Pilakowski's Honors
Two-Time AVCA Volleyball All-American (First-Team, 2000; Second-Team, 2002) Three-Time Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American for Volleyball (First-Team, 2002; Second-Team, 2000, 2001) Three-Time First-Team All-Big 12 (Volleyball, 2000, 2001, 2002) Three-Time First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (Volleyball, 2000, 2001, 2002) Big 12 Commisioner's Honor Roll (Fall, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002; Spring, 2000, 2001, 2002)
The Personal Side
Major: Marketing
Family:
Parents, Larry and Anne Pilakowski
Hometown: Columbus, Neb.
High School: Columbus
Date of Birth: Oct. 11, 1980
Place of Birth: Columbus, Neb.
2002-03 (Senior)
Laura Pilakowski made a major impact in her only basketball season at Nebraska. The 6-2 forward walked on to the basketball team after a stellar career as a scholarship volleyball player.
Pilakowski, who started three games, finished her senior season averaging 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game after joining the team on Jan. 1. She closed her career against Oklahoma in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds, while posting career highs with five blocked shots and four assists.
The two-time All-American and 2002 Co-Big 12 Player of the Year as a volleyball player tied career highs with nine points and eight rebounds in a career-best 31 minutes on Senior Night agasint Colorado March 5. She had nine points and seven boards at No. 10 Texas on Feb. 22, and added nine points and five boards vs. No. 4 Kansas State on Jan. 19. She set a career high with eight rebounds at Colorado on Jan. 14. She also played 31 minutes against Texas and Baylor (Feb. 5).
Although she had not played basketball since her senior year at Columbus in 1998-99, Pilakowski ranked fifth on the team in scoring (5.4 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.6 rpg) in Big 12 play, despite ranking sixth in minutes (21.8 mpg).
Pilakowski joined the basketball team for practice for the first time on Jan. 1, and saw her first action against Texas-Pan American on Jan.5.
Pilakowski was a second-team super-state selection in basketball her junior and senior seasons at Columbus High School. She averaged 17.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game both seasons, helping Columbus advance to the Class A state tournament.
One of the best all-around female athletes in the history of NU athletics, Pilakowski owns a school-record Performance Index of 2,394 points. The 2000 Nebraska Husker Power Female Athlete of the Year posted a 5.32-second clocking in the 40-yard dash, a 1.79 in the 10-yard dash and a 29-inch vertical leap.
An outstanding student, Pilakowski earned frist-team academic All-Big 12 honors in basketball, while adding three awards in volleyball. She was also a three-time Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American in volleyball and earned a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in March of 2003. She was named Nebraska's Female Student-Athlete of the Year in April and the Big 12 Sportsperson of the year in July of 2003.
Pilakowski's Career Statistics
Year
G-GS
FG-FGA
Pct.
3P-3PA
Pct.
FT-FTA
Pct.
TRB-Avg.
PF-D
A
TO
Blk
ST
Pts-Avg.
2002-03 18-3 34-90 .378 0-0 0-0 25-45 .556 97-5.4 39-1 14 28 11 20 93-5.2Career
18-3
34-90
.378
0-0
.0-0
25-45
.556
97-5.4
39-1
14
28
11
20
93-5.2