Nebraska Set for Competitive Notre Dame Tournament

This Weekend's Schedule

Sept. 8	at No. 23 Notre Dame	Joyce Center	Radio Broadcast	4 p.m.
Sept. 9	vs. No. 16 Michigan State	Joyce Center	No Radio	4:30 p.m.
Sept. 10	vs. No. 3 UCLA	Joyce Center	Radio Broadcast	12:30 p.m.

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Nebraska Set for Competitive Notre Dame Tournament
Lincoln -- The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team, 4-0 after winning the US Bank Tournament title Saturday night and defeating Oral Roberts Monday at the NU Coliseum, travels to South Bend, Ind., for the Notre Dame adidas Invitational Sept. 8-10.

The tournment lineup features some of the best volleyball competition in the country this weekend. The Huskers will face No. 23 Notre Dame Friday at 4 p.m., No. 16 Michigan State Saturday at 4:30 p.m., and third-ranked UCLA Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Tickets to all three matches are free.

Nebraska will look to build on the momentum and confidence gained from four straight impressive performances over the holiday weekend. Competing this season with a new offense, two new starters at outside hitter and two players starting in new positions, the Huskers swept Northwestern and Georgia before defeating No. 13 Colorado State, 3-1, Saturday night in the US Bank championship match.

Monday, NU rewrote the record books with a 15-0, 15-1, 15-0 victory over Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles' one point set a new record for fewest points scored by an opponent in a three-game match.

The Huskers continued their hot offensive streak, hitting .486 against ORU to up their season average to .331. The .486 mark was NU's best since Oct. 3, 1998 (at Oklahoma).

"I was encouraged by what I saw over the weekend," NU Coach John Cook said. "I think we have a chance to be great. This Notre Dame tournament is a premier tournament. We'll see three quality opponents, and we'll be tested. It's going to be an exciting weekend."

Notre Dame Tournament tickets free to the public
The Notre Dame ticket office has announced that tickets for all matches in the Sept. 8-10 Notre Dame Tournament will be free to the public. The four-team tournament field includes No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 16 Michigan State and No. 23 Notre Dame.

The Huskers open tournament action Friday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. when they take on host Notre Dame. The first 4,000 people seated at the Notre Dame vs. Nebraska match will be guaranteed seats for the football pep rally scheduled to follow the match.

Saturday, NU faces the Spartans at 4:30 p.m. before concluding the weekend with UCLA at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. All matches will be played at the Edmund P. Joyce Center.

Pilakowski named Volleyball Big 12 Athlete of the Week
Nebraska's Laura Pilakowski, of Columbus, Neb., is the first student-athlete of 2000 to win the Volleyball Big 12 Athlete-of-the-Week honor, the conference announced Monday afternoon.

A sophomore outside hitter, Pilakowski earned US Bank Tournament Most Valuable Player honors after leading the sixth-ranked Huskers to a 3-0 record and a tournament title. Pilakowski, who competed in just nine matches as a freshman in 1999, emerged as a go-to player for the Huskers with 41 kills on 84 attempts and 31 digs against Northwestern, Georgia and 13th-ranked Colorado State.

In the championship final against the Rams, Pilakowski, who competed in just nine matches in 1999 as a freshman, had career highs in kills (25), total attacks (50) and digs (15), all-team bests as well.

Monday, Pilakowski posted seven kills on 10 attempts (.700 hitting percentage) in NU's fourth win of the season, a 15-0, 15-1, 15-0 win over Oral Roberts.

NU moves to fourth in USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll
The Nebraska volleyball team jumped to No. 4 in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll released Monday afternoon. The Huskers, 4-0 after winning the US Bank Tournament title and defeating Oral Roberts in Lincoln, received 1,293 points and seven first-place votes.

Stanford earned 20 first-place votes and 1,383 points, taking over the top stop after preseason No. 1 UCLA lost to Colorado State in the State Farm/NACWAA Classic. Long Beach State was second, UCLA fell to third, and Penn State was fifth.

Colorado State, which fell to the Huskers in four games Saturday night at the NU Coliseum, ranks seventh.

Other Big 12 teams ranked in the top 25 include No. 18 Texas A&M, No. 19 Baylor, No. 20 Kansas State and No. 23 Texas.

Scouting No. 23 Notre Dame
Like Nebraska, 23rd-ranked Notre Dame finished the weekend boasting of a 3-0 record, a tournament title, and a conference player of the week. The Irish won the 2000 Shamrock Invitational at the Edmund P. Joyce Center with a three-game victories over Clemson and Fairfield, and a five-game, come-from-behind upset win over Brigham Young.

Senior setter Denise Boylan, the preseason pick for Big East Player of the Year, was named tournament MVP after posting 50 assists and 10 digs against BYU. Boylan earned Big East Player-of-the-Week honors for her efforts.

In addition to Boylan, Notre Dame lists four other returning starters from its 1999 NCAA Tournament squad, including 1999 first-team all-Big East selection Christi Girton. Girton led the Irish in kills (333) and digs (201) last season and ranks 10th on the career hitting percentage list with a .254 mark.

Notre Dame was 20-9 overall in 1999 and went undefeated in the league to win the Big East title. The conference championship was Notre Dame's fourth since it joined the Big East for volleyball league play in 1995.

The Huskers lead their all-time series with the Irish 4-2. NU won the last meeting in three gmaes on Nov. 7, 1995.

Scouting No. 16 Michigan State
No. 16 Michigan State (2-0) won the MSU Volleyball Classic with sweeps of Eastern Washington and Northeastern over the weekend. Three Spartans highlighted the all-tournament team, including Jessica Sanborn, who recorded 17 kills on a tournament-best .640 hitting percentage against Eastern Washington, and setter Christine Landry, who produced 41 assists in the final match.

Seniors Landry, who begins the season ranked No. 4 in MSU history for career assists, Sanborn, a first-team all-Big Ten pick in 1999, and Sarah Gustin fill the leadership roles on a team that lists six freshmen and four sophomores on its roster.

However, MSU's freshmen class was ranked No. 10 by Volleyball Magazine and includes two Fab 50 players in Jenn Rood and Lincoln's Nikki Colson.

Nebraska leads its all-time series with the Spartans 5-0. In the most recent meeting of the series, Dec. 6, 1997, NU swept Michigan State.

Scouting No. 3 UCLA
Third-ranked UCLA is 4-1 in the midst of playing one of the most difficult schedules in the country. The Bruins opened the season at the State Farm/NACWAA Classic, defeating then-No. 2 Penn State before dropping a five-game match to seventh-ranked Colorado State, a team Nebraska defeated 3-1 Sept. 2 at the NU Coliseum.

UCLA followed its NACWAA appearance with the University of Hawaii Tournament, where it defeated Iowa and No. 18 Texas A&M. Junior outside hitter Kristee Porter led UCLA against the Aggies with a 33 kills, a school record for a four-game match. Porter, who became the second-fastest player in NCAA history to reach the 1,000-kill mark as a sophomore in 1999, hit .483 against Texas A&M with 58 swings and just five errors. The Bruins were scheduled to face fifth-ranked Hawaii late Monday night.

UCLA lists just three seniors on its 16-player roster, but the Bruins return five starters from the 1999 squad that advanced to the NCAA Central Region final before suffering a loss to eventual champion Penn State.

Porter's classmate, Erika Selsor, returns for her third season as the Bruins' setter. Selsor led the Pac-10 in assists per game (14.12) and was eighth nationally in that category. Selsor, who ranks fifth in UCLA history with 3,031 assists, directed an offense that ranked among third nationally in kills per game (17.71), fourth in assists (16.26 per game) and ninth in hitting percentage (.287).

Nebraska leads its all-time series with UCLA 4-3. The Huskers won their last match against the Bruins in three games, Dec. 9, 1995.

Nebraska dominating opponents offensively
The Huskers opened the season in the Sept. 1-2 US Bank Tournament with their best back-to-back offensive matches in two years. Nebraska hit .346 against Northwestern in the season opener Sept. 1. The following day, NU hit .433 against Georgia and .221 against now-No. 7 Colorado State. For the weekend, Nebraska hit .300 under the direction of first-year setter Greichaly Cepero, who notched 61 assists.

The Huskers continued their impressive offensive play against Oral Roberts Monday. Nine of the seven players who attempted an attack hit .500 or better, and NU hit .486 overall, its best mark since Oct. 3, 1998 (at Oklahoma). Nebraska hit .400 or higher only two times in 1999.

Through NU's first four matches, three players are are hitting .400 or better: senior setter Jill McWilliams hit .500 (two kills, no errors, four attacks), freshman outside hitter Anna Schrad hit .424 (16 kills, two errors, 33 attacks), and sophomore outside hitter Laura Pilakowski hit .404 (48 kills, 10 errors, 94 attacks). Overall, six NU players own a hitting percentage of .338 or higher.

Huskers bench making big contributions
Through its first four matches, Nebraska has proven to be a deep and talented team. Freshmen Anna Schrad and Jenae Dowling, sophomores Lindsay Wischmeier and Pam Krejci and senior Jill McWilliams have each contributed significantly to the Huskers' fortunes.

Topping the list is Schrad, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter from Lincoln Pius X. Schrad has played in 10 of 12 games for NU, producing 16 kills on 33 attempts and a .424 hitting percentage. Schrad's biggest statistical contributions came during the Oral Roberts and Georgia matches. Against ORU, Schrad posted seven kills on 10 attempts with just one error for a match-best .600 hitting percentage.

Against Georgia, Schrad had five kills on 10 attacks for a .500 mark.

Defensive specialists Dowling and Wischmeier have also been impressive. The 5-6 Dowling played in three games, providing defensive help in the back row. Wischmeier, who started against Oral Roberts and Georgia, ranks fourth on team with 27 digs and second with five service aces.

McWilliams, one of two starting setters for NU in 1999, has provided solid backup play for Greichaly Cepero. McWilliams ranks second on the team in assists with 17, 3.40 per contest.

Krejci, a former walk-on at middle blocker who earned a scholarship over the summer, recorded career-bests in kills (four) and total attacks (nine) against Oral Roberts.

Nebraska's great wall sitting atop the Big 12
The Huskers have led the Big 12 Conference in blocking three of the past four years, and through the first week of action in 2000 they have continued their blocking excellence. In the conference statistics released Monday, NU ranked No. 1 in blocking with 4.25 per game and 42.5 total blocks -- 10.5 more than second-place Colorado.

Five Huskers ranked among the top 15 individual leaders in blocking. Sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist was second with 2.00 blocks per game, and junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp was fourth with 1.7 blocks per game. Other Huskers in the top 15 were Angie Oxley (10th, 1.30 bpg), Greichaly Cepero (11th, 1.20 bpg) and Kim Behrends (15th, 1.00 bpg).

Husker attendance ranks second nationally
Nebraska's fans continue to fuel their team's success at the NU Coliseum. Through the first week of collegiate volleyball action, the Husker crowds ranked second in average attendance with 3,095 fans per contest. Hawaii ranks first, Florida third and Texas fourth. Crowds at two of NU's matches ranked in the top five for single-match attendance. The 3,987 fans at the Nebraska-CSU match Sept. 2 was third, while the 3,343 fans at the NU-Northwestern contest Sept. 1 was fourth.

The 1999 season marked the best year ever for Husker attendance, as Nebraska drew 71,577 fans, breaking the 1998 record of 69,594. Nebraska drew an average of 3,767 fans per match in 1999. Nebraska has posted 10 undefeated season in the NU Coliseum, including an 18-0 mark in 1998. The Huskers own an amazing 349-24 all-time record at the Coliseum.

NU defeats Oral Roberts in record fashion
Nebraska (4-0) defeated Oral Roberts (1-3) in record-setting fashion Monday afternoon before 2,297 fans at the NU Coliseum, sweeping the Golden Eagles 15-0, 15-1, 15-0. ORU's one point broke the school record for points scored by an opponent in a three-game match. The previous mark, two points, was set by Iowa State, Oct. 7, 1999.

NU Coach John Cook used 11 players in the one-hour, five-minute match. Senior outside hitter Kim Behrends led NU with eight kills, while three Huskers posted seven kills, including senior right side hitter Angie Oxley, Big 12 Volleyball Athlete-of-the-Week Laura Pilakowski, and freshman outside hitter Anna Schrad.

Playing in just her fourth collegiate match, Schrad also led Nebraska in hitting percentage with a .600 mark.Cook said he was impressed with the Lincoln Pius X graduate's performance.

"I tell Anna all the time how much we need her this season," Cook said. "And I think that as time goes on, she is getting more and more confident in herself, and the team is getting more and more confident in her."

The Huskers continued their impressive offensive play against ORU. Nine of the seven players who attempted an attack hit .500 or better, and NU hit .486 overall, its best mark since Oct. 3, 1998 (at Oklahoma). The Huskers have hit .346 or better in three of their four contests this season under first-year setter Greichaly Cepero, who posted 26 assists against the Eagles. Nebraska hit better than .346 just eight times in 1999.

Patricia Dominguez led Oral Roberts with six kills.

Huskers defeat No. 13 CSU, win US Bank Tournament
Lincoln - Sophomore Laura Pilakowski's career-high 25 kills propelled sixth-ranked Nebraska to a 7-15, 15-7, 15-13, 15-13 win over 13th-ranked Colorado State in the championship match of the US Bank Invitational in front of a crowd of 3,987 fans at the NU Coliseum Saturday night. With the win, Nebraska improved to 3-0 on the season, while the Rams (4-1) saw their four-match win streak come to an end. The Rams entered the US Bank Tournament after winning the State Farm/NACWAA Classic that included a win over No. 1-ranked UCLA.

Pilakowski, a sophomore from Columbus, Neb., broke her previous match high of nine kills, set in a three-game win over Northwestern Friday evening and totaled 41 kills and hit .369 in this weekend's match en route to tournament MVP honors.

A trio of Husker joined Pilakowski on the all-tourament team, including senior Angie Oxley who became just the third player since 1995 to record a triple double, finishing with 15 kills, 12 digs and 10 block assists. On the weekend, she totaled 23 kills and hit .309. Amber Holmquist recorded 11 kills in the win, her third-straight double-kill performance.

Joining Holmquist and Pilakowski on the all-tournament team was NU setter Greichaly Cepero, who notched a career-best 61 assists against Colorado State. In her first weekend as Nebraska's starting setter, Cepero recorded 117 kills, leading the Huskers for a .300 hitting percentage for the tournament.

Husker middle blocker Jenny Kropp (Grand Island) led the defensive charge, tying an NU Coliseum record for block assists in a four-game match with 12. She now shares the mark with Karen Dahlgren, who established the record in 1984.

Courtney Cox led Colorado State with 30 kills on 70 attempts, both Mountain West Conference and CSU records.

Cook adds two new assistants to coaching staff
The Huskers will also feature new faces on the sidelines as NU Coach John Cook announced the hiring of top assistant Staci Wolfe and assistant Craig Skinner last winter.

Wolfe enters her first season as Nebraska's top assistant coach after five successful seasons on the University of Florida coaching staff. She replaces Nikki Best, who was an assistant coach for three seasons with the Huskers and is beginning her first season as head coach at Montana. Wolfe's primary duties include recruiting, team training, academics and working with community relations. She also assists with summer camps.

A native of Los Gatos, Calif., Wolfe is considered one of the nation's top assistants after helping the Gators advance to three NCAA Final Fours in the past four seasons. Wolfe, who joined Head Coach Mary Wise's staff in 1995, helped Florida win five consecutive Southeastern Conference championships and five SEC Tournament titles.

A four-year starting swing hitter for Colorado, Wolfe was twice named to the Big Eight Conference All-Tournament team (1993 and 1994) and was an All-Big Eight selection in 1994.

Skinner, who coached with Cook at Wisconsin from 1994 to 1996, takes over as the second assistant for the Huskers after serving as an assistant with the Ball State men's volleyball team for the past two years. His primary duty is to oversee the team's training. He also shares the recruiting duties, while directing Nebraska's prestigious summer camps. Skinner, 29, is a native of Muncie, Ind. He teamed up with Cook at Wisconsin from 1994 to 1996, aiding the Badgers to a 68-35 record and three postseason appearances, including the 1996 NCAA regional semifinals.

Last season, Skinner, a graduate of Ball State, helped lead his alma mater to wins over three nationally ranked teams and an 8-4 record at midseason before leaving for Nebraska. The BSU men's team finished the season ranked 13th in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25.

NU wins Big 12 title in Pettit's final season
Head Coach Terry Pettit closed the book on one of the most productive coaching careers in NCAA history when he announced on Dec. 14, 1999, that he was stepping down as head coach after 23 seasons on the Husker sidelines. However, Director of Athletics Bill Byrne insured that Nebraska's success would carry on into the next century by naming Associate Head Coach John Cook as Pettit's replacement.

Pettit's retirement brought an end to one of college volleyball's legacies, as he finished his career with a 694-148-11 record, just six wins shy of his 700th Nebraska victory. During his 23 seasons at the Husker helm, Pettit's teams played in three national championship matches, won 21 conference titles, appeared in 18 consecutive NCAA Tournaments and won the 1995 NCAA title.

Pettit displayed some of the most creative coaching of his 25-year career in his final season. Nebraska compiled a 27-6 record and a 17-3 Big 12 mark in 1999.

As host of the prestigious State Farm/NACWAA Classic, the Huskers got off to a rocky start, losing to both No. 6 Pacific and top-ranked Penn State, marking the first time in school history the Huskers opened the season with an 0-2 record. But NU got back on track with wins against Western Michigan and Iowa before claiming the SunTrust Invitational Tournament title with a win over Florida.

After winning its own US Bank Tournament and dropping No. 13 Wisconsin, it appeared the Huskers were comfortable with their new 6-2 offense and ready to roll through the Big 12 season. But an upstart Kansas State squad had different ideas, handing the Huskers a stunning five-game loss to open the Big 12 season despite a school record 39 kills from junior All-American Nancy Meendering. With the win, Kansas State snapped one of college volleyball's longest streaks, ending a 25-year drought that saw the Wildcats lose 58 straight matches to Nebraska. It was also the first time in school history Nebraska had suffered a regular-season loss on the floor of the Nebraska Coliseum, ruining a 101-0 record.

After a pair of league wins, the Huskers fell to 2-2 in the conference with another five-game loss, this time at Texas A&M.

Despite Nebraska's rough opening start, Pettit and the team remained confident that the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. The newest piece of the puzzle was freshman middle blocker Amber Holmquist.

After Holmquist saw limited time in her first league start at Texas A&M, Pettit kept the freshman in the lineup, and she helped the Huskers route Iowa State in record fashion, 15-0, 15-2, 15-0, setting a school record for the fewest points allowed in a match and sparking a five-match win streak.

Nebraska took a 15-4 record into Austin, Texas on Oct. 23, looking to prove it was at full strength. But the Longhorns edged Nebraska 15-13 in game five, dropping the Huskers to 0-4 in five-game matches on the year.

The following week, NU avenged its earlier losses to Kansas State and Texas A&M with a 3-0 drubbing of the Wildcats in Manhattan, Kan., and a 3-1 win over the Aggies in Lincoln. The season's turnaround appeared complete after Nebraska's win at No. 20 Colorado, when the Huskers defeated the Buffs in four games to take sole possession of first place in the Big 12.

With the Huskers back in control for a conference title, a season-high 8,279 fans poured through the turnstiles at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Nov. 20, to see the Huskers put a 22-5 record on the line and celebrate the program's 25th anniversary.

The Huskers made short order of the Missouri Tigers in a 3-0 sweep, setting up a showdown with the 15th-ranked Longhorns. A win would give Nebraska its second straight Big 12 title, third overall, while a loss would mean the Huskers would have to share the crown with both Texas and Texas A&M. Meendering once again carried Nebraska with 23 kills on a three-game school-record 58 attempts in the thrilling win.

Nebraska charged into its 18th straight NCAA Tournament riding a 10-match win streak. Nebraska extended that win streak to 12 matches with home victories over Davidson and No. 25 San Diego in the first and second rounds of the tournament.

In the Pacific Region semifinals against No. 7 UC Santa Barbara, the Huskers got one of their toughest matches of the year against the Gauchos. The tough defensive team kept the Huskers from running points, and eliminated Pettit's final team with a 15-5, 7-15, 15-8, 15-3 win over Nebraska.

A key part to Nebraska's success was the play of Meendering. She led the team in kills (580) and blocks (154), earning AVCA First-Team All-America honors for the second straight year. She is the eighth Husker to win two first-team All-America awards and was also named the 1999 Big 12 Player of the Year.

Freshman Greichaly Cepero and Holmquist earned conference honors. Cepero, a first-team All-Big 12 selection (one of just two Husker freshmen to start every match as a rookie), was named the Big 12 and AVCA District 5 Freshman of the Year.

Holmquist finished the season with a team-best .373 hitting percentage. Holmquist also earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors for her efforts. Junior outside hitter Angie Oxley also landed Big 12 honors, joining Holmquist as an honorable-mention selection.

Nebraska continued its success at home, finishing the season with a 16-3 record in Lincoln and second in the nation in attendance by averaging 3,767 fans per match.

John Cook enters his first season as NU's head coach
It came as no surprise to Husker fans when John Cook was tabbed Nebraska's head volleyball coach by Director of Athletics Bill Byrne on Dec. 14, 1999.

That's because Cook had already shocked the volleyball world one year earlier when he left his post as head coach at Wisconsin, another top 10 program, to take the position as associate head coach for the Huskers, setting up his succession of 23-year head coach Terry Pettit who retired from coaching last season.

Cook is not a stranger to the Husker program. He served as an assistant coach under Terry Pettit for three seasons from 1988 to 1991.

Cook earned praise as one of the game's top young coaches after building the Badger program into a top-10 program during his seven-year career in Madison. Cook, 43, compiled a 161-73 record at the helm of the Badgers, including an 89-51 league mark in the Big Ten, one of the nation's toughest conferences. He was named the Big Ten Co-Coach and AVCA District 2 Coach of the Year in 1997 after leading the Badgers to a share of the Big Ten title with a 19-1 mark and school-record 30-3 overall record. In his seven years as head coach, the Badgers advanced to six straight postseason tournaments, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998. In 1995, Wisconsin won the National Invitational Volleyball Championship with a perfect 6-0 record.

During his tenure at UW, Cook coached four All-Americans, nine AVCA All-District award winners, 11 All-Big Ten honorees and two Big Ten freshmen of the year. He also coached 21 Academic All-Big 10 selections during his seven seasons. Cook has also served on the coaching staffs of the U.S. Men's National Team and California-San Diego.

A graduate of the University of San Diego, Cook earned his bachelor's degree in history in 1979. He completed his master's degree in teaching and coaching effectiveness from San Diego State in 1991. Cook and his wife Wendy, a former two-time All-America setter at San Diego State, are the parents of two children, Lauren, 9, and Taylor, 6.