No. 1 Huskers Host Nebraska Invitational

Matches #2-4 Nebraska Invitational
Friday, Sept. 1-Sunday, Sept. 3 * NU Coliseum ? Lincoln, Neb.

Tourney Schedule

• Friday, Sept. 1 
   Long Beach State (3-1) vs. Middle Tennessee (3-0), 5 p.m. (CDT)
   No. 1 Nebraska (1-0) vs. Saint Mary’s (3-0), 7 p.m. (CDT)
•  Saturday, Sept. 2
   Long Beach State vs. Saint Mary’s, 5 p.m.
   Nebraska vs. Middle Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.
•  Sunday, Sept. 3
   Middle Tennessee vs. Saint Mary’s, Noon
   Nebraska vs. Long Beach State, 2 p.m.

Tickets: Sold Out (73rd consecutive sellout on Friday)
Radio:  Pinnacle Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and 17 other stations across Nebraska)
Live Stats/Audio:  Huskers.com  
Television/Nside:  None

No. 1 Huskers Host Nebraska Invitational

Husker Match Day vs. St. Mary's (Links to Radio and Stats)

After opening the week with a victory over No. 20 San Diego, the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team hosts the first of two in-season tournaments at the NU  with the Nebraska Invitational this weekend.

This four-team, three-day event begins on Friday afternoon and continues on Saturday and Sunday and features traditional power Long Beach State and a pair of up-and-coming programs in Saint Mary’s and Middle Tennessee. The tournament begins Friday afternoon when Long Beach State squares off with Middle Tennessee at 5 p.m. before the Huskers take the court at 7 p.m. (or 30 minutes following the first match). 

All three of Nebraska’s matches this weekend will be carried across the state on the Pinnacle Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, and on Huskers.com, with John Baylor calling all of the action.

The Huskers, who have won their last 35 home matches dating back to the 2004 campaign, face stiff competition this weekend, as both Saint Mary’s and Long Beach State made the NCAA Tournament in 2005, while Middle Tennessee finished 28-4 and fell one win shy of earning an automatic bid.

Nebraska’s blocking and defense were in mid season form in Tuesday’s opener, as the Huskers totaled 15 blocks, including 10 by Amanda Gates, and held USD to .016 hitting, nearly .300 points below its season average. The Huskers, who did not record an ace in the 2005 season opener, had seven on Tuesday, their best performance in a season opener since 2003.

Did You Know?
*-Nebraska (4.12) and Saint Mary’s (3.67) ranked first and second nationally in blocking in 2005.
*-Except for outside hitter Jordan Larson (34) and right side hitter Sarah Pavan (35), the rest of NU’s opening night lineup combined for three starts in 2005 (Dani Busboom -2; Rachel Schwartz-1). Busboom and Tracy Stalls were both in NU’s 6-2 offense system in 2005.
*-None of this weekend’s teams have played the Huskers at the NU Coliseum. NU and Long Beach State have met seven times (LBSU leads 4-3) while the Huskers have never faced Saint Mary’s or Middle Tennessee
*-Nebraska’s 17 home matches are the most by a Husker team since 1999 and the most home matches in the last decade.

Worth Noting
*-Saint Mary’s and Middle Tennessee are the only first-time opponents on Nebraska’s 2006 schedule, while Nebraska and Long Beach State have not met since the 2001 season.
*-Friday’s match will be the 73rd consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum, dating back to September of 2001.
*-Nebraska looks to extend its home winning streak to 35 matches dating back to September of 2004. NU has also won its last 29 matches at the NU Coliseum dating back to a 2004 setback to Florida A&M.
*-Following Tuesday’s win, Nebraska is 27-3 against ranked opponents since the start of the 2004 season.

*-Nebraska’s 15 blocks in Tuesday’s season opener against San Diego matched the Huskers’ best total in an opener under John Cook. NU also had 15 blocks against Northwestern to open the 2000 campaign.

*-Head Assistant Coach Lee Maes is a 1994 graduate of Long Beach State and is a native of the city. Maes was also a club coach at the Ichiban Volleyball Club, where he coached Misty May-Treanor, a two-time AVCA National Player of the Year at Long Beach State

*-Nebraska (1999 and 2000) and Long Beach State  (1989, 1993 and 1998) are two of only seven NCAA programs to win more than one national title. NU lost to Long Beach State in 1989 NCAA Championships in Honolulu.

*-Rachel Holloway not only became the fifth freshman to start their collegiate debut at NU on Tuesday night, but was the first Husker freshman to start at setter in a 5-1 offense in the NCAA era (1983-present). NU had two other freshman split time in the 6-2 offense (Lindsay Wischmeier-1999; Dani Busboom-2003), but neither started their first match at NU.

Freshman Starters in Opening Match since 2000
Year Player
2002 Jennifer Saleaumua
2004 Sarah Pavan & Tracy Stalls
2005 Jordan Larson
2006 Rachel Holloway

*-With the No. 1 ranking in the preseason poll, NU has now spent 56 weeks all-time at No. 1 in the AVCA poll, the most weeks at No. 1 of any Division I program. UCLA is second with 51 weeks.

Weeks Ranked No. 1 in AVCA Poll
No. School Weeks
1. Nebraska  56
2. UCLA 51
3. Hawaii 48

Scouting the Tournament Field
Saint Mary’s: The Gaels, which received votes in the preseason AVCA poll, turned in an impressive opening weekend, going 3-0 en route to a tournament title at Troy. The Gaels swept Troy and North Florida while also downing Florida A&M in four games.  SMC returned six starters from a team that went 19-10 and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2005 for first-year coach Rob Browning. The Gaels have a balanced atttack with six players averaging at least two kills per contest. Missie Stidham tops SMC with 3.30 kills and also averages 3.20 digs per contest. Christina Kirk also has 3.12 kills and a team-best 1.50 blocks per game. Saint Mary’s, which has never faced NU or Middle Tennessee, finished second nationally in blocking last season. The Gaels were picked fourth in the West Coast Conference preseason poll.

Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders make their first-ever trip to Lincoln this weekend sporting a 3-0 mark. Middle Tennessee won the Appalachian State Classic last weekend, including a win over NCAA qualifier Marshall, the C-USA champion in 2005. MTSU, which finished 28-4 last season and lost to Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt Conference finals, returns its entire starting lineup from last year, including Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Alicia Lemau’u, who averages 4.50 digs per game.  Right side hitter Ashley Adams earned MVP honors at the Appalachian State Classic, averaging 4.90 kills and 1.20 blocks per game in three wins, including 25 kills on .362 hitting in the win over Marshall. The Blue Raiders have never faced any of the other schools in this weekend’s tournament. MTSU was picked second in the Eastern Division of the Sun Belt Conference, trailing only a Western Kentucky team that handed the Blue Raiders three of their four losses in 2005.

Long Beach State: The 49ers come to Lincoln with a 3-1 record after dropping a 3-1 decision to Oregon on Wednesday. Long Beach State went 25-7 last season and tied for the Big West title, received votes in the AVCA preseason poll. The 49ers have also toppled one Big 12 team, sweeping No. 13 Missouri in their season opener last week. They are led by two-time All-American middle blocker Alexis Crimes, who averages 1.54 blocks per game. She is one of six LBSU attackers averaging at least 2.50 kills per contest. Right side attacker Robin Miramontes tops LBSU with 3.57 kills per game, as LBSU returned four starters from last season. The 49ers lead the all-time series, 4-3, and have won three straight meetings, including victories over NU in the 1989 NCAA final and the 1997 regional final. Long Beach State was picked to win the Big West Conference in the preseason polls.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #17 Amanda Gates: 6-2, So., Columbus, Neb. - Gates performed well in her first starting assignment, totaling a career-high 10 blocks and a pair of kills in NU’s win over San Diego. She appeared in nine matches as a true freshman in 2005, averaging 0.94 kills and 0.81 blocks per game, including a season-best four kills in NU’s first-round NCAA match against Alabama A&M. She was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection out of Columbus High School.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-3, Jr., Denver, Colo. - The veteran among NU’s middle blockers, Stalls is one of three tri-captains this season. She turned in a solid performance in NU’s season opener with eight kills on .500 hitting and three blocks in the sweep of No. 20 USD. Last season, Stalls ranked third in the Big 12 with 1.59 blocks per game (14th nationally) while also chipping 1.43 kills per game. She led NU in blocks nine times, including nine in the NCAA title match against Washington. Against Kansas State, she established her career high with 12 blocks, including five solo stuffs. 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, Jr., Kitchener, Ontario - A two-time first-team AVCA All-American, Pavan is on pace for one of the most distinguished careers in NU history. She nearly recorded a double-double in Tuesday’s win over San Diego with 12 kills and eight blocks. Pavan was the Big 12’s Player of the Year in 2005, averaging 3.82 kills, 1.66 digs, 1.25 blocks and 0.30 aces per game in 2005, ranking among the Big 12 leaders in kills, blocks, points per game and service aces. Pavan topped NU in kills in 13 matches, including a season-high 22 kills against No. 12 Missouri on Nov. 13. She established her career high in kills as a freshman with 35 in the NCAA Regional against USC. She recorded a triple-double vs. Pepperdine in 2005 (11 kills, 11 blocks and 10 digs) becoming the first NU outside hitter to accomplish the feat since 1999. Pavan, who carries a 4.0 GPA in biochemistry, was a member of the Canadian National Team at age 16.

OH - #10 Jordan Larson: 6-2, So., Hooper, Neb. - Returning starter at outside hitter who was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year in 2005. Larson turned in a strong performance on Tuesday with a match-high 13 kills, four blocks and three service aces. Last season, she averaged 2.82 kills, 2.79 digs and 0.38 service aces per game, topping all conference freshmen in kills, digs, hitting percentage and service aces. Larson had five double-doubles in 2005, including three against top-10 teams (Stanford, Minnesota and Missouri). She had 19 kills and 19 digs at No. 5 Minnesota. She 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. Larson also spent two years on the U.S. Junior National Team.

DS - #5 Rachel Schwartz: 5-9, So., Lincoln, Neb. - Former walk-on who made her second career start in Tuesday’s season opener against USD, totaling a pair of digs. Schwartz appeared in 30 matches as a freshman as NU’s defensive specialist, finishing with 18 digs and five aces. She was a first-team all-state selection at outside hitter at Lincoln East High School in 2004.

-or- OH - #7 Dani Mancuso: 6-2, Jr., Omaha, Neb. - Mancuso moved into the outside hitter postion vacated after Christina Houghtelling’s season-ending injury. She finished with seven kills and added five blocks, which was one off her career high. In 2005, Mancuso was NU’s backup at all three outside hitter spots, averaging 1.38 kills, 1.15 digs and 0.68 blocks per game. She made her only start of the year against Michigan, totaling 10 kills and a career-high six blocks in a sweep of the Wolverines. As a sophomore, she shared the outside hitter spot with Christina Houghtelling, averaging 2.77 kills and 0.29 service aces per game. Mancuso had a career-high 22 kills off the bench in a four-game victory at Kansas State in 2004.

S - #12 Rachel Holloway: 5-10, R-Fr., Franklin, Tenn. - Holloway earns the starting nod at setter after a battle with Maggie Griffin throughout fall camp. She redshirted in 2005, but was able to play during the spring season, averaging 9.50 assists and 3.00 digs in two matches. Holloway, who is the first Husker freshman to start in a 5-1 system in the NCAA era, had a double-double in her collegiate debut with 36 assists and 11 digs in a sweep of No. 20 San Diego.  Over the summer, Holloway captained the U.S. Youth National Team to a gold medal at the NORCECA Junior Championships in Mexico. Holloway, who graduated high school a year early, was the Gatorade High School player of the Year in Colorado in her final season at Smoky Hill High School.

L -  #18 Dani Busboom: 5-11, Sr., Cortland, Neb.  - Busboom makes the shift to libero after sharing time at setter in each of her first three years at Nebraska. She enjoyed a strong debut at libero on Tuesday, totaling a match-high 20 digs against San Diego, while helping to hold the Toreros to .016 hitting. Last season, she averaged 6.45 assists and 1.82 digs in NU’s 6-2 offense, helping NU hit .322 as a team. She is seventh on NU’s career assists list with 2,837 and could become only the second player in school history on top-10 lists in both assists and digs. Busboom was selected as a tri-captain by her teammates and is one of seven Nebraska natives on the 2006 roster.

Last Time Out: No. 1 NU 3, No. 20 USD 0
Behind a career-high 10 blocks from sophomore Amanda Gates, No. 1 Nebraska opened the season with a 30-18, 30-25, 31-29 victory over No. 20 San Diego  on Aug. 29.

Gates, making her first career start, put on a blocking clinic against the Toreros, establishing a career high after totaling just 13 in nine matches as a freshman. Gates led a stifling Husker defense that held San Diego (3-1) to just .016 hitting after the Toreros hit .307 in their first three wins. All-American Sarah Pavan had eight blocks and 12 kills, while outside hitter Dani Mancuso had five blocks - one off her career high - and seven kills.

The Huskers, who started three players who had one or fewer career starts, were led by their veterans against the Toreros. Senior Dani Busboom totaled a match-high 20 digs, including several in spectacular fashion, in her first career start at libero, while Pavan, Jordan Larson and Tracy Stalls combined for 33 kills.

Larson, a preseason All-Big 12 pick, tied USD’s Kristen Carlson for match-high honors with 13 kills, while also chipping in three aces, eight digs and four blocks, while Stalls had eight kills on .500 hitting and a trio of blocks.

Rachel Holloway, the first Husker freshman setter to start her collegiate debut in the NCAA era, performed well, posting a double-double with 36 assists, 11 digs and two of NU’s seven service aces.

Pavan Closes in on 1,000 Kills 
  Junior All-American Sarah Pavan enters this weekend looking to become the 18th Husker to reach the 1,000 kill mark. A two-time AVCA All-American, she had 12 kills in Tuesday’s season opener and is 64 away from the 1,000-kill plateau.
 Here is a look at how Pavan’s numbers over her first two seasons compare with some of the greatest hitters in Nebraska’s history.

Most Kills - First Two Seasons at Nebraska
No. Player Kills
1. Sarah Pavan 924
2. Eileen Shannon 825
3. Allison Weston 777

Busboom Makes the Change
After not playing with a libero during the 2005 season, Nebraska can still claim a returning starter at the position, as senior Dani Busboom has made the shift from setter to libero. The senior shared setting duties last year in NU’s 6-2 offense and was a three-year performer at setter, guiding NU to a 63-4 mark the last two seasons.

Busboom, who has averaged over two digs per game from her setter spot during her career, has adapted quickly, totaling 20 digs in NU’s season opener, including 17 in the last two games.  Busboom could finish her career as one of only two players on NU’s top-10 list in both digs and assists, as she is seventh already on NU’s assist list.

Gates Closes Door on Foes
One of the questions entering the 2006 season was if the Huskers could replace three-time All-American Melissa Elmer, who finished her career with a Big 12 record 767 blocks. Sophomore Amanda Gates showed that she was up to the challenge in the opener, recording a career-best 10 blocks in her first career. The total nearly equaled her entire 2005 total of 13 in mine matches and helped NU record 15 blocks against the Toreros.
 
How I spent my Summer Vacation
 Several Husker players and head assistant coach Lee Maes were busy during the summer helping out the USA Volleyball Program
*- Maes coached the A2 Red team to a gold medal at the USA Volleyball Girls’ High Performance Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
*-Tracy Stalls and Maggie Griffin trained with the USA National Program in Colorado Springs during July.
*-Rachel Holloway captained the U.S. Junior National Team to a gold medal at the NORCECA Junior Championships in Monterrey, Mexico, in early August.

Volleyball Tickets Sold Out for 2006 Season  
For Husker volleyball, one record setting streak is guaranteed to continue this fall, as the Nebraska Ticket Office announced on Aug. 16 that the entire regular-season home schedule is officially sold out.

Single-match tickets went on sale on Aug. 3, with fans camped out overnight waiting for tickets. In fact, 11 of the first 17 matches sold out within three hours of the ticket windows opening, and the final tickets were sold prior to the Huskers’ annual Red/White Match.  The sellout streak began in the 2001 season and will reach 89 at the end of the regular season.

NU Picked to Repeat as Big 12 Champs
Nebraska is the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 title for the 10th consecutive season in a vote of the league head coaches, the conference office announced on Aug. 3. The Huskers received eight of the 11 possible first-place votes and 98 points overall, while coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. 

In 2005, NU finished the season as the national runner-up to Washington, tallying a 33-2 overall record and 19-1 conference mark. The Huskers also claimed their eighth Big 12 crown (1996, 1998-02, 2004-05). Coach John Cook earned AVCA Division I National Coach-of-the-Year honors for the second time in his career, in addition to being named Big 12 Coach of the Year (2001, 2005).  Nebraska also returns reigning conference player of the year Sarah Pavan.

Texas was second behind NU with 93 points, including three first-place votes. The Longhorns were followed by Missouri, Kansas State and Texas A&M filling the top five spots. Colorado was sixth with Kansas, Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas Tech rounding out the poll.

Pavan headlines the individual honors as the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight season. Last year, the junior from Kitchener, Ontario, averaged 3.82 kills, 1.24 blocks, 1.66 digs and 0.31 aces in 35 matches. Pavan tallied four double-doubles and a triple-double of 11 kills, 11 blocks and 10 digs against Pepperdine.  

Pavan was one of two Huskers chosen for the preseason All-Big 12 team, as she was joined by sophomore outside hitter Jordan Larson, who averaged 2.82 kills and 2.79 digs per game in 2005, earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors.

Houghtelling to Miss 2006 Season
Nebraska Head Coach John Cook announced on Aug. 8 that AVCA National Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling will miss all of the 2006 season following shoulder surgery.

Houghtelling, a first-team All-American in 2005, underwent surgery on her right shoulder on July 13, and underwent arthroscopic surgery on her right knee later that month. Last season, Houghtelling averaged 3.69 kills, 2.49 digs and 1.03 blocks per game, ranking among the Big 12 leaders in  kills (10th) and hitting percentage (.375, fifth).

According to Head Coach John Cook, having the surgery at this time allows Houghtelling, who has not redshirted, to be completely healthy for the 2007 season and to enhance her chances at success following her Husker career.

“She developed a shoulder problem in the spring, and we felt it was best to repair it now so that she can come back completely healthy for her senior year,” Cook said. “She is a big-time athlete and has the opportunity to continue in this sport following her collegiate career, whether it is with Team USA or professionally. We wanted to give her every opportunity to be successful following her career, and we made the decision that she had surgery.”

Recruiting Class Ranked Among Nation’s Best
Nebraska’s incoming volleyball class received honors from two national publications, as both Volleyball Magazine and PrepVolleyball.com rated the Huskers’ recruiting class as one of the 10 best classes in the country. The class of Brooke Bartek and Kori Cooper was ranked 10th nationally by both publications

Bartek was one of the nation’s top high school players at Lincoln Northeast High School and rated the No. 13 player nationally by PrepVolleyball.com and a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 Recruit. A four-year starter, Bartek was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Nebraska in 2005 and finished her career with 337 blocks and 1,190 kills at Lincoln Northeast.

Cooper was one of the nation’s top seniors despite missing nearly all of her senior year with a knee injury. She was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 pick and was rated the No. 12 player in the country by PrepVolleyball.com. As a junior, she co-captained the U.S. Youth National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2005 Under-18 World Championships in 2005 in Macau, China. A two-time all-state performer at Amarillo High School, Cooper totaled 439 kills, 103 block assists and 55 block solos during her junior campaign in 2004.

Huskers Honored by AVCA
The University of Nebraska volleyball team was honored earlier this month for its achievements in the classroom, receiving the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2005-06 season.

The award, initiated by the AVCA in the 1992-93 academic year, recognizes college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale during the previous school year. Nebraska finished the year with a 3.48 team GPA for the 2005-06 academic year, including an impressive 3.74 GPA during the spring semester.

Nebraska was one of 54 Division I programs honored nationally and one of only three Big 12 teams honored during the year, joining Kansas and Kansas State. The Huskers, who finished 33-2 and were national runner-up in 2005, were also the only Division I program in the country to reach the national semifinals and be recognized for high achievement in the classroom.

It is the 11th time that Nebraska has received the AVCA Team Academic Award ? the most of any Division I program nationally.

Noting the 2006 Volleyball Schedule
*-Seventeen of Nebraska’s matches will be against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2005, including NCAA Regional qualifiers Louisville and Missouri.
*-Seven of Nebraska’s 2006 opponents were ranked in the final 2005 AVCA Coaches poll (Missouri, Louisville, Texas, Purdue, Minnesota, San Diego, Kansas State) while Long Beach State also received multiple votes in the final poll.
*-Nebraska’s 17 home matches are the most by a Husker team since 1999 and equals the Huskers’ most home matches since the Big 12 started in 1996.
*-The 2006 schedule features a pair of first-time opponents in St. Mary’s and Middle Tennessee, while the Huskers and Cal Poly have only squared off one other time - a Cal Poly victory in 1984.

Omaha Hosts 2006 NCAA Championships
For college volleyball teams around the country, Omaha is the destination, as the University of Nebraska and Qwest Center Omaha play host to the 2006 NCAA Championship this December.

The NCAA semifinals take place on Thursday, Dec. 14, with the national championship match taking place on Saturday, Dec. 16. Husker fans have come out in full force, selling out the arena in just four hours the day tickets went on sale in January.

The Qwest Center hosted an NCAA Regional for the first time in 2005 to record-setting numbers. The two-day event drew an NCAA postseason record of 29,608 fans, including a near sellout of 15,119 for the regional final. The two crowds were the largest of the 2005 season and easily topped the previous NCAA postseason marks for single match (13,194) and all-session (23,978) both set by the University of Wisconsin in 1998.

Sept. 9 Match vs. Cal Poly Set for 6:30 p.m.
Nebraska Coach John Cook announced on Aug. 25, that the Saturday, September 9 match between the Huskers and and Cal Poly will take place at 6:30 p.m.  It is the second of two matches that day for the Ameritas Players Challenge. Minnesota and Louisville will square off at 4:30 p.m.

Up Next: Ameritas Players Challenge
The Huskers continue their eight-match homestand next weekend, as they host the Ameritas Players Challenge at the NU Coliseum. The four-team event features No. 12 Louisville, No. 22 Minnesota and Cal Poly.