Huskers Hosts Creighton; Texas Tech

Match: #16:   Nebraska (15-0, 7-0 Big 12) vs. Creighton (8-9, 2-5 MVC)
Tuesday, Oct. 11 ? 7 p.m. (central) ? NU Coliseum (sold out)
Radio:  Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Television: Time Warner Cable (Ch. 102); Cox Cable in Omaha (Ch. 802) and  Pinpoint Communications (Ch. 27 in selected cities)
Live Stats:  Huskers.com 
Live Internet Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)
Internet Audio:  Huskers.com
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 7-0
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 30-22, 30-15, 30-24 in North Platte, Neb. on Oct. 10, 2004

Match: #17:   Nebraska vs.Texas Tech (9-7, 3-4 Big 12)
Wednesday, Oct. 12 ? 7 p.m. (central) ? NU Coliseum (sold out)
Radio:  Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Television: Time Warner Cable (Ch. 102); Cox Cable in Omaha (Ch. 802) and Pinpoint Communications (Ch. 27 in selected cities)
Live Stats:  Huskers.com 
Live Internet Video:  HuskersNside (subscription required)
Internet Audio:  Huskers.com
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 22-1 (NU has won the last 17 meetings)
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 30-10, 30-14, 30-22 in Lincoln on Nov. 2, 2004

Huskers Hosts Creighton; Texas Tech
The No. 1-ranked Huskers host matches on consecutive days for the first time in a month, as Nebraska plays host to Creighton and Texas Tech this week. On Tuesday, the Huskers will close out the non-conference portion of their schedule, as they take on in-state rival Creighton before hosting Texas Tech the following evening. Both matches are set for a 7 p.m. start and will be carried on local television in Nebraska and also on selected Pinnacle Sports Network stations, including B107.3 FM. Both matches will be shown live in Lincoln and Southeast Nebraska on Time Warner Cable (Ch. 102) and in Omaha on Cox Cable (Ch. 802).

The Huskers enter the week with a 15-0 record after a pair of four-game road wins last week, including a victory over No. 7 Missouri - the seventh ranked opponent NU has defeated this season. With a win on Tuesday against Creighton, Nebraska will post its first perfect non-conference mark since the 2000 national title season. Over the last decade, NU has only gone undefeated in non-conference action two times (1998 and 2000). Creighton is 7-9 on the season and brings a two-game winning streak to Lincoln, but the Bluejays are looking for their first win in four tries over a Big 12 team this year after losses to Iowa State, Kansas State and Colorado.

Did You Know?
? Creighton assistant coach Angie Oxley was a four-year starter at NU from 1997 to 2000.
? Nebraska ranks in the top 10 nationally in blocks (first), hitting percentage (second), kills per game (fourth) and assists per game (sixth).
? Nebraska’s seven wins over ranked opponents leads the nation, as Nebraska (7-0), Penn State (6-2) and Washington (5-0) are the only teams with at least five wins against ranked teams.

Worth Noting and Streaks to Watch
?-Nebraska and Creighton will feature many of the state’s high school products, as 15 of the teams’ 26 players are from Nebraska. The Huskers have seven in-state products, one less than Creighton’s eight players from the Cornhusker state.
?-Nebraska has won its last 39 regular-season matches dating back to Sept. 11, 2004.
?-The Huskers have won their last 30 matches in Big 12 play, dating back to Nov. 19, 2003.
?-Nebraska owns a 21-match home winning streak dating back to Sept. 11, 2004. In that stretch, NU has dropped only one game (against Pepperdine in this year’s season opener). The Huskers are also 5-0 against ranked foes during the streak.
?-Nebraska has won its last 46 matches against the four Big 12 schools from Texas (Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech) dating back to 1999.

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 2.27 blocks per game and has had 10 or more blocks four times in 2005. She is third the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.434) as she also averages 2.90 kills per game. Elmer holds second place on NU’s charts in block assists (573) and total blocks (633), 95 off the school record held by Amber Holmquist (728, 1999-02). Elmer comes off her best week of the season, averaging 3.50 kills and 2.75 digs while hitting .500 in wins at No. 7 Missouri and Kansas. Against the Tigers, she had a season-high 17 kills on .546 hitting, becoming only the second player in school history to total 17 or more kills without a hitting error. On Saturday, Elmer tied a Big 12 record with 16 blocks, while adding 11 kills for her second double-double of the year. In league matches, Elmer paces all Big 12 players in both blocks (2.12) and hitting percentage (.504) and has been named MVP in two tournaments (Sports Imports Classic and InfoUSA/Arby’s Players Challenge).

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-3, So., Arvada, Colo. - Stalls has played in nine matches, averaging 1.48 blocks and 1.19 kills per game. She enjoyed her best match of the year at Oklahoma on Sept. 28, setting season highs in both kills (eight) and blocks (eight). It marked the third time that she has had at least five blocks in a match this year, as she had seven against No. 20 Texas A&M on Sept. 21 and five against fourth-ranked Penn State on Sept. 11. Stalls had six kills and three blocks against No. 7 Missouri on Oct. 5. Stalls, who ranked 11th nationally in blocking as a freshman at 1.65 blocks per game. 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 3.59 kills, 1.41 digs and 1.43 blocks per game. She ranks fourth in the league in blocks, seventh in points per game (4.65) and ninth in hitting percentage (.339). In Big 12 matches, she is hitting .362 and averaging 3.79 kills per game, ranking among the league leaders in both categories. Pavan had 11 kills and nine blocks at Kansas on Oct. 8 and had a season-high 18 kills and 11 digs at Missouri on Oct. 5.  She hit .500 or better in NU’s first three Big 12 matches, capped by 13 kills on .522 hitting and seven blocks against Iowa State on Sept. 24. 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. Pavan, who carries a 4.0 GPA in biochemistry, was a member of the Canadian National Team at age 16 and led NU with 4.54 kills per game in 2004.

OH - #3 Christina Houghtelling (HOTEL-ing): 6-2, Jr., Cambridge, Neb. - Houghtelling has emerged as one of the Big 12’s top performers in  2005. She is tied for the team lead in kills at 3.59 kills per game, while ranking ninth in the league with a .339 hitting percentage. Houghtelling picked up her third double-double of 2005 at Kansas on Oct. 8 with 14 kills on .454 hitting and 10 digs. She starred in NU’s win at Oklahoma on Sept. 28, delivering a career-high 20 kills - including 14 in the final two games - and hitting .404 against the Sooners. She matched her then-career best with 17 kills vs. 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 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 fifth in the Big 12 with 3.98 digs per game and has recorded double figures in digs 12 times, including a career-high 27 at Minnesota and 20 versus Pepperdine. She shined against No. 20 Texas A&M with 10 kills, 13 digs and seven blocks. At Ohio State on Sept. 2, Saleaumua became the second Husker to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. 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 (1,335) and has 36 career double-doubles. The Big 12 co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, she 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 3.33 kills on .312 hitting and 2.70 digs per game, topping all Big 12 rookies in kills and hitting percentage. Larson has three double-doubles, a 19-kill, 19-dig effort at No. 5 Minnesota on Sept. 5; a 15-kill, 12-dig performance against No. 3 Stanford on Aug. 27; and a 15-kill, 11-dig effort at No. 7 Missouri on Oct 5. Larson has led NU in kills six times, including 14 kills on .667 hitting against Baylor on Oct. 1. 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. Busboom averages 6.51 assists and 1.88 digs per game, helping the Huskers rank second nationally in team 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 and had 26 assists and nine digs at No. 7 Missouri on Oct. 5. Busboom split time with Michelle Lynch in NU’s 6-2 offense in 2003 before taking over the full-time role 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 7.55 assists and 1.63 digs per game. Griffin, who has helped NU rank second nationally in hitting, had 36 assists, three service aces and six digs in a win at No. 5 Minnesota on Sept. 5. Griffin picked up her first double-double of the year at No. 7 Missouri on Oct. 5, setting season bests in assists (37) and digs (15). 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.

Scouting Creighton
Under third-year head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth (38-38 in three seasons), Creighton has been one of the most improved teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bluejays returned three starters from a team that went 18-11 in 2004, setting a school record for wins.  The Bluejays are familiar with top competition, as they played No. 3 Stanford earlier this season and have also taken on a trio of Big 12 teams in Iowa State, Kansas State and Colorado.

Creighton is led by outside hitter Leah Ratzlaff, who is second in the Missouri Valley Conference, averaging 4.85 kills per game.
Ratzlaff earned first-team MVC honors in 2004 with 4.52 kills per game. Ratzlaff is one of four Bluejays averaging better than 2.50 kills per game. Middle blocker Kelly Goc is second on the squad with 3.12 kills per game and tops Creighton with 1.09 blocks per game.

Nebraska has led the all-time series, 7-0, sweeping the Bluejays in all seven previous meetings. Tuesday’s contest is the first between the two teams at the NU Coliseum since 2001, as the 2002 match was at the Devaney Center, while the 2004 match was in North Platte.

Scouting Texas Tech
The Red Raiders come to town with a 9-7 mark following a dramatic five-game victory over Colorado on Saturday. Third-year coach Nancy Todd (30-41 overall) and the Red Raiders have won three of their last five matches, including a three-game sweep of Kansas on Sept. 28. Tech’s most impressive performance came in a losing effort to No. 7 Missouri, losing to the then-undefeated Tigers in five games.

The Red Raiders feature one of the Big 12’s top newcomers in junior college transfer Philister Sang. A member of Kenyan National team that competed in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Seng is averaging 4.60 kills, a total that is third in the league, along with 2.48 digs  and 0.28 service aces per game. In addition to Seng, Amy Charlebois averaged 2.57 kills, while Brianna Florus tops the Red Raiders wills with 1.08 digs per game.

Nebraska has dominated the series, winning 22 of the 23 all-time matches between the two teams, including the last 17 contests. NU is 9-0 all-time against Texas Tech at the NU Coliseum, including a three-game sweep in 2004.