NU Travels to Omaha to Face Iowa State

Matches 12-13
#8 Nebraska (10-1, 2-0) vs. Iowa State (7-5, 0-2)
When: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2003, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Series: NU leads, 62-0.
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-0, 11/13/02.
Cook vs. Iowa State: 7-0 (6-0 at Nebraska).

#8 Nebraska (10-1, 2-0) vs. Texas Tech (8-3, 0-2)
When: Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003, 7 p.m.
Where: NU Colisieum
Series: NU leads, 18-1.
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-0, 11/2/02.
Cook vs. Texas Tech: 6-0.

Media Information
Television: None
Radio: Both NU matches can be heard live on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and select Pinnacle Sports Network affiliates. John Baylor will call the action, while NU volleyball Director of Operations Diane Mendenhall will provide color analysis.
Live Stats: For the Texas Tech match, live stats will be available on Huskers.com.
Live Audio: Live audio for both Nebraska matches will be available on Huskers.com.

Nebraska Travels to Omaha to Face Iowa State
Eighth-ranked Nebraska continues Big 12 Conference action with a rare match in Omaha. The Huskers will face Iowa State at the Civic Auditorium Wednesday at approximately 7:30 p.m. The match, which will follow a 5 p.m. match between Bellevue University and College of St. Mary, is a home match for the Cyclones and was originally scheduled for Ames, Iowa. However, a scheduling conflict at Hilton Coliseum forced the change of venue.

Saturday, the Huskers return to the NU Coliseum when they face Texas Tech at 7 p.m.

Nebraska is coming off a three-game win at Texas Sept. 20. The Huskers overwhelmed the Longhorns from the service line, tying the school record for service-aces in a three-game match with 16. The mark was previously set Oct. 16, 1990, against Missouri at the NU Coliseum. Four Huskers already have at least 12 service aces, including sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer (20), sophomore setter Michelle Lynch (13), sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua (13) and freshman setter Dani Busboom (12).

The Huskers' 2.08 service aces-per-game average ranks second in the Big 12. The only other conference team statistical category in which NU ranks among the top three is blocking (first, 2.97 per game).

NU has relied heavily on its serving and blocking as it continues to search for its offensive groove. Nebraska is hitting .245 on the season after averaging .300 or better in each of the previous three seasons. Individually, no Husker is hitting over .300. The Huskers hope to make improvements on those marks this week. NU hit .413 in its last meeting against Iowa State Nov. 13, 2002.

The Lineup: The Latest on Nebraska's Probable Starters

Outside Hitter

• #16 Anna Schrad (6-2, Sr., Lincoln, Neb.): Schrad leads the Huskers with 3.62 kills per game, and her 369 attempts are nearly 100 more than any other Husker. Schrad averaged 2.65 kills per game last year.
• #26 Jennifer Saleaumua (5-11, So., National City, Calif.): Saleaumua is widely considered NU's top all-around player and best passer. She had her best back-to-back matches of the season last week, as she averaged 3.75 kills on a .303 hitting percentage against Texas and Texas A&M. Saleaumua had a career-best 17 kills and 21 digs against the Aggies Sept. 17.
• #13 Ally Rebholz (6-1, Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.): NU's starter on the right side, Rebholz has emerged as one of the team's best blockers. She leads the team with seven solo blocks and ranks among the Big 12 leaders with 1.21 stops per game. Rebholz has also started to come alive offensively. She had a career-high 15 kills against Texas A&M.

Middle Blocker

• #8 Melissa Elmer (6-2, So., Fort Wayne, Ind.): Often the Huskers' fifth option on offense last season, Elmer ranks third on the team with 2.67 kills per game in 2003. She was named the Barker GMC Classic MVP on Aug. 30 after averaging 3.00 kills per game (.323 hitting percentage) and an impressive 2.40 blocks per game at the tournament. She was also named MVP of the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic Sept. 5-6. Elmer leads the Big 12 with 1.62 blocks per game.
• #3 Christina Houghtelling (6-2, Fr., Cambridge, Neb.): Houghtelling may be emerging as a fixture in the lineup. She came off the bench against Georgia Tech and posted nine kills, then started against Texas A&M and Texas. Houghtelling had four service aces against the Longhorns.

Setter

• #2 Michelle Lynch (5-11, Sr., Jacksonville, Ill.): In her first season as a starter, Lynch leads NU with 7.21 assists per game. Lynch has started every match but shares setting duties with freshman Dani Busboom in Nebraska's 6-2 (two-setter) offense. Lynch has been jump serving in recent matches and recorded a career-best five aces at Texas Sept. 20.

Libero

• #6 Jenae Dowling (5-6, Sr., Fort Wayne, Ind.): Dowling leads the Huskers with 3.81 digs per game in her first season as a starter. She recorded a career-high 23 digs against Santa Clara Sept. 12.

Big 12 Streaks to Watch
The Huskers carry several streaks into this weeks matches, including:

• NU head coach John Cook is 62-0 in the Big 12 Conference with three league championships.
• Nebraska has won five straight Big 12 titles and six of a possible seven. NU has won the Big 12 every year since the conference's inception except 1997.
• The Huskers have won 72 consecutive regular-season Big 12 matches and 73 straight matches against Big 12 teams. NU's last regular-season loss to a Big 12 opponent was at Texas on Oct. 24, 1999. Nebraska won 10 straight conference matches to close the 1999 season, and went 20-0 in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Nebraska's 72-match league winning streak ranks third in NCAA history.
• NU has won 40 straight Big 12 matches at home, dating back to a five-game loss to Kansas State Sept. 22, 1999. After the KSU loss, Nebraska won its last nine Big 12 home matches that year, then won 10 in each of the next three seasons.

Iowa State Quickly (7-5, 0-2)
Iowa State enters the week 7-5 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12 after falling to Baylor in four games Saturday night in Ames. Three Cyclones tallied double-figure kills against the Bears, including senior outside hitter Renae Pruess (15), junior outside hitter Brittany Dalager (18) and freshman outside hitter Katie Jessen (11).

Dalager leads the Cyclones on the season with 3.77 kills per game, while Pruess adds 3.56 kills per game. Iowa State is hitting .210, which ranks 10th in the Big 12. Defensively, senior libero Dana Koziol ranks first on the team with 3.36 digs per game. Koziol, a native of Norfolk, Neb., is the sister of former Husker Denise Koziol, a two-year letterwinner at NU in 1997 and 1998.

Coach Linda Crum is in her fifth season at Iowa State. She owns a 26-99 overall record.

• Series Notes: Iowa State has never defeated Nebraska, with the Huskers owning a perfect 62-0 mark against the Cyclones ... Nebraska has swept the Cyclones in 17 consecutive matches ... Nebraska held Iowa State to two points in a 3-0 win Nov. 13, 1999, a then-school record for fewest points allowed ... Iowa State has won just 12 of 186 games in the history of the series.
• Last Meeting: Senior setter Greichaly Cepero produced 40 assists and a season-high 11 kills to lead No. 5 Nebraska to a 30-9, 30-17, 30-19 win over Iowa State before 4,032 fans at the NU Coliseum Nov. 13, 2002. Cepero did not commit an error in 19 attacks, swinging for a .579 hitting percentage while adding six blocks. NU hit .413 under Cepero's direction, marking the fourth time in 2002 that the Huskers hit over .400 in a match. Six of the eight Nebraska players who attempted a kill hit over .375, and five players with at least four kills hit .500.

Looking Back: Nebraska 3, Texas 0
Austin, Texas ? Nebraska produced a season-high 16 service aces to tie the school record for service aces in a three-game match and cruise to a 30-20, 30-19, 30-19 victory over Texas Sept. 20 in front of 1,960 fans at Gregory Gymnasium. The total was NU's highest since Oct. 6, 1990, when it recorded 16 aces against Missouri at the NU Coliseum.

Three Huskers had at least four aces, including sophomore setter Michelle Lynch, who led the way with five. Freshman middle blocker Christina Houghtelling and sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua each tallied four service aces.

Saleaumua also led NU in kills, pounding a match-high 13 while hitting at a .407 clip. Saleaumua also contributed six digs and tied her career high with five blocks.

With the win, Nebraska improved to 10-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12, while Texas fell to 5-5 and 1-1 in the league. NU also extended its streak of regular-season Big 12 Conference wins to 72. The Huskers have won 73 straight matches (includes one victory over Kansas State in the 2001 NCAA Tournament) against league teams.

NU hit .245 overall while holding Texas to .099 at the net. NU out-blocked the Longhorns, 9-3. Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer led the Huskers with seven blocks.

Super Servers
Through 11 matches, Nebraska has compiled 81 service aces to its opponents' 29. The Huskers have already amassed nearly half of their 2002 service aces total (169 in 33 matches). NU's 2003 average of 2.08 service aces per game ranks second in the Big 12. Nine Huskers already have a service ace, and six have at least eight. Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer leads NU with 20 aces, followed by sophomore setter Michelle Lynch and sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua, who each have 12. If Elmer continues at her current pace and NU plays 103 games (its 2002 total), she would finish with around 53 service aces ? the most by a Husker since 1989.

Nebraska tied the 13-year-old school record for service aces in a three-game match with 16 at Texas Sept. 20. Lynch led effort with five aces, while Saleaumua and freshman middle blocker Christina Houghtelling each had four.

Saleaumua Heats Up
After making her most noticeable contributions defensively early this season, sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua has heated up offensively during the past week. The National City, Calif., native has posted double-figure kill totals in each of Nebraska's last four matches after reaching the mark just once in NU's first six contests. Saleaumua, who averaged 2.42 kills per game in her first six matches, has recorded 3.31 kills per game in her last four. She tallied a career-best 17 kills Sept. 17 to help Nebraska defeat Texas A&M in a come-from-behind victory. Saleaumua also hit for a season-best .407 clip at Texas Sept. 20 while leading NU with 13 kills.

During her offensive roll, Saleaumua's always solid defense has also improved. She is averaging 3.56 digs per game in NU's last four matches, which is slightly higher than her season average. Saleaumua tied her career-best with 20 digs against A&M.

Fight To the Finish
Nebraska grew accustomed to quick matches last season while winning 28 of its 33 matches in three games. NU dropped just two games during the Big 12 season, and the Huskers played just four matches that lasted longer than two hours. NU did not play a five-game match last year, and it played just four games over the minimum.

In 2003, the nights have been longer, as a young Husker squad continues to improve against a tough schedule. Nebraska has already played two five-game matches after playing just one during the past two seasons. Four of NU's matches have lasted longer than two hours, and two have reached the 2-hour, 30-minute mark. Nebraska is 3-1 in extra-game matches, falling to No. 5 Georgia Tech in five but defeating Texas A&M in five games and Santa Clara and Illinois State in four.

Youth Movement
With a lineup low on experience and depth at some positions, Nebraska's freshmen have been asked to play immediately. Setter Dani Busboom (Cortland, Neb.), middle blocker Christina Houghtelling (Cambridge, Neb.), outside hitter Dani Mancuso (Omaha, Neb.) and right side hitter Kelsey Fautsch (Chisago Lakes, Minn.), a redshirt freshman, have all contributed significantly in the first month of the season.

Busboom has played more than any other freshman in the Huskers' 6-2 offense, sharing the setting duties with sophomore Michelle Lynch. Busboom is averaging 5.25 assists per game and has made an impression at the service line with 12 aces, which is fourth on the team.

Mancuso, an Omaha Gross graduate, earned her first career start Sept. 5 against New Orleans, replacing the injured Jennifer Saleaumua. Mancuso made the most of her opportunity by pounding a match-high 16 kills while swinging at a .429 clip. She also started against Georgia Tech and produced five kills.

Houghtelling may have secured a permanent spot in the starting lineup after solid performances in NU's last three matches. She came off the bench and pounded nine kills against Georgia Tech, then started against Texas A&M and recorded eight kills and a match-high five blocks. Houghtelling had four kills and four service aces against Texas Sept. 20. She is averaging 1.77 kills per game.

Fautsch is one of two right-side hitters in NU's 6-2 offense. Fautsch averages 2.15 kills per game and is swinging at a .285 clip.

Even some of the upperclassmen who are are in the starting lineup are experiencing their first significant playing time. Junior outside hitter Ally Rebholz saw limited action as NU's third outside hitter in 2002 and 2001. Lynch is setting for the first time after playing the role of serving specialist last year, and senior libero Jenae Dowling has seen a huge increase in playing time after playing sparingly as a defensive specialist during the past three seasons.

Cook's Winning Ways
Nebraska Coach John Cook has been amazingly successful during his four seasons at the helm, posting a 106-5 record. Cook picked up his 100th victory as Nebraska head coach Sept. 5 when NU defeated New Orleans, 3-0.

Cook's only losses in his first three seasons were to 2001 NCAA champion Stanford, 2001 NCAA runner-up Long Beach State, 2002 NCAA champion USC and 2002 NCAA semifinal participant Hawaii. The Huskers have played 326 games during Cook's tenure, winning 290 and losing just 36 (.890).

Cook has never lost a Big 12 Conference match, going 62-0 and winning three league titles. NU has dropped just 11 of the 191 conference games they have played over the past three seasons, good for a .942 winning percentage.

Cook was the AVCA Coach of the Year in 2000 after leading Nebraska to a 34-0 season and a national title. He was also named the 2001 Big 12 Coach of the Year. In 2001, NU posted a 31-2 mark and advanced to the NCAA semifinals. Last season, Nebraska also finished with a 31-2 record and advanced to the NCAA regional finals. The Huskers have won three Big 12 titles under Cook.