No. 1 Huskers Head to Baylor

After playing 12 matches in a 27-day stretch, the top-ranked Husker volleyball team is in action only once this week, as it travels to Baylor on Saturday, Sept. 30. First serve is set for 1 p.m. at the Farrell Center in Waco, Texas, and the match will be carried on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha and on the Internet at Huskers.com.

The Huskers enter the weekend coming off a trio of wins last week. Nebraska, 12-0 on the season and 4-0 in the Big 12, swept Texas Tech on Saturday before winning a four-game battle with Creighton in front of a crowd of over 12,000 at Qwest Center OMAHA.  Sunday’s win, played in front of the largest regular-season crowd since the 2000 season, completed a perfect non-conference slate for the Huskers for the  second consecutive year.

No. 1 Nebraska (12-0, 4-0 Big 12) at Baylor (13-3, 2-2 Big 12) Saturday, Sept. 30
Waco, Texas ? 1 p.m.Radio: Husker Sports Network
(B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Free Audio: Huskers.com  
Live Video Feed:   None
Television:  None No. 1 Nebraska vs.
Kansas State (8-6, 0-4 Big 12) Wednesday, Oct. 4 ?
NU Coliseum ? 7 p.m

Radio:  Husker Sports Network
(B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Live Stats:
Huskers.com
Free Audio:
Huskers.com  
Live Video Feed:  
Huskers.com (free video)
Television: Live on Nebraska Educational Television (NET-1-Ch. 12, NET-HD, Ch. 112) and nationwide on CSTV (DirecTV, Ch. 610; Dish Network, 152)

The Huskers lead the Big 12 standings at 4-0, but have a host of clubs on their heels. In fact, three teams (Missouri, Colorado and Oklahoma) have just one loss following the first two weeks of conference action.

If the Huskers are to win the Big 12, winning on the road in imparative, as the Huskers are in a stretch where they play five of seven matches away from the NU Coliseum.

Baylor, which lost in four games at No. 19 Missouri on Wednesday, is 13-3 on the season, including a perfect 6-0 at home. The Bears’ signature win this season came in its Big 12 opener when BU knocked off then-No. 24 Kansas State. In Wednesday’s match, Baylor totaled 16 service aces, including 11 from Taylor Barnes.

Did You Know?
?-With a win on Satuday, the Huskers would enter October with an undefeated record for the third time since 1995.

?-Nebraska is one of five remaining unbeaten teams in the country, joining Penn State (No. 2), UCLA (No. 3), USC (No. 4) and New Mexico State (No. 19).

?-John Cook goes for his 200th win at Nebraska on Saturday at Baylor. Cook is 199-13 (.939) in seven years at NU and 360-86 in 14 years overall.

?-With 5.26 kills per game, Sarah Pavan is on pace to break the school record for most kills per game, currently held by U.S. Olympian Nancy Metcalf (Meendering) in 1999. Pavan has reached double figures in kills in 11 of NU’s first 12 matches.

Worth Noting
?-The Big 12 conference features three teams in the top-20 this week: No. 1 Nebraska; No. 8 Texas and No. 19 Missouri. In addition, Colorado and Baylor are also receiving votes this weekend.

?-Sunday’s crowd of 12,112 at Qwest Center OMAHA was the largest crowd to see a regular-season volleyball match since the 2000 season and the second-largest regular-season crowd ever for a volleyball match.

?-Nebraska has opened the season with at least 12 straight wins for the 10th time in school history. The following chart lists the other quick starts in school annals.

?-Saturday’s match will feature two of the top defensive teams in the Big 12, as both teams rank among the top three in the Big 12 in opponent hitting percentage, blocks and digs.

?-The Huskers have been tough on the road in Big 12 play, going 59-2 under John Cook since the start of the 2000 season.

?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s AVCA poll, the Huskers have spent 60 weeks all-time at No. 1, the most weeks at No. 1 of any Division I program. UCLA is second with 51 weeks. In fact, NU has been ranked No. 1 in 20 of the last 21 polls dating back to the start of the 2005 season.

?-The 2006 season has seen a changing of the guard at the setter position. In fact, five of the league’s 11 schools start rookies at the position, including NU’s Rachel Holloway and Baylor’s Taylor Barnes. Holloway leads all conference freshmen and ranks third in the Big 12 with 12.97 assists per game. The trend also continues nationally where three of the top five teams in this week’s AVCA poll are led by freshman setters; No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Penn State (Alisha Glass) and No. 5 USC (Taylor Carico).

Scouting Baylor
The Bears enter the week with a 13-3 record and are on track for their first winning season since 2001 - the year of Baylor’s last NCAA Tournament appearance. Under third-year coach Jim Barnes (40-39 at BU), the Bears got off to a 12-1 start and had a 10-match win streak snapped at Iowa State on Sept. 16.

Baylor is led by one of the Big 12’s best middle blockers in Desiree Guilliard-Young, who averages 2.98 kills and 1.60 blocks per game, ranking second in the league in blocks and fifth in hitting percentage (.391). Outside hitter Nicole LeBlanc is 10th in the Big 12 with 3.90 kills per game, while freshman setter Tyler Barnes is second in the league in service aces (0.64/gm) and 10th in assists (11.13/gm).

Nebraska has won all 21 previous meetings with Baylor, including sweeps in both matches in 2005. The teams met only once prior to the start of Big 12 play. Last season, Jordan Larson had a team-high 14 kills on 21 swings in the first meeting in Lincoln, before Sarah Pavan had 14 kills on .667 hitting in the rematch in Waco last November.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #17 Amanda Gates: 6-2, So., Columbus, Neb. - Gates is in her first season as one of Nebraska’s starting middle blockers and averages 1.29 blocks and 1.14 kills per game. She has totaled at least three blocks in five matches, including a career-high 10 blocks in NU’s opener against No. 20 San Diego on Aug. 29. She put together one of her best matches of the season against Kansas on Sept. 13 with seven blocks and six kills. A Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 pick, Gates appeared in nine matches as a freshman, averaging 0.94 kills and 0.81 blocks per game.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-3, Jr., Denver, Colo. - One of three captains, Stalls has been dominant in the middle for NU, averaging 2.76 kills and 1.55 blocks per game. She leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.453) and is ranked 10th nationally in this week’s NCAA rankings.  Stalls put together a dominant performance over Creighton on Sept. 24 with 11 kills and eight blocks. She was efficient in a win over Texas Tech on Sept. 23, totaling nine kills on 11 swings and adding six blocks. She had one of her best matches of the year against Iowa State on Sept. 20, totaling eight kills and season highs in both blocks (eight) and digs (seven). She has matched her career high in kills twice, including a 14-kill effort at Minnesota on Sept. 10. Stalls also had 14 kills on .600 hitting against Long Beach State on Sept. 3. Last season, Stalls ranked third in the Big 12 with 1.59 blocks per game and led NU in blocks nine times, including a career high with 12 blocks versus Kansas State. Stalls ranked 11th nationally in blocking as a freshman at 1.65 blocks per game. Before enrolling at NU, Stalls was a two-year member of the U.S. National Developmental Program and a member of Team USA.

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. Pavan leads the Big 12 in both kills (5.26) and points per game (6.17). Pavan, who ranks eighth nationally in kills per game, is a two-time tournament MVP in 2006 and was chosen as the Big 12 Player of the Week on Sept. 11, averaging 6.70 points and 5.90 kills (.409 hitting percentage) in three matches. Pavan had her first double-double of the year on Sept. 10 against Minnesota, with 23 kills and 11 digs. She had one of the best matches of her career against Long Beach State on Sept. 9, totaling 24 kills on .400 hitting against the 49ers, including eight kills on eight swings in the opener.  Pavan was the MVP of the Nebraska Invitational, hitting .457 and averaging 5.67 kills and 1.56 blocks per game. Pavan was the 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year, averaging 3.82 kills, 1.66 digs and 1.25 blocks per game. 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. - Larson is a returning starter at outside hitter who was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2005. She averages 4.18 kills and 3.68 digs per game, ranking in the top-10 in aces (0.68/gm, first), kills (sixth) and digs (ninth). Larson, who has been selected to a pair of all-tournament teams in 2006, has a team-best eight double-doubles, including six in NU’s last seven matches. She had three double-doubles last week, including a season-high 18 kills and 13 digs against Creighton on Sunday. She also totaled identical 17-kill, 11-dig efforts at Oklahoma on Sept. 16 and against Minnesota on Sept. 10. Against No. 20 Louisville, she set a career high with five aces while adding 14 kills on .440 hitting against the Cardinals. 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. 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, while establishing an all-class record with 179 service aces in 2004. Larson also spent two years on the U.S. Junior National Team.

DS - #5 Rachel Schwartz: 5-9, So., Lincoln, Neb. - Schwartz is a former walk-on who is used as a defensive specialist in the NU lineup and averages 1.97 digs per game. She has tied or set career highs in digs five times this season, including in each of the last two matches. She had a career-high 14 digs in Sunday’s win over Creighton and 12 digs against Texas Tech on Sept. 23.  Over NU’s last six matches, she is averaging 2.70 digs per game. 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, Sr., Omaha, Neb. - Mancuso moved into the outside hitter position vacated after Christina Houghtelling’s season-ending injury. She averages 2.66 kills, 0.71 blocks and 0.55 digs per game, primarily playing the front row. Mancuso has reached double figures in kills three times, tying her season high in kills against Creighton on Sunday. She has had at least eight kills in NU’s last four matches. 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 shared the outside hitter spot with Houghtelling in 2004, averaging 2.77 kills and 0.29 service aces per game, including a career-high 22 kills in a four-game victory at Kansas State.

S - #12 Rachel Holloway: 5-10, R-Fr., Franklin, Tenn. - Holloway is the first Husker freshman to start in a 5-1 system in the NCAA era (1983-present) after earning the starting nod in fall camp. She averages 12.97 assists, 2.80 digs and 1.14 kills per game, ranking third in the Big 12 in assists. She has four double-doubles, including a 44-assist, 11-dig effort versus Cal Poly on Sept. 9, and set a career high with 14 digs against KU on Sept. 13.  Holloway played one of her best matches of the year against Minnesota on Sept. 10, with a career-high 57 assists, eight digs and seven kills, while helping NU hit .337 against the Golden Gophers. 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 2004.

L -  #18 Dani Busboom: 5-11, Sr., Cortland, Neb.  - Busboom makes the shift to libero after sharing time at setter in her first three years at NU. She tops the Big 12 with 5.34 digs per game and has reached double figures in digs 11 times in 12 matches. Busboom has had 20-or-more digs in four matches, including a career-high 23  against Creighton on Sept. 24. She had at least 20 digs against No. 25 Cal Poly, No. 20 San Diego and at Oklahoma. Against No. 20 Louisville on Sept. 8, Busboom had 14 digs and three aces while helping to hold Louisville to .044 hitting. Busboom enjoyed a strong debut at libero, totaling a match-high 20 digs against No. 20 San Diego on Aug. 29, 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 2,859 and could become only the second player in school history on top-10 lists in both assists and digs.

Last Time Out: No. 1 Nebraska 3, Creighton 1
 Jordan Larson’s 18 kills led four Huskers in double figures, as No. 1 Nebraska survived an early scare to top Creighton, 27-30, 30-24, 30-13, 30-18 in front of a frenzied crowd of 12,112 at Qwest Center Omaha on Sept. 24.

 Larson, whose 18 kills were one off a career high, add 12 digs en route to her sixth double-double in NU’s last seven matches and team-best eighth of the season. All-American Sarah Pavan tied Larson for match-high honors with 18 kills and added four blocks, while Omaha native Dani Mancuso and Tracy Stalls rounded out the quartet with 11 kills apiece for the Huskers (12-0).

 Stalls, who hit .450 and led the Huskers with eight blocks, turned the match around for Nebraska at the end of game two, delivering three consecutive kills to erase a 23-22 deficit after the Huskers dropped the opener. From that point, Nebraska took control of the match, holding Creighton (11-3) to negative hitting over the final two games in posting double-digit wins.

The CliffNotes Season in Review
 Nebraska takes a 12-0 record and a No. 1 ranking into Saturday’s match at Baylor. In honor of CliffsNotes (which was founded in Lincoln in 1958), here is quick refresher of the season to date.
 ? The Huskers graduated two AVCA All-Americans in middle blocker Melissa Elmer and outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua from last year’s NCAA runner-up squad, while reigning AVCA National Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in July.
 ? The Huskers opened No. 1 in the AVCA preseason poll for the third time in school history (2001 and 2005) and have remained No. 1 for the first five polls of the season.
 ? NU sold out its entire season ticket package prior to the season for the second straight year, needing less than two weeks to sell out all 18 matches.
 ? The Huskers are 3-0 against ranked opponents, sweeping No. 20 San Diego (Aug. 29); No. 20 Louisville (Sept. 8) and No. 25 Cal Poly (Sept. 29).
 ? NU held Middle Tennessee to -.088 hitting, the third-lowest percentage by a Husker opponent since the 2000 campaign.
 ? Nebraska’s victory over Long Beach State on Sept. 3 snapped a three-match losing streak to the 49ers dating back to 1985. It was also LBSU’s first-ever match at the NU Coliseum.
 ? Nebraska held No. 20 Louisville to 13 points in two of the three games - the Cardinals’ lowest-ever total in rally scoring. In addition, it was the eighth and ninth times that NU held a ranked opponent to 15 points or less (not counting game five).
 ? The Huskers opened the season with six straight sweeps for the first time since 1976.
 ? Sarah Pavan earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors for her performance at the Ameritas Players Challenge. In three matches, she averaged 6.70 points, 5.90 kills on .409 hitting and 2.30 digs per game.
? Nebraska dropped only one game in its first 11 matches, the first time that has happened at NU since  1988 and only the fourth time in school history.
 ? Nebraska wrapped up an unbeaten non-conference slate with its win over Creighton on Sept. 24. It marked the third time under John Cook (also 2000 and 2005) that NU completed the non-conference schedule unblemished.

Husker Attack on Record-Breaking Pace
 Despite losing three All-Americans and breaking in serveral first-year starters, Nebraska’s offensive output is on track for a record-breaking year. The Huskers rank in the top three nationally in both kills and assists per games, numbers that would easily top the school records in both categories.

Pavan & Larson Cause Double Trouble for Foes
 Nebraska’s Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson are in rare company among Husker outside hitting duos at this point in the season.  The pair will look to join the 1995 duo of Allison Weston and Lisa Reitsma, as the only duos to both average more than 4.00 kills per game. In fact, two Huskers have totaled 3.80 kills in the same season only four other times.

Pavan Produces Points at Prolific Pace
 Junior All-American Sarah Pavan is producing kills at a record-breaking pace in 2006. The 6-foot-5 right side hitter from Kitchener, Ontario, leads the Big 12 with 5.26 kills per game and leads the conference by nearly a kill per game (Oklahoma Joanna Schmitt is second with 4.51 kills per game). She also leads the conference in points per game (6.29) and is hitting .327. At this pace, Pavan is on track to re-write the Husker record books this season.
 ? She will look to become the first Husker to lead the Big 12 in kills since Lisa Reitsma in 1996 - the only time a Husker led the Big 12 in that category.
 ? She would easily top NU’s single-season record for kills per game, a mark that was set in 1999 by U.S. Olympian Nancy Metcalf. In fact, Pavan would become the third Husker to average more than 5.00 kills per game.

 Pavan already set one milestone on Sept. 8 against No. 20 Louisville, when she reached 1,000 career kills quicker than any other Husker in school history. Pavan needed 236 games to reach 1,000 kills, eclipsing Metcalf’s mark set in 1999.

 A two-time AVCA All-American, Pavan already ranks 13th on NU’s all-time kills list, passing former Honda Award winner Karen Dahlgren (1,121, 1983-86) and three-time All-American Amber Holmquist (1,122, 1999-2002) on Sunday afternoon. She is now less than 100 kills away from 10th place on NU’s career chart.

Larson’s All-Around Game Shines
One of the reasons for Nebraska’s continued success is the improved all-around play of outside hitter Jordan Larson. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2005, Larson is off to an All-America-caliber start this season.

She ranks in the top 10 in the Big 12 in kills (4.18, seventh), services aces (0.68, first) and digs (3.68, ninth) per game while tying for second in points per game (5.38).

The Hooper, Neb., native has eight double-doubles in NU’s 12 contests, already topping her total of five double-doubles as a freshman. She has totaled double-doubles in each of her last four matches, including a season-high 18 kills and 13 digs against Creighton on Sept. 24.  Nebraska is 13-0 in Larson’s career when she totals a double-double.

Larson has had at least one service ace in all 11 matches, including a career-high five in a sweep of No. 20 Louisville on Sept. 8.

No Stalling Stalls
Traditionally, Nebraska’s strength has been the play of its middle blockers, and junior Tracy Stalls has continued the excellence at the position in 2006. The Denver, Colo., native has enjoyed the best offensive stretch of her career, averaging 2.76 kills per game and 1.55 blocks while hitting .453. She leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage.

Stalls, who missed part of last season after knee surgery, has reached double figures in kills three times after accomplishing the feat once in 2005. She totaled a season-best 14 kills Long Beach State on Sept. 3 and against Minnesota on Sept. 10.

Last week, Stalls powered the Huskers to three wins, totaling 2.80 kills on .451 hitting, 2.20 blocks and 1.50 digs per game. She established a season best in blocks with eight in two matches and delivered nine kills on 11 swings in a sweep of Texas Tech on Sept. 23.

Busboom Digs in at Libero
After not playing with a libero during the 2005 season, Nebraska can still claim a returning starter at the position, as 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 has adapted quickly, leading the Big 12 with 5.34 digs per game, a fact that is more impressive when you consider the league also returns its libero of the year in both 2004 (KSU’s Angie Lastra) and 2005 (MU’s Tatum Ailes). NU Head Coach John Cook credits Busboom’s play in helping the Huskers lead the Big 12 in both digs and opponent hitting percentage.

Busboom has reached double figures in digs 11 times in 12 matches, including four matches with at least 20 digs. She has played even better as of late, averaging 5.61 digs per game over NU’s last seven contests, including a career-high 23 digs in a win at Creighton on Sept. 24. The only match  Busboom didn’t reach double figures came against a Middle Tennessee team that hit -.088 against NU.

Busboom, who ranks seventh on NU’s all-time assist chart with 2,862 assists, could finish her career as one of only two players ranked in the top 10 in both assists and digs (also Val Novak). She has 904 digs in her career and is 41 digs away from breaking into NU’s top-10 list in that category.

The Set-up on Holloway
 Rachel Holloway made Husker history in the season opener against San Diego on Aug. 29, becoming the first NU freshman in the NCAA era (1983-present) to start a match under the 5-1 system. NU had two other freshmen split time in the 6-2 offense (Lindsay Wischmeier-1999; Dani Busboom-2003), but neither started their first match at NU.

The Franklin, Tenn., native has been impressive during her first season, averaging 12.97 assists per game to rank third in the Big 12 and 19th nationally.   After a debut that saw NU hit just .191 in a sweep of San Diego, Holloway helped the Huskers hit .356 over a six-match stretch, including a stretch of four straight contests where they hit .350 or better - the first time that has happened at NU since 2002.

Holloway has been named to a pair of all-tournament teams and is second on the squad with four double-doubles. Against Minnesota on Sept. 10, Holloway totaled career highs in assists (57), kills (seven) and blocks (two). Against Saint Mary’s on Sept. 1, Holloway guided the Huskers to a .487 hitting percentage - the highest single-match performance since the 2002 season.  Holloway, who also averages 2.80 digs and 1.14 kills per game, spent part of the summer leading the U.S. Junior National Team to a gold medal at the NORCECA Junior Championships.

Huskers No Strangers to Big Crowds
 Nebraska is used to playing in front of the biggest crowds in college colleyball. Not only have the Huskers sold out their last 81 home matches, but they also have their fingerprints over the NCAA attendence marks.
 Over the last two seasons, there have been five matches that have had crowds of at least 10,000 fans - and Nebraska has been a part of all of them.

Johnson-Tagaloa Inducted into BYU Hall of Fame
Nebraska assistant coach Charlene Johnson-Tagaloa received a special honor last weekend - induction into BYU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.  Johnson-Tagaloa was a two-time All-American during her playing career at BYU from 1991-94, earning Western Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Year honors  when she guided the Cougars to an NCAA semifinal appearance in 1994. Following her BYU career, she was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1997 to 2001, representing the United States at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Huskers in the NCAA Rankings
Nebraska is well represented in the NCAA rankings released on Wednesday. The Huskers rank in the top 10 nationally in three categories, while four Huskers are also in the individual rankings lists.

Huskers Strong on the Block
Nebraska volleyball has been traditionally known for its blocking attack, and the 2006 squad will look to enhance NU’s blocking reputation. The Huskers, who have led the nation in blocks in five of the last six seasons, are among the national blocking leaders with 3.28 per game.

Last season, Nebraska averaged a nation-leading 4.12 blocks per game, topping the 4.00 blocks per game mark for the sixth time in school history (also 1986, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2004) and fourth time under Head Coach John Cook.

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.

Cook’s Winning Ways
Nebraska Coach John Cook has been amazingly successful during his seven seasons at the helm, posting a 199-13 record (.939 winning percentage). All 13 losses have come against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including the eventual NCAA champion in 2001 (Stanford), 2002 (USC) and 2005 (Washington).

A two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Cook has enjoyed greater success in the Big 12, going 120-4 in conference play. The Huskers have won five Big 12 titles over the last six seasons (2000-02, 2004-05) and have dropped just 42 of the 412 conference games they have played over the past seven years.

Rank and File
Nebraska is one of two teams to be ranked in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches poll for all 340 weeks of its existence.  The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 for 306 of the 340 weeks, which ranks second behind Stanford’s 311.

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 fall for its achievements in the classroom, receiving the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2005-06 season.

The award recognizes college teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA 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.

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.

Huskers Have Opponents Seeing Red
Under John Cook, the Huskers have held 18 foes to negative hitting percentage, as Middle Tennessee hit -.088 against Nebraska on Sept. 2, the third-lowest total by a Husker opponent in the last seven years.

Husker Television Schedule Annonced
The Nebraska Athletic Department announced that a total of seven Husker volleyball matches will be televised during the 2006 season. 

The broadcast schedule, which includes six matches shown state-wide on Nebraska Educational Television, also features an appearance on FSN as part of the Big 12’s television package. The six matches on NET will also be shown in high-definition, and carried nationally on College Sports Television.

The first broadcast of the season took place on Sunday, Sept. 10, when the Huskers hosted Minnesota as part of the Ameritas Players Challenge. Other matches carried live on NET and NET-HD include conference matches with Kansas (Sept. 13), Texas Tech (Sept. 23), Kansas State (Oct. 4), Oklahoma (Nov. 4) and Texas (Nov. 25).

In addition, Nebraska’s match with Missouri on Oct 25 will be carried on FSN ? the only Big 12 volleyball match as part of the conference’s television package this season.

Husker Volleyball Television show
With a new season underway, the Husker volleyball show has a new air time for this fall.  The show will be shown state-wide on Nebraska Educational Television (NET-2, Ch. 17 in Lincoln) every Monday at 9 p.m., beginning on Sept. 11.

The show can also be seen on My TV (formerly UPN Nebraska) on Ch. 110 on Monday’s at 10 p.m., in Omaha on WOWT-DT (Cox Ch. 248) on Saturday afternoon and in North Platte on KNOP/KIIT on Saturday’s at Noon. Other stations are expected to join the television network and information will be posted on Huskers.com, as soon as they become available.

Join host Diane Mendenhall and Coach John Cook, as they look back on last week’s matches, along with special features and player profiles throughout the year during this half hour show devoted to Husker volleyball