Volleyball Looks Ahead to 2006 Season

For the Nebraska volleyball program, a great anticipation hovers over the 2006 season.

From the return of two All-Americans, including the national player of the year, to hosting the NCAA Championships at a sold-out Qwest Center in Omaha, the eyes of the college volleyball world are focused on the Husker program.

A season-ending injury to AVCA National Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling in July may have tempered some of the excitement, but for Nebraska Head Coach John Cook, it brought back visions of his first campaign in Lincoln. In the summer of 2000, Nancy Metcalf decided to take a redshirt season after trying to make the U.S. Olympic Team, leaving a seemingly impossible void to fill at the time.

History shows that the 2000 Huskers did just fine without the two-time All-American, going a perfect 34-0 en route to a national title, and Cook sees many similarities to that squad.

“I saw that team pull together and do some amazing things with their chemistry,” Cook said of the 2000 squad. “When I look at this year's team, I see an incredible group of women who are dedicated to each other who have that same commitment and focus.”

Nebraska will look to reload after going 33-2 and earning a national runner-up finish last season. The injury to Houghtelling, along with the departures of senior All-Americans Melissa Elmer and Jennifer Saleaumua, would give many programs apprehension heading into the year, but Cook sees it as an opportunity.

“At Nebraska, our goals are always the same ? win the Big 12 and compete for a national championship,” Cook said. “Even though we are replacing three All-Americans, we have the talent and depth to accomplish our goals. As a staff, we want to develop our players so they can achieve at the high levels we expect in our program.”

With three returning starters and five of the top eight players back from last season's national runner-up, Nebraska is expecting much more than a rebuilding year in 2006

“Other teams will discount us (from getting to the NCAA Championships in Omaha), but I think the team and coaches are looking forward to the challenge of seeing of what we can do and achieving the level of success that we have enjoyed in this program.”

Middle Blockers
Under John Cook, the middle blocker positions have been essential in the success of the Husker program. NU has led the nation in blocking in five of the last six years, and the Huskers returns a pair of players with starting experience in Tracy Stalls and Amanda Gates, while looking to replace three-time All-American Melissa Elmer, who finished her career as the Big 12’s all-time blocks leader.

Stalls has been a mainstay in the Husker lineup the last two seasons, averaging 1.59 blocks and 1.43 kills per game in 2004. She was slowed at the start of the season after knee surgery, but made strides during the season, culminating with a season-high nine blocks against Washington in the NCAA title match. Stalls had at least four blocks in nine of Nebraska's last 10 matches. Offensively, she enjoyed her best match of the year in the regular-season finale at Texas, totaling a season-high 11 kills on .400 hitting.

A former U.S. National Team member, Stalls will look to become the Huskers’ next All-American at the position this fall, and Cook said Stalls is poised for a breakout year

“Now is Tracy’s time to emerge,”  Cook said. “She is fully healthy and in the best shape of her career. Last year, she was behind because of the surgery, and it took a while for her to catch up. Now that she is healthy, Tracy has really emerged as one of the leaders in our program. The things that makes her such a special player are her instincts on the court and that she is one of the most competitive people we have had at Nebraska. She loves playing in the biggest matches and has shown the ability to play her best in those situations.”

One of the players Cook will look to at middle blocker is sophomore Amanda Gates, who was NU's top reserve at the position last season. A former Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 pick, Gates appeared in nine matches as a true freshman, averaging 0.94 kills and 0.81 blocks per game, and has shown great improvement during the year. She averaged a team-best 1.67 blocks per game in spring wins over Purdue and Creighton and was one of the Huskers' top players on the trip to China.

“Amanda is one of the hardest workers in our program, and I think the extra work she has put in will pay off this year,” Cook said. “She played her best volleyball during the Asia trip and her improvement, along with the experience she gained last season, will put her in a position to make a significant contribution this season.”

Gates will be challenged by true freshman Kori Cooper, who enrolled at Nebraska in January, but was limited by a knee injury suffered last fall. Despite missing nearly her entire senior year, Cooper was rated as the No. 12 player in the country by PrepVolleyball.com. A three-time all-state pick at Amarillo (Texas) High School, Cooper co-captained the U.S. Youth National team and helped them to a fourth-place finish at the 2005 Under-18 World Championships in China.  Cooper is almost fully recovered from the injury and is in a position to challenge for extensive playing time in her first season.

“Kori brings a lot of energy to the court,”  Cook said. “She is exceptional on the slide and has really worked hard to improve her blocking since arriving on campus.”

Right Side/Opposite
One strength of the Husker attack will be at the right side with the return of two-time All-American Sarah Pavan. A national player-of-the-year candidate, Pavan has been one of the nation's top players since her arrival in Lincoln two years ago, becoming the first Husker to receive first-team All-America honors in her first two years in the program.

As a sophomore, Pavan was the Big 12’s Player of the Year, averaging 3.82 kills, 1.24 blocks, 1.66 digs and 0.31 aces per game. She ranked among the Big 12 leaders in kills per game, hitting percentage and blocks and enters her junior campaign needing only 76 kills to reach 1,000 career kills.

With the switch to the 5-1 offense, Cook anticipates Pavan being a focal point of the Husker attack

“Sarah has proven over the last two seasons that she is a strong candidate for national player of the year,”  Cook said. “With the 5-1 offense, it will give her more touches and more swings. She is one of the most dynamic attackers from the back row in the country, and reminds me of Nancy Metcalf when she played here. Offensively, we will count on her being one of our big point scorers in both the front and back row.”

Outside Hitters
The Huskers were dealt a blow in the off-season when reigning AVCA National Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. Houghtelling averaged 3.69 kills, 2.49 digs and 1.03 blocks per game in 2005 and earned first-team All-America and All-Big 12 laurels after ranking among the Big 12 leaders in kills and hitting percentage.

Despite the loss of Houghtelling, the Huskers have ample depth at the position with Jordan Larson,  Dani Mancuso and Brooke Bartek

Larson was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2005, averaging 2.82 kills and 2.79 digs per game in 34 matches. She topped all conference freshmen in nearly every category and became the first Husker freshman to record 300 kills and 300 digs in a season. Larson topped the Huskers in kills eight times, including a season-high 19 kills at fifth-ranked Minnesota. The Hooper, Neb., native also showed off her all-around game with five double-doubles and comes off the Asia trip where she raised her game to new heights.

“Jordan had a good freshman year, but she still thinks she has a lot to prove,” Cook said. “She was statistically our best player on our Asia trip and showed the ability to dominate play from the front or the back row. With Christina's injury, Jordan will have to carry a bigger role offensively, and I think she is looking forward to that.”

One of three seniors on the 2006 roster, Mancuso will be the front-runner to take Houghtelling’s spot on the outside. Last season, Mancuso was the Huskers’ most versatile sub, averaging 1.38 kills and 1.45 digs per game while filling in at both the outside and right-side positions. Mancuso totaled 10 kills and six blocks in a sweep of Michigan in her only start last season and had a career-high 22 kills coming off the bench against Kansas State in 2004.

Cook said that Mancuso has worked hard to get this opportunity and believes that she will take full advantage of the situation.

“Dani has a great opportunity in front of her,” Cook said. “Dani has shown at times during her career that she can play at an All-Big 12 level, and now she will have the opportunity to show that on a consistent basis. She has a very good all-around game as a passer, attacker and defender and has worked exceptionally hard to put herself in a position to deserve success.”

Bartek was one of the nation's top recruits playing at Lincoln Northeast High School. A Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 pick, she was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Nebraska, totaling 406 kills on .359 hitting, 74 blocks, and 290 digs in 2005. She was rated the No. 13 senior in the country by PrepVolleyball.com and will have an opportunity to play early in her career, backing up both outside hitter spots.

“Brooke brings a lot of versatility to our program,” Cook said. “Athletically, she has quick feet and a fast arm swing. She will play a similar role to Dani Mancuso last year and  will be trained to back up any of the outside hitter spots. We will try to get Brooke some experience early so that she is ready to fill in at any of the spots during the season.”

Setter
With all of the talent among the outside hitters, one of the anticipated battles in the fall will be at the setter position. With a shift from a 6-2 to a 5-1 system, returning starter Maggie Griffin is getting pushed for the starting role by redshirt freshman Rachel Holloway. No matter which setter emerges from the tightly contested battle, Cook is confident that either is capable of piloting the Husker lineup.

“We are fortunate to have two exceptional setters in our program in Maggie and Rachel,” Cook said. “That will be one of the most interesting battles in preseason camp. They saw equal time during the spring and on the Asia trip, and it was very close. I think it will come down to a couple of things during the fall to see which one emerges.”

Griffin was an impact newcomer after transferring from Michigan State prior to the 2005 season. She started all 35 matches, averaging 7.49 assists and 1.59 digs per game to help NU hit .322 as a team, equaling its highest percentage since 1986. The Huskers hit .350 or better in 16 matches, and ranked fourth nationally in hitting percentage and kills per game. Griffin spent part of her summer working with the USA National Program in Colorado Springs, and that experience will pay dividends this fall.

“Maggie has had a year in our program and has improved physically and has a lot of experience,” Cook said. “She has a great demeanor and instills that confidence in her teammates, so that they expect to win every time they take the court.”

Arguably the nation’s top setter recruit last season, Holloway was slowed by tendonitis early in the fall, but is healthy and will challenge for the starting spot this year. She averaged 9.50 assists and 3.00 digs during the spring season and will start for the U.S. Junior National Team this summer. Holloway brings extensive national-level experience to the position, as she was the two-year captain of the U.S. Youth National Team.

“Rachel has worked hard physically and played at a high level during our Asia trip,” Cook said. “She is a dynamic athlete and is an athletic setter who is capable of making plays all over the court. Now that she is healthy, we are excited to see what she can do this fall.”

Libero
While last season's team played without a libero to maximize its offensive potential, the 2006 team will feature one of the Big 12's most athletic players at the position in senior Dani Busboom. A three-year setter, Busboom averaged 6.45 assists and 1.82 digs per game in helping Nebraska earn top-10 rankings in nearly every every offensive category. Busboom's athleticism has been evident throughout her career, as she could become only the second person in school history to finish on NU's top-10 lists in both digs and assists.,

“In recent years, we have seen the importance of the position because they touch the ball nearly as much as anyone on the court, except for the setter,” Cook said. “By moving Dani to libero, it allows us to maximize our lineup to get our best athletes on the court and she will be in position to make an impact with her passing, serving and defense,” Cook said. “Dani is a great competitor and will be looked to for leadership.”

Sophomore Rachel Schwartz joins Busboom in giving Cook the ability to improve perimeter defense. As a true freshman, Schwartz appeared in 30 matches, totaling 18 digs and five service aces. The Lincoln East product, who played outside hitter in high school,  shined during extensive duty at the position in the spring and on NU's trip to Asia. While Schwartz could be used as a defensive or serving specialist, Cook has been impressed with her progression in her first year at Nebraska.

“Rachel made as much improvement as anyone on our team since the start of last season,”  Cook said. “We plan on using her in several back row positions and expect her to play a major role for us this year.”

2006 Schedule
The Huskers will be tested throughout the season, playing 17 matches against NCAA qualifiers, including six teams from the Big 12 that reached postseason a year ago.

The Huskers begin the season with eight straight home matches, highlighted by a pair of tournaments on consecutive weekends following the season opener against San Diego. The first tourney features national power Long Beach State along with St. Mary's and Middle Tennessee. One week later, the Players Challenge features Louisville, Cal Poly and Minnesota.

 “We have a good non-conference schedule that will help us prepare for the Big 12,” Cook said. "The trip to Asia will also pay dividends because that allowed us to play in some environments to help us get ready for our Big 12 opener.”

Cook anticipates the Big 12 being as tough as it has ever been with Missouri and Texas, among others, looking to break NU's stranglehold on the Big 12 title.

“From top to bottom, the league will be as competitive as it has ever been,” Cook said. “Our margin for error will be small, and our fans should expect a lot of close matches. It should be an exciting season, and we are going to need the support of the entire Husker Nation to help us reach our goals.”