Huskers Play Host to CU Wednesday Night

Matches 13-14
#7 Nebraska (12-1, 4-0) vs. Colorado (10-4, 2-2)
When: Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2003, 7 p.m.
Where: NU Coliseum
Series: NU leads, 35-5.
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-0, 10/30/02
Cook vs. Colorado: 6-0.

#7 Nebraska (12-1, 4-0) at Oklahoma (8-7, 0-3)

When: Saturday, Oct. 4, 2 p.m.
Where: Howard McCasland Field House
Series: NU leads, 58-6
Last Meeting: NU won, 3-0, 11/16/02
Cook vs. Oklahoma: 6-0.

Media Information
Television: The NU-CU match will be televised statewide by NETV.
Radio: Both 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: Live stats for the NU-CU match will be available on Huskers.com.
Live Audio: Live audio of both matches will be available on Huskers.com.
Live Video: HuskersNside will offer a live video stream of both matches on a subscription-basis. To learn more, go to Huskers.com and click on HuskersNside.

Huskers Play Host to Buffaloes in Televised Match Wednesday
The seventh-ranked Husker volleyball team continues its stretch of matches in Nebraska when it faces Colorado Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. in a Big 12 contest televised statewide on NETV. The Huskers, who played Iowa State in Omaha Sept. 24 and Texas Tech at the NU Coliseum Sept. 27, will then take to the road the next week. NU faces Oklahoma at 2 p.m. Saturday in Norman.

Nebraska enters Wednesday's match with increased confidence after its best week of the season on offense. The Huskers breezed to three-game wins over the Cyclones and Red Raiders last week while hitting .399 and raising their season average from an uncharacteristically low .245 to .264.

Nebraska Coach John Cook credited NU setters Michelle Lynch and Dani Busboom for the offensive improvements. The setters continue to adjust to running a 6-2 offense and have grown more consistent, Cook said.

Lynch and Busboom combined for 16.50 assists per game last week. Five of Nebraska's six regular attackers hit over .400 against Iowa State and Texas Tech. Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer led the way with 2.67 kills per game on a .583 hitting percentage, followed by junior right side hitter Ally Rebholz (.484) and sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua (.465).

The Huskers hope to continue their offensive momentum Wednesday against the Buffaloes. Colorado is 10-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference, defeating Texas Tech and Iowa State but falling to Kansas in three games and No. 25 Texas A&M in five games. Colorado's only other meeting with a ranked opponent was Aug. 29, when it lost to then-No. 11 Penn State in four games.

The Lineup: The Latest on Nebraska's Probable Starters

Outside Hitter

• #16 Anna Schrad (6-2, Sr., Lincoln, Neb.): Schrad leads the Huskers with 3.64 kills per game, and her 416 attempts are 101 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, and she has been especially impressive during the past week. In Nebraska's wins over Texas, Iowa State and Texas Tech, Saleaumua averaged 4.11 kills per game on a .443 hitting percentage, 2.11 digs per game and 0.67 service aces per game.
• #13 Ally Rebholz (6-1, Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.): NU's starter on the right side, Rebholz has emerged as an impact player. Rebholz ranks fifth in the Big 12 with a .373 hitting percentage in league matches. She is tied for the team lead with seven solo blocks and ranks second with 1.11 blocks per game. Rebholz shares time with redshirt freshman Kelsey Fautsch in NU's 6-2 offense.

Middle Blocker

• #8 Melissa Elmer (6-2, So., Fort Wayne, Ind.): Often the Huskers' fifth option on offense last season, Elmer has emerged as a go-to threat in 2003. Elmer is averaging 2.67 kills per game on a .296 hitting percentage. She leads the Big 12 with 1.51 blocks per game.
• #3 Christina Houghtelling (6-2, Fr., Cambridge, Neb.): Houghtelling became a fixture in the NU lineup after playing well off the bench against Georgia Tech Sept. 14. She ranks fourth in the Big 12 with a .386 hitting percentage. Houghtelling ranks among the team leaders with 10 service aces despite playing in just 27 of NU's 45 games this season.

Setter

• #2 Michelle Lynch (5-11, Sr., Jacksonville, Ill.): In her first season as a starter, Lynch leads NU with 7.44 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. She is fourth on the team with 14 service aces.

Libero

• #6 Jenae Dowling (5-6, Sr., Fort Wayne, Ind.): Dowling leads the Huskers with 3.66 digs per game in her first season as a starter. The mark ranks fifth in the conference. She recorded a career-high 23 digs against Santa Clara Sept. 12.

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

• NU head coach John Cook is 64-0 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 74 consecutive regular-season Big 12 matches and 75 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 41 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.

32 Consecutive Sellouts
Nebraska enters the Texas Tech match with a streak of 32 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers sold out all 17 matches they played at the Coliseum last season (NU played one match at the 13,500-seat Bob Devaney Sports Center). NU ended the 2001 season with 10 straight sellout crowds at the Coliseum. The Huskers sold out every match at the Coliseum in 2001 except a Tuesday, Sept. 25 match against Creighton. NU has sold out all five of its home matches in 2003.

Colorado Quickly (10-4, 2-2)
Colorado is 10-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference after defeating Iowa State in four games Wednesday night. The Buffaloes are 0-2 against ranked teams, falling to No. 25 Texas A&M in five games and losing to No. 11 Penn State in four games Aug. 29.

Like Nebraska, Colorado features a balanced offensive attack. Five Buffaloes are averaging better than 2.00 kills per game, and three are averaging more than 3.40. CU is led by senior middle blocker Monique Gerlach, who boasts a 3.78 kills-per-game average while hitting .365. Junior setter Allison Barnes is averaging 11.80 assists per game. Barnes has 543 assists this season, more than she had in the previous two seasons combined. Freshman setter Ashely Nu'u, who was tabbed the preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year, was the starting setter in the Buffaloes' first two matches, but has been sidelined frequently by back pain.

Colorado Coach Pi'i Aiu owns a 123-71 record in his seventh season in Boulder.

Nebraska-Colorado Series
Series Notes: Nebraska is 35-5 all-time against the Buffaloes, including a 15-1 mark at home ... NU has swept Colorado in six straight matches, and the Huskers have won 20 consecutive games overall against the Buffaloes ... Colorado defeated the Huskers in a pair of matches in 1997, but over the past nine seasons dating back to 1994, NU is 18-2 against the Buffaloes.

Last Meeting: Amber Holmquist and Jennifer Saleaumua combined for 23 kills as No. 4 Nebraska defeated Colorado 30-23, 30-20, 30-26 at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo. Saleaumua led the Huskers with 12 kills on a .323 hitting percentage, while Holmquist swung for a match-high .364 percentage with 11 kills. Despite hitting .260, far below their season average, the Huskers found ways to keep the Buffs off-balance. Colorado hit only .056 in the match, as Holmquist posted 10 blocks.

Super Servers
Through 13 matches, Nebraska has compiled 95 service aces to its opponents' 35. The Huskers have already amassed more than half of their 2002 service aces total (169 in 33 matches). NU's 2003 average of 2.11 service aces per game ranks second in the Big 12. In conference matches, the Huskers lead the Big 12 with 2.79 service aces per game. Nine Huskers already have a service ace, and six have at least 10. Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer leads NU with 21 aces, followed by freshman setter Dani Busboom with 16 sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua with 15.

Nebraska tied the 13-year-old school record for service aces in a three-game match with 16 at Texas Sept. 20. Lynch led the 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 six 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 3.50 kills per game in her last six. She tallied a career-best 17 kills Sept. 17 to help Nebraska defeat Texas A&M in a come-from-behind victory. Saleaumua has bettered her season-high hitting percentage in three straight matches. She hit at a .407 clip at Texas Sept. 20 while leading NU with 13 kills. She bettered the mark with a .445 (12-2-22) hitting percentage against Iowa State Sept. 24, then topped that with a .476 (12-2-21) hitting percentage against Texas Tech.

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 5.44 assists per game and has made an impression at the service line with 16 aces, which is second 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. Mancuso is averaging 1.71 kills per game.

Houghtelling may have secured a permanent spot in the starting lineup after solid performances in NU's last five 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 1.85 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 team-best .311 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 108-5 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 328 and losing just 43 (.884).

Cook has never lost a Big 12 Conference match, going 64-0 and winning three league titles. NU has dropped just 13 of the 203 conference games they have played over the past three seasons, good for a .940 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.