Huskers Open 2004 Season this Weekend

Lincoln -- Second-ranked Nebraska opens the 2004 campaign this weekend with three matches over a four-day span. The Huskers, who finished 2003 with a 28-5 mark, will open up the year with a pair of matches at No. 25 Notre Dame on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 3-4) before traveling to Western Michigan on Monday, Sept. 6. First serve for both Notre Dame matches is set for 7 p.m. with the contest against WMU slated for an 11:30 a.m. (CDT) start. All three matches will be carried live on the Pinnacle Sports Radio Network, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and on Huskers.com. Volleyball fans with high-speed internet access can watch live on HuskersNside, a subscription-based service of the NU Athletic Department. Every regular-season match - both home and away - will be video streamed live this season on the site.

? - Nebraska has traditionally been a strong starter, as the Huskers are 26-3 all-time in season openers and have won their last four season openers (and nine of 11 dating back to 1993).

? - The two matchups between the Huskers and Fighting Irish are battles between two of the nation’s top blocking units. Last season, Notre Dame ranked first nationally at 3.72 blocks per game, snapping Nebraska’s three-year hold (2000-01-02) on the nation’s top spot. The Huskers were sixth as a team with 3.17 blocks per game. Individually, Melissa Elmer was also sixth nationally with an average of 1.59 blocks per game, while ND middle blocker Lauren Brewster led the nation with 1.78 blocks per game.

?- This weekend’s matches are a homecoming for a trio of Hoosier state products on the Husker roster. Middle blocker Melissa Elmer (Fort Wayne), libero Amanda McCormick (Muncie) and outside hitter Ally Rebholz (Indianapolis) all hail from Indiana, while Notre Dame has only one in-state product (Fort Wayne’s Emily Loomis) on its 2004 roster.

For Openers
In 29 years of program history, Nebraska is 26-3 in season-opening matches. NU is 18-3 in openers at home and 8-0 on the road or at neutral sites. The Huskers’ only losses were in 1986 to Nebraska-Omaha, 1992 to New Mexico and 1999 to third-ranked Pacific in the State Farm/NACWAA Classic.

Last season, the Huskers swept Clemson, 3-0, as six Huskers finished with at least eight kills in the win. Jennifer Saleaumua led NU with 10 kills, while Anna Schrad, Melissa Elmer and Kelsey Fautsch all added eight apiece in the win. Fautsch, playing in her first match at NU, swung a team-high .889 with her eight kills on nine attacks.

More Opening Chatter
? - Friday’s season opener at Notre Dame marks the latest that Nebraska has opened a season since 1992 (Sept 4 vs. New Mexico).

? - Only one freshman ? Jennifer Saleaumua ? has started a season opener for Head Coach John Cook. A two-time All-Big 12 selection, Saleaumua started the 2002 opener against Pittsburgh at Ball State’s Tournament. The last time the Huskers opened with two freshman starters came during the 1999 opener when Greichaly Cepero and Lindsay Wischmeier both started against Pacific in the State Farm/NACWAA Classic.

? - The match-ups with Notre Dame will mark the first time that Nebraska has faced the same opponent in consecutive matches since 1996 when the Huskers hosted Michigan State in the Arby's Classic in Lincoln. The last time the Huskers faced the same opponent on the road in consecutive matches came against Pacific during the 1991 campaign.

Husker Probable Starters
The latest on the probable Husker starting lineup entering this week’s matches at Notre Dame and Western Michigan.

L - #1 Amanda McCormick (5-8, So., Muncie, Ind.) - Sophomore co-captain who returns as the Nebraska’s starter at libero. She set a school freshman mark with 3.72 digs per game - the second-highest mark in school annals. McCormick had a season-high 31 digs vs. Missouri on Oct. 15, the highest total in the league in 2003.

MB - #8 Melissa Elmer (6-2, Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind.) - Returning AVCA All-American who anchors the Huskers’ potent blocking corps. She earned All-Big 12 honors in 2003, leading NU with 1.59 blocks per game and with a .352 hitting percentage. Elmer, who was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year by the league coaches, spent the spring working with the U.S. National Training Team. She joins Amanda McCormick as a co-captain for the 2003 season.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls (6-3, Fr., Arvada, Colo.) - Stalls comes to Nebraska after a two-year stint on the U.S. National Developmental program in Colorado Springs, Colo., since graduating from high school in 2002. She competed with the U.S. National Team in several competitions, including the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Yeltsin Cup.

S - #18 Dani Busboom (5-11, So., Cortland, Neb.) - Busboom made 10 starts in the Huskers’ 6-2 offense in 2003 and enters the season as the front runner for the setter role. She totaled 700 assists as a freshman, which is the second-best total by any Husker freshman. She was also tied for third with 33 service aces.

-or- #2 Michelle Lynch (5-11, Jr., Jacksonvile, Ill.) - Lynch returns after starting 23 matches a year ago. She led the Huskers in assists (7.21 per game) and topped the Huskers with 47 service aces (two off NU’s all-time top-10 list).

OPP - #9 Sarah Pavan (6-5, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario) - Considered by many to be the nation’s top freshman, Pavan has been a member of the Canadian National Team since she made her debut at age 16 in July of 2003. She was named the preseason Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Year by the league coaches and had a match-high 21 kills in the Red/White Scrimmage on Saturday.

OH - #26 Jennifer Saleaumua (5-11, Jr., National City, Calif.) - Two-time All-Big 12 outside hitter who has played at both outside hitter spots at NU. She led the Huskers in kills (3.27) and digs (3.90) per game, while her 441 digs were a school record, breaking the school mark of 390 by Kate Crnich in 1996. Saleaumua also paced the Huskers with 17 double-doubles in 2003.

OH - #3 Christina Houghtelling (6-2, So., Cambridge, Neb.) - Sophomore who moves from middle blocker to outside hitter in 2004. She missed most of the spring with off-season knee surgery. Houghtelling, who missed most of 2003 with a knee injury, had 11 kills in Saturday’s Red/White scrimmage. She had eight-or-more kills four times in 2003, including nine against Georgia Tech.

-or- #7 Dani Mancuso (6-2 So., Omaha, Neb.) - Mancuso served as the Huskers’ starting outside hitter for the second half of the 2003 season, starting NU’s final 10 contests. She averaged 2.01 kills and 1.72 digs per game. Mancuso recorded 10-or-more kills on six occasions, including a career-high 16 in a three-game sweep of New Orleans on Sept. 5, 2003.

Scouting Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish, who are ranked 25th in the initial USA Today/CSTV Coaches poll, open their season against Loyola (Chicago) on Wednesday evening before welcoming the second-ranked Huskers to town for a pair of matches this weekend.

Notre Dame is coached by Debbie Brown, who is 323-109 in 13 seasons at the helm of the Irish program. Notre Dame welcomes four starters among nine letterwinners from a squad that went 23-7 and won the Big East regular-season title. The Fighting Irish, were picked to win the Big 12 title in the league’s preseason poll earlier this month.

The Irish bring back a trio of front row players in Emily Loomis, Lauren Brewster and Lauren Kelbley who all earned honorable-mention AVCA All-America honors in 2003. All three recorded at least 350 kills in 2003, while Brewster led the nation with 1.78 blocks per game. The trio was a major reason for Notre Dame leading the nation in team blocking with 3.72 blocks per game.

Nebraska holds a 6-2 lead in the all-time series that dates back to the 1983 season. The Huskers have won the past three meetings, including three-game sweeps in both 2000 (in South Bend) and 2001 (in Lincoln). In fact, seven of the eight all-time meetings have ended in sweeps.

Scouting Western Michigan
Western Michigan caps a busy week on Monday by hosting the Huskers in a special Labor Day match. The Broncos open their season on Wednesday when they host Illinois-Chicago before heading to Philadelphia for three matches on Friday and Saturday. WMU will have played five matches in a six-day span at the end of Monday.

The Broncos and Coach Cathy George (167-127 in 11 seasons at WMU) return a majority of their roster from a team that finished 17-14 and placed third in the Mid-American Conference’s Western Division. In all WMU has six returning starters among eight letterwinners and was picked second to Ball State in the MAC preseason Western Division coaches poll.

The Broncos’ top returnee is middle blocker Shaylen Jackson, who earned honorable-mention All-MAC honors after ranking among the national leaders in hitting percentage (.373, first in MAC) and blocks (1.31, MAC). Joining Jackson in the middle is senior Tinesha Tierney, who was fifth in the conference in blocks (1.24) in 2003.

Nebraska holds a 5-1 lead in the all-time series that dates back to the 1980 season. The Huskers have won the past four meetings, including a three-game sweep in 1999. Of the six all-time meetings, three have taken place in Kalamazoo, including NCAA matches in both 1983 and 1984.

Red/White Scrimmage Recap
Freshman Sarah Pavan’s match-high 21 kills led three players in double figures as the Red team swept the White squad, 30-20, 30-24, 30-21, last Saturday at the annual Red/White scrimmage in front of a crowd of 2,808 at the NU Coliseum.

Pavan, a 6-foot-5 freshman from Kitchener, Ontario, made an impressive Husker debut, hitting .375 on 40 swings while also adding 11 digs for a double-double. She also contributed three of the Red squad’s eight service aces in the three-game sweep.

All-American middle blocker Melissa Elmer and sophomore outside hitter Christina Houghtelling also finished with 11 kills apiece for the victorious Red squad. Sophomore Dani Busboom added 49 assists, as the Red team hit well over .300 in the first and third games and finished at .258 for the evening. Senior outside hitter Ally Rebholz led the White squad with nine kills and 14 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Fautsch added seven kills in a losing effort.

Kruse Becomes Fifth Husker to have Jersey Retired
While the debut of freshman Sarah Pavan was one highlight of the Red/White Scrimmage, another was the retiring of Janet Kruse’s jersey during the evening’s festivities.

Kruse became the fifth Husker volleyball player to earn the program's highest honor, as her No. 17 jersey was retired on Aug. 28. One of the most decorated student-athletes to ever play in the Husker program. The Fort Calhoun, Neb., native was the Huskers' first three-time All-American, earning first-team honors in 1989 and 1990 and second-team accolades in 1991.

A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, Kruse was also an NCAA Top Eight Award winner and NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist. She joined Allison Weston, Lori Endicott, Cathy Noth and Karen Dahlgren in the NU Coliseum display. Kruse’s jersey was the first one retired by the Husker program since 1997.

McCormick, Elmer Named 2004 Captains
NU Volleyball Coach John Cook announced Aug. 24 that junior Melissa Elmer and sophomore Amanda McCormick have been named captains for the 2004 season. The pair are two returning starters from a team that went 28-5 and reached the NCAA Regional semifinals in 2003.

The preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, Elmer is a two-year starter at middle blocker and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2003. She led the Big 12 with 1.59 blocks per game while ranking among the conference leaders with a .352 hitting percentage. The 6-foot-2 junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., was third in school history with 169 blocks, including a career-high 15 in a win over Kansas last season.

McCormick served as the Huskers’ libero in 2003, appearing in 22 matches as a true freshman. The 5-foot-6 sophomore from Muncie, Ind., set a school freshman record with 3.72 digs per game ? the second-highest total in school history. She had a career-high 31 digs ? the highest total in the Big 12 in 2003 ? against Missouri last season.

Husker Look to Blend Youth and Experience
While the 2004 Huskers return five starters and nine players with extensive experience this fall, the roster remains youthful. In fact, among the 13 players on the squad, only four are upperclassmen. Outside hitter Ally Rebholz is the only senior on the 2004 team, while the junior class is represented by Melissa Elmer, Michelle Lynch and Jennifer Saleaumua.

Last season, the Huskers played as many as five freshmen at times and a trio of talented freshmen join the mix this season.

Cook’s Winning Ways
Nebraska Coach John Cook has been amazingly successful during his four seasons at the helm, posting a 124-9 record (.932 winning percentage). All nine losses have come against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including the eventual NCAA champion in both 2001 (Stanford) and 2002 (USC).

In the Big 12, Cook has enjoyed even greater success, going 77-3 in his four seasons. Nebraska swept through the Big 12 in 2000, 2001 and 2002 before seeing its 77-match Big 12 winning streak (dating back to 1999) end in a loss to Kansas State on Oct. 11, 2003.

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.

Rank and File
With the No. 2 ranking in the preseason poll, Nebraska is one of two teams to be ranked in the USA Today/CSTV Coaches poll for all 304 weeks of its existence. The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 for 270 of the 303 weeks, which ranks second behind Stanford’s 285. NU has spent 38 weeks in the top spot, and its most recent No. 1 ranking was Sept. 24, 2001.

Sellout Streak Extends to 41
Nebraska will carry a streak of 41 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum into the 2004 season. The Huskers sold out all 14 matches they played at the Coliseum last season (NU played one match at the 13,595 Bob Devaney Sports Center). The streak began with a 10-game stretch to close the 2001 season and extended through the 2002 and 2003 campaigns. The last non-sellout came on Sept. 25, 2001, against Creighton. Nebraska ranked third nationally in total attendance, averaging 4,239 fans per match. In 2004, every reserve seat is sold out for the season while limited general admission seating is available for select games.

All-America U
Melissa Elmer continued Nebraska's remarkable streak of AVCA All-Americans by earning second-team accolades in 2003. With Elmer’s selection, Nebraska has had at least one All-American every season since 1983, a total of 21 straight seasons, including 11 in Coach John Cook's four seasons at Nebraska. A total of 23 players have combined to earn 46 AVCA All-America certificates. Nebraska leads the nation in both categories.

Red, White and Blue
Nebraska continued its Olympic tradition in 2004 with Nancy (Meendering) Metcalf's selection to the U.S. Olympic team in July.

Metcalf, a three-time All-American at Nebraska, became the third Husker to make an Olympic team, joining Lori Endicott, who competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, and Allison Weston, who was the captain of the U.S. Team in the 2000 Olympics. Metcalf played in all six matches in Athens, as Team USA reached the quarterfinals before losing to Brazil in five games. Of Team USA’s four losses, three came in five sets, while also sweeping three-time gold medalist Cuba in the preliminary round.

Success in the Classroom
Nebraska continued its successful legacy in the classroom in 2003, as Anna Schrad garnered second-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. Overall, NU has produced an NCAA-leading 17 academic All-Americans, who have earned a nation-best 26 academic All-America certificates. NU has had at least one CoSIDA Academic All-American in 17 of the last 20 seasons.

Foreign Invasion
While Nebraska has traditionally excelled in recruiting the Midwest, freshman outside hitter Sarah Pavan joins an exclusive club among Husker volleyball players. The Kitchener, Ontario, product is only the fourth player from outside the United States in the program's 30-year history, joining Greichaly Cepero (Dorado, Puerto Rico; 1999-2002), Maria Hedbeck (Sollentuna, Sweden; 1993-96) and Debbie Brand (Adelaide, Australia; 1989-92).

Huskers to Face Challenging Slate in ?04
As in past years, the Huskers will face a challenging schedule in 2004. In all, 15 of Nebraska’s 28 regular-season contests will be against NCAA Tournament qualifiers from a year ago, including Sweet 16 participants Kansas State, Texas A&M and Colorado State.

The Huskers were one of three Big 12 teams ranked in the preseason USA Today/CSTV poll, joining No. 14 Kansas State and No. 15 Texas A&M. Other ranked opponents that Nebraska will face in 2004 include No. 11 Colorado State and No. 25 Notre Dame. In addition to the four ranked opponents, NU will also square off with eight teams that received at least a pair of votes in the coaches poll.

HuskersNside Announces Unprecedented Volleyball Internet Broadcast Schedule
Volleyball fans who don’t have season tickets for the NU Coliseum can now watch every Husker match in 2004, as HuskersNside has announced plans to carry all 28 regular-season games live on the Internet.

Husker fans with high-speed Internet access can watch every serve, block and spike all season. The regular-season broadcast schedule begins on Sept. 3, when the No. 2 ranked Huskers travel to South Bend, Ind., to take on No. 25 Notre Dame.

This marks the third season that Nebraska has carried volleyball matches live on HuskersNside, but the first time that Nebraska has video-streamed an entire regular-season schedule for any sport. For non-televised matches, fans will hear the radio feed with play-by-play announcer John Baylor.

To sign up for HuskerNside, go to Huskers.com and click on "subscribe" on the right-hand portion of the front page. The cost for the service is regularly $9.95 per month or $99.95 for a complete year, but fans who sign up before the season opener can receive a subscription for a special rate of $79.95.

Huskers Tabbed to Win Big 12 Title
The Nebraska volleyball team was picked to win the Big 12 Conference title in a vote of the league coaches released Aug. 9. Nebraska, which finished the 2003 season with a 28-5 record, received 10 of the 11 first-place votes in the conference preseason poll, as the polling was based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system with a first-place vote receiving 10 points and a 10th-place vote receiving one. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Kansas State, which won its first league title in 2003, was second with 80 points while Texas (75), Texas A&M (66) and Missouri (64) rounded out the top five in the preseason voting.

The Huskers have won six of the eight league crowns in Big 12 history, including five straight titles from 1998 to 2002, and have won 25 conference titles in the program’s 28-year history. NU finished second to the Wildcats with a 17-3 mark last season.

Nebraska junior middle blocker Melissa Elmer also was tabbed as the Big 12’s Preseason Player of the Year and was the Huskers’ representative on the preseason All-Big 12 team. Elmer earned second-team All-America honors in 2003, leading the Big 12 with 1.59 blocks per game while ranking among the conference leaders with a .352 hitting percentage. Joining Elmer on the preseason All-Big 12 team are Kansas middle blocker Josiane Lima, Texas A&M middle blocker/outsider hitter Melissa Munsch, Kansas State setter Gabby Guerre, Missouri setter Lindsay Hunter and Texas middle blocker/outside hitter Bethany Howden.

Freshman outside hitter Sarah Pavan also was honored, as she shared freshman-of-the-year honors with Emily Brown of Kansas. Pavan, a member of the Canadian National Team for the last two years, represented the Canadian Junior National Team at the NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Federation) Championships earlier this month, earning all-tournament honors to help the Canadians finish fourth in the event. Kansas junior outside hitter Paula Caten rounded out the preseason award winners, as she was selected as the Big 12 Newcomer of the year.

Huskers Open Home Schedule with First National Bank/Arby’s Classic
Nebraska opens the home portion of its 2004 schedule next weekend, as the Huskers play host to the First National Bank/Arby’s Classic at the NU Coliseum. The home opener is against NCAA qualifier Florida A&M on Friday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m.