No. 1 Huskers Travel to Oklahoma; Host Baylor

The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team tries to remain on top of the Big 12 standings with a pair of matches this week. The Huskers (11-0, 3-0 Big 12) travel to Oklahoma this Wednesday evening before returning to the NU Coliseum to take on Baylor on Saturday.
The Huskers and Sooners square off Wednesday at 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on selected Pinnacle Sports Network Stations, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, and on Huskers.com. Fans will also be able to view Wednesday’s match on HuskersNside, a premium subscription site that will carry nearly the entire 2005 regular-season schedule.
The Huskers will look for their fourth straight sweep in Big 12 play, as Nebraska rolled through its first three Big 12 matches. NU ranks first or second in nearly every offensive category, including a league-best .322 hitting percentage. While OU enters Wednesday’s match seeking its first Big 12 win, the Sooners have played well at times, dropping a pair of five-set matches in league play, including one at nationally ranked Kansas on Sept. 14. OU nearly broke into the win column against Colorado before dropping a 3-2 decision to the Buffaloes.

NU-Baylor Oct. 1 Start Time Set for 7:30 p.m.
Nebraska Head Coach John Cook announced on last Monday that the Huskers’ match against Baylor this  Saturday, Oct. 1, will start at 7:30 p.m. The start time was pushed back following the ABC decision to televise the NU-ISU football game at 2:30 p.m. The match will be carried on NET and NET-HD and replayed on Sunday, Oct. 2 on CSTV at 3 p.m. (central).

Current Husker Streaks
?-Nebraska has won its last 35 regular-season matches dating back to Sept. 11, 2004.
?-The Huskers have won their last 26 matches in Big 12 play, dating back to Nov. 19, 2003.
?-Nebraska has won its last 18 road matches dating back to November of 2003. In fact, NU has won 23 of its last 24 matches outside of Lincoln in that span with the only loss coming to USC in the 2004 NCAA Regional Final.
?-Nebraska has won its last 15 matches against Oklahoma dating back to 1997.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #8 Melissa Elmer: 6-2, Sr., Fort Wayne, Ind. - Elmer is a two-time AVCA All-American and one of the best middle blockers in the country. She leads the nation with 2.31 blocks per game and has had 10 or more blocks three times in 2005. She is fourth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.416), as she also averages 2.81 kills per game. Elmer holds second place on NU’s charts in block assists (544) and total blocks (600), passing Stephanie Thater (591, 1989-91) for second place on the career blocks against Texas A&M on Sept. 21. Elmer has been selected as MVP in two tournaments (Sports Imports Classic and InfoUSA/Arby’s Players Challenge) and had a season-high 13 blocks against Pepperdine on Sept. 9. Elmer hit a season-best .632 (12-0-19) with seven blocks against Iowa State on Sept. 24. Elmer is hitting a league-best .565 in Big 12 matches.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-3, So., Arvada, Colo. - Stalls has been a force since returning to the lineup on Sept. 10. She is averaging 1.92 blocks and 1.00 kills per game over NU’s last five matches. Stalls had a season-high seven blocks against No. 20 Texas A&M on Sept. 21. She also had five blocks against No. 4 Penn State on Sept. 11, and had five kills and three blocks against Colorado on Sept. 17. Stalls, who ranked 11th nationally in blocking as a freshman at 1.65 blocks per game, missed the Huskers’ first six matches because of off-season knee surgery. Before enrolling at NU, Stalls served a two-year stint in the U.S. National Developmental Program and was on the U.S. National Team.

OPP - #9 Sarah Pavan (rhymes with Have-in): 6-5, Soph., Kitchener, Ontario - The AVCA National Freshman of the Year and first-team All-American in 2004, Pavan is having a stellar 2005 season, averaging 3.64 kills, 1.42 digs and 1.47 blocks per game. She ranks fifth in the league in blocks, sixth in points per game (4.75) and eighth in hitting percentage (.358). In Big 12 matches, she is hitting .548 and averaging 4.33 kills per game, and had 13 kills on .522 hitting and seven blocks against Iowa State on Sept. 24. Pavan also had 13 kills against both Texas A&M (.550 hitting) and Colorado (.571 hitting). Against Pepperdine on Sept. 9, Pavan recorded her first career triple-double with 11 kills, 11 blocks and 10 digs, becoming the first Husker outside hitter since Nancy Metcalf in 1999 to accomplish the feat. In 2004, Pavan led NU with 4.54 kills per game,  including a career-high 35 in the regional final against USC. Pavan, who carries a 4.0 GPA in biochemistry, was a member of the Canadian National Team at age 16.

OH - #3 Christina Houghtelling (HOTEL-ing): 6-2, Jr., Cambridge, Neb. - Houghtelling has emerged as one of the Big 12’s top performers early in the 2005 campaign. She is second on the team with 3.47 kills per game and ranks among the league leaders in hitting percentage (.334, 14th). Houghtelling had 12 kills and hit .500 in a sweep of Colorado on Sept. 17 and had eight kills in eight swings in game three against No. 20 Texas A&M on Sept. 21. She matched her career best with 17 kills against Pepperdine on Sept. 9. Houghtelling has earned all-tournament honors two times, including MVP honors of the AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase, where she averaged 4.83 kills on .404 hitting, 2.33 digs and 1.67 blocks per game in wins over No. 4 Hawaii and No. 3 Stanford. Houghtelling, who averaged 2.90 kills and 2.34 digs per game in 2004, spent the summer in the USA Volleyball training program, competing with the A-2 National team in Switzerland.

OH - #26 Jennifer Saleaumua (Sal-ee-ah-MOO-uh): 5-11, Sr., National City, Calif. - A returning AVCA All-American and three-time All-Big 12 performer, Saleaumua’s all-around abilities key the NU attack. She is third in the Big 12 with 4.25 digs per game. She has recorded double figures in digs nine times, including a career-high 27 at Minnesota and 20 versus Pepperdine. Saleaumua shined against No. 20 Texas A&M on Sept. 21 with 10 kills, 13 digs and a career-high seven blocks. Against Ohio State on Sept. 2, Saleaumua became the second player in school history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. She totaled 12 kills on 16 swings, while adding 14 digs in the sweep of No. 4 Hawaii on Aug. 26. Saleaumua already holds NU’s record in digs (1,285) and has 35 career double-doubles (kills-digs). Saleaumua, the Big 12 co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, was in the USA Volleyball Training Program.

OH - #10 Jordan Larson: 6-2, Fr., Hooper, Neb. - One of two newcomers in the Huskers’ starting lineup, Larson is one of the Big 12’s top freshman performers. She averages 3.39 kills and 2.84 digs per game, ranking among team leaders in both categories. Larson has two double-doubles, a 19-kill, 19-dig effort at No. 5 Minnesota on Sept. 5 and a 15-kill, 12-dig performance against No. 3 Stanford on Aug. 27. She also had a match-high 14 kills on .480 hitting against No. 4 Penn State on Sept. 11 and 14 kills against No. 20 Texas A&M on Sept. 21. The Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, Larson was a three-time Super-State selection who was rated the No. 2 player in the country by prepvolleyball.com. Larson set a Class C-1 state record with 501 kills on .490 hitting while establishing an all-class record with 179 service aces in 2004. She also spent two years on the U.S. Junior National Team and was the MVP of the 2004 NORCECA Tournament.

S - #18 Dani Busboom: 5-11, Jr., Cortland, Neb. - Busboom is in her third season as Nebraska’s starting setter and splits time with Maggie Griffin in the Huskers’ 6-2 offense. She averages 6.56 assists and 1.92 digs per game, helping the Huskers lead the league with a .322 hitting percentage. She recorded her first double-double of the year with 31 assists and 11 digs in a five-game win over No. 5 Minnesota. Busboom split time with Michelle Lynch in NU’s 6-2 offense in 2003 before taking over the full-time reigns last season. She averaged 13.10 assists per game in 2004, the highest total by a Husker setter in seven years, to earn honorable-mention AVCA All-Midwest Region honors.

S - #1 Maggie Griffin: 6-0, So., St. Charles, Ill. - A transfer from Michigan State, Maggie Griffin is in her first season at Nebraska. She splits time with Dani Busboom in running NU’s 6-2 offense, averaging a team-high 7.50 assists and 1.33 digs per game. Griffin, who has helped NU lead the Big 12 in attack percentage, has a season-high 36 assists, three service aces and six digs in a win at No. 5 Minnesota on Sept. 5. She had a season-high seven digs and added 21 assists in a sweep of Iowa State on Sept. 24. Griffin spent her freshman year at MSU, ranking sixth in the Big Ten with 12.98 assists per game to earn All-Freshman honors. She had eight double-doubles and 50 or more assists 12 times in 26 matches. Griffin was a Fab 50 selection at Rosary (Ill.) High School.

Eight Left without a Blemish
Nebraska enters the week as one of  eight schools without a loss this season. Other undefeated teams include No. 2 Washington, No. 6 Louisville, No. 7 Missouri, No. 20 Brigham Young, Florida Atlantic, Maryland and New Orleans.

Husker Offense Proving Tough to Stop
 According to Head Coach John Cook, one of the benefits to the 6-2 offense was that Nebraska would become more difficult to defend, as NU had three hitters across the front row at all times. In the latest national rankings, the Huskers rank third in hitting percentage, 10th in kills per game and 11th in assists per game. NU’s .322 team hitting is its best since 2002, and ranks among the best percentages in school history.

NCAA Team Hitting Percentage Leaders
No. Name Pct.
1. Washington .422
2. Western Kentucky .323
3. Nebraska .322

School Best Hitting Percentage (Season)
No. Hitting Percentage Year Record
1. .331 1986 29-6
2. .322 2002 11-0  
 .322 2002 31-2 
4. .318 1985 28-3
 .318 1994 31-1

 After 11 matches, four different Huskers have led the team in kills (Houghtelling, Pavan, Larson, and Saleaumua) while six players have reached double figures in kills.
 In a two-match stretch earlier this month, the Huskers had at least three players hit .450 with a minimum of 10 swings, equaling the entire 2004 total in one week. Against Colorado on Sept. 21,  NU had four players eclipse .450 hitting (Sarah Pavan, Christina Houghtelling, Melissa Elmer and Tracy Stalls), the first time that has happened in 62 matches, dating back to Sept. 24, 2003.

Big 12 Makes a National Statement
 This week’s AVCA/CSTV poll has a Big 12 flavor to it, as five league teams have cracked the national top-25 this week. In addition to the Huskers, who have been the nation’s No. 1 team in each of the first five polls, Missouri (seventh), Kansas State (16th), Texas (22nd) and Texas A&M (23th) are also ranked this week.

Elmer Climbs Block by Block
    Two-time All-American Melissa Elmer has picked up where she left off in 2004 after leading the nation in blocking last season. This fall, Elmer averages a national-best 2.31 blocks per game, a significant jump from her 1.89 blocks per game in 2004. The senior from Ft. Wayne, Ind., has recorded seven or more blocks seven times, including a season-high 13 in a win over Pepperdine on Sept. 10. Elmer was named MVP of the Sports Imports Classic at Ohio State, averaging 3.00 blocks and 2.76 kills per game in victories over OSU and Michigan. Most recently, she was selected to the Players Challenge all-tournament team, totaling 2.80 kills and 2.70 blocks per game in three matches, including a sweep of No. 4 Penn State.

NCAA Blocking Leaders (Sept. 20)
No. Name, Team B/Gm
1 Melissa Elmer, Nebraska 2.37
2 Danielle Brazda, Northern Iowa 2.00
3 Ivana Kuzmic, LSU 1.83
4 Christina Kirk, St. Mary’s (Cal.) 1.83
5 Taylor Reineke, Wisconsin 1.81

 Elmer, who was also selected to the AVCA/NACWAA Showcase all-tournament team, has already moved from seventh to second on NU’s career total blocks list during the first month of the season. Against No. 20 Texas A&M on Sept. 20, she moved past Stephanie Thater for sole possession of second on NU’s career blocks list. She is one of only two Huskers to record 600 career blocks.

Block Assists
No Player, Years Total
1. Amber Holmquist, 1999-02 646
2. Melissa Elmer, 2002-present 544

Total Blocks
No Player, Years Total
1. Amber Holmquist, 1999-02 728
2. Melissa Elmer, 2002-present 600

Elmer Reaches 1,000-Kill Mark
  All-American Melissa Elmer reached another milestone in Saturday’s victory over Iowa State. The middle blocker recorded her 1,000th career kill in NU’s sweep of the Cyclones, becoming the 17th player in school history to reach that plateau. Elmer is the second current Husker to reach 1,000 career kills, joining fellow senior Jennifer Saleaumua, and just the second player in school history to record 1,000 kills and 600 blocks. In addition, she is just the third  player from a conference school to reach 1,000 kills and 600 blocks in their career.

All-time Conference Players with 1,000 Kill-600 Blocks
Player, School (Years) Kills Blocks
Gloria Holcomb, OU (1990-93) 1,774 616
Amber Holmquist, NU (1999-02) 1,122 728
Melissa Elmer, NU (2002-pres.) 1,003 600

Powerful Pavan Produces Points-a-Plenty
 After the most decorated freshman season in school history, sophomore All-American Sarah Pavan   has worked hard to become one of the top all-around players in college volleyball. The 6-foot-5 rightside hitter tops NU in kills (3.64 per game) and is also among the conference leaders in hitting percentage (.358, eighth), blocks (1.47, fifth) and points per game (4.75, sixth). Over the last five matches, Pavan has been unstoppable offensively, hitting .510 and averaging 3.87 kills per game in that stretch. Many of Pavan’s numbers are higher than 2004, except for kills and attempts, as her swings are down by almost 25 percent from last year.

Comparing Pavan
Category 2004 2005
Kills/Gm 4.54 3.64
Attempts/Gm 9.69 7.36
Hitting Pct. .322 358
SA/Gm 0.18 0.31
Digs/Gm 1.42 1.42
Blocks/Gm 1.17 1.47

Pavan Posts Triple-Double vs. Pepperdine
 All-American Sarah Pavan made Husker history in the Sept. 9 win over Pepperdine. The 6-foot-5 sophomore became the first Husker in three years to record a triple-double, finishing the match with 11 kills, 11 blocks and 10 digs. Not only was it the first by a Husker since 2002, but it was the first by a Husker outside hitter since Nancy Metcalf (Meendering) had one against Kansas State in 1999. In that match, Metcalf had 39 kills, 12 blocks and 21 digs.

Saleaumua Reaches 1,000-1,000 Club
 Senior captain Jennifer Saleaumua reached a historic mark at Ohio State on Sept. 2. The senior from National City, Calif., reached the 1,000-kill mark, becoming only the second player in school history to record both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Saleaumua holds NU’s record for career digs and is closing in on the Huskers top-10 list in kills.
 
1,000-1,000 Club
Player, Year Kills Digs
Eileen Shannon, 1989-92 1,521 1,074
Jennifer Saleaumua, 2002-05 1,064 1,285

No Libero, No Problem
 While several teams in college volleyball run a 6-2 offense, Nebraska’s attack is unique because there is no libero on the court. The Huskers rely on the passing and court coverage abilities of its four outside hitters (Sarah Pavan, Jordan Larson, Jennifer Saleaumua and Christina Houghtelling). Nebraska has outdug nine of its 11 opponents in 2005, while both Saleaumua and Larson rank among the league leaders in digs. The only true libero on the roster is freshman Rachel Schwartz, who is primarily used as a serving specialist.

Houghtelling Emerges on National Scene
When John Cook was asked to name his MVP following the first part of the season, he quickly responded with Christina Houghtelling, instead of one of his three returning All-Americans.

Houghtelling has developed into one of the main focal points of the Husker offense, averaging 3.47 kills per game and hitting .332 to rank among the conference leaders in both categories. She has also averaged 2.36 digs, 1.00 blocks and committed three service errors in a team-high 217 attempts.

Houghtelling burst on the national stage in the season-opening AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase, averaging 4.83 kills on .404 hitting, with 2.33 digs and 1.67 blocks per game in helping No. 1 Nebraska to sweeps of No. 4 Hawaii and No. 3 Stanford. For her efforts, she was named the tournament MVP, along with the AVCA and Big 12 National Player of the Week.

The Qwest was a Success
     Nebraska volleyball’s first visit to Qwest Center OMAHA was a smashing success, as over 20,000 fans came out for the two-day event while a national television audience saw four of the top five teams in the preseason poll battle for the title.
 ?-Both night’s attendance totals (10,028 and 10,576, respectively) shattered the AVCA/NACWAA single-match record (9,345 between Hawaii and USC in 2003), while the total of 20,604 easily eclipsed the tournament record  of 16,292 set in 2003.
  ?-The attendance totals ranked as the 26th and 11th largest crowds to see an NCAA volleyball match.
 ?-The AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase drew two of the largest off-campus regular-season crowds in NCAA volleyball history.
 ?-Nebraska became the third school to win two event titles (also Stanford and USC) and became the first host school to win in the event’s 11-year history.

Newcomers Playing Vital Roles
Nebraska’s heralded incoming class has played a major role in the Huskers’ early season success. Jordan Larson has two double-doubles in 10 matches, including a 19-kill, 19-dig effort against No. 5 Minnesota on Sept. 6. Sophomore setter Maggie Griffin has been effective in helping NU run the 6-2 offense, averaging a team-high 7.50 assists per game. In addition, Amanda Gates and Rachel Schwartz have also seen extensive action in NU’s first 11 matches.

Stalls Makes Return vs. Pacific
Nebraska regained the services of middle blocker Tracy Stalls in the Huskers’ Sept. 10 victory over  Pacific. The sophomore played in game one, recording four blocks and two kills in her only action after missing NU’s first six contests with off-season knee surgery. The following day, Stalls had five blocks in a sweep of No. 4 Penn State and had five kills and three blocks in the sweep of Colorado on Sept. 17. Stalls is averaging 1.92 blocks per game, as she has started NU’s last four matches. Stalls ranked 11th nationally in blocking in 2004, averaging 1.65 blocks per game in 30 contests. A former member of the U.S. National Team, Stalls established NU freshman marks for total blocks (160) and block assists (148), while ranking eighth in the Big 12 with a .322 hitting percentage.

NCAA Regional Tickets on Sale
     Tickets for the NCAA Regional this December at Qwest Center OMAHA went on sale Sept. 10. All-session tickets for the regional, which will take place Dec. 9-10, are $36 (reserved) and $30 (general admission) and can be purchased at the Qwest Center box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (402) 422-1212 or at Ticketmaster locations around the state (Baker’s, Younkers and the Nebraska Student Union in Lincoln). In addition, tickets can also be ordered at Ticketmaster.com.

Rank and File
 Nebraska is one of two teams to be ranked in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches poll for all 324 weeks of its existence. The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 for 290 weeks, which ranks second behind Stanford’s 295. NU has spent a total of 45 weeks in the top spot, and its most recent No. 1 ranking was in the Sept. 26 poll. Only UCLA (51), Hawaii (48) and Stanford (47) have spent more weeks at No. 1 than Nebraska.

Husker Captains Named
Nebraska Head Coach John Cook announced on Aug. 19, that seniors Melissa Elmer and Jennifer Saleaumua and junior Christina Houghtelling were elected captains for the 2005 season. Elmer is in her second year as team captain, while the honor was the first for both Saleaumua, a three-time All-Big 12 selection, and Houghtelling.

Nine Husker Matches to be Televised
 The Nebraska Athletic Department announced that a total of nine Husker volleyball matches will be televised this season. The 2005 broadcast schedule began on Aug. 26, with the Huskers’ season opener against Hawaii. A total of seven matches will be carried live on NET-1, NET-2 and NET-HD, highlighted by tilts against Penn State (Sept. 11), Texas A&M (Sept. 21), , Texas (Oct. 15), Kansas (Oct. 26) and Missouri (Nov. 13). In addition, eight matches will be carried nationally by College Sports Television, highlighted by the AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase in Omaha.

2005 Television Schedule
Date Opponent Time NET CSTV FSN
Aug. 26 Hawaii 8:30 p.m.  -- Live --
Aug. 27 Stanford 7:30 p.m. -- Live --
Sept. 11 Penn State 3 p.m. NET-2 9/11, 5 p.m. --
Sept. 21 Texas A&M 7 p.m. Live Live --
Oct. 1 Baylor 7:30 p.m. Live 10/2, 2:30 p.m. --
Oct. 15 Texas 7 p.m. Live 10/16, 2p.m. --
Oct. 26 Kansas 7 p.m. Live 10/27, 9 p.m. --
Nov. 2 Oklahoma 7 p.m. Live 11/3, 7 p.m. --
Nov. 13 Missouri 5 p.m. Live Live --

So Far This Season...
 Nebraska has enjoyed a steller first month of the season, going 11-0 heading into Wednesday’s match at Oklahoma. So far this season, the Huskers have...
 ? Earned the No. 1 ranking in the preseason poll for only the second time in school history (also 2001).
 ? Ended Hawaii’s 59-match regular-season winning streak with a 3-0 victory on Aug. 26.
 ? Swept Stanford on Aug. 27, as Nebraska posted its first-ever win over a defending national champion.
 ? Became the first host team in 11 years to win the AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase.
 ? Defeated No. 5 Minnesota on Sept. 5, to post their first road win over a top-five team since the 2001 season.
 ? Swept No. 4 Penn State at the NU Coliseum on Sept. 11, picking up their first regular-season home win over a top-five team in a decade.
 ? Recorded four wins over top-five teams, their highest total since the 2000 national title season.

Cepero Nominated for NCAA Anniversary Team
 Former Nebraska All-American Greichaly Cepero is among the nominees for the NCAA’s 25th anniversary team.  A three-time AVCA All-American, Cepero was named national player of the year in 2000, guiding the Huskers to an undefeated season and the school’s second national title.  Throughout the 2005-06 year, the NCAA will be celebrating its 25th anniversary for Women’s Championship and will be selecting teams. On-line voting will continue for the next two weeks with a team announcement set for Oct. 14. To vote, go to NCAAsports.com and look for the 25th anniversary logo.

Huskers Reload with Young Talent
 One year after pulling in the nation’s best recruiting class, Nebraska pulled in its second straight top-three class in the offseason. The group is led by outside hitter Jordan Larson, who was rated the No. 2 high school senior in the country by prepvolleyball.com. All four freshmen earned prep All-America honors, while Rachel Holloway (U.S. Youth National Team) and Larson (U.S. Junior National Team) both have extensive experience in the USA Volleyball program.
2005 Top Recruiting Classes
No. PrepVolleyball.com Volleyball Magazine
1. Stanford Stanford 
2. Penn State Penn State 
3. Nebraska Nebraska
4. Minnesota Georgia Tech
5. California Minnesota

Husker Block is Best in the Land
 Nebraska volleyball is known nationally for its outstanding blocking, and the 2004 season was no exception. The Huskers led the nation for the fourth time in five years, averaging 4.02 blocks per game. Last season marked just the fifth time in school history that Nebraska averaged more than four blocks per game (also 1986, 1998, 2000 and 2001). The Huskers also return the nation’s top individual blocker in two-time All-American Melissa Elmer, who averaged 1.89 blocks per game in 2004. The Huskers lead the Big 12 with 3.74 blocks per game.
 In 2005, the Huskers lead the nation, averaging 4.35 blocks per game, over 1.00 block per game more than Missouri, which is second in the Big 12 in that category. In fact, All-American Melissa Elmer’s nation-leading 2.31 blocks per game equals or tops the entire team average for both Texas Tech (2.31) and Colorado (1.73)

NCAA Blocking Leaders (as of 9/19)
No.   School Blocks/Gm
1 Nebraska 4.22
2 Washington St. 4.05
3 St. Mary’s (Cal.) 3.96
4 Northern Iowa 3.83
5 Wisconsin 3.76

The Nation’s Top Defense
 Another reason for Nebraska’s success is its defensive effort. In 2004, the Huskers led the nation in opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to just .103 hitting. The mark broke the school record of .106 set in 2001. In 2005, NU is holding opponents to .128 hitting, as only Stanford has hit over .200 against the Huskers.

2004’s Top Defenses (listed by opp. hitting pct.)
Rank  Name  Opponent Hitting Pct.
1. Nebraska .103
2. Florida A&M .127
3. Florida .137

2005’s Top Defenses (listed by opp. hitting pct.)
Rank  Name  Opponent Hitting Pct.
1. Washington .036
2. Minnesota .100
3. Wisconsin .109
4. Nebraska .128
 
Under John Cook, the Huskers have held 15 foes to negative hitting percentage, as Pacific hit -.073 against Nebraska on Sept. 10.
 
Lowest Hitting Percentages vs. NU since 2000
Date  Opponent  Pct.
10/3/00 Creighton - .105
10/30/04 Iowa State - .089
9/10/05 Pacific -.073
9/29/02 Creighton - .068
9/4/00 Oral Roberts - .066

Cook’s Winning Ways
Nebraska Coach John Cook has been amazingly successful during his five seasons at the helm, posting a 165-11 record (.937 winning percentage). All 11 losses have come against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including the eventual NCAA champion in 2001 (Stanford) and 2002 (USC). 

In the Big 12, Cook has enjoyed even greater success, going 100-3 in his five seasons. Nebraska has posted four undefeated seasons in league play (2000-02, 2004) and has dropped just 33 of the 338 conference games it has played over the past five seasons, good for a .902 winning percentage. 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.

Winningest Division I Programs (2000-present)
No.  Team Record Pct. 
1 Nebraska 165-11 .938
2 Hawaii 167-18 .903
 Florida 167-18 .903
4. USC 147-20 .880
5. Northern Iowa 154-30 .837
Updated Totals as of Sept. 26

Huskers to be Tested in 2005
 NU Head Coach John Cook has put together one of the most challenging schedules in school history in 2005:
 ? Nineteen of Nebraska's matches will be against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2004, including matchups with NCAA Champion Stanford and a match at NCAA runner-up Minnesota.
? Nebraska will meet four of the top six teams in the AVCA preseason poll, with matches against Stanford, Hawaii, Penn State and Minnesota.
? The Huskers will face 13 teams (a total of 19 times)  that were ranked or received votes in the preseason CSTV/AVCA Coaches poll.

All-America U
 Nebraska continued its string of All-America success in 2004, as Melissa Elmer, Sarah Pavan and Jennifer Saleaumua were named AVCA All-Americans. For Elmer, it was her second straight All-America certificate, as she was a second-team selection in 2003 before earning first-team honors in 2004. It was the first award for both Pavan, a first-team honoree, and Saleaumua, a second-team selection. Nebraska has had at least one All-American every season since 1983, a total of 23 straight seasons, including 14 in Coach John Cook's five seasons at Nebraska. A total of 25 players have combined to earn 49 AVCA All-America certificates. Nebraska leads the nation in both categories.

Sellout Streak Reaches 60
 Nebraska will carry a streak of 60 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum into Saturday’s match against Baylor. The Huskers sold out all 15 matches they played at the Coliseum last season and sold out the entire 2005 season in just nine days. The streak began with a 10-game stretch to close the 2001 season and extended through the 2002, 2003 and 2004 campaigns. The last non-sellout came on Sept. 25, 2001, against Creighton. NU ranked second nationally in total attendance in 2004, averaging 4,336 fans per match.

Red, White and Blue
 Nebraska continued its Olympic tradition in 2004 with Nancy Metcalf's (Meendering) selection to the U.S. Olympic team. 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. Current Huskers Melissa Elmer, Christina Houghtelling and Jennifer Saleaumua had an opportunity to train with the U.S. National Team program this summer, while Elmer and Houghtelling also represented Team USA at the Montreux Volley Masters in Montreux, Switzerland.

Success in the Classroom
 Nebraska continued to excel in the classroom in 2004, as seven Huskers were chosen for the academic All-Big 12 team. The list also included a league-high six first-team honorees. 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 21 seasons.

The Alltel Husker Volleyball Show
 The Alltel Husker Volleyball show with John Cook will air throughout the state this fall. On NET-2, the show runs Monday nights at 7:30 p.m. beginning Aug. 28, while UPN Nebraska, which debuts on Sept. 1, will air the show at 10:30 p.m. on Mondays.

Huskers Picked to Win Big 12
 Defending Big 12 champion Nebraska was selected to win the 2005 volleyball title in the annual preseason polling of the league’s head coaches.  The Huskers captured all 10 of the possible first-place votes and 100 points overall, with coaches not being allowed to vote for their own teams.
 In 2004, NU finished the season with a perfect league record (20-0) for the fourth time in conference history (2000-02, ?04) and 15th overall. The Huskers have earned seven of the nine previous crowns.  
 Missouri finished second behind NU with 88 points.  Texas, Texas A&M and Kansas rounded out the top five.
 Nebraska paced the conference with three All-Big 12 selections while earning two of the three individual honors. Sarah Pavan headlined the preseason awards as the Player of the Year, while Jordan Larson was tabbed the league’s Newcomer of the Year.   
 Returning All-Americans Melissa Elmer and Jennifer Saleaumua joined Pavan on the preseason all-conference team.

2005 Big 12 Preseason Volleyball Poll
Rank Team (First-place Votes) Points
1. Nebraska (10) 100
2. Missouri 88
3. Texas 77
4. Texas A&M 72
5. Kansas 68
6. Kansas State 56
7. Baylor 43
8. Colorado 43
9 Oklahoma 24
10. Texas Tech 21
11. Iowa State 13

2005 Preseason All-Big 12 Team
Name, School Pos. Ht. Cl.
Desiree Guilliard-Young, Baylor MB 6-5 Jr.
Allie Griffin, Colorado RS 6-0 Sr.
Ashley Nu’u, Colorado S 5-10 Jr.
Josi Lima, Kansas MB 6-0 Sr.
Lindsey Hunter, Missouri S 5-10 Sr.
Jessica Vander Kooi, Missouri OH 6-2 Jr.
Melissa Elmer, Nebraska MB 6-2 Sr.
Sarah Pavan, Nebraska OH 6-5 So.
Jennifer Saleaumua, Nebraska OH 5-11 Sr.
Joanna Schmitt, Oklahoma OH 5-10 Jr.
Brandy Magee, Texas MB 6-2 Jr.
Michelle Moriarty, Texas S 5-10 So.
Laura Jones, Texas A&M OH 6-2 Sr.

Preseason Player of the Year: Sarah Pavan, Nebraska
Preseason Newcomer of the Year: Jennifer Todd, Texas
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Jordan Larson, Nebraska