No. 1 Huskers Fall in Five at No. 11 Texas

Austin ? Melissa Elmer etched her name into the Husker and Big 12 record books, but it was not enough, as No. 10 Texas spoiled No. 1 Nebraska’s quest for a perfect regular season with a 22-30, 28-30, 30-27, 30-27, 15-12 victory Saturday evening in front of a crowd of 3,218 at Gregory Gym.

Elmer totaled six blocks on Saturday, matching the career total of former Husker All-American Amber Holmquist, who had 728 during her career between 1999 and 2002. Elmer and Holmquist now share the Big 12 record, while Elmer will have an opportunity to break the mark during the NCAA Tournament.

Elmer also recorded 11 kills and was also one of five Huskers to finish with at least 10 kills, as Sarah Pavan and Christina Houghtelling totaled 15 and 14, respectively. Tracy Stalls had a season-best 11 kills on .400 hitting, while Jennifer Saleaumua finished with 10 kills and a team-high 15 digs.

The Huskers, who were the last undefeated team in Division I, fell to 28-1 overall and 19-1 Big 12, also snapping NU’s 43-match winning streak. The loss was just the second road loss in Big 12 play in John Cook’s six seasons at Nebraska.

Brandy Magee has a match-high 23 kills on .378 hitting, as Texas (23-4, 17-3 Big 12) clinched second place in the Big 12 and snapped an 12-match losing streak to Nebraska dating back to 1999. UT improved to 10-0 this season and has suffered only one home match over the last two seasons, a 3-2 loss to the Huskers in 2004.

The Huskers, who lost after taking a 2-0 lead for the first time since 2003, outhit Texas, .211-.203, but was hurt by 10 service errors and was out-dug, 75-59, and out-blocked, 15-14.

The Huskers used a strong defensive effort in the opener, holding the Longhorns to .041 hitting in a 30-22 victory. The duo of Pavan and Houghtelling did most of the damage, combining for nine kills, while Pavan also had three blocks. The Huskers used an early 5-0 run to take a 7-2 lead after a Saleaumua kill, forcing a Longhorn timeout. Texas pulled to within 9-5, but Nebraska responded with a 5-1 run, pushing the lead to 15-6 after a pair of UT hitting errors. The Huskers eventually pushed the lead to 17-7, but the Longhorns responded with four straight points, pulling to within 17-11 after a Jen Christian kill that forced a Husker timeout.  Pavan then came out swinging, putting down two quick kills to ignite a 6-2 run that made it 23-13 following a Stalls and Saleaumua block. Texas closed to within 28-21 after a 4-1 run, but Houghtelling put NU at game point before a Longhorn hitting error gave the Huskers game one.

While game one was a defensive clinic, the second game showcased the offensive firepower of both teams, as Nebraska used a late 7-0 rally to pull out a 30-28 victory. Texas out-hit the Huskers, .395-.381, as Magee, who had seven kills in the opener, added six more in game two while Christian added five more. Pavan totaled five kills, while Houghtelling added four to help the Husker cause. The Longhorns used a pair of questionable calls during a 4-0 run to take a 21-17 lead and continued to expand the margin, taking a 27-22 lead. A Jordan Larson kill and a Longhorn error pulled Nebraska within 27-24 and forced a Texas timeout. The run continued after the break as a Houghtelling ace and kills by Larson and Pavan pulled the Huskers even at 27 and forced UT’s second timeout.  Larson’s solo block on Magee gave NU a one-point lead and a Longhorn error put NU within game point. Dariam Acevedo’s kill made it 29-28, but Elmer closed out game two with a kill into the corner, sending NU up 2-0.

Texas climbed back into the contest in game three, weathering a tremendous Husker rally to take a 30-28 victory.   The game could not have started off worse for the Huskers, as Texas had four early aces and jumped to 14-2 lead after a 12-0 run.  Texas eventually pushed the lead to 17-3 and had the Huskers on the ropes, but Nebraska fought back, using a 20-8 spurt to pull with 25-23. NU, which hit .071 in game three, continued to fight and was within 29-27 before Magee blocked Pavan on game point.

In game four, Texas used a 4-0 run to take a 9-5 lead after an Alyson Jennings ace. The Huskers stayed within striking distance, pulling to within 15-14 on a Longhorn service error, but UT scored four of the next five points to forge a 19-15 lead and force a Husker timeout. Houghtelling then led the Husker charge, recording a kill and a block to pull NU within 19-17. After a Texas kill, Larson and Elmer combined on a block before another Longhorn hitting error tied the game at 21-all.  NU then committed three straight errors to give the Longhorns a three-point lead at 24-21. The Huskers would claw back into the match, pulling to within 27-26 on a Houghtelling kill, but Christian had consecutive kills to put UT within a point of evening the match. Stalls made it 29-27 with a kill, but Leticia Armstrong’s kill sent the match to a decisive game five.

In the finale, the Huskers raced out to an early lead, but could not hang on as Texas rallied for a 15-12 victory. NU scored the first four points, taking a four-point lead on a block by Elmer and Pavan. Texas came right back, using a 5-1 run to tie the score at 6-all on an Armstrong kill. The teams traded points before a block by Armstrong and Acevedo gave the hosts an 8-7 lead at the changeover. A Houghtelling kill and a Saleaumua ace gave the Huskers a 9-8 lead, but that would be NU’s final lead of the night. UT used a 3-1 run to take a 12-10 lead before a hitting error pulled the visitors within a point. Acevedo then came back with a kill to make it 13-11 and force NU to use its second timeout.  Elmer made it 13-12 with a kill, but Texas squelched the Huskers’ opportunity, scoring the final two points to complete the upset.

Nebraska has already earned the Big 12’s automatic berth for the NCAA Tournament and will learn where it will be for the first two rounds Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. The selection show will be aired on ESPNews and Coach Coach and selected players will be available for interviews immediately following the selection show.

 

     Volleyball Box Score
                              Nebraska Volleyball
            #1 Nebraska vs #11 Texas (Nov 26, 2005 at Austin, Texas)



   Nebraska               |     ATTACK      |SET| SERVE |SRV|DEF|  BLOCK |GEN
## Name                 GP|  K   E  TA   PCT|  A| SA  SE| RE|DIG|BS BA BE|BHE|POINTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1  Griffin, Maggie.....  5|  0   0   0  .000| 30|  0   0|  0|  8| 0  0  0|  1|   0.0
3  Houghtelling, Chris.  5| 14   5  38  .237|  1|  3   5|  0| 13| 1  3  1|  0|  19.5
8  Elmer, Melissa......  5| 11   2  28  .321|  0|  0   0|  0|  0| 0  6  2|  0|  14.0
9  Pavan, Sarah........  5| 15   9  47  .128|  1|  0   0|  1|  5| 1  5  0|  0|  18.5
10 Larson, Jordan......  5|  9   7  27  .074|  0|  0   1|  3|  5| 1  2  0|  0|  11.0
26 Saleaumua, Jennifer.  5| 10   4  28  .214|  0|  2   1|  1| 18| 0  0  0|  0|  12.0
5  Schwartz, Rachel....  4|  0   0   0  .000|  0|  0   2|  0|  1| 0  0  0|  0|   0.0
7  Mancuso, Dani.......  2|  1   1   2  .000|  0|  0   1|  2|  5| 1  0  0|  0|   2.0
11 Stalls, Tracy.......  5| 11   3  20  .400|  1|  0   0|  0|  0| 0  4  0|  1|  13.0
18 Busboom, Dani.......  5|  0   0   0  .000| 33|  0   0|  0|  4| 0  0  0|  0|   0.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Totals..............  5| 71  31 190  .211| 66|  5  10|  7| 59| 4 20  3|  2|  90.0

TEAM ATTACK PER GAME                               TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 14.0
Game  K  E  TA   Pct
   1  16  7  48  .188   GAME SCORES               1  2  3  4  5  TEAM RECORDS
   2  20  4  42  .381   Nebraska............ (2) 30 30 27 27 12  28-1, 19-1 Big 12
   3  13 10  42  .071   Texas............... (3) 22 28 30 30 15  23-4, 17-3 Big 12
   4  15  5  34  .294
   5   7  5  24  .083

   Texas                  |     ATTACK      |SET| SERVE |SRV|DEF|  BLOCK |GEN
## Name                 GP|  K   E  TA   PCT|  A| SA  SE| RE|DIG|BS BA BE|BHE|POINTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3  Paolini, Lauren.....  5| 15   8  33  .212|  2|  0   0|  0|  4| 0  5  0|  0|  17.5
4  Moriarty, Michelle..  5|  2   0   4  .500| 67|  3   0|  0| 18| 0  2  1|  0|   6.0
12 Acevedo, Dariam.....  5|  9  13  37 -.108|  0|  3   2|  0| 12| 0  2  1|  0|  13.0
13 Christian, Jen......  5| 16   7  39  .231|  1|  0   1|  1| 12| 0  6  0|  0|  19.0
24 Armstrong, Leticia..  5| 11   5  23  .261|  0|  0   0|  0|  5| 1  5  0|  0|  14.5
44 Magee, Brandy.......  5| 22   5  45  .378|  1|  0   1|  0|  4| 2  4  0|  0|  26.0
11 Hall, Kiley.........  5|  0   0   1  .000|  0|  0   2|  4|  3| 0  0  0|  0|   0.0
16 Jennings, Alyson....  5|  0   0   0  .000|  2|  1   2|  0| 17| 0  0  0|  1|   1.0
33 Todd, Jennifer......  1|  0   0   0  .000|  0|  0   0|  0|  0| 0  0  0|  0|   0.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Totals..............  5| 75  38 182  .203| 73|  7   8|  5| 75| 3 24  2|  1|  97.0

TEAM ATTACK PER GAME                               TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 15.0
Game  K  E  TA   Pct
   1  13 11  49  .041   Site: Austin, Texas (Gregory Gym)
   2  21  6  38  .395   Date: Nov 26, 2005   Attend: 3218   Time: 2:30
   3  13 10  42  .071   Referees: Richard Bleau, Ron Stalls
   4  19  8  35  .314
   5   9  3  18  .333

                                         1   2   3   4   5 Total
                        Tie scores       3   3   2   6   5    19
                        Lead changes     2   3   1   1   3    10

Short Box Score

Short Box Score (Match) Nebraska Volleyball #1 Nebraska vs #11 Texas (Nov 26, 2005 at Austin, Texas)

Texas def. Nebraska 22-30,28-30,30-27,30-27,15-12

Nebraska (28-1, 19-1 Big 12) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Pavan, Sarah 15-0-6; Houghtelling, Chris 14-3-4; Elmer, Melissa 11-0-6; Stalls, Tracy 11-0-4; Saleaumua, Jennifer 10-2-0; Larson, Jordan 9-0-3; Mancuso, Dani 1-0-1; Totals 71-5-14.0. (Assists) - Busboom, Dani 33; Griffin, Maggie 30. (Dig leaders) - Saleaumua, Jennifer 18; Houghtelling, Chris 13; Griffin, Maggie 8

Texas (23-4, 17-3 Big 12) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Magee, Brandy 22-0-6; Christian, Jen 16-0-6; Paolini, Lauren 15-0-5; Armstrong, Leticia 11-0-6; Acevedo, Dariam 9-3-2; Moriarty, Michelle 2-3-2; Jennings, Alyson 0-1-0; Totals 75-7-15.0. (Assists) - Moriarty, Michelle 67. (Dig leaders) - Moriarty, Michelle 18; Jennings, Alyson 17; Acevedo, Dariam 12; Christian, Jen 12

Site: Austin, Texas (Gregory Gym) Date: Nov 26, 2005 Attend: 3218 Time: 2:30 Referees: Richard Bleau, Ron Stalls