Huskers Announce 2005 Volleyball Schedule

Two major non-conference home tournaments highlight the Nebraska volleyball program’s 2005 schedule released Monday by Head Coach John Cook.

The Huskers, who return six starters, including All-Americans Melissa Elmer, Jennifer Saleaumua and Sarah Pavan, will be tested by one of the most difficult schedules in recent memory.

"We wanted to put together an ambitious schedule that would prepare us for the Big 12," Cook said. "The league should be as competitive as it has ever been this year, and we believe that this schedule will help us be ready for the start of conference play."

Nebraska, which went 30-2 and reached the NCAA Regional Finals in 2004, will play a total of 19 matches against teams that qualified for the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Nebraska will play host to two of the nation’s premier college volleyball events in 2005, opening the year at the AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase at Qwest Center OMAHA on Aug. 26-27. The two-day, four-team event features the Huskers, Stanford and traditional powers Penn State and Hawaii. All four teams finished in the top eight of the final AVCA poll in 2004 and combined for a 119-12 mark last season.

Nebraska will take on Hawaii, which finished with a 30-1 record and advanced to the NCAA Regional semifinals, in one opening-round match set for 7 p.m., while Penn State and Stanford square off in the night’s first match, which will begin at 5 p.m.

All-session passes for the AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase are $36 (reserved seating) and $30 (general admission) and are available by calling Ticketmaster in Lincoln at 475-1212, in Omaha at (402) 422-1212 or online at Ticketmaster.com. Ticket information for Nebraska’s other home matches will be announced at a later date.

Two weeks later, the Huskers will host the first-ever Players Challenge, a four-team, three-day tournament featuring Penn State and traditional West Coast powerhouses Pacific and Pepperdine. Friday and Sunday’s matches will take place at the NU Coliseum, while Saturday’s matches, including a highly-anticipated showdown between the Huskers and Penn State, will take place at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

"Why not play in big events like the AVCA Showcase and the Player’s Challenge when you have an opportunity," Cook said. "We have made an effort to upgrade our schedule and to bring these tournaments and host events such as the NCAA Regional in December and the 2006 NCAA Championships. It is a great opportunity for us to showcase college volleyball and expose the sport to a wider audience."

In between the two home tournaments, Nebraska will make a difficult three-game road swing, taking on NCAA Tournament qualifiers Ohio State and Michigan in Columbus, Ohio, before traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., on Labor Day for a contest against 2004 NCAA runner-up Minnesota.

After eight straight non-conference matches, the Huskers will begin the Big 12 portion of their schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 17, as the Huskers visit Colorado, one of seven Big 12 teams that reached NCAA postseason play.

The NCAA Tournament begins the weekend of Dec. 1-4 with first and second rounds on 16 campus sites. Omaha will host one of the NCAA Regionals the weekend of Dec. 9-11. The national semifinals will take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 15, with the national championship match set for Saturday, Dec. 17.

-- Huskers --