NU Faces No. 5 KSU in Pivotal Big 12 Showdown

Lincoln -- No. 10 Nebraska travels to Manhattan, Kan., Saturday to face fifth-ranked Kansas State in a match that has major implications on the Big 12 Conference race. KSU remains in first in the Big 12 standings with a league record after surviving a five-game scare at Missouri Wednesday. The Wildcats have won 12 straight matches since suffering a four-game upset at Baylor Sept. 24.

Nebraska is close behind in the standings with a 14-2 Big 12 record and survived a scare of its own Wednesday, defeating Texas in five games at the Coliseum. The Huskers will have revenge on their minds Saturday. Kansas State rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Nebraska at the NU Coliseum Oct. 11. The loss was Nebraska’s first to a Big 12 team since 1999 and snapped a 78-match conference winning streak.

With just four regular-season matches remaining, Nebraska is playing its best volleyball of 2003. The Huskers have won eight straight since falling to Kansas State and Missouri in back-to-back matches a month ago.During five matches in November, the Huskers have posted numbers above their season averages in several categories, including hitting percentage (.270). Six Huskers are averaging more than 2.00 kills per game in November, led by sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua (3.88) and sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer (3.00).

The Huskers have swept three ranked opponents in the last five matches, including two (No. 21 Texas A&M and No. 25 Missouri) on the road. Saleaumua has played at an All-America level against the top competition, averaging 4.29 kills per game on a .313 hitting percentage to go along with 4.07 digs per game.

A Win for the Huskers ...
With a victory over Kansas State Saturday, the Huskers would:

• Extend their winning streak to nine matches
• Improve to 6-2 against teams ranked in the Nov. 10 USA Today/AVCA Coaches poll.
• Improve to 67-2 all-time vs. Kansas State, including 30-0 in Manhattan.
• Improve to 328-18 all-time vs. Big 12 teams.

Kansas State Quickly (24-3, 14-1)
Kansas State holds a one-game lead over Nebraska in the Big 12 Conference standings, as the Wildcats only defeat in league play was a stunning four-game loss at Baylor. KSU has played four four-game matches and five five-game matches in conference play. The Wildcats survived another scare at Missouri Wednesday night, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Tigers in five.

Senior middle blocker Lauren Goehring had 19 kills and seven blocks in the victory at Missouri, and she has led Kansas State offensively all season. Goehring averages 3.49 kills per game and leads the conference with a .406 hitting percentage. Junior setter Gabby Guerre is also playing at an all-Big 12 level. She ranks second in the league in assists per game (11.99), third in service aces per game (0.42) and 10th in hitting percentage (.304).

Kansas State lists two players from Nebraska on its roster. Sophomore outside hitter Katie Stanzel is a graduate of Omaha Marian. She has played in 65 of KSU’s 99 games and averages 1.02 kills per game. Junior outside hitter Michaela Franklin, a graduate of Lincoln High, has played in 67 of 99 games and averages 1.19 kills per game.

Suzie Fritz is in her third season as Kansas State’s head coach. The 2002 Big 12 Coach of the Year, she owns a 64-20 record.

Nebraska-Kansas State Series
The Huskers are 66-2 all-time vs. KSU, and 54 of those victories have been two- (11) or three-game (43) sweeps. However, over the past four seasons, Kansas State has emerged as one of Nebraska’s top rivals in the Big 12 Conference.

In 1999, the Wildcats defeated NU in five games in Lincoln, becoming the first Big Eight/Big 12 team to defeat Nebraska at home during the regular season and ruining the Huskers’ 101-0 mark against league schools in Lincoln.

The 2000 Nebraska team needed five games in Manhattan to become just the second squad in NU history to go undefeated during the regular season. In 2001, the Huskers eliminated Kansas from the NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 second-round victory in Manhattan.

The Wildcats shocked Nebraska on its home court in the team’s first meeting this season, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Huskers in five games at the NU Coliseum Oct. 11. The loss was Nebraska’s first to a Big 12 team since 1999 and snapped a 78-match conference winning streak.

The Last Time We Met
No. 7 Nebraska came back from a two-game deficit against No. 12 Kansas State, but faltered in the fifth game and suffered a 30-22, 30-26, 19-30, 23-30, 15-8 loss to the Wildcats before 4,051 fans Oct. 11 at the NU Coliseum.

The loss was Nebraska’s first to a Big 12 team since 1999 and snapped a 78-match conference winning streak. The loss also snapped the Huskers’ 42-match Big 12 home winning streak and was head coach John Cook’s first league defeat in 68 matches.

Nebraska struggled offensively all night, committing 41 hitting errors and swinging for a season-low .137 hitting percentage. With the score tied 8-8 in game five, Kansas State scored five of its final seven points on four Nebraska attack errors and a service error.

Nebraska beat KSU in every statistical category except hitting percentage, as eight Huskers who attempted a kill hit .100 or less. NU held a 68-56 advantage in kills, led 77-74 in digs and out-blocked the Wildcats, 14-13. KSU hit just .140.

Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer provided Nebraska with several bright spots. Elmer tallied a career-high 19 kills and had six blocks. She erred just twice in 31 attempts for a .548 hitting percentage, marking the second straight match in which she has hit over .500. Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua recorded a career-high 23 digs.

Coming Up
After playing three of four matches on the road, NU will return to Lincoln next week for two home games. The Huskers take on Kansas at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 and Baylor at 7 p.m. Nov. 22 at the NU Coliseum. Nebraska will celebrate Senior Night following its match against the Bears. NU will honor three seniors, including outside hitter Anna Schrad, middle blocker Sara Westling and libero/defensive specialist Jenae Dowling.

Saleaumua Tops Against Best Teams
This Saturday at Kansas State, Nebraska concludes a five-game stretch in which it faces four ranked teams in 13 days. Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua has risen to the occasion, averaging 3.88 kills per game on a .323 hitting percentage to go along with 4.35 digs per game in November. Saleaumua has produced double-doubles in her last four matches (No. 12 Northern Iowa, No. 21 Texas A&M, No. 25 Missouri and Texas) to increase her team-leading total in that category to 14.

In league matches, Saleaumua leads the Huskers in kills per game (3.36) and digs per game (4.16), which ranks first in the conference.

Saleaumua posted a career-best 27 digs against Missouri Oct. 15, which is the second-highest total by a Big 12 player this season.

Offensively, Saleaumua has posted double-figure kill totals in 17 of her last 18 matches after reaching the mark just once in NU’s first six contests. Oct. 8 at KU, Saleaumua recorded a career-best 19 kills on a .340 hitting percentage.

Nebraska Notables

• Freshman setter Dani Busboom posted career highs in assists (31) and digs (11) in the Huskers’ five-game win over Texas Nov. 12.
• Since switching to the right side five matches ago, senior outside hitter Anna Schrad is averaging 1.18 blocks per game. Her season average is 0.66.
• Sophomore setter Michelle Lynch has produced 12 service aces in the last five matches. Lynch leads the team with 35 service aces.
• Senior middle blocker Sara Westling has produced at least four blocks in seven of the last eight matches to move into the Big 12 statistical rankings. She is eight in the conference with 1.06 blocks per game in league matches.

All About Elmer
Second-year starter Melissa Elmer is one of the Big 12’s best middle blockers and one of the Huskers’ top candidates for postseason honors. Elmer leads the Big 12 with 1.61 blocks per game and ranks second in the league with a .346 hitting percentage. She is hitting .370 in Big 12 matches, which ranks first in the conference. Elmer also ranks third on the team with 29 service aces.

Elmer was named the Big 12 Player-of-the-Week Oct. 14, winning the award for her career performances against Kansas Oct. 8 and Kansas State Oct. 11. Elmer had a career-high 15 blocks at Kansas, the highest number of blocks by any player in the Big 12 Conference this season. The total ranks third all-time on the NU single-match performance charts behind former All-Americans Amber Holmquist (16, 2000) and Karen Dahlgren (18, 1984) and is also the highest by a Husker in the rally-scoring era.

Against KSU, Elmer posted a career-high 19 kills, seven more than any other player involved in the match.

Cook’s Winning Ways
Nebraska Coach John Cook has been amazingly successful during his four seasons at the helm, posting a 119-7 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. Cook has lost just two Big 12 Conference matches, going 74-2 and winning three league titles.

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.