No. 1 Huskers Clash with K-State Saturday

Match: #27:   No. 1 Nebraska (26-0, 17-0 Big 12) vs. Kansas State (18-9, 9-8)
 Saturday, Nov. 19 * 7 p.m. * NU Coliseum

 “Toys for Tots Night”
 Fans are encouraged to bring new unwrapped toys or a
 monetary donation for kids in the Lincoln community

Radio:  Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Live Stats/Audio:  Huskers.com  
Live Internet Video:  HuskersNside (subscription required)
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 69-3
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 3-0 (30-20, 30-17, 30-18 in Manhattan on Oct. 19)

Match: #28:   NU vs. No. 24 Colorado (14-9, 10-8 Big 12)
 Wednesday, Nov. 23 * 7 p.m. * NU Coliseum

 “Senior Night” & “Read to Succeed Night”
 Husker student-athletes are asking for fans to donate new or in good condition picture and chapter books. All fans who donate
 will be entered to win a drawing for an autographed volleyball

Radio:  Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Live Stats/Audio:  Huskers.com  
Live Internet Video:  HuskersNside (subscription required)

No. 1 Huskers Look to Clinch Share of Big 12 Crown vs. KSU
The No. 1 ranked Huskers enter the homestretch of the season this weekend, as Nebraska begins a two-match homestand with Kansas State. First serve between the Huskers and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried on selected Pinnacle Sports Network stations, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, and on Huskers.com. HuskersNside subscribers can also watch Saturday’s match live, as nearly every regular-season match will be available on the site. Saturday is also Toys for Tots Night, as fans are encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy for needy children in the Lincoln community.

Nebraska comes into Saturday’s match with a 26-0 record and is 17-0 in conference play following a sweep at Baylor on Wednesday. In that match, NU hit .422 - the fifth time that the Huskers have hit over .400 in a match this season. With a win against Kansas State, NU can clinch a share of the Big 12 regular-season title and would clinch it outright on Sunday with a loss by No. 10 Texas, which travels to No. 11 Missouri. It would be NU’s eighth Big 12 title in 10 years and 27th conference crown in 30 years.

Kansas State (18-9, 9-8) looks to play spoiler in the Big 12 race, as the Wildcats are coming off a thrilling five-game win over No. 24 Colorado on Wednesday. Four of KSU’s last six matches have gone five games.

Did You Know?
*- Nebraska has started 26-0 for the fourth time in school history (also 1976, 1994 and 2000).
*- NU has hit .350 or better in 13 of 26 matches this season.
*- NU has now spent 52 weeks all-time at No. 1 in the AVCA poll, the most weeks at No. 1 of any Division I program.
*- With 644 career block assists, Melissa Elmer needs three block assists to break Amber Holmquist’s school mark of 646 set from 1999 to 2002.

Worth Noting
*- Christina Houghtelling is hitting .437 over NU’s last five matches, averaging 3.94 kills, 2.00 digs and 0.94 blocks per game. 
*- Sarah Pavan is hitting .433 and averaging 4.10 kills per game over NU’s last six matches.
*- Nebraska owns a 27-match home winning streak, which also includes seven wins over ranked teams.
*- Saturday’s match will be the 68th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum. Nebraska is 62-5 at home during its Coliseum sellout streak.
*- After averaging 1.13 aces through the first 19 matches, the Huskers have averaged 1.60 per game over the last seven contests. 
*- Nebraska has won its last 26 road matches. In fact, NU has won 30 of its last 31 matches outside of Lincoln in that span with the only loss coming to USC in the 2004 NCAA Regional Final.
*- The Huskers have won their last 40 matches in Big 12 play, dating back to Nov. 19, 2003.
*- Nebraska has won its last 50 regular-season matches dating back to Sept. 11, 2004.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #8 Melissa Elmer: 6-2, Sr., Fort Wayne, Ind. - Elmer is a two-time All-American and arguably the country’s top middle blocker. She leads the nation in blocking (2.24/gm) and is sixth nationally in hitting percentage (.418, 2nd in Big 12), as she averaged 2.74 kills per game. She has totaled 10 or more blocks seven times, including an 11-block effort against No. 12 Missouri on Nov. 13. In Big 12 matches, she is first in both blocks (2.14) and hitting percentage (.421). Elmer has 710 career blocks and is 18 away from tying Amber Holmquist’s school mark of 728 (1999-02). She has three double-doubles on the year (vs. Pepperdine; at Kansas; vs. Missouri) and recorded a season-best 17 kills on .546 hitting at No. 7 Missouri on Oct. 5. Elmer tied a Big 12 record with 16 blocks at Kansas on Oct. 8. She has been named MVP of the (Sports Imports Classic and InfoUSA/Arby’s Players Challenge.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-3, So., Arvada, Colo. - Stalls has played in 19 matches, averaging 1.54 blocks and 1.41 kills per game, ranking third in the league and 14th nationally in blocks. Stalls has been playing her best volleyball in recent weeks, averaging 1.69 kills on .309 hitting and 1.65 blocks per game over NU’s last eight contests. She had at least seven kills in three of the last four matches, including a season-high nine kills on .500 hitting at Iowa State on Nov. 5 and eight kills vs. No. 12 Missouri on Nov. 13. Stalls matched her career high with nine blocks at Texas Tech on Oct. 29, one of three straight matches with at least seven blocks. Stalls also had eight kills and eight blocks at Oklahoma on Sept. 28. Stalls 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: 6-5, So., Kitchener, Ontario - The 2004 AVCA National Freshman of the Year and first-team All-American, Pavan averages 3.83 kills, 1.63 digs, 1.29 blocks and 0.33 service aces per game, ranking among the league leaders in hitting percentage (.373, sixth), kills (sixth), blocks (eighth), aces (ninth) and points per game (4.84, fifth). Over NU’s last 11 matches, Pavan, who was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, is hitting .435 and averaging 4.17 kills per game. She had 14 kills on .667 hitting at Baylor on Wednesday and a  season-high 22 kills, six blocks and two aces against No. 12 Missouri on Nov. 13. Pavan, who earned first-team academic all-district honors on Thursday, was dominant at Kansas State on Oct. 19 with 18 kills, six blocks and six digs. She posted her second double-double of the year with 12 kills and 12 digs against Creighton on Oct. 11. 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. 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.

OH - #3 Christina Houghtelling: 6-2, Jr., Cambridge, Neb. - Houghtelling has emerged as an All-American and academic All-American candidate in 2005, ranking among the Big 12 leaders in kills (3.62, 10th) and hitting percentage (.361, eighth). She has reached double figures in kills 20 times, including 19 kills on .405 hitting against No. 12 Missouri on Nov. 13 and 12 kills on .526 hitting at Baylor on Nov. 16. She has hit .437 over NU’s last five matches, averaging 3.94 kills per game, and has hit over .400 in 14 of NU’s 26 matches. She had 14 kills on .462 hitting at No. 23 Kansas State on Oct. 19. Houghtelling picked up her third double-double of 2005 at Kansas on Oct. 8 with 14 kills on .454 hitting and 10 digs. Houghtelling starred in NU’s win at OU on Sept. 28, delivering a career-high 20 kills and hitting .404. 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 3.83 digs per game and has recorded double figures in digs 12 times, including four matches of at least 20 digs. She had a career-high 27 at Minnesota on Sept. 5 and also topped 20 against MU (23) and Kansas State (22). She ranks 10th in school history in kills (1,162), moving into NU’s top-10 list on Sunday against Missouri when she had nine kills and 22 digs. At Texas Tech on Oct. 29, Saleaumua had seven kills, six blocks and a match-high nine digs. She had seven kills on .375 hitting, 10 digs and four blocks in a sweep of Kansas on Oct. 26. Saleaumua shined against No. 20 Texas A&M on Sept. 21 with 10 kills, 13 digs and seven blocks. She totaled 12 kills on 16 swings, while adding 14 digs vs. No. 4 Hawaii on Aug. 26. She holds NU’s record in digs (1,453) and has 36
career double-doubles. The Big 12 co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, she was in the USA Volleyball Program last summer.

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 3.01 kills on .297 hitting and 2.84 digs per game, topping all Big 12 rookies in kills, digs and hitting percentage and ranking second in service aces (0.37). Larson has four double-doubles, including three against top-10 teams. She has led NU in kills a eight times, including a 14-kill effort on .420 hitting against No. 18 Texas on Oct. 15 and a 13-kill, 14-dig, four-ace effort on Oct. 12 against Texas Tech. Larson 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 in 2004 while establishing an all-class record with 179 service aces. She also spent two years on the U.S. Junior National Team.

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 6.45 assists and 1.94 digs per game, helping the Huskers rank fourth nationally in team hitting and seventh in assists. Busboom is seventh on NU’s career assist list with 2,644, passing Tisha Delaney, who had 2,605 assists from 1985 to 1986. She has three double-doubles, including a 30 assist, 13-dig effort against No. 10 Missouri on Nov. 10. She also has double-doubles against No. 15 Texas (31 asst./11 digs) and at No. 5 Minnesota (31 asst./11 digs). She 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 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 7.49 assists and 1.62 digs per game. Griffin, who has helped NU rank fourth nationally in hitting, has three double-doubles, including a 33-assist, 11-dig performance against No. 11 Missouri. She also had double-doubles in wins over Kansas and No. 7 Missouri, when she established season highs 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. Griffin was a Fab 50 selection at Rosary (Ill.) High School.

Scouting Kansas State
Under coach Suzie Fritz, Kansas State is 18-9 overall and are receiving votes in this week’s AVCA/CSTV national poll. The
Wildcats are in fifth place with a 9-8 record and a half-game behind fourth place Colorado. KSU comes off one of its best matches of the season, a 3-2 win over No. 24 Colorado on Wednesday. KSU has played eight matches that have gone five games, going 5-3 in those contests.

KSU is led by the duo of outside hitters Agata Rezende (3.74 kills/gm) and Sandy Warner (3.41 kills/gm), as the duo combines for nearly half of Kansas State’s team total. The Wildcats are also one of the best blocking teams in the league, averaging 2.98 blocks per game, including a team-best 1.41 per game by Joy Hamlin, and feature one of the league’s top liberos in Angie Lastra (3.96 digs/gm).

The Huskers are 69-3 all-time versus KSU, and 56 of those victories have been two- (11) or three-game (44) sweeps. KSU’s three wins in Big 12 play are the most by any conference school, as are their two wins at the NU Coliseum (1999 and 2003).

Last Time Out: NU 3, Baylor 1
Christina Houghtelling and Sarah Pavan combined for 26 kills, as No. 1 Nebraska moved closer to a Big 12 regular-season title with a 30-18, 30-19, 30-21 sweep of Baylor on Nov. 16.

Pavan finished with a match-high 14 kills on 21 swings, hitting a career-high .667 without recording an error for the second time in three matches. The sophomore All-American also chipped in three service aces and four blocks in the sweep, as NU won its 40th straight Big 12 match dating back to the 2003 season.

Houghtelling was just as superb, totaling 12 kills on .526 hitting. She hit over .500 for the third time this season, and she also totaled eight digs on the night. NU setters Dani Busboom and Maggie Griffin combined for 47 assists to power NU’s .422 hitting percentage. The Huskers’ average tied for their second-highest total of the year. In all, five players hit over .400, including Dani Mancuso, who had five kills on six swings.

First Matchup: No. 1 NU 3, Kansas St. 0
 Manhattan, Kan. -- Behind a season-high 18 kills from All-American Sarah Pavan, No. 1 Nebraska rolled to a 30-20, 30-17, 30-18 sweep of No. 23 Kansas State  on Oct. 19.

 Pavan matched her season-high with 18 kills originally set at Missouri on Oct. 5, as the Huskers  hit .422, their second-best offensive night of the season and their highest hitting percentage in Big 12 play in over two years.  Pavan, who hit .406 on 32 swings, also chipped in six blocks and six digs, as the Huskers posted their 33rd straight Big 12 victory.

 Pavan was one of four Huskers who recorded at least eight kills in the victory. Christina Houghtelling finished with 14 kills on .462 hitting while Melissa Elmer and Jordan Larson totaled nine and eight kills, respectively. Elmer, who has reached double figures in blocks six times this year, totaled 10 stuffs, as NU enjoyed a 14-6 edge in blocks.

 Jennifer Saleaumua also shined in the sweep with 22 digs, her second-highest output of the season, as NU enjoyed a 54-35 lead in digs, while holding KSU to .106 hitting. Saleaumua’s 22 digs marked the highest total in a three-game match of her career.