Huskers, Horns Lock Up in Big 12 Showdown Wednesday

Match: #16: No. 4 Nebraska (15-1, 9-0 Big 12) at No. 10 Texas (16-1, 8-1)
Austin, Texas ? Gregory Gymnasium ? Wednesday, Oct. 20 ? 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com
Live Internet Video: TBA
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 22-11, dating back to Oct. 17, 1981
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-2 (30-25, 27-30, 30-23, 23-30, 15-10) at the NU Coliseum on Oct. 12, 2003
Coach Cook vs. Texas: 9-0

Match: #17: No. 4 Nebraska (15-1, 9-0 Big 12) at Baylor (10-9, 3-6)
Waco, Texas ? Ferrell Center ? Saturday, Oct. 23 ? 7 p.m.
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com
Live Internet Video: Live Video Streaming is on HuskersNside.com, for more info, visit Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 17-0, dating back to Oct. 17, 1981
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-0 (30-22, 30-22, 30-15) at the NU Coliseum on Oct. 6, 2004
Coach Cook vs. Baylor: 9-0

Huskers, Horns Lock Up in Big 12 Showdown Wednesday
Lincoln -- First place in the Big 12 is on the line Wednesday evening when fourth-ranked Nebraska travels to Austin, Texas, for a showdown with No. 10 Texas. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. from Gregory Gymnasium and the match will be carried on the Pinnacle Sports Netork, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, with John Baylor and Tina Westerhold calling the action. In addition, free live video is available for Wednesday's match in Austin (click here for video).

The Huskers have an opportunity to seize control of the conference race entering the second half of league play. Entering this week, NU is 9-0 in the Big 12, one game up on Texas and three games ahead of Missouri, Texas A&M and Kansas State, A win Wednesday evening would give the Huskers a commanding two-match lead in the league race, while a Texas win would put the teams in a tie atop the league standing and snap the Huskers’ nine-match winning streak against the Longhorns. Nebraska has won 12 straight since a Sept. 10 loss to Florida A&M, dropping only one game in that stretch. The Longhorns, who have already surpassed their entire 2003 win total (15), suffered their first loss of the year at No. 20 Texas A&M, 3-1, on Saturday.

Storylines
?-Nebraska remained fourth in this week’s USA Today/CSTV Coaches poll released Monday afternoon, while Texas dipped from No. 9 to No. 10 in Monday’s poll.

?- Wednesday’s match-up features the nation’s top hitting team (according to last week’s NCAA stats) in Texas, which comes into the week hitting .316 taking on the league’s best defensive team in Nebraska, which is holding opponents to a league-low .092 hitting percentage. The Huskers have not allowed a team to hit over .200 in their last 14 matches.

?- Wednesday’s contest features two of the top hitters in the Big 12. UT Mira Topic leads the Big 12 in kills per game (5.78) while Sarah Pavan is second in the league (4.69) in that category.

?-Nebraska’s current nine-game winning streak is the longest in the series between the two programs. NU is just 7-6 all-time in Austin, but has won four straight match-ups.

? - The Huskers have won 39 straight matches against the league’s Texas schools (Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M) since a five-game loss to Texas in Austin on Oct. 24, 1999.

?-One Husker tradition that has continued in 2004 has been outstanding blocking, as the Huskers have out-blocked all 16 foes this season, and the last 22 dating back to last season.

? - Nebraska opponents are hitting just .064 since the loss to Florida A&M on Sept. 11. In fact, only Missouri, which hit .155 in a Husker sweep on Sept. 15 and Kansas State, which hit .192 last Wednesday, have hit above .150 in that stretch.

? - One of the overlooked reasons for the success of the Huskers in 2004 has been the improved play of sophomore Dani Busboom, who is second in the Big 12 averaging 13.40 assists per game. Her average is the highest by a Husker setter since three-time All-American Fiona Nepo averaged 13.79 as a senior in 1998. In fact, only four setters in NU history have averaged more than 13 assists per game.

Husker Probable Starters
L - #1 Amanda McCormick (5-8, So., Muncie, Ind.) - Sophomore co-captain returned as Nebraska’s starter at libero and leads the Big 12 with 4.79 digs per game. She has reached double-figure totals in digs in 14 of NU’s 16 matches, including 25 against No. 11 Texas A&M on Sept. 25 and 20 vs. Florida on Sept. 10. Her 25 digs against the Aggies tied Mandy Monson for the second-most ever by a Husker in a three-game match. McCormick also paces the Big 12 in digs in league matches at 5.32 per game after a 16-dig effort against Iowa State on Saturday.

MB - #8 Melissa Elmer (6-2, Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind.) - Returning AVCA All-American who anchors the Huskers’ blocking corps and averages 2.87 kills and a Big 12-high 1.83 blocks per game. Elmer is second on the team in hitting percentage (.341), a total that is seventh in the league. She had at least five blocks in nine of the Huskers’ last 10 matches, including a season-high 10 blocks against Iowa State on Saturday. With 412 blocks, she is two blocks away from moving into NU’s top-10 list in that category. She earned All-Big 12 honors in 2003, leading NU with 1.59 blocks per game along 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.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls (6-3, Fr., Arvada, Colo.) - Stalls has started 14 of the Huskers’ 16 matches at middle blocker and is fourth in the Big 12 with 1.63 blocks per game. She has had at least five blocks in nine matches, including a season-high eight against Notre Dame (Sept. 4), Texas Tech (Sept. 18) and Kansas State (Oct. 13). Stalls missed the Baylor and Oklahoma matches, but is averaging 3.50 kills on .692 hitting and 0.50 service aces over Nebraska’s last three matches. Last Wednesday at Kansas State, she set season highs in kills (12) and blocks (eight) while hitting .579 before hitting an amazing .824 with a career-best 14 kills (14-0-17) against Iowa State on Saturday. Her hitting percentage against the Cyclones tied for fourth on NU’s all-time list and the highest percentage in the Big 12 in 2004. Stalls served a two-year stint in the U.S. National Developmental program in Colorado Springs, Colo., after graduating from high school in 2002. She competed with the U.S. National Team in several tourneys, including the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Yeltsin Cup.

S - #18 Dani Busboom (5-11, So., Cortland, Neb.) - Busboom enters the week ranked second in the Big 12 with 13.40 assists per game. She leads the team with nine double-doubles, including a 66-assist, 10-dig effort at Kansas State on Wednesday. Her 66 assists not only was a career high, but tied for 17th on NU’s all-time single-game assist list (seventh in four-game matches). She has had 50 or more assists five times, including 64 at Notre Dame on Sept. 4. She also averages 2.76 digs and 0.61 blocks per game after matching her career high with five blocks on Saturday against Oklahoma. She guides an offense that ranked second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.290) and in kills per game (17.49). Busboom totaled 700 assists in 2003, which is the second most by any Husker freshman.

OPP - #9 Sarah Pavan (6-5, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario) - The Big 12 Preseason co-Freshman of the Year, Pavan leads the Huskers in kills per game (4.69) and topped the Huskers 11 times. She has had 10 or more kills in 15 of NU’s 16 matches, as she is second in the league in kills. Three of her 20-kill matches have come against ranked opponents. She dominated in a sweep over No. 11 Texas A&M on Sept. 25, recording 23 kills on .500 hitting with four blocks and eight digs. She had 23 kills on .356 hitting while adding five blocks in Wednesday’s win at Kansas State. In league matches, she is third in the Big 12 in kills (4.71) and fourth in blocks (1.54) and hitting percentage (.351). Pavan hit a season-best .550 (14 kills on 20 attacks) and added six blocks in a sweep of Texas Tech on Sept. 18. She recorded her first career double-double with 24 kills and 15 digs against Florida A&M on Sept. 10. Considered by many to be the nation’s top freshman, Pavan has been a member of the Canadian National Team since July of 2003 - at age 16.

OH - #26 Jennifer Saleaumua (5-11, Jr., National City, Calif.) - Two-time All-Big 12 outside hitter who is second on the team in digs (4.12) and third in kills (3.08 per game) while hitting .261. She has seven double-doubles (kills and digs) this year, including three in the last four matches (vs. Baylor, Creighton and ISU). She had 10 kills, 10 digs and matched a season-high with five blocks against Creighton and had 11 kills and a season-high 20 blocks vs. Iowa State on Saturday. Saleaumua had a season-best 18 kills - one off a career high - at No. 25 Notre Dame on Sept. 4. She is fourth in the Big 12 in digs and is 47 digs away from becoming the seventh Husker to record 1,000 career digs. Saleaumua led the Huskers in kills (3.27) and digs (3.90) per game in 2003, as her 441 digs were a school record, breaking the previous mark of 390 by Kate Crnich in 1996.

OH - #3 Christina Houghtelling (6-2, So., Cambridge, Neb.) - Sophomore who moved from middle blocker to outside hitter in 2004 and has started all nine of NU’s Big 12 contests. She averages 2.89 kills, 2.49 digs and 0.31 service aces per game. She led Nebraska in kills against Oklahoma with a career-high 15 kills on .433 hitting. She recorded her first career double-double against Baylor on Oct. 6 with 12 kills and a career-high 13 digs. Houghtelling shined in the win at No. 24 Kansas on Sept. 29, setting then-career highs in kills (13) and hitting percentage (.500).

-or- #7 Dani Mancuso (6-2 So., Omaha, Neb.) - Mancuso is second on the team in kills, averaging 3.17 per contest, and has made four starts this season. She has been NU’s hottest hitter of late, averaging 4.20 kills (on .442 hitting), 1.70 digs and 0.90 blocks in last four matches. She had a career-high 22 kills on .559 hitting in a win at No. 16 Kansas State on Wednesday and had nine kills Saturday against Iowa State. Mancuso tied a career-high with 16 kills and added 11 digs for her first career double-double vs. Florida A&M on Sept. 10. Mancuso played the best match of her career at Notre Dame on Sept. 4, with 11 kills, three blocks and two aces in the final two-plus games vs. the Fighting Irish. She started NU’s final 10 contests in 2003, averaging 2.01 kills and 1.72 digs per game.

Scouting Texas
The Longhorns come into Wednesday’s contest with a 16-1 record after falling to Texas A&M, 3-1, in College Station on Saturday.

Fourth-year Coach Jerritt Elliott (71-38 at UT) has guided the Longhorns back after a disappointing 15-14 season in 2003. Texas features two of the Big 12’s top performers in seniors Mira Topic and Bethany Howden. Topic leads the Big 12 with 5.78 kills per game while also averaging an impressive 3.44 digs per contest. Howden, UT’s leading hitter at .368, also averages 4.15 kills and 0.95 blocks per game. Brandy Magee averages a 1.00 blocks per game, while freshman setter Michelle Moriarty is among the conference leaders in assists with 12.33 per game.

Nebraska-Texas Series
Nebraska is 22-11 all-time against Texas, and the Huskers have won nine straight matches in the series. The Huskers are just 6-7 all-time in Austin, but have won four straight at Gregory Gym. NU’s current nine-game winning streak is the longest between the two teams in the series, while Wednesday’s match-up is the first time that both teams have been ranked at gametime since a 3-0 Husker win on Sept. 21, 2002. In fact, it has been nearly eight years since both teams were ranked in the top 10, as the fifth-ranked Huskers defeated No. 8 Texas, 3-1 (15-11, 7-15, 15-8, 15-5) in Austin on Nov. 29, 1996. Perhaps the most memorable match in NU-UT history was when the Huskers defeated Texas, 3-1, in the 1995 NCAA championship game in Amherst, Mass., to claim its first national title.

Iowa State Recap
Tracy Stalls wowed a season-high crowd of 7,276 with one of the most efficient performances in school history, leading No. 4 Nebraska to a 30-16, 30-21, 30-19 sweep of Iowa State at the Devaney Center.

Stalls, a 6-3 freshman from Arvada, Colo., had a career-high 14 kills on 17 attempts, as her .824 hitting percentage tied for the fourth-highest individual percentage in school annals.

While Stalls provided the offensive firepower, Jennifer Saleaumua and Melissa Elmer helped limit the Cyclones to .030 hitting in the win. Saleaumua notched her sixth double-double of the season with 11 kills and a season-high 20 digss, while Elmer recorded a team-high 10 blocks and had eight kills while hitting .368.

The win was also the 300th in the career of NU Head Coach John Cook, who is 300-83 in 12 seasons, including the last five on the Husker sideline.