Nebraska opens Big 12 slate at Colorado

Lincoln -- The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team opens Big 12 Conference action Wednesday, Sept. 19, when it travels to Boulder, Colo., to face Colorado in an 8 p.m. match. The Huskers match against CU, which was ranked third in the Big 12 coaches preseason poll, was supposed to be their third league contest of the season.

However, all Big 12 Conference athletic contests scheduled for the week of Sept. 10 were postponed -- including NUs scheduled matches at No. 22 Kansas State and against Texas Tech -- in light of the tragic national events that took place Sept. 11. Nebraska has not played since defeating No. 8 UCLA Sept. 9.

NU has shown continuous improvement in the weeks leading up to the Big 12 season. The Huskers are 6-1 against teams ranked in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll and own a 2-1 mark against teams ranked in the top 10.

Since falling, 3-1, at Long Beach State Sept. 1 in their first defeat since 1999, the Huskers have defeated No. 13 UCSB, No. 20 Notre Dame, No. 15 Pepperdine and No. 7 UCLA. Nebraska has improved statistically in every defensive category since the loss. The Huskers have limited their last four opponents to a .097 hitting percentage, while out-blocking them 4.04-1.71 and out-digging them 17.33-13.25.

Offensively, five Huskers are averaging more than 2.48 kills per game. Senior right side hitter Nancy Metcalf has led the way with 4.57 kills per game, followed by junior middle blocker Amber Holmquist (3.00 kpg), junior outside hitter Laura Pilakowski (2.91 kpg), senior middle blocker Jenny Kropp (2.48 kpg) and sophomore outside hitter Anna Schrad (2.48 kpg).

Big 12 Matches Postponed
The Nebraska volleyball teams scheduled matches at Kansas State Sept. 12 and against Texas Tech Sept. 15 were postponed following a decision by the Big 12 to reschedule all league competition through Sunday, Sept. 16, in light of the tragic national events Tuesday, Sept. 11. No makeup dates for either match have been determined.

Nebraskas Amber Holmquist Named AVCA National Player of the Week
Dallas -- After earning Big 12 Conference Player of the Week honors, Nebraska middle blocker Amber Holmquist was selected by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as the AVCA Division I National Volleyball Player of the Week Monday, Sept. 10, for her impressive performances in the Sept. 7-9 US Bank/Arbys Classic.

Holmquist is the first Husker to be selected by the AVCA as its national player of the week since three-time AVCA All-American Lisa Reitsma won the award Nov. 13, 1995.

The Huskers most effective attacker this season, Holmquist totaled 32 kills on 44 swings with hitting percentages of .600, .529 and .647 as NU defeated three ranked teams -- No. 15 Pepperdine, No. 20 Notre Dame and No. 7 UCLA. Holmquist, who averaged 3.56 kills per game and 1.44 blocks per game in the tournament, produced her best match of the season Sunday to lead the Huskers to a sweep of the Bruins in the championship match of the US Bank/Arbys Classic at the NU Coliseum. The second-team AVCA All-American posted a team-best and a season-high 13 kills on 17 swings for a .647 hitting percentage, and she also recorded a season-high seven blocks in NUs sweep of the Bruins. Holmquist earned tournament MVP honors for her efforts.

A Look at Colorado (4-2)
Picked to finish third by the Big 12 coaches in the leagues preseason poll, Colorado is 4-2 with losses to two ranked opponents, No. 13 Brigham Young and No. 21 Utah. Junior middle blocker Meghan Barkman leads CU and ranks third in the Big 12 Conference with a .412 hitting percentage while averaging 3.24 kills per game. Senior outside hitter Sonja Russell averages 3.48 kills per game and recorded her 1,000th kill Sept. 8 against Utah. Preseason All-Big 12 selection Elizabeth Gower, a 6-foot setter, averages 12.68 assists per game and 1.92 kills per game.

• The Coach: The Buffaloes are led by Pii Aiu, who owns a 83-42 record in his fifth season at Colorado.
• The Series: Nebraska is 31-5 all-time against Colorado. The Huskers have been victorious in the last five meetings, sweeping four of them.
• The Last Time: The Huskers sweep of Colorado Nov. 4, 2000, which was memorable because it happened before an NCAA regular-season record crowd of 12, 504 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The record broke the Huskers previous mark of 11,529, which was set Oct. 22, 1995 against Colorado at the Devaney Center.

The Big 12s Best
Nebraska is 4-1 all-time in Big 12 Conference openers, losing a five-game match to Kansas State in 1999.The Huskers have won four Big 12 championships and 23 Big 12/Big Eight conference titles in the past 25 seasons. Nebraska owns an all-time record of 375-32-1 (.919) against Big 12 schools.

Shes Baaaack ...
One of the most dynamic attackers in school history, senior Nancy Metcalf (formerly Meendering) missed the 2000 national title run but has made an impressive return to the court this season. Metcalf has been the Huskers go-to player offensively, averaging 4.57 kills per game on a .357 hitting percentage. Metcalf, a two-time AVCA All-American, has also been a clutch performer defensively, averaging a team-best 3.30 digs per game, including a career-best 23 at then-No. 12 Pacific, Aug. 25.

Metcalfs performances have not gone unnoticed. She earned State Farm/NACWAA MVP honors after averaging 4.71 kills per game, a .377 hitting percentage, and 4.00 digs per game against then-No. 5 Hawaii and Pacific.

Metcalf was also named the Big 12 Conferences first 2001 volleyball player of the week Sept. 3 on the strength of her performances at the Sept. 1-2 Long Beach State Tournament. Metcalf led NU with a match-high 25 kills on a .477 hitting percentage in a 3-1 loss to No. 3 Long Beach State Sept. 1. The Hull, Iowa, native also posted the team-high in kills with 12 on a .375 percentage in the sweep over No. 13 UC Santa Barbara Sept. 2.

Nancy has waited a long time, and she is making the most of her opportunities right now, Nebraska Coach John Cook said. She has definitely returned from her year off as a better player. Shes having a great time out on the court, and it has been fun to watch.

Metcalf already owns five school records, including single-season kills per game with 5.09 in 1999. The 1999 Big 12 Player of the Year, Metcalf redshirted in 2000 after training with the U.S. National Team during the offseason.

Top Dog
The Huskers were voted No. 1 in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll released Sept. 10. The vote extended the Huskers streak of consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 to 16, an AVCA record. NU is one of just three teams to be ranked in the AVCA poll for all 238 weeks, 210 of which have been in the top 10.

Dominant Defense
Nebraska has shown noticeable improvement statistically in every defensive category since its Sept. 1 upset loss to then-No. 8 Long Beach State. Against Long Beach State and in the two matches prior to the loss, the Huskers allowed a .211 opponent attack percentage while posting just 2.82 blocks per game and 14.73 digs per game. Since the loss, Nebraska has held its opponents to a .097 hitting percentage, while out-blocking opponents 4.04-1.71 and out-digging them 17.33-13.25. The Huskers serving has also improved. NU combined to commit 42 service errors in its first three matches (Pacific, Hawaii, Long Beach State), but the Huskers have erred just 27 times in their last four matches (UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, Notre Dame, UCLA).

Sure Shot
Through the Huskers first seven matches, Amber Holmquist has been their most effective attacker. The junior middle blocker has 69 kills in 109 swings. She has hit for a .364 percentage or better in every match, including three performances of .600 or better. The Houston, Texas, native has hit .600, .529, and a season-best .647 in her last three matches.
Holmquist leads the Huskers and the Big 12 Conference with a .495 hitting percentage in 2001. She finished the 2000 season ranked fourth nationally with a .406 hitting percentage. Holmquist hit .500 or better in 14 matches last season, and she swung at a .600 or higher clip six times.

Home Sweet Home
The Huskers have won 33 consecutive matches at home, and 32 consecutive matches at the NU Coliseum (NU defeated Colorado, 3-0, last season at the Bob Devaney Sports Center). Nebraskas last loss in Lincoln was a five-game defeat to Kansas State Sept. 22, 1999.

The Huskers have gone undefeated at home 11 times in program history and have been perfect at home five times in the past seven years.

Top of the List
In the Big 12 Conference statistics released Monday, Nebraska led the league in hitting percentage (.304) and blocks per game (.346). NU players led both of the categories individually as well. Junior middle blocker Amber Holmquist ranks first in the conference with a .495 hitting percentage, and senior middle blocker Jenny Kropp leads the league with 1.74 blocks per game.

Last Time Out
Nebraska improved its 2001 record against ranked opponents to 6-1 with sweeps of No. 15 Pepperdine, No. 20 Notre Dame and No. 7 UCLA at the US Bank/Arbys Classic in Lincoln over the weekend. Senior right side hitter Nancy Metcalf was the Huskers leading hitter against Pepperdine with 14 kills, and junior outside hitter Laura Pilakowski led NU against Notre Dame with 14 kills. Sunday against UCLA, the Huskers were led by junior middle blocker Amber Holmquist, who posted a season-high 13 kills on 17 swings for a .657 hitting percentage and a season-high seven blocks en route to earning tournament MVP honors. Joining Holmquist on the all-tournament team was Metcalf, junior setter Greichaly Cepero, and senior middle blocker Jenny Kropp, who averaged 2.22 blocks per game over the three matches. NU Coach John Cook reached a coaching milestone against Notre Dame, recording the 200th win of his career. The ninth-year head coach, who spent seven seasons at Wisconsin, is 40-1 at the helm of the Huskers.

200 Down ...
Husker fans witnessed a milestone in NU Coach John Cooks career this weekend at the US Bank/Arbys Classic. The second-year Nebraska coach secured his 200th career victory when the Huskers defeated Notre Dame Sept. 9. Cook compiled 161 wins in seven seasons at Wisconsin, and he is 40-1 at Nebraska. The 2000 AVCA Coach of the Year, Cook guided the Huskers to a 34-0 record and a national championship in his first season at NU.

Full House
Nebraska ranks second nationally in the latest NCAA volleyball attendance rankings. The Huskers are averaging 4,145 fans per contest through their first three home matches. Hawaii is first with 6,189 fans per match. Penn State, Wisconsin and Pacific round out the top five.

Texas is the only other school ranking in the top 10. The Longhorns are seventh with 1,777 fans per match.

Nebraska finished second nationally in attendance last season, drawing a school-record 80,252 fans in 19 matches for an average of 4,224 per contest. The Husker faithful broke the NCAA regular-season attendance record, as 12,504 fans cheered Nebraska to a 3-0 win over Colorado Nov. 4 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Super Setter
Greichaly Cepero virtually redefined the setter position as a sophmore last year and had one of the most successful seasons by a setter in school history, guiding the Huskers to a No. 1 ranking, a 34-0 record and a .312 hitting percentage (second in the nation) in her first season at the position.

Cepero was the only setter ranked in the top 10 of three different Big 12 categories during the regular season. She was 10th in hitting percentage, ninth in assists per game and third in blocks per game. A unique setter because of her blocking ability, Cepero was the only setter in the country to rank among the nations top 20 in blocking (18th, 1.48 per game). Cepero led Nebraska in solo blocks with 28 and was responsible for 34 percent of the Huskers total blocks (161 of 477.5). For the season, the Dorado, Puerto Rico, native, averaged 11.90 assists, 2.14 digs, 1.48 blocks and 1.83 kills per game. In conference matches, Cepero tallied 1.68 blocks per game and 2.03 kills per game.

Cepero led NU with 12 double-doubles, three of which were triple-doubles. She fell one dig or one kill short of a triple-double four times. Cepero was just one kill short of the schools first quadruple-double when she produced nine kills, 46 assists, 10 digs and 11 blocks at Texas Oct. 22.

Cepero capped her incredible 2000 season with countless awards. She was named the Honda Award winner for volleyball, the AVCA Player of the Year, a first-team AVCA All-American, the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year, the Big 12 Player of the Year, the NCAA Tournament Central Regional MVP, a Second-Team Academic All-District VII selection and a First-Team Academic All-Big 12 selection.

Cepero became the seventh NU setter to earn All-America honors and the first to be named player of the year. Husker setters have combined to win 13 All-America awards.

Despite her all-around numbers and 2000 accolades, NU Coach John Cook emphasized that Cepero hadnt reached her potential as a setter. The 2000 AVCA Player of the Year spent much of the spring working on the placement and conistency of her sets, the results were apparent in NUs 2001 opening weekend. Cepero combined to average 13.57 assists against No. 5 Hawaii and No. 12 Pacific at the State Farm/NACWAA Classic, 1.67 higher than her 2000 average of 11.90 assists per game.

All-America U
Nebraska is the only team in Division I with four All-Americans in its starting lineup. Junior setter Greichaly Cepero and junior outside hitter Laura Pilakowski earned first-team All-America honors in 2000, while junior middle blocker Amber Holmquist was recognized on the second team. Joining the three 2000 All-Americans is Nancy Metcalf, a first-team All-America selection in 1998 and 1999. Metcalf, the 1999 Big 12 Player of the Year, redshirted 2000 after training with the U.S. National Team during the offseason.
The Nebraska volleyball program has now earned 38 AVCA All-America certificates, the second-highest total of any Division I institution. A total of 21 Huskers have earned All-America status, ranking Nebraska second all-time in total All-America athletes.

Nebraska Coach John Cook
John Cook (201-74) enters his second season as the Nebraska head coach after guiding the Huskers to one of the most successful seasons in NCAA history in 2000. Cook, who was named the AVCA Coach of the Year, guided the Huskers to a 34-0 record as they became just the second team in NCAA history to cap an undefeated season with a national title.

Nebraska was ranked No. 1 in the AVCA/USA Today Top 25 poll for a record 14 straight weeks and broke single-season school records for wins and winning percentage. Sophomore setter Greichaly Cepero earned AVCA National Player-of-the-Year honors. Three Huskers won AVCA All-America certificates, and five Nebraska players were named to the All-Big 12 teams. Laura Pilakowski earned Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, and a conference-best seven Huskers earned Academic All-Big 12 recognition.

Cook took over the Nebraska head coaching job after serving as associate head coach during the 1999 season. Before returning to Nebraska in 1999, he led Wisconsin to six straight postseason appearances in seven seasons as the Badgers head coach.

Cooks accomplishments at Wisconsin earned him praise as one of the games top young coaches. He built the Badger program into a top-10 program during his seven-year career in Madison, which included back-to-back trips to the NCAA regional finals in 1997 and 1998.

Cook, 44, is 204-74 all-time and compiled a 162-73 record at the helm of the Badgers, including an 89-51 Big Ten record. 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.

Cook coached four All-Americans, nine AVCA All-District award winners, 11 All-Big Ten honorees and two Big Ten freshmen of the year at UW. He also coached 21 academic All-Big Ten selections during his seven seasons.

A graduate of the University of San Diego, Cook earned his bachelors degree in history in 1979. He completed his masters 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, 10, and Taylor, 7.

Pilakowski Power
Junior outside hitter Laura Pilakowski broke the all-time, all-sport female record with 702 vertical jump points and also set an NU volleyball record with a 28-inch vertical jump during preseason performance testing Aug. 10.

Pilakowskis school-record 702 vertical jump points total was 104 points higher than any other Husker. The Columbus, Neb., native also led the team in the 40-yard dash (5.40 seconds), 40-yard dash points (557), the pro agility run (4.56 seconds), pro-agility run points (474) and the vertical jump (28 inches). Senior All-American Nancy Metcalf posted team-best marks for the 10-yard dash (1.79 seconds) and 10-yard dash points (484). Overall, the Huskers improved their performance index scores by an average of 80 points, and they improved their team vertical jump average by over an inch.

2000 in Review
Nebraska produced one of the most successful seasons in NCAA history in 2000, posting a 34-0 record and winning the national title in a year full of highlights. In 2000, Nebraska:

• Joined the 1998 Long Beach State team as just the second squad in NCAA history to finish the season with an undefeated record and a national championship.
• Became the only team east of California to win two national championships. Texas and Penn State have each won one. Stanford has won four, and UCLA, Hawaii, Long Beach State and Pacific have won three.
  
• Broke the school record for consecutive victories in the modern-day era of five-game matches with its win against Hawaii. NU produced 36 straight wins in 1976, when all contests were played as two-out-of-three matches.
  
• Claimed both AVCA Division I major national honors, with NU Coach John Cook winning the AVCA Coach-of-the-Year award, and sophomore setter Greichaly Cepero claiming AVCA Player-of-the-Year honors. Amber Holmquist earned second-team All-America honors, while Laura Pilakowski earned first-team All-America honors and second-team academic All-America honors.
  
• Led the nation in blocking (4.15 per game) and ranked second nationally in hitting percentage (.312).
  
• Held the No. 1 ranking in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches poll for 14 straight weeks.
  
• Swept 26 of its 34 opponents. Only three teams, then-No. 3 UCLA, No. 17 Kansas State, South Carolina and Wisconsin took NU to five games.
  
• Posted a 13-0 against ranked foes.
  
• Won its 23rd Big Eight/Big 12 championship in 25 seasons. Nebraska has won four of the five Big 12 championships - all but the 1997 title.