No. 1 Huskers Face Tough Task at Texas A&M

No. 1 Nebraska at No. 24 Texas A&M

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Date: Wednesday, Nov. 8
No. 1 Nebraska (23-0 overall and15-0 in the Big 12 Conference) at No. 24 Texas A&M (15-6, 10-4) in a 7 p.m. match at the G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station, Texas.
Television: The Texas A&M match will be aired as a tape-delayed broadcast on Fox Sports Net.
Radio: The Texas A&M match will be broadcast live by John Baylor on KLIN 1400 AM and the Nebraska Volleyball Network.
Live Internet Broadcast: www.Huskers.com

Probable Husker Starters

No.	Name	Cl.	Pos.	Ht.	kpg	pct.	dpg	bpg
1	Greichaly Cepero	So.	S	6-2	1.74	.322	2.10	1.33
2	Angie Oxley	Sr.	RS	6-0	1.81	.301	2.75	0.99
3	Amber Holmquist	So.	MB	6-4	3.03	.407	0.35	1.87
9	Laura Pilakowski	So.	OH	6-1	4.34	.367	2.52	0.69
17	Jenny Kropp	Jr.	MB	6-2	2.58	.344	1.25	1.68
25	Kim Behrends	Sr.	OH	6-0	214	.247	2.30	0.61
First off the Bench
5	Lindsay Wischmeier	So.	DS	5-9	0.01	1.000	2.00	0.00
10	Jill McWilliams	Sr.	S/DS	6-0	0.09	.136	0.98	0.11
16	Anna Schrad	Fr.	OH	6-2	2.12	.296	1.07	0.33

Top-Ranked Huskers Face Tough Test at Texas A&M
Lincoln -- The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team faces what could be its toughest Big 12 Conference road test of the season when it travels to College Station, Texas, Wednesday to face 24th-ranked Texas A&M in a 7 p.m. at the G. Rollie White Coliseum.

The "Holler House," as the Coliseum is called, is one of the most intimidating volleyball venues in the country. Nebraska owns a 12-6 all-time record against A&M, but NU hasn't won in the building since 1997. The Aggies (15-6, 10-4), who are currently in third place in the Big 12 standings, have won 28 straight matches there, dating back to a four-game loss to Texas Tech on Nov. 1, 1998. A&M has won 20 consecutive Big 12 home matches. Texas A&M is 90-13 (.874) at G. Rollie White Coliseum since coach Laurie Corbelli was hired in 1993, with 11 of the 13 losses coming to ranked opponents.

Meanwhile, the Huskers (23-0, 15-0) have won 25 straight league matches dating back to last season. Nebraska, ranked No. 1 in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches poll for nine straight weeks, has swept 19 of its 23 opponents this season, including 13 of its 15 league foes.

The sophomore trio of Greichaly Cepero, Amber Holmquist and Laura Pilakowski has been largely responsible for the Huskers' 2000 success. The three were especially hot last week in Nebraska's 3-0 wins over Oklahoma and Colorado. Cepero, the only Big 12 player to rank among the top 10 in three categories in conference matches, averaged 15.17 assists, 2.50 kills, 3.50 digs and 1.67 blocks per game. Pilakowski added 6.67 kills per game on .398 hitting and 2.83 digs per game, and Holmquist, a Houston native, totaled 3.67 kills per game on .400 hitting and 2.33 blocks per game. Senior right side hitter Angie Oxley added an impressive 4.17 digs per game last week, and junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp added 2.83 kills and 1.67 blocks per game for the two matches.

FOX Sports Net to televise A&M Match
The Nebraska/Texas A&M volleyball match will be shown on a tape-delay basis on FOX Sports Net. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. in College Station. Nebraska fans in most of the region can view the match Friday at noon on FOX Rocky Mountain (Channel 57 in Lincoln). CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS for the station and airtime nearest you.

A Look at No. 24 Texas A&M
No. 24 Texas A&M will be looking to get back on track after suffering an upset loss to Colorado, 3-0, in Boulder last Wednesday. The loss dropped the Aggies to 15-6 overall and 10-4 in the league. With the extra mark in the loss column, A&M fell from a three-way tie for second with Missouri and Kansas State to a tie for third in the league standings.

The Aggies have been one of the best side-out teams in the Big 12 this season, leading the conference in digs (20.01 per game), kills (19.04 per game) and assists (17.14 per game). Junior outside hitter Erin Gibson leads the league in digs with 4.44 per game. Gibson also leads Texas A&M with 4.32 kills per game. Michelle Cole, Brandi Mount and Heather Marshall each average more than 3.00 kills per game.

An amazing eight A&M players are averaging 2.33 kills per game or more under preseason co-Big 12 Player-of-the-Year Jenna Moscovic. The junior setter is fourth in the league with 13.74 assists per game.

NU has lost two of its last four to A&M. The Aggies have not lost at home since Nov. 1, 1998, claiming 28 straight at the G. Rollie White Coliseum. A&M has won a Big 12-record 20 consectutive league home matches. In the squads' most recent meeting, Nebraska defeated Texas A&M 15-3, 16-14, 15-7 Sept. 30 in Lincoln, Neb. Sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist, a native of Houston, posted 15 kills, nine blocks and a .522 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp added 12 kills and hit .455.

Nebraska breaks NCAA attendance record
An NCAA regular-season record-breaking crowd of 12,504 fans cheered the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team to a 15-12, 15-3, 15-13 win over Colorado Saturday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The attendance mark smashed the previous record of 11,529, which was set Oct. 22, 1995, at the Nebraska-Colorado match at the Devaney Center.

The record-breaking crowd was the second-largest overall in NCAA history, trailing only the 13,194 fans who attended the 1998 NCAA championship match between Long Beach State and Penn State in Madison, Wis.

Nebraska matches at the Devaney Center have attracted the top three regular-season crowds in NCAA history. The Huskers' match against UCLA Sept. 14, 1991 drew the third-largest crowd, 11,032 fans.

Nebraska Coach John Cook said he wanted to play at the Devaney Center in hopes of creating an atmosphere similar to the that of the NCAA Final Four. The Huskers normally play at the 4,200-seat NU Coliseum.

"When I drove up to the Devaney Center at 5:30, there were people lined up to the street waiting to get in," Cook said. "That's when I sensed that we would be involved in making volleyball history. This is going to be big news in the volleyball world. Volleyball needs this kind of attention. And what's even more impressive about the crowd is the fact that there were no special promotions tonight. We didn't give away any tickets. Everyone in the crowd paid to be here, and that really means something."

Nebraska's 2000 season average attendance jumped up to 4,288. Hawaii ranks first with a 6,858 average.

Cepero living up to preseason hype
After being voted the preseason co-Big 12 Player of the Year before taking over as Nebraska's setter, Greichaly Cepero had something to prove. And through the Huskers' 23 matches in 2000, Cepero has lived up to the hype.

In the Oct. 30 Big 12 statistics, Cepero was the only player in the Big 12 to rank among the league's top 10 in conference matches in hitting percentage (10th, .330), assists (ninth, 12.20) and blocks per game (fourth, 1.48). Cepero, who was also the first setter in the league to earn Big 12 Volleyball Athlete-of-the-Week honors, leads the Huskers with four double-doubles and two triple-doubles.

Through NU's 23 matches this season, Cepero has averaged 11.57 assists per game, 2.10 digs per game, 1.33 blocks per game and 1.74 kills per game on .322 hitting.

Cepero has guided the Huskers to a .333 hitting percentage, a mark that ranks first in the Big 12 and first nationally. Eight of the 10 Huskers who have attempted kills this season are hitting .296 or better under the direction of Cepero.

Pilakowski pounding NU opponents
After playing just nine games in 1999, sophomore outside hitter Laura Pilakowski has emerged as a go-to player for the Huskers in 2000.

Through Nebraska's 23 matches this season, Pilakowski leads the Huskers with 4.34 kills per game on .367 hitting. She ranks fourth in the conference in hitting percentage and seventh in kills per game. Pilakowski has posted the Huskers' top seven kill totals this season with 25 against Colorado State, 22 against Colorado, 20 against UCLA and Texas and 18 at Texas Tech and at Oklahoma. She has led Nebraska in kills in 13 matches.

Pilakowski had one of her best weeks of the season last week in NU's 3-0 wins at Oklahoma and against Colorado when she totaled 6.67 kills per game on a .398 hitting efficiency.

Pilakowski's heroics have not gone unnoticed by others this season. The Big 12 Conference honored the Columbus (Neb.) High graduate with its first volleyball athlete-of-the-week honor. Pilakowski was also the MVP of the US Bank Tournament and was named to the Notre Dame adidas Invitational all-tournament team.

Holmquist high on NCAA, Big 12 charts
With impressive all-around play at the net in recent weeks, sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist rose to first in the nation in blocking and 13th in hitting percentage in the Oct. 29 NCAA statistcs. The Houston, Texas, native is also the only Big 12 player to rank first in two categories among league players. She is first in both blocking and hitting percentage.

Holmquist currently owns a .407 hitting percentage for the season and is hitting .434 in Big 12 matches. If Holmquist continues at her current pace, she will end the year ranked in the top 10 on the Nebraska single-season charts.

Holmquist has hit .500 or higher in 12 matches this season, and she has hit .600 or higher six times. From Sept. 30 to Oct. 18, Holmquist produced an amazing six-match stretch in which she hit .522, .667, .750, .500, .500 and .688. She has led Nebraska in blocks in 15 matches and kills in 11 matches. Holmquist, who broke a Big 12 record with 16 total blocks at Texas Oct. 22, is one of three Huskers who have earned Big 12 Conference Athlete-of-the-Week honors this season. The others are her sophomore classmates, setter Greichaly Cepero and outside hitter Laura Pilakowski.

Kropp quietly producing big numbers
She has been somewhat overshadowed by fellow middle blocker Amber Holmquist's rise up the national blocking and hitting percentage charts, but junior Jenny Kropp has quietly produced an impressive 2000 campaign of her own.

A 6-foot-2 middle blocker, Kropp ranks second to Holmquist in the Big 12 Conference with 1.68 blocks per game. In league matches, Kropp is averaging 1.81 blocks per game. In that category in the Oct. 29 NCAA statistics, Kropp was tied for third nationally.

Through the 2000 season, Kropp ranks third on the team with a 2.58 kills-per-game average. The Grand Island, Neb., native ranks fifth among Big 12 players in conference matches only with a .358 hitting percentage.

NU ranks first nationally in hitting percentage
The Huskers ranked first in the nation with a .337 hitting percentage in the Oct. 29 NCAA statistics. The mark includes their first 21 matches. Nebraska currently ranks first in the Big 12 Conference with a .333 efficiency, and the Huskers are on track to break the school's single-season mark of .331 set in 1986. The Huskers are the only Big 12 team that boasts a hitting efficiency higher than .300.

As a team, the Huskers have hit .300 or higher in 17 of their 23 matches under the direction of first-year setter Greichaly Cepero. Their most impressive statistical offensive showing came against Creighton Oct. 3 when NU posted a .567 hitting percentage, their best mark in at least seven years. Nebraska has hit .485 or higher three times and .433 or higher five times already this season. Nebraska hit .400 or higher only two times in 1999.

For the season, eight of the 10 NU players who have attempted a kill are hitting .295 or higher, and the Huskers are dominating the Big 12 statistics in conference matches, as four players rank among the top 10 in hitting percentage. Sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist ranks first with a .434 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp is fourth (.358), sophomore outside hitter Laura Pilakowski is seventh (.354), and Cepero ranks 10th (.330) in league matches.

Nebraska nation's top blocking team
In the Oct. 29 NCAA statistics, Nebraska ranked No. 1 in the nation in team blocking with 4.04 per game. Sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist leads the nation with 1.87 blocks per game, and junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp was tied for third nationally with 1.68 blocks per game.

The Huskers also lead the Big 12 in blocking, averaging 4.17 blocks per game in league matches. NU will likely break its own conference record of 3.83 blocks per game in a single season set in 1998. Holmquist ranks first in league matches (1.96), Kropp is second (1.81) and sophomore setter Greichaly Cepero ranks fourth (1.48 bpg). Nebraska, which has led the conference in blocking three of the past four years, is out-blocking its opponents 299.0 to 91.5 this season.

Huskers break conference blocking records
Nebraska staged its own block party at Texas Oct. 22, breaking two NU school records and two Big 12 Conference records for block assists.

The Huskers set a new NU record for block assists in a single match with 46, smashing the 9-year-old record of 41 set in 1991 against UCLA. The total also broke the Big 12 record for blocks in a four-game match. The previous mark of 42 was set by both Texas A&M and Kansas State in 1998.

With 16 total blocks against Texas, sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist broke the Big 12 Conference and the Nebraska record for total blocks in a single match. The previous record of 15 was held by former NU middle blocker Tonia Tauke, who accomplished the feat against Michigan State in 1996.

For the week of Oct. 16, the Huskers averaged an amazing 6.00 blocks per game in wins over Kansas State and Texas. Holmquist averaged 3.29 blocks per game for the week

NU remains No. 1 in AVCA/USA Today Coaches Poll
For the ninth straight week, Nebraska was voted No. 1 in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. The 23-0 Huskers received 50 first-place votes and 1,490 points after 3-0 wins over Oklahoma and Colorado last week.

Second-place Hawaii earned 10 first-place votes and 1,450 points. Arizona was third, Wisconsin was fourth and Colorado State, a team NU defeated 3-1 Sept. 2 in Lincoln, was fifth. Six of the teams on NU's 2000 schedule are ranked, including Big 12 foes Missouri (No. 23) and Texas A&M (No. 24).

The Huskers were voted the nation's No. 1 team for the first time in 2000 in the Sept. 11 poll. The poll marked the first time since 1995 that NU has held the top spot.

The Huskers moved into the No. 1 ranking on the strength of their successful weekend in South Bend. NU first posted sweeps of then-No. 22 Notre Dame Sept. 8 and then-No. 16 Michigan State Sept. 9. In the adidas Invitational title match Sept. 10, Nebraska knocked off previously third-ranked UCLA, 12-15, 15-11, 13-15, 15-1, 15-10.

Nebraska has produced an overall 58-2 mark when holding the nation's top spot. The Huskers are 17-0 in 2000, and were 27-0 at No. 1 in 1995, 9-1 in 1994 and 5-1 in 1990. Nebraska's only losses while ranked No. 1 were to Pacific in 1990 and Penn State in 1994.

Senior Oxley solid at new position
A three-year starter on the left side for NU, Oxley moved to the right side for the 2000 season when two-time All-American Nancy Meendering elected to redshirt this year after training with the U.S. Olympic Team in the off-season. The move has proven successful. Oxley has provided the Huskers with solid numbers at the position, leading the team in digs with 2.64 per game, and she is tied for second on the team with 21 service aces. Oxley has produced 1.81 kills per game on a .305 hitting percentage. The Ogallala, Neb., native hit just .217 on the left side last season.

Behrends successful in starting role
In her first season as a starter, Kim Behrends has produced solid numbers, ranking fifth on the team in kills per game (2.14) and third on the team in digs per game (2.30). But it has been the during the Big 12 Conference season when the senior outside hitter has done most of her damage.

In league matches, Behrends is tied for first among Huskers and ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 0.43 service aces per game. Behrends has 20 service aces in her last 14 matches after posting just three aces in NU's first nine matches of 2000. Oct. 28 against Kansas, Behrends posted a career-best five service aces. It was also the most service aces by any Husker in a single match this season.

The Chappel, Neb., native's offensive numbers are also up in Big 12 play, where she has produced a slightly higher 2.21 kills per game and has hit .263. Behrends has led Nebraska in kills in two of its last four matches, posting a career-best 14 at Missouri Oct. 25.

Freshman Schrad a quick study
With the success of starting outside hitters Kim Behrends and Laura Pilakowski, NU Coach John Cook has had the luxury of slowly breaking in freshman outside hitter Anna Schrad.

However, Schrad appears to be catching on quickly. Schrad has played in 42 of 74 games this season, usually spelling Behrends in third games or in the front row periodically. The Lincoln Pius X graduate is averaging 2.12 kills per game in Big 12 play. Schrad produced her best match of the season Oct. 14 at Texas Tech. Playing in the third and fourth games only, Schrad posted a career-best 14 kills on 31 attacks. She hit .387 for the match. Schrad also played well at Oklahoma Nov. 1, producing eight kills and no errors on 11 attacks for a .727 hitting percentage.

One of the top volleyball players to ever come out of the state of Nebraska, Schrad joined the Huskers after a stellar prep career. She was named a three-time all-state selection and was the 1999 Gatorade Nebraska Volleyball Player of the Year. A first-team Volleyball Magazine All-American, Schrad served as the captain of the USA Junior National Team as a senior.

Wischmeier and McWilliams successful in new roles
Sophomore Lindsay Wischmeier and senior Jill McWilliams spent the 1999 season sharing the setting duties for Nebraska in the Huskers' unique 6-2 offensive scheme. The combination worked well for NU, as the Huskers captured the Big 12 championship. But despite their success in 1999, Wischmeier and McWilliams entered the 2000 season with new roles. NU Coach John Cook decided to revert back to a 5-1 offense and use the more athletic Greichaly Cepero as the starter. In order to continue to take advantage of Wischmeier's consistent play, Cook moved her into a defensive specialist role, and the Burchard, Neb., product has flourished.

As a back-row substitute for sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist, Wischmeier ranks fifth on the team in digs with 2.00 per game. Wischmeier is second on the team with 21 service aces. She has produced at least two service aces in a match five times this season, including a season-best three service aces at Kansas. Wischmeier is tied for 13th in the Big 12 with 0.30 service aces per game.

McWilliams also plays a defensive specialist role in matches, coming in for middle blocker Jenny Kropp for two rotations in the back row. She has started five matches this season, and played the entire Iowa State match at the setter position, posting a season-best 41 assists.

Husker fans keep NU Coliseum packed
Nebraska's fans continue to fuel their team's success at the NU Coliseum. With an NCAA regular-season record-breaking crowd of 12,504 Nov. 4 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, the Huskers' boosted their average attendance of 3,576 to 4,288 fans per contest. Hawaii ranks first, Wisconsin ranked third, Minnesota was fourth and Illinois State was fifth.

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 seasons in the NU Coliseum, including an 18-0 mark in 1998. The Huskers own an amazing 357-24 all-time record at the Coliseum.

Last time out: Huskers sweep Colorado
Laura Pilakowski and Greichaly Cepero each posted double-doubles to lead the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team to a 15-12, 15-3, 15-13 win over Colorado Saturday night before an-NCAA record-breaking crowd of 12,504 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

With the victory, Nebraska improved to 23-0 overall and 15-0 in the Big 12 Conference. NU recorded its 19th sweep of the season and its 13th sweep over a league opponent.

A sophomore outside hitter, Pilakowski pounded a match-high 22 kills on .404 hitting and posted 12 digs. Cepero, NU's sophomore setter, was just one kill short of her third triple-double of the season, posting 50 assists, 15 digs and nine kills. Cepero led NU to a .314 team hitting percentage, the 17th time this season that she has led the Huskers to .300 hitting or better.

Sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist totaled 14 kills on a match-best .545 hitting efficiency while recording a match-high seven blocks. Junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp added 13 kills and five blocks.

Defensively, NU out-blocked Colorado 13.5-5.5. The Huskers had 77 digs to the Buffaloes' 70.

Colorado, which fell to 11-10 overall and 7-7 in the conference, was led by Sonja Nielsen's 15 kills. Nielsen also posted a match-best 18 digs.

The Buffaloes, who fell to Nebraska in a quick three-game match Sept. 27 in Boulder, posed a bigger threat to NU Saturday night. Colorado stormed back from a 11-5 deficit in the third game, scoring five consecutive points before Sara Villwock capped a 6-0 run with an ace serve, tying the score at 11. The Huskers regained control on a kill by Pilakowski, then built a 14-11 lead with Cepero behind the service line.

Colorado thwarted the Huskers' game-point attempt with a kill by Meghan Barkman. CU scored its 12th and 13th points on a kill by Villwock and a Nebraska attack error. But NU took possession on a kill by senior outside hitter Kim Behrends, and the Huskers sealed the 15-13 third-game win when Holmquist and senior right side hitter Angie Oxley blocked Villwock.

Survey allows fans to speak on proposed scoring change
A scoring format subcommittee of Divsion I head coaches will meet in RIchmond, Va., at the AVCA Convention at the NCAA Final Four in December to discuss changing the scoring format in college volleyball. Instead of playing the current system of the best of three games out of five with each game scored to 15 points and a rally-scoring fifth game, a new format could include international rally scoring (best of three games out of five to 25 points and 15 points in the fifth game if necessary). Another proposal is the Game, Set format of two sets of the best two out of three games.

The change has been suggested as a way to make volleyball more appealing to fans and television networks. However, Nebraska Coach John Cook and several other Division I coaches don't agree that a change would accomplish these objectives. Cook points to the fact that televiion has not given any indication that it will contract additional air time for volleyball if the scoring format is changed. Also, Cook said, schools with loyal or growing fan bases could lose fans by expirementing. Other negative factors include historical records losing their relevance and the already failed attempt by the Big Ten to attract television by expirementing with a new scoring format.

Because much of the talk concerning the proposed change revolves around fan interest, Division I volleyball webmaster Rich Kern has developed a survey to gauge the pulse of the fans. Fans are encouraged to voice their opinions starting at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7 at http://www.richkern.com/d1wvb00/survey/index.asp.

Cook leads NU to No. 1 ranking in first season
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. In his first season at the helm of the program, Cook has led the Huskers to a No. 1 ranking and a 23-0 start to improve his career record to 183-73.

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.