Huskers Host Three Matches This Week

Match: #21:
No. 3 Nebraska (19-1, 13-0 Big 12) vs. Texas Tech (8-10, 4-8)
NU Coliseum ? Wednesday, Nov. 3 ? 7 p.m.
Tickets: Sold Out (50th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum)
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
Television: State-wide in Nebraska on NETV
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 21-1, dating back to Sept. 15, 1979
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-0 (32-30, 30-23, 30-11) in Lubbock on Sept. 18.
Coach Cook vs. Texas Tech: 9-0

Match: #22:
No. 3 Nebraska vs. No. 18 Kansas State (14-7, 8-4 Big 12)
NU Coliseum ? Saturday, Nov. 6 ? 6 p.m.
Tickets: Sold Out
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
Television: State-wide in Nebraska on NETV
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 67-3, dating back to Oct. 11, 1975
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-1 (28-30, 30-21, 30-25, 30-23) in Manhattan on Oct. 13
Coach Cook vs. Kansas State: 8-3

Match: #23:
No. 3 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Colorado State (19-2)
NU Coliseum ? Sunday, Nov. 7 ? 5 p.m.
Tickets: Sold Out
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
Television: CSTV Live National Telecast (Ch. 610 on DirecTV; Ch. 305 on Time Warner Cable in Lincoln)
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Series Record: Nebraska leads, 5-1, dating back to Sept. 28, 1984
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-1 (29-31, 30-21, 30-26, 26-34) at the NU Coliseum on Dec. 7, 2001
Coach Cook vs. Colorado State: 2-0

Huskers Host Three Matches This Week
The Nebraska volleyball team begins a busy week on Wednesday, as the Huskers play host to three opponents - including two top-20 teams - in a five-day span. The Huskers (19-1, 13-0 Big 12) open the week on Wednesday when they play host to Texas Tech (8-11, 4-9 Big 12). First serve at the NU Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on the Pinnacle Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, with John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall calling all of the action. The match will also be carried state-wide on NETV with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Kathi Wieskamp (color). In addition, fans with high-speed Internet access can watch all of the action on HuskersNside, a subscription-based website of the NU Athletic Department, as every regular-season match will be carried on the website.

Storylines
?- On Wednesday against Texas Tech, Nebraska will enjoy its 50th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum - an unprecedented feat in the sport of college volleyball and a rare feat for any women’s college sport. The Husker volleyball program will become just the second women’s college program - in any sport - to reach 50 consecutive sellouts in their primary home arena. UConn women’s basketball, which currently enjoys a string of 111 straight sellouts, is the only other women’s program to claim a 50-plus sellout streak.

?- After reaching 1,000 digs in Saturday’s win over Iowa State, Jennifer Saleaumua will look to climb NU’s career digs list this week. Saleaumua has 1,015 digs and needs four more to pass Maria Hedbeck (1,018, 1993-96) for sixth place on NU’s career chart. and 18 digs to pass Billie Winsett (1,032, 1992-95) for fifth place on NU’s career list. Saleaumua is averaging 5.10 digs over NU’s last three matches and ranks third in the Big 12 with 4.12 digs per game.

?- The Huskers climbed from fourth to third in this week’s CSTV/USA Today Coaches poll released Monday. The Huskers were fourth the past three weeks before passing Minnesota, which fell to fifth following a loss to Wisconsin, in this week’s poll.

? - Nebraska has used its depth to its advantage, as five players have led the Huskers in kills over their last eight matches: Christina Houghtelling (Oklahoma), Sarah Pavan (Creighton, Kansas State and Baylor), Tracy Stalls (Iowa State), Jennifer Saleaumua (Texas and Iowa State) and Dani Mancuso (Colorado).

?- Nebraska has improved its serving in recent contests, averaging 2.20 service aces per game over the last three matches, lifting its season average from 1.26 SA/gm per game to 1.40 SA/gm (ninth in the Big 12) .

? - Nebraska has held five opponents below .000 hitting this season after Iowa State was held to -.089 hitting on Saturday - the lowest against NU by a Big 12 opponent since the league was formed in 1996.

?- Sarah Pavan has five 20-kill efforts this season, which is the most since Laura Pilakowski had five during the Huskers’ national championship run in 2000. In fact, Pavan’s total tops the entire team total of 20-kill efforts during the 2003 (three), 2002 (none) and 2001 (four) seasons.

Husker Probable Starters
L - #1 Amanda McCormick (5-8, So., Muncie, Ind.) - Co-captain who is in her second year as a starter at libero and is second in the Big 12 with 4.51 digs per game. She has reached double figures in her last nine matches and 18 times this season. Her 25 digs against Texas A&M on Sept. 25, tied Mandy Monson for the second-most digs by a Husker in a three-game match. McCormick, who is bidding to become the first Husker to lead the Big 12 in digs, tops the Big 12 with 4.70 digs per game in league play.

MB - #8 Melissa Elmer (6-2, Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind.) - Returning AVCA All-American who anchors the Huskers’ blocking corps and averages 2.76 kills and a Big 12-high 1.81 blocks per game. Elmer tops NU in hitting percentage (.340), an average that ranks fifth in the Big 12. She has had two double-figure block matches this season, including 10 in a sweep at Iowa State on Oct. 30. She ranks 10th on NU’s career chart with 438 and 10th in career block assists. She has reached double figures in kills eight times, including four 13-kill efforts, most recently at Baylor on Oct. 23. 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 18 matches at middle blocker and ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 1.57 blocks per game. She leads all Big 12 freshman in both blocks and hitting percentage (.333, sixth) and has four double-digit kill efforts this season. She has had at least five blocks in 13 matches, including eight at No. 10 Texas on Oct. 20. She notched her first career double-double at Baylor on Oct. 23 with 10 kills and 10 digs. She hit a career-best .824, including a career-high 14 kills against Iowa State on Oct. 16. The effort 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 competing with the U.S. National Team in several tournaments, 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 13.21 assists per game while averaging 2.57 digs per game. She leads the team with 11 double-doubles (assists-digs), including a 66-assist, 10-dig effort at Kansas State on Oct. 13. Her 66 assists tied for 17th on NU’s all-time single-match list (seventh in four-game matches) and is one of seven 50-assist matches this season. She guides an offense that ranked second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.283) and in kills per game (17.13). Busboom totaled 700 assists in 2003, which is the second most by any Husker freshman, while splitting time with Michelle Lynch in the 6-2 offense.

OPP - #9 Sarah Pavan (6-5, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario) - The Big 12 Preseason co-Freshman of the Year, Pavan is third in the Big 12 with a team-best 4.48 kills per game. She is second on the squad in aces (15) and third in blocks per game (1.18). Pavan has led NU in kills 12 times, including five 20-kill efforts - as she has been in double figures 17 times in 20 matches. Her best effort of the year came in a sweep of No. 11 Texas A&M on Sept. 25, when she had 23 kills on .500 hitting. She also had 23 kills on .356 hitting in a win at No. 16 Kansas State on Oct. 13 and a season-high 24 kills vs. Florida A&M and Baylor. She recorded her first double-double vs. FAMU when she set highs in kills (24) and digs (15). 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 (3.14) per game. She is also second on the team with seven double-doubles, giving her 30 in her career. She ranks seventh on NU’s all-time digs list (1,015) and recently became the first Husker to reach 1,000 digs before her senior year. Saleaumua earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors on Oct. 25, highlighted by a 19-kill performance at No. 10 Texas, when she hit .450 and added 11 digs. Saleaumua led the Huskers in kills (3.27) and digs (3.90) per game in 2003. Her 441 digs were a school record, breaking the previous mark of 390 by Kate Crnich in 1996.

OH - #7 Dani Mancuso (6-2, So., Omaha, Neb.) - Mancuso splits time at outside hitter, ranking second on the team with 3.26 kills per game while adding 2.26 digs and a team-high 0.33 aces per game. She has been NU’s hottest hitter of late, averaging 3.85 kills and 2.00 digs per gam on .355 hitting in NU’s last eight matches. Mancuso shined in NU’s win at No. 16 Kansas State on Oct. 13 with a career-high 22 kills on .559 hitting. She made her first Big 12 start of the year Wednesday versus Colorado, delivering a match-high 18 kills and seven digs while hitting .424. She also had her first career double-double vs. Florida A&M on Sept. 10 with 16 kills and 11 digs. As a freshman, she started NU’s final 10 contests in 2003, averaging 2.01 kills and 1.72 digs per game in that stretch.

-or- #3 Christina Houghtelling (6-2, So., Cambridge, Neb.) - Sophomore who moved from middle blocker to outside hitter in 2004 and has made 14 starts, averaging 2.73 kills, 2.20 digs and 0.30 service aces per game. She has seven matches with at least 10 kills, including a career-high 15 kills on .433 hitting in a sweep of Oklahoma on Oct. 9. She also had her first career double-double against Baylor on Oct. 6 with 12 kills and a career-best 13 digs. She came off the bench on Saturday at Iowa State to deliver five kills in game three. She missed part of 2003 after a knee injury.

Scouting Texas Tech
Texas Tech comes to Lincoln with an 8-11 mark and sits at 4-9 in the Big 12. Despite sitting in eighth place in the league race, the Red Raiders have been highly competitive, taking No. 16 Texas A&M to five times twice this season, including 10 days ago in Lubbock.

Texas Tech is led by one of the top outside hitters in the Big 12 in senior Kelly Johnson, who is third in the league with 4.42 kills per game, including 4.76 in conference matches. She has had 20-or-more kills in Tech’s last four matches, including a Big 12-high 29 in a win over Baylor last Wednesday.

NU-Texas Tech Series
Nebraska has dominated the all-time series with Texas Tech, winning 21 of the 22 matches in the series, which dates back to 1979. The two teams met five times as non-conference foes before the Big 12 was formed in 1996. The Red Raiders won the first match between the schools in league play, taking a 7-15, 15-9, 10-15, 15-13, 15-12 win in 1996, but the Huskers have won the last 16 meetings.

Last Meeting: Nebraska 3, Texas Tech 0
Nebraska used strong efforts from Christina Houghtelling and Sarah Pavan to sweep Texas Tech, 32-30, 30-23, 30-11.

Houghtelling had 11 kills, as the Huskers improved to 7-1. Pavan joined Houghtelling in double figures with a match-high 14 kills, while hitting a season-high .550 on 20 attempts. She added six of NU’s 16 blocks.

The Huskers held Texas Tech to -.032 hitting, the third time in four matches NU held an opponent to negative numbers. Amanda McCormick added 19 digs, as the Huskers kept numerous rallies alive before wearing down Texas Tech. Jennifer Saleaumua also contributed eight kills, 13 digs and six blocks in the sweep.

Kelly Johnson led Texas Tech with eight kills, as four of the six Red Raider starters were held to negative hitting percentages.

Iowa State Recap
Melissa Elmer tied a season high with 10 blocks, leading fourth-ranked Nebraska to a 30-19, 30-16, 30-20 win over Iowa State in front of a crowd of 1,910 at Hilton Coliseum Saturday afternoon.

The Huskers (19-1, 13-0 Big 12) held Iowa State to -.089 hitting, the lowest percentage by a Husker opponent since the 2000 season, as Nebraska rolled to its 16th consecutive win. The Cyclones (8-14, 1-12 Big 12) became the fifth team to be held below .000 this season, as their average was the lowest since Creighton was held to -.103 hitting on Oct. 3, 2000. It was also the lowest by a Big 12 opponent in John Cook’s five years at Nebraska, surpassing the .-051 ISU hit against NU in 2002.

Elmer led the Huskers with 10 blocks, matching her output in the teams’ first meeting, as the Huskers established a season high with 17.5 blocks. Sarah Pavan and Tracy Stalls added five blocks each, as eight Huskers had at least one block.

NU, which has won all 66 meetings in the series including the last 21 by sweep, also had eight service aces, including three by Dani Mancuso and two by Stalls. Jennifer Saleaumua paced the Husker attack, setting match highs in both kills (eight) and digs (18) while becoming just the seventh player to reach 1,000 career digs and first to reach the milestone before her senior year.