Huskers Need Two Wins for Second NCAA Title

Lincoln -- The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team will make the seventh NCAA Final Four appearance in school history when it travels to Richmond, Va., this week for the 2000 Division I volleyball championships. The Huskers (32-0) will face Hawaii (31-1) Thursday in a 5 p.m. match at the Richmond Coliseum.

Wisconsin and Southern California meet at 7:30 p.m. in the second semifinal match. The Thursday winners advance to Saturday's 2:30 p.m. championship match, which will be televised live on ESPN2.

Nebraska, 45-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, has advanced to the Final Four four times in the past six years, winning the program's first national title in 1995. This season, the Huskers will look to join the 1998 Long Beach State team as the only two teams in NCAA history to finish the season undefeated and with a national championship.

Nebraska, ranked No. 1 in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches poll for 14 straight weeks, has swept 25 of its 32 opponents this season. The Huskers are one win away from breaking the Nebraska record for conseucutive victories in the era of five-game matches. NU won 32 straight matches s in the 1995 and 1996 seasons. The Huskers won 36 consecutive matches in 1976 when all matches were played as two-out-of-three contests.

Nebraska's NCAA Tournament quick hits

• Nebraska has appeared in 19 of 20 NCAA Tournaments, missing just the first one in 1981. Only California-Santa Barbara, Pacific, Penn State and Stanford have played in every tournament.
  
• The Huskers will advance to the NCAA Final Four for the fourth time in the past six years. The Huskers advanced to the NCAA Final Four four times in the 1990s. Their past two Final Four appearances were the result of 3-2, regional wins against Penn State in 1996 and Wisconsin in 1998, respectively.
  
• Nebraska owns a 45-17 all-time NCAA Tournament record. In the past six seasons, the Huskers have produced a 21-4 postseason record.
  
• Nebraska has advanced to the NCAA Final Four seven of the 10 times that it has played host to a regional, failing to advance in 1985, 1991, and 1994. Nebraska is 7-3 in regional final appearances in Lincoln and 0-3 in regional final appearances on the road.
  
• The Huskers, 31-0, broke a jinx of sorts with their Central Region final win over Arizona. NU entered the 1994 Mideast Region Final with a 31-0 record before falling to Penn State in four games.
  
• Nebraska is looking to become just the second team in NCAA history to finish as a national champion with an undefeated record. The only other team to accomplish the feat was Long Beach State, which went 36-0 in 1998 to win the national title.
  
• NU's seven Final Four appearances is tied for third with Pacifc and Long Beach State in NCAA history behind Stanford (12) and UCLA (10). The Huskers rank fourth all-time in NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.726) and third all-time in NCAA Tournament wins (45).
  
• NU lists seven players on its roster with NCAA Tournament experience. Senior Angie Oxley has the most postseason experience of any Husker. The senior outside hitter has played in 14 matches (43 games).
  
• Nebraska has advanced to the NCAA Championship match three of the six times it played at the Final Four, winning the national championship in 1995.

*-A breakdown of Nebraska's Final Four appearances

Year	Result	Opponent	Match
1986	L, 0-3	Pacific	NCAA Championship
1989	L, 0-3	Long Beach State	NCAA Championship
1990	L, 3-1	Pacific	NCAA Semifinal
1995	W, 3-1	Texas	NCAA Championship
1996	L, 1-3	Stanford	NCAA Semifinal
1998	L, 1-3	Penn State	NCAA Semifinal

A look at Hawaii (31-1)
Hawaii, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Region, spent most of the 2000 season as the second-ranked team in the country before falling to No. 3 after a four-game upset loss to Long Beach State. The Rainbow Wahine avenged the loss in the NCAA Tournament, defeating the 49ers in a West Region semfinal match then securing its sixth Final Four bid in program history with a 3-1 win over California-Santa Barbara.

Freshman outside hitter Kim Willoughby has led Hawaii in its 19th NCAA Tournament, averaging 4.07 kills and 3.27 digs over the past four matches. Sophomore outside hitter Lily Kahumoku led the Rainbow Wahine during the regular season, producing 4.51 kills per game while hitting .306. Five Hawaii players average 2.81 kills or more under sophomore setter Jennifer Carey, who produces 12.90 assists per game while leading the Rainbow Wahine to a .294 hitting efficiency.

Eleven of the 14 players on UH's roster are underclassmen, and six are freshmen. Hawaii has been seemingly unaffected by its youth. The Rainbow Wahine has swept 23 of its 32 matches under Dave Shoji, who is in his 26th season at UH.

The Huskers own a 3-3 all-time mark against Hawaii and lost to UH 3-0 in the squads' most recent meeting Aug. 24, 1996.

A look at Southern California (29-2)
Southern California, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Pacific Region, was ranked third most of the season before leaping past Hawaii after the Rainbow Wahine's loss to Long Beach State Nov. 25. USC has more wins against ranked opponents than any other Final Four team, defeating Notre Dame, Arizona, UC-Santa Barbara, UCLA and Stanford twice before sweeping No. 10 Florida in the Pacific region semifinals and No. 8 Penn State in the regional final.

The women of Troy finished the regular season ranked fourth nationally in hitting percentage (.311), and six Trojans are hitting .284 or better led by junior Jennifer Pahl's .409 percentage. Pahl, who earned her second All-Pac 10 first-team honor in 2000, averages 3.23 kills per game and leads the Women of Troy with 1.26 blocks per game. Outside hitter April Ross, the 2000 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, leads USC with 3.68 kills per game and 3.04 digs per game.

USC is led by Jerritt Elliott, who is serving as the Trojans interim head coach for the second year until former U.S. Olympic Coach Mick Haley takes over the reigns in 2001. Elliot earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, sharing the 2000 honor with Arizona's David Rubio. Elliott signed the nation's No. 1 ranked recruiting class and proceeded to guide the young squad to the Pac-10 title this season. USC posted its first 25-win season since 1985 under Elliot this year.

A Look at Wisconsin (32-3)
The Big Ten Conference champion and No. 1 seed in the Mideast Region, Wisconsin is making its first NCAA Final Four appearance after defeating No. 17 Kansas State 3-1 in the regional semifinal and No. 11 UCLA in a thrilling five-game victory in the regional final Dec. 9. Two of Wisconsin's three regular-season losses were five-game defeats to Top 20 teams Ohio State and Penn State, and the other was at Florida.

The Badgers have been led this season by junior middle blocker Sherisa Livingston, who averages 5.20 kills per game while hitting an a .386 clip. Livingston, the Big Ten co-Player of the Year, had 29 kills against Kansas State and 31 against UCLA. Senior outside hitter Jenny Maastricht, a second-team All-American in 1999, adds 4.43 kills per game. Five UW players are hitting .310 or better under junior setter Lizzy Fitzgerald, who produces 13.93 assists per game.

Wisconsin Coach Pete Waite was named Big Ten Coach of the Year after the Badgers clinched the Big Ten championship in just his second season at the helm. Waite owns a 320-115 overall career record, and a 54-13 record at UW. He is the third UW head coach named Coach of the Year. Steve Lowe won the award in 1990 and Nebraska's John Cook, who coached at Wisconsin from 1992 to 1998, earned the honor in 1997.

Nebraska owns a 10-1-1 all-time mark against Wisconsin. The Huskers last defeated UW Sept. 15, 1999 in three games. NU last faced the Badgers in the NCAA Tournament in 1998 in the Pacific Region final, defeated UW in a thrilling five-game match at the NU Coliseum.

Huskers Sweep Arizona, earn seventh Final Four bid
The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team earned its seventh NCAA Final Four bid when it defeated Arizona 15-7, 19-17, 15-11, Dec. 9 night before 4,043 fans in the Central Region final at the NU Coliseum.

The Huskers, who now own a 45-17 all-time NCAA Tournament record, will face third-ranked Hawaii in a national semifinal match Thursday, Dec. 14, at 5 p.m. at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va. Southern California and Wisconsin will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The winners will advance to the Dec. 16 national championship match at 2:30 p.m. The Huskers last nabbed a Final Four bid in 1998.

Sophomore outside hitter Laura Pilakowski led Nebraska for the second straight night, posting a match-best 17 kills while adding 10 digs to earn a spot on the all-region team. Sophomore setter Greichaly Cepero tallied 51 assists, 12 kills on a .526 hitting percentage, nine digs and six blocks en route to earning Central Region Most-Valuable-Player honors. Joining Cepeo and Pilakowski on the all-region team was senior right side hitter Angie Oxley, who recorded nine kills and eight digs. Senior outside hitter Kim Behrends added 10 kills and 13 digs.

Arizona's Dana Burkholder, who totaled 60 assists, Jill Talbot and Marissa Dalee also earned all-region honors.

With its victory over Arizona (28-5), Nebraska tied the school record for consecutive wins in the modern era of five-game matches. The Huskers won 36 straight matches in 1976 when all contests were played as two-games -out-of-three matches.

Nebraska breezed to an 8-1 lead in the third before Arizona fought back with a 6-0 run capped by a kill by Burkholder. Holmquist halted the Wildcats' momentum with a kill, and Oxley's second ace serve of the match gave NU a three-point lead. Arizona closed the gap to 9-8 on an ace serve by Rutledge, and then tied the game on a kill by Dalee.

Trailing 12-9 four possessions later, Nebraska regained control on a kill by Cepero. Behrends stepped to the service line and ripped off six straight points, including two service aces, for the 15-11, third-game win. Cepero sealed the match with a solo block of Rutledge.

Huskers sweep Ohio State in NCAA semifinal match
Lincoln - The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team earned a chance to play for a spot in the 2000 NCAA Final Four with a 15-9, 15-6, 15-5 win over Ohio State in a Central Region semifinal match Friday night before 4,031 fans at the NU Coliseum.

Sophomore outside hitter Laura Pilakowski came up big for NU, which improved to 31-0 on the season. Starting for the first time in three weeks after undergoing an appendectomy Nov. 21, Pilakowski pounded a match-best 15 kills and hit a match-high .448. Pilakowski also totaled eight digs and a career-best six block assists. Senior right side hitter Angie Oxley and sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist each added 10 kills. Sophomore setter Greichaly Cepero added impressive all-around numbers, tallying 39 assists, seven digs and seven blocks while leading NU to a .275 hitting percentage.

Nebraska Coach John Cook said Pilakowski's return to full-strength played a factor in NU's dominance over the Buckeyes.

"Laura bailed us out of a lot of situations tonight," Cook said. "We feel like she is one of the best left-side attackers in the country. You take that away from your team, and not only do you have a gap, but mentally, you lose that edge. Psychologically, it was a huge boost to have her back tonight."

Cepero Named Big 12 Player of the Year
Dallas - Nebraska sophomore setter Greichaly Cepero earned Big 12 Conference Player-of-the-Year honors in a vote by the league's head coaches, the conference office announced Nov. 26. Cepero, a 6-2 native of Dorado, Puerto Rico, earned the honor after guiding the Huskers to a No. 1 ranking, a 28-0 record and a .323 hitting percentage (second in the nation) in her first season at the position.

Cepero is the only setter who ranked in the top 10 of three different Big 12 categories. She was 10th in hitting percentage, ninth in assists per game and third in blocks per game. For the 2000 season, Cepero is averaging 11.93 assists, 2.20 digs, 1.47 blocks and 1.87 kills per game while leading NU to a .315 hitting percentage. Unique because of her blocking ability, Cepero was the only setter in the country to rank among the nation's top 20 in blocking (19th). Cepero leads Nebraska in solo blocks with 24 and has been responsible for 33 percent of the Huskers' blocks (147 of 442.5).

Five Huskers earn all-Big 12 honors
Four other Huskers joined sophomore setter Greichaly Cepero on the Big 12 honor list. Sophomore outside hitter Laura Pilakowski, sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist and junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp were named to the all-conference squad, while senior right side hitter Angie Oxley earned honorable-mention recognition.

Pilakowski, a native of Columbus, Neb., has been an offensive force for Nebraska in 2000, leading the Huskers with 4.33 kills per game on a .344 hitting efficiency, the highest percentage by an outside hitter in the Big 12. Holmquist, the nation's best blocker at 2.01 blocks per game, will most shatter the Big 12 Conference record of 1.79 per game. The Houston native has already broken the Nebraska single-season records for block assists, total blocks and blocks per game.

Kropp, a product of Grand Island, Neb., ended the regular season tied for fifth nationally in blocks per game. She was second to Holmquist in the Big 12 Conference in that category. In league matches, Kropp averaged 1.81 blocks per game. She has led Nebraska in blocks 12 times this season. Oxley, a native of Ogallala, Neb., leads Nebraska with 33 service aces and 2.91 digs per game.

Other notable Big 12 honorees were Missouri head coach Susan Kreklow, the 2000 Big 12 Coach of the Year, Texas A&M middle blocker Tara Pulaski, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Baylor outside hitter Stevie Nicholas, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and Texas Tech's Heather Hughes-Justice, the Big 12 Defensive Specialist of the Year.

Holmquist rewriting NU, Big 12 record books
In only her sophomore season, Nebraska middle blocker Amber Holmquist has smashed three Husker records and is moving up two other NU charts. In the past three weeks, Holmquist has set new NU single-season records for block assists (185), total blocks (205) and blocks per game (2.01). The nation's best blocker, Holmquist has also begun to climb up the Nebraska career-record charts. She ranks ninth all-time in total blocks (326) and 10th all-time in block assists (295) after just two seasons as a Husker. If Holmquist simply matches her freshman and sophomore total blocks and block-assists numbers in her junior and senior season with Nebraska, she will shatter the two records, exceeding the current career record in total blocks by about 60 blocks and the current career record in block-assist record by nearly 100.

The 6-foot-4 middle blocker, who has already broken a Big 12 Conference record with 16 total blocks at Texas Oct. 22, will also break the Big 12 blocks-per-game average of 1.79 this season.

Holmquist also currently ranks second on the Nebraska single-season hitting percentage chart (.413). If she maintains her hitting percentage, Holmquist will break the Big 12 single-season record of .406 set by Colorado's Kelly Campbell in 1998.

Pilakowski returns from surgery to dominate again
After undergoing an appendectomy Nov. 21, sophomore outside hitter Laura Pilakowski, Nebraska's go-to offensive threat all season, has returned to produce even bigger numbers for the Huskers. The first-team all-Big 12 selection has had the hot hand for NU during the NCAA Tournament despite playing sparingly in the first and second rounds, averaging 5. 20 kills per game and 1.10 blocks per game. Pilakowski, who has produced 4.33 kills, 2.60 digs and .075 blocks per game for Nebraska in 2000, posted 15 kills on .448 hitting against Ohio State Dec. 8 and 17 kills and 11 digs against Arizona Dec. 9. She earned NCAA All-Central Region honors for her efforts.

Nebraska continues dominance in conference play
The 2000 Big 12 Conference championship is the latest in a long line of league titles for Nebraska. The Huskers have won 23 Big Eight/Big 12 championships in 25 seasons. Twenty-two of the titles came under former head coach Terry Pettit, who retired after the 1999 season and now serves as an NU athletic department administrator. Nebraska has won four of the five Big 12 championships -- all but the 1997 title. The Huskers own a 375-32-1 all-time record against Big 12 schools, an amazing .919 winning percentage.

Huskers nation's top blocking team
In the final NCAA regular season statistics, Nebraska ranked No. 1 in the nation in team blocking with 4.20 per game. Sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist led the nation in blocks per game, junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp was tied for fifth nationally, and sophomore setter Greichaly Cepero was 19th in that category.

The Huskers also ended the regular season as the Big 12 blocking champion, averaging 4.36 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 finished the season ranked first in league matches (2.19), Kropp was second (1.73) and Cepero was third (1.68 bpg). Nebraska, which has led the conference in blocking three of the past four years, is out-blocking its opponents 442.5 to 155.0 this season.

NU breaks Big 12 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 school record for block assists in a single match with 46, smashing the nine-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

Nebraska ranks second nationally in hitting percentage
The Huskers ranked second nationally in the final NCAA regular season statistics released Nov. 26 in hitting percentage statistics with a .323 efficiency. Nebraska ended the regular season ranked first in the Big 12 Conference with a .320 efficiency. 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 21 of their 32 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, its 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, seven of the 10 NU players who have attempted a kill are hitting .300 or higher, and the Huskers dominated the Big 12 statistics in conference matches, as four players ended the season ranked among the top 10 in hitting percentage. Sophomore middle blocker Amber Holmquist ranked first with a .450 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp was second (.361), sophomore outside hitter Laura Pilakowski was ninth (.333), and Cepero finished the Big 12 season ranked 10th (.331) in league matches.

Nebraska No. 1 for 14th straight week
For the 14th straight week, Nebraska was voted No. 1 in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. The 32-0 Huskers lost three first-place votes to second-place Southern California after a five-game win over South Carolina in the NCAA Second Round. Hawaii was third, and Wisconsin and Arizona rounded out the top five.

Six of the teams on NU's 2000 schedule are ranked, including Big 12 foes Kansas State (No. 23), Texas A&M (No. 17), Texas A&M (No. 23) and Missouri (No. 25).

The Huskers were voted the nation's No. 1 team for the first time in 2000 in the Sept. 1 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 66-2 mark when holding the nation's top spot. The Huskers are 25--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.

Nebraska breaks NCAA attendance record
Lincoln, Neb. -- 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 Nov. 4 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 NCAA Final Four. The Huskers normally play at the 4,200-seat NU Coliseum.

The Huskers have ranked second the entire season in attendance, currently drawing 4,224 fans per contest. Nebraska set a new school record for single-season attendance with 80,252 fans in 2000.

Huskers haul in academic honors
Dallas -- Seven Nebraska volleyball players were among the 59 student-athletes who were named to the 2000 Academic All-Big 12 Conference team, the league office announced Nov. 26. Seniors Jill McWilliams and Angie Oxley and sophomores Greichaly Cepero, Amber Holmquist, Laura Pilakowski and Lindsay Wischmeier earned first-team recognition, while junior Jenny Kropp was named to the second team. McWilliams is a four-time member of the academic all-Big 12 first-team, while Oxley has earned the honor three times. Cepero, Holmquist, Kropp, Pilakowski and Wischmeier were all honored for the first team. Pilakowski, Cepero, Oxley and McWilliams also earned Academic All-District VII honors.

The Husker total matched Texas A&M's seven selections for the most by any conference team. Every Big 12 team boasted at least three selections.

The volleyball academic all-league squad consisted of 45 combined first team members with 14 on the second team. Student- athletes had to have a 3.2 or better grade-point average to be eligible for the first team, or a 3.0 to 3.19 GPA to be eligible for the second team. Special recognition was given to Texas A&M junior Beth Weynand, who was nominated with a 4.0 gpa in biomedical science.

Cook named AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year
Nebraska Coach John Cook was among eight coaches honored as Tachikara/AVCA NCAA Division I Region Coaches of the Year Dec 6. Each of the honorees will represent their region on the National Coach-of-the-Year ballot. The awards will be officially presented at the Tachikara/AVCA Coach of the Year banquet in Richmond, Va., on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2000 at the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Convention.

In his first year at Nebraska, Cook has led the Huskers to a No. 1 ranking and a 32-0 record to improve his career record to 192-73. Under Cook, the Huskers could become just the second team in NCAA history to finish the season with a perfect record, joining the 1998 Long Beach State squad.

Before arriving at Nebraska, 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.

Cook held a 160-73 record at Wisconsin and earned the Tachikara/AVCA District Coach of the Year in 1997, before stepping down in 1999 to become associate head coach at Nebraska, later to succeed Terry Pettit as head coach for the 2000 season.