Nebraska Kicks Off Spring Season in Florida

Lincoln -- The Nebraska volleyball team will open the 2002 spring exhibition season with a week-long trip to Tampa, Fla. The Huskers will depart Lincoln Sunday, March 17, for the Sunshine state. After a four days of training, NU will take on South Florida Friday, March 22, at 4 p.m. at the South Florida Sundome. Nebraska will conclude the trip Saturday, March 23, when it takes on Florida at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Nebraska has never faced South Florida in regular-season competition, but the Huskers have recent history with Florida. NU has come away with a victory seven of the eight times it has faced the Gators, including a five-game win in the NCAA Regional Finals Dec. 8, 2001 at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln.

The Huskers spring roster includes eight players who competed on its 2001 squad that went 31-2 and advanced to the NCAA Final Four, including two-time AVCA All-Americans Greichaly Cepero and Amber Holmquist, as well as 2000 AVCA First-Team All-American Laura Pilakowski.

Huskers Add Saleaumua to 2002 Roster
The Huskers will feature on new face on their 2002 spring roster, Jennifer Saleaumua. The 5-foot-11 outside hitter, who was volleyball magazines 2001 National High School Player of the Year, signed a letter of intent with Hawaii, but never enrolled in school there. She contacted the Nebraska coaching staff last fall about the possibility of joining the Huskers, and she is currently enrolled as a full-time student at the university.

Saleaumua led Bonita Vista High School in San Diego, Calif., to a 43-0 record a No. 1 national ranking in 2000. She ranked second in Volleyball Magazines Fab 50 recruits, and earned player-of-the-year honors from the Paul Mitchell All-America Team.

Saleaumuas uncle is former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Dan Saleaumua.

Libero Added for 2002 Season
The NCAA Womens Volleyball Rules Committee approved several rule changes for the 2002 womens volleyball season, including the use of the libero player with 12 substitutions, at its Feb. 18-21 meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz. After gathering information from a variety of junior, collegiate and international volleyball coaches and experts, the committee adopted the libero as a designated back row player who cannot serve, attack or set inside the attack line.

The libero (pronounced LEE-bah-ro) rule, which is currently used in international competition, allows coaches to better utilize a defensive specialist. For example, when the libero leaves the match, she only has to sit out for one rally before re-entering. She can replace any player in the back row, allowing her to play nearly the entire match. When the libero enters or leaves the match, it is not counted against a teams 12 substitutions.

All spring matches will be played with the libero.

The libero position will impact the match as much as the setter because she will touch the ball nearly as many times as the setter, NU Coach John Cook said. It will have a huge impact on the level of play for a team. Does this favor Nebraska? Absolutely. It gives teams that are powerful at the net the ability to have a great passer all six rotations. Serving becomes even more critical for a team to be able to score points.
Cook added that NU defensive specialist Lindsay Wischmeier, a senior in 2002, is the leading candidate to fill the libero position for the Huskers.

I think people are really going to like the addition, because it will give a player like Lindsay the opportunity to play almost the entire match instead of just three rotations, Cook said. It gives her a chance to have more of an impact on outcome of the match. Having an athlete like Lindsay constantly on the court, who the players can turn to for leadership, will greatly benefit us.

Huskers Face Challenging Schedule in 2002
Nebraska has released its schedule for the 2002 fall competitive season, and it will once again be one of the toughest in the nation. The Huskers will play 17 regular-season matches against 11 teams that qualified for the 2001 NCAA Tournament, and four matches against teams that advanced to the Elite Eight, including Final Four participant Arizona. Six of the Huskers scheduled opponents finished the 2001 season ranked in the USA Today/AVCA Division I Top 25, including No. 4 Arizona, No. 5 Southern California, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 18 Kansas State and No. 23 Colorado.

The Huskers will play 14 matches at home, including 13 at the NU Coliseum and one, against Texas Tech on Nov. 2, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Nebraskas home opener is Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. against Santa Clara, a 2001 NCAA Tournament team.

The Huskers annual Red/White Scrimmage is set for Aug. 24 at 7 p.m.

Nebraska Falls Two Wins Short of Third NCAA Title
The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball teams season ended earlier than it had hoped, as the Huskers fell two victories short of capturing their second straight and third overall NCAA Championship. But Nebraska still accomplished several other goals and achieved many successes in 2001, a year in which they:

• Earned their eighth NCAA Final Four bid, including their fourth in the past six years.
  
• Made their 20th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
  
• Played host to an NCAA regional for the 12th time in school history.
  
• Won 30 matches for the 12th time in program history and the second straight season, posting an amazing 65-2 mark over the past two years.
  
• Held either the No. 1 or No. 2 ranking in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches poll all season.
  
• Posted a 20-0 record in the Big 12, dropping just three games and sweeping opponents 17 times.
  
• Played just one five-game match, a 3-2 victory over Florida in the NCAA Regional Final in Lincoln, Neb.
  
• Recorded a 21-1 record during the regular season against NCAA Tournament teams.
  
• Went 15-0 at the NU Coliseum, marking the 12th time in school history and the sixth time in the past eight years that the Huskers have gone undefeated in the building.
  
• Broke the school record for opponent attack percentage, holding teams to a .106 combined mark. The previous record of .109 was set by the 1995 national championship team.
  
• Set a school record with four All-Americans in the same season, including first-team selections Nancy Metcalf and Amber Holmquist and second-team honorees Jenny Kropp and Greichaly Cepero.