by Texas (2004-06).
?-The Huskers had won their last 20 matches against ranked teams prior to the setback at Texas on Oct. 24. NU is now 83-12 (.873) against ranked teams since the start of the 2000 season.
?-Nebraska is 72-4 (.947) on the road in Big 12 action in eight seasons under Coach John Cook.
?-The Oct. 24 loss at Texas snapped the fourth-longest winning streak in program history. The 29-match win streak fell one win shy of making the top-20 list in the NCAA record book.
?-Nebraska’s streak of 53 consecutive games won ranked second on NU’s school list before it was snapped at Texas on Oct. 24. It tied for the seventh-longest streak in NCAA history and trailed only the 1995 team’s record of 68 consecutive games won.
?-The Huskers have won their last 67 home matches dating back to the 2004 campaign. The win streak is the third longest in NCAA history.
?-While Nebraska leads the nation in both kills (18.18) and assists per game (16.73), it is now second nationally in hitting percentage with a .329 mark.
?-The Huskers are 75-3 (.961) in their last 78 Big 12 Conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-4, Sr., Denver, Colo. - Two-year captain who earned second-team AVCA All-America honors in 2006. Stalls leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally in hitting percentage (.443), averaging 2.65 kills and 1.08 blocks per game. Stalls is coming off a 10-kill, four-block effort against Missouri on Wednesday night. She led the team in kills against No. 11 Hawaii on Oct. 21 with 13 kills on 23 swings and a pair of blocks. Stalls enjoyed one of her best matches at Missouri on Oct. 17, totaling 15 kills on .737 hitting and six blocks.  She has had 14 matches with at least eight kills, including five double-figure efforts. Stalls had 10 kills on .600 hitting and five stuffs vs. Texas Tech on Sept. 15. She totaled seven kills on .462 hitting and three blocks in a sweep of No. 7 Texas on Sept. 12. She was named to the Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament team, averaging 3.00 kills per game on .654 hitting. Stalls hit over .600 in both matches, including a season-best .692 (9-0-13) against New Mexico State. She had 16 kills on .640 hitting and four blocks in a win over No. 5 UCLA to earn a spot on the AVCA Showcase All-Tournament Team.  Stalls averaged 2.67 kills and 1.41 blocks per game in 2006, leading the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.400). Stalls spent part of the summer with the USA National Team, playing in the Pan America Cup and averaging 2.25 kills per game while hitting .615.

MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, So., Amarillo, Texas - Two-year starter who has enjoyed a breakout 2007 campaign. Cooper is fourth in the league in hitting percentage (.373), averaging 2.57 kills and 1.07 blocks per game. She has been dominant in Big 12 action, ranking third in the league in hitting percentage (.410), averaging 2.74 kills and 1.12 blocks per game. Cooper has been in double figures six times and had a career-high 14 kills on .385 hitting against Missouri on Oct. 31. She totaled 11 kills on .688 hitting and a season-high seven blocks against No. 17 Kansas State on Oct. 3. Her previous season high in kills was 12 on .706 hitting and four blocks against Baylor on Sept. 29. Cooper had 11 kills and five blocks at Texas Tech on Sept. 15, and drilled nine kills on .692 hitting with three stuffs versus No. 7 Texas on Sept. 12. She totaled 10 kills on .350 hitting in a sweep of Penn State and hit .625 on eight swings against No. 17 Cal Poly on Sept. 3. She sparked NU to a win over UCLA in the AVCA Showcase with 10 kills on .526 hitting and four blocks. Cooper was one of two freshmen starters in 2006, averaging 1.67 kills and 0.95 blocks per game in 30 matches. 

L - #5 Rachel Schwartz: 5-9, Jr., Lincoln, Neb. - Schwartz, who was NU’s defensive and serving specialist in 2006, won the starting libero job in fall camp. Schwartz ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 3.98 digs per game, setting a career high with 21 digs against Missouri on Oct. 31. Prior to that, her previous high was 17 digs against fifth-ranked UCLA on Aug. 25, and against No. 17 Cal Poly on Sept. 3. Schwartz has been in double figures in digs in 13 of her last 14 matches, including 15 digs against No. 25 Oklahoma on Oct. 13. She totaled 13 digs and a service ace in NU’s sweep of Colorado on Oct. 6. She had a 16-dig effort against Texas A&M on Sept. 22. Schwartz totaled 10 digs and matched her career high with three service aces at Texas Tech on Sept. 15. Schwartz started 29 matches as NU’s defensive specialist in 2006, averaging 2.41 digs, 0.23 aces and 0.30 assists per game.

OPP - #9 Sarah Pavan: 6-5, Sr., Kitchener, Ontario - Pavan is a three-time, first-team AVCA All-American and reigning Honda-Broderick Cup winner. She is on pace to become just the fourth player in NCAA history to be a four-time first-team All-American. This season, Pavan averages 4.85 kills, 1.80 digs and 0.44 service aces per game, ranking first in the Big 12 in kills, aces and points per game (5.73). She collected her third double-double of the season against Missouri on Oct. 31, finishing with a match-high 22 kills and 14 digs. She led NU with 17 kills in the loss at No. 5 Texas on Oct. 24. Pavan became NU’s all-time kills leader against Kansas on Oct. 20, as she totaled 17 kills on .406 hitting against the Jayhawks. Pavan now has 1,830 career kills, eclipsing the previous mark 1,778 by Allison Weston from 1992 to 1995.  Pavan totaled a match-high 18 kills on .516 hitting and four blocks at Missouri on Oct. 13. She totaled a match-high 16 kills on .351 hitting and two blocks against No. 25 Oklahoma on Oct. 13. Pavan led NU with 18 kills on .361 hitting and nine digs in a sweep of Iowa State on Oct. 10. She totaled a match-high 16 kills on .364 hitting and five blocks in NU’s sweep of No. 17 Kansas State on Oct. 3.  Pavan collected her second double-double of the year against Texas A&M on Sept. 22, totaling 12 kills and 10 digs.  She led NU to a sweep of No. 7 Texas on Sept. 12, delivering a team-high 17 kills on .520 hitting. Pavan was selected as the MVP of both the AVCA Showcase and the Holiday Inn Downtown Classic. She was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Aug. 27, totaling 39 kills on .385 hitting in a pair of wins. She was dominant in a sweep of No. 17 Cal Poly on Sept. 3, finishing with 17 kills on .485 hitting against the Mustangs. Pavan tallied a match-high 25 kills, 12 digs and three blocks in a win over No. 5 UCLA on Aug. 25.  She was the AVCA National Player of the Year in 2006, leading the Big 12 in kills (5.10) and points per game (5.98), while hitting .313 on the season. She also carries a 4.0 GPA in biochemistry and was recognized as the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American of the Year for all sports at the Division I level for the 2006-07 year. Pavan declined an opportunity to play with the Canadian team this summer to take an upper-level chemistry class so she can graduate in May. She made her Canadian National Team debut at age 16.

OH - #10 Jordan Larson: 6-2, Jr., Hooper, Neb. - Larson is a returning first-team AVCA All-American and one of the nation’s premier outside hitters. She averages 3.48 kills, 3.52 digs and 0.41 service aces per game, ranking third in the league in aces, ninth in points per game (4.30) and 10th in kills per game. Larson went over the 1,000-kill plateau for her career against Missouri with a season-high 17 kills and 16 digs.  She was named the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 22, after leading NU with 18 digs against Missouri on Oct. 17 and 15 digs versus No. 11 Hawaii on Oct. 21. Larson has a team-high nine double-doubles, including 13 kills, 14 digs, five blocks and three aces at Colorado on Oct. 6. She had 17 kills, 11 digs and three aces at KU on Sept. 26, and a 15-kill, 10-dig effort against Texas A&M on Sept. 22.  She earned all-tourney honors at the AVCA Showcase and the Holiday Inn Downtown Classic. Larson recorded a season-high 16 kills and a match-high 14 digs against No. 11 Duke on Sept. 7. Larson had 11 kills, 15 digs and a season-high five blocks against No. 5 UCLA on Aug. 25. Last year, she averaged 4.13 kills and 3.50 digs per game and was the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top 10 in both categories. Larson had 19 kills on .378 hitting and 15 digs in the win over No. 2 Stanford in the NCAA title match. She was also the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Gainesville Regional with 3.62 kills, 3.25 digs and 0.50 aces per game.
OH - #3 Christina Houghtelling: 6-2, Sr., Cambridge, Neb. - Houghtelling has returned to her 2005 form after missing all of last season following shoulder surgery. She leads all Big 12 outside hitters in digs (3.82), while averaging 3.37 kills per game on .320 hitting. She is second on the team with seven double-doubles, as she finihed with 14 kills and 22 digs against Missouri on Oct. 17. Houghtelling also had 14 kills and a match-high 19 digs at No. 25 Oklahoma on Oct. 13. She totaled a season-best 19 kills on .410 hitting and 11 digs in a sweep at Colorado on Oct. 6. Houghtelling was the MVP of the Ameritas Players Challenge, hitting .535 and averaging 4.17 kills, 3.00 digs and 0.67 blocks per game. She recorded a then-season high 15 kills on .519 hitting and nine digs in the sweep of New Mexico State. Houghtelling had 12 kills and hit .379 against No. 17 Cal Poly. She topped NU in digs in both matches at the AVCA Showcase en route to Big 12 Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors, highlighted by a career-best 23 digs against No. 5 UCLA on Aug. 25. She was the 2005 AVCA Player of the Year, averaging 3.69 kills, 2.49 digs and 1.03 blocks per game in helping the Huskers to 33 wins and an NCAA finals appearance. She also was a first-team academic All-American who carries a 3.90 GPA entering her final college semester.

S - #12 Rachel Holloway: 5-10, So., Franklin, Tenn. - Holloway guides one of the most prolific offensive attacks in college volleyball, piloting an offense that leads the country in kills and assists per game and ranks second in hitting percentage. The second-team All-American in 2006 is fourth nationally in assists per game (13.80) and also averages 2.30 digs and 0.97 kills per game.  Nebraska has hit .300 or better 17 times in 21 matches, including .400 or better on four occasions. She picked up her third double-double of the year against Missouri on Oct. 31, finishing with a season-best 64 assists, along with 13 digs and a season-high seven kills on .500 hitting. Holloway totaled 55 assists - the most in a three-game match by a Husker since 1998 - in guiding NU to a .458 hitting percentage at Missouri on Oct. 17. Holloway totaled 50 assists and three blocks in NU’s sweep of Colorado on Oct. 6, and had 43 assists and eight digs against No. 17 K-State on Oct. 3. She totaled 39 assists, three aces and six digs against Baylor on Sept. 29, as Nebraska hit .500 as a team. She played one of the best matches of her career vs. No. 7 Texas on Sept. 11, dishing out 39 assists, as NU hit .400 as a team while adding six kills and six digs.  She has two double-doubles on the year - a 35-assist, 12-dig outing against Creighton on Aug. 31, and a 61-assist, 16-dig effort against No. 5 UCLA on Aug. 25. Holloway was a third-team All-American in 2006, averaging 13.43 assists, 2.49 digs and 1.11 kills per game, finishing 11th nationally in assists. Holloway became only the second freshman in NCAA history to be a starting setter for a title team.

Last Match: Huskers Survive Tiger Scare
Sarah Pavan totaled four of her match-high 22 kills in a game five, lifting No. 2 Nebraska to a 30-19, 32-34, 30-11, 24-30, 15-10 victory over a game Missouri squad Wednesday night at the NU Coliseum.

Pavan recorded her third double-double of the year with 22 kills on .347 hitting and 14 digs, and came up big in game five with four kills, including each of the final two points, and four digs. Her effort helped the Huskers extend their home winning streak to 67 matches and bounce back from their first loss of the year on Oct. 24.

Pavan was one of five Huskers with at least 10 kills, as Nebraska improved to 20-1 on the season and 12-1 in the Big 12. Jordan Larson totaled 17 kills and 16 digs for her ninth double-double of the year, becoming the 19th Husker to reach the 1,000-plateau.
 Four Huskers finished with double-doubles, including Houghtelling (14 kills, 22 digs) and Rachel Holloway (64 assists, 13 digs), while Stalls totaled 10 kills and four blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs. NU’s middle blockers combined for 24 kills, including a career-high 14 from Kori Cooper on .385 hitting.

Rachel Schwartz also enjoyed a career night, totaling 21 digs in helping NU post an 88-85 advantage in digs and limit the Tigers to .161 hitting, well under the .228 clip they hit in the first matchup two weeks ago.