Volleyball

NU Returns to Lincoln to Face Missouri, Oklahoma

Lincoln -- The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team returns to Lincoln this week to kick off a three-match homestand. The Huskers, who picked up road wins at Baylor Sept. 29 and at No. 25 Kansas State Oct. 1, will play host to Missouri (11-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12) Wednesday, Oct. 3 at the NU Coliseum. The 7 p.m. match will be televised live on NETV.

Saturday, the Huskers will face Oklahoma (2-11, 1-2) in a 1 p.m. match at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Nebraska will attempt to break their own NCAA regular-season attendance record of 12,504. The mark was set Nov. 4, 2000 against Colorado -- the last time NU played at the Devaney Center.

The Huskers will conclude the homestand Wednesday, Oct. 10, against Kansas.

NU owns a 106-8-1 combined record against Missouri and Oklahoma. The Huskers havent lost to Missouri in 19 years. Their loss to OU was in 1997.

Nebraska is coming off a big win at Kansas State. The Huskers senior co-captains, Nancy Metcalf and Jenny Kropp, combined for 25 kills and 17 blocks against the Wildcats as Nebraska remained perfect in Big 12 play.

Metcalf leads the Husker offense with 4.45 kills per game this season, while Kropp leads the defense with 1.92 blocks per game. Five players are averaging more than 2.41 kills per game under junior setter Greichaly Cepero, the 2000 AVCA Player of the Year, and the Huskers have held their last six opponents to .121 or less at the net, and Nebraska has limited its last nine opponents to a .130 hitting percentage or less. NU is out-blocking teams 157.0-52.0 in 2001.

Streaking Huskers
Some Nebraska streaks to watch:

  • The Huskers have won 34 consecutive home matches, including 33 straight matches at the NU Coliseum.
  • NU Head Coach John Cook is 24-0 in the Big 12 Conference.
  • Nebraska has won nine consecutive matches and 27 straight games.
  • Nebraska has won 34 straight Big 12 matches.
  • Junior defensive specialist Lindsay Wischmier has played in a team-best 79 consecutive matches.
  • Senior Nancy Metcalf has posted double-figure kill totals in her last 14 matches.
  • Nebraska has out-blocked its opponent in 65 straight matches. The Huskers were last out-blocked by Texas A&M Oct. 2, 1999.

No. 1 No Longer
Lincoln -- Nebraska steamrolled to three easy victories last week, but their efforts werent enough to retain their No. 1 ranking in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches Poll released Monday, Oct. 1. The Huskers, 10-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference, fell to No. 2 after an AVCA record 17 weeks in the top spot. Long Beach State, which defeated Nebraska, 3-1, Sept. 1, leaped Nebraska for the No. 1 spot after defeating No. 4 Stanford, 3-1, and UC Riverside, 3-0, last week.

NU, which is one of just three teams to be ranked in the AVCA poll for all 239 weeks, had held the top spot since Sept. 11, 2000.

The Gauchos hold just a three-point lead over NU in the poll, and the Huskers received 33 first-place votes to Long Beach States 32. USC and UCLA round out the top five. Texas A&M is ranked 16th and Kansas State is 25th.

Metcalf Named Big 12 Player of the Week
Lincoln -- Nancy Metcalf earned her second Big 12 Conference Player-of-the-Week honor for her performances in the Huskers three wins last week, the league office announced Monday, Oct. 1.

Metcalf showcased her all-around game in leading the No. 2 Huskers to sweeps of Creighton, Iowa State and Baylor last week. The senior right side hitter averaged a team-best 4.33 kills per game on a .421 hitting percentage while adding 2.89 digs per game, 1.22 blocks per game and a team-high eight service aces. In 76 attacks last week, Metcalf committed just seven errors while pounding 39 total kills.

Against Creighton, Metcalf posted a career-high four service aces, then tied the mark the following night against ISU. The Hull, Iowa, native recorded a career-best .625 hitting percentage against the Cyclones, producing 16 kills and just one error in 24 total attacks. At Baylor, Metcalf tied for the team-high with 13 kills on a .393 hitting percentage while leading the Huskers with eight digs.

Nebraska players have claimed three of the four possible Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors in 2001. Metcalf previously won the award Sept. 3 after earning tournament MVP honors at the State Farm/NACWAA Classic. Junior middle blocker Amber Holmquist garnered the honor Sept. 10, and then later received AVCA Division I National Player-of-the-Week honors.

A Look at Missouri (11-2 Overall, 3-2 in the Big 12)
The Huskers have not lost to the Tigers in 19 years, but Missouri is considered a program on the rise in the Big 12 Conference. MU finished the 2000 season tied for second in the league standings and earned an NCAA Tournament berth. The Tigers returned five starters from that team for the 2001 season, including All-Big 12 selection Lisa Morris. The junior outside hitter leads MU with 4.17 kills per game. Junior middle blocker Christi Myers averages 3.41 kills per game and a best-best 1.39 blocks per game.

  • The Coach: The Tigers are led by Susan Kreklow, who is 35-9 in her second year at the helm. Krelows husband, Wayne, serves as associate head coach.
  • The Series: Nebraska is 52-2-1 all-time against Missouri and hasnt lost to the Tigers since 1982.
  • The Last Time: The Huskers defeated Missouri, 3-0, in Columbia, Mo. Kim Behrends led NU with a career-high 14 kills while swinging at a .379 clip.

A Look at Oklahoma (2-11 Overall, 1-2 in the Big 12)
The Sooneres return just two starters from their 2000 squad, and eight of the 11 players on their roster are freshmen or sophomores. Oklahoma has lost back-to-back matches to Oral Roberts and Missouri and are ninth in the Big 12 standings. Their biggest win of the season was Sept. 22 against Kansas, a victory that snapped a seven-match winless streak. OU is led by Pierce Logan, who averages 2.81 kills per game. Lindsay Hoyt adds 2.17 kills per game.

  • The Coach: The Tigers are led by Kalani Mahi, who is 9-32 in his second season at OU.
  • The Series: Nebraska is 54-6 all-time against Oklahoma.
  • The Last Time: The Huskers defeated OU, 3-0, Nov. 1, 2000 in Norman. Laura Pilakowski posted a match-high 18 kills on a .389 hitting efficiency for Nebraska.


Come One, Come All ...
Nebraska will attempt to break its own NCAA regular-season attendance record Saturday when it plays host to Oklahoma at 1 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers, who regularly sell out the 4,200-seat NU Coliseum, usually play one match each season at the 13,500-seat Devaney Center, and NCAA attendance records have fallen there twice. The 1995 Nebraska-Colorado match at the arena drew an NCAA-record 11,529 fans, and last seasons Nov. 4 contest between the two squads surpassed the mark with 12,504 fans, which still stands as the NCAA regular-season attendance record.

Pilakowski Power
As Nebraska has continued to improve each week, junior outside hitter Laura Pilakowski has made the most dramatic gains statistically. In the Huskers first five matches, Pilakowski, a 2000 AVCA First-Team All-American, averaged 2.43 kills per game on a .124 hitting percentage with 2.50 digs per game. In Nebraskas last seven matches, the Columbus, Neb., native has increased her numbers in all three categories, averaging 3.33 kills per game (+.90) with a .317 hitting percentage (+.193), and 2.86 digs per game (+0.36). In Big 12 matches, Pilakowski is hitting .390 and averaging 3.17 kills per game and 2.83 digs per game.

Block Party
The most consistent and intimidating element of the Huskers game in recent years has been their block. Nebraska has out-blocked its opponents in an incredible 65 consecutive matches, going 62-3 during the streak. The last time NU lost a blocking battle was Oct. 2, 1999, when it fell to Texas A&M, 3-2.

The 2000 Huskers were statistically the best blocking squad in Nebraska and Big 12 Conference history. In 2000, NU set a new school record with 4.20 blocks per game and a new Big 12 record with 4.36 blocks per game in conference matches. The Huskers won the NCAA blocking title, and Amber Holmquist claimed the NCAA individual blocking title with 1.98 blocks per game -- which was also a school record. Holmquist, who owns single-match conference records for block assists and total blocks, shattered the Big 12 record with 2.14 blocks per game in league matches. The Big 12s top three blockers were NU players -- Holmquist, Jenny Kropp (1.73 bpg) and Greichaly Cepero (1.68 bpg).

This season, Nebraska once again leads the Big 12 with an incredible 5.50 blocks per game, and Holmquist ranks first individually (2.89 bpg), followed by Cepero (second, 2.22 bpg) and Kropp (fourth, 1.88 bpg). The Huskers have out-blocked their opponents 141.0-49.5 in 2001. If Nebraska continues its current pace, Nebraska will capture their fifth Big 12 blocking title.

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 .069 hitting percentage, while out-blocking teams 4.67-1.26 per game and and out-digging them 18.04-14.37 each game.

Defensively, the Huskers have held their last nine opponents to a .130 hitting percentage or less. NU is out-blocking teams 157.0-52.0 on the season.

Sure Shot
Through the Huskers first 12 matches, Amber Holmquist has been their most effective attacker. The junior middle blocker has 104 kills in 171 swings. She has hit for a .333 percentage or better in 10 of NUs 12 matches, including four performances of .600 or better and seven of .400 or better. The 2000 AVCA Second-Team All-American tied her season-high hitting percentage Sept. 29 at Baylor, posting 13 kills ond two errors in 17 swings (.647).

Holmquist leads the Huskers and the Big 12 Conference with a .468 hitting percentage in 2001, and she is hitting .495 against ranked teams. Holmquist is on track ot shatter the Nebraska single-season record for hitting percentage of .440, set by Virginia Stahr in 1989.

Holmquist 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 34 consecutive matches at home, and 33 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.

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 4.45 kills per game on a .360 hitting percentage. Metcalf, a two-time AVCA All-American, has also been a clutch performer defensively, averaging a team-best 3.34 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 has also twice been named the Big 12 Player of the Week, claiming the honor on Sept. 3 and Oct. 1.

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 off-season.

The Big 12s Best
Nebraska is looking to capture its fifth Big 12 Conference title in six seasons in 2001. The Huskers have won four Big 12 championships and 23 Big 12/Big Eight conference titles in the past 25 years. Nebraska owns an all-time record of 376-32-1 (.919) against Big 12 schools, and NU is 91-9 against Big 12 schools since the leagues inception in 1996. The Huskers have lost just once at the NU Coliseum in Big 12 history, a 1999 five-game defeat to Kansas State.

Top of the List
In the Big 12 Conference statistics released Monday, Oct., Nebraska led the league in hitting percentage (.326) and blocks per game (5.50). NU players led both of the categories individually as well. Junior middle blocker Amber Holmquist ranks first in the conference with a .514 hitting percentage, and she also ranks first with 2.89 blocks per game.

Super Setter
Nebraska junior setter Greichaly Cepero continues to baffle opponents with her all-around game. Cepero is averaging 12.79 assists per game, 2.18 digs per game, 1.24 blocks per game and 1.11 kills per game while leading NU to a .304 team hitting percentage this season.

Cepero virtually redefined the setter position as a sophomore 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.

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.

Cepero capped her incredible 2000 season with countless awards, including the Honda Award for volleyball, the AVCA Player of the Year, and the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year. Cepero also 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.

Full House
Nebraska ranks second nationally in the latest NCAA volleyball attendance rankings. The Huskers are averaging 4,055 fans per contest through their first five home matches. Hawaii is first with 6,580 fans per match. Florida, Long Beach State and Penn State round out the top five.
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.

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 (206-74) is in his second year 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, 44, has continued his success in 2001, as the Huskers have gone 11-1, defeating eight ranked teams. Cook has improved his Nebraska record to 45-1, and he is 24-0 in Big 12 matches.

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 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.