No. 1 Huskers Host CU Saturday at 3 p.m.

Match #17 No. 1 Nebraska (16-0, 8-0) vs. Colorado (9-6, 5-3 Big 12)
Saturday, Oct. 14 ? NU Coliseum ?  3 p.m.
Radio:  Husker Sports Network ( B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
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No. 1 Huskers Host Colorado Saturday Afternoon
The No. 1 ranked Nebraska volleyball team returns to the Nebraska Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, as they take on the Colorado Buffaloes in an important Big 12 matchup. First serve from the historic NU Coliseum - the 83rd consecutive sellout in the building - is set for 3 p.m. (central) and the match will be carried on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha and on Huskers.com. HuskerNside subscribers can also watch Saturday’s match on HuskersNside and for more information on the service, visit Huskers.com. Saturday’s time change was necessitated because of the Husker football game against Kansas State that was moved to 6 p.m.

The Huskers come off arguably their strongest performance of the season, a 3-0 sweep at No. 15 Missouri on Wednesday night in front of a crowd of over 6,000 at the Hearnes Center. In that match, the Huskers hit .339 as a team, as four players had at least nine kills in the win. Sarah Pavan led all players with 16 kills on .467 hitting, while Jordan Larson posted her eighth straight double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs, as the Huskers improved to 4-0 against ranked teams this season.

Colorado comes into Saturday’s match with a 9-6 overall record and a 5-3 Big 12 mark after falling against Iowa State on Wednesday. The Buffaloes began the week in third place in the conference race, but Wednesday’s loss dropped CU into fifth in the conference standings. Colorado features one of the best attacking outside hitters in the conference in Amber Sutherland, who is fourth in the Big 12 with 4.27 kills per game, and one of the Big 12’s top setters in senior Ashley Nu’u, who averages 12.04 assists, 1.40 kills and 1.52 digs per game.

Did You Know?
?-Nebraska is one of three remaining unbeaten teams in the country, joining Penn State (No. 2) and UCLA (No. 3). No. 4 USC lost for the first time on Thursday at home against No. 6 Stanford.

?-Freshman Kori Cooper averaged 2.22 kills on .390 hitting and 1.11 blocks in NU’s two matches last week. Cooper tied her career high with eight kills in both matches.

?-Jordan Larson has posted double- doubles in each of NU’s last eight matches. It is the longest streak by a Husker in the Big 12 era, as the previous high was seven by Jennifer Saleaumua in 2003.  Larson was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, averaging 5.17 kills and 4.17 digs per game.

?-With 5.29 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.

Worth Noting
?-Saturday’s match will give a pair of Huskers an opportunity to see several familiar faces on the other side of the net. NU junior middle blocker Tracy Stalls and redshirt freshman setter Rachel Holloway were former club teammates of CU’s Lara Bossow, Amber Nu’u, Ashley Nu’u under coach Jim Miret at Front Range. In addition, Holloway and the Nu’u sisters all played high school volleyball together for one season (2002), winning a state title at Smoky Hill High School. In that year, Ashley Nu’u was the starting setter while Holloway played right side hitter.

?-Nebraska has won 51 of its last 52 matches against Big 12 teams dating back to the 2003 season. The Huskers had won 43 straight conference matches before Texas ended that streak in the 2005 regular-season finale.

?-Following Wednesday’s win at Missouri, Nebraska is 30-3 (.909) against ranked opponents since the start of the 2004 season and 67-11 (.859) since John Cook took over the Husker program in 2000.

?-Saturday’s match will be the 83rd consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers are 76-6 at the NU Coliseum during the current sellout streak.

?-NU has won its last 46 home matches, dating back to the 2004 season, including its last 40 at the NU Coliseum. The current home streak is nation’s longest active streak and three wins away from cracking the NCAA’s top-10 list.

?-NU has opened the season with at least 16 straight wins for the sixth time in school history. The following chart lists the other quick starts in school annals.

?-The Big 12 conference features four teams in the top-25 this week: No. 1 Nebraska, No. 10 Texas, No. 15 Missouri and No. 24 Oklahoma. In addition, Colorado and Baylor are also receiving votes in this week’s poll.

?-Nebraska has been stout on the defensive end, holding nine of its last 10 opponents to under .200 hitting. NU leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth among this week’s AVCA Top-25 teams, holding opponents to .127 hitting.

?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s AVCA poll, the Huskers have spent 62 weeks all-time at No. 1, the most of any Division I program. UCLA is second with 51 weeks. NU has been ranked No. 1 in 22 of the last 23 polls dating back to the start of 2005.
 
Scouting Colorado
Head Coach  Pi’i Aiu (172-110 in 10 seasons at CU) leads the Buffaloes into Lincoln with a 9-6 overall record and a 4-3 mark in the Big 12. CU has been tested by a non-conference schedule that included nationally ranked UCLA, Hawaii and Florida, all away from Boulder. CU opened Big 12 play with a 3-2 win over No. 17 Missouri and had won five of its first seven league contests before Wednesday’s loss to Iowa State.

Colorado features one of the Big 12’s most balanced offenses, as four players average over two kills per game. Senior All-Big 12 setter Ashley Nu’u runs the Buffs offense, averaging 12.04 assists, 1.40 kills and 1.52 digs per game. Outside hitter Amber Sutherland paces the Buffaloes with 4.27 kills per game, while Austin Zimmerman (1.95 k/gm, .380 pct) and Lauren Schaefer (2.23 k/gm, .341 pct) both rank among the Big 12 leaders in hitting percentage.

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 41-5 and has won the last 17 meetings dating back to 1997, including 10 of the past 11 in three-game sweeps.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Fr., Amarillo, Texas - Cooper splits time with Amanda Gates at middle blocker, averaging 1.68 kills and 0.68 blocks per game, while hitting .429. Cooper has started the last three matches, averaging 2.22 kills and 1.11 blocks per game in the stretch. Against KSU, she set career bests in both kills (eight) and blocks (five). At Texas A&M, she also totaled eight kills and three blocks while hitting .615. A Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 pick, Cooper enrolled at NU in January after graduating from Amarillo High School a semester early. Cooper was a co-captain of the 2005 U.S. Youth National Team, helping Team USA to a fourth-place finish.

MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-3, Jr., Denver, Colo. - Stalls has been one of the Big 12’s top middle blockers, averaging 2.62 kills and 1.45 blocks per game. She leads the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally in hitting percentage (.433) and is fifth in the league in blocks. Stalls has had six matches where she has hit at least .500, including a season-best of .727 (9-1-11) with six blocks against Texas Tech on Sept. 24. Stalls had nine kills and matched her season high with eight blocks against No. 15 Missouri on Oct. 11. She had seven kills on just 12 swings and three blocks in a sweep of Texas A&M on Oct. 7. Stalls 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). Stalls has matched her career high in kills twice, including a 14-kill effort at Minnesota on Sept. 10 and 14 kills on .600 hitting aganinst 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 12 blocks vs. 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 leads the Big 12 in both kills (5.29) and points per game (6.29) while hitting .325 on the year. Pavan, who ranks eighth nationally in kills per game, has topped NU in kills in each of the last two matches, delivering 16 kills on .467 hitting at Missouri on Oct. 11 and 17 kills on .394 hitting at Texas A&M on Oct. 5. Pavan has two double-doubles on the year, with her most recent coming with 13 kills and 10 digs against Kansas State on Oct. 4. She has four 20-kill matches this season, including a 24-kill effort at Baylor on Sept. 30.  She earned tournament MVP honors in both of NU’s early-season tournaments and was the Big 12 Player of the Week on Sept. 11, averaging 6.70 points and 5.90 kills (.409 hitting percentage) in three matches. 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 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. 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 4.33 kills and 3.82 digs per game, ranking in the top 10 in aces (0.59/gm, first), points (5.38, third), kills (third) and digs (eighth). Named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, Larson has a team-best 12 double-doubles, including 10 in NU’s last 11 contests. Larson had 14 kills and 14 digs in NU’s win at No. 15 Missouri on Oct. 11.  She earned the Big 12 honor after averaging 5.17 kills and 4.17 digs in two matches last week. She had her best performance of the year against Kansas State on Oct. 4, posting a career-high 20 kills on .400 hitting and 10 digs. Against No. 20 Louisville, she set a career high with five aces while adding 14 kills on .440 hitting. As a freshman, Larson 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 and 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 and averages 2.29 digs per game. She has tied or set career highs in digs seven times this season, including in four of NU’s last six matches. Schwartz, who had 10 digs at Missouri on Oct. 11, keyed NU’s strong defensive effort against Kansas State on Oct. 4, matching her career best with 14 digs.  Schwartz had her best match of the year at Baylor on Sept. 30, totaling 14 digs and a career-high three aces. She also had 14 digs in a win over Creighton on Sept. 24 and 12 digs against Texas Tech on Sept. 23.  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. Mancuso averages 2.55 kills, 0.67 blocks and 0.67 digs per game, primarily playing the front row. She has notched at least eight kills in seven of NU’s last eight matches and comes off her best effort of the season, hitting .400 with nine kills against No. 15 Missouri on Oct. 11. She had 11 kills in wins over Creighton and Saint Mary’s. 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 win 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 (1981-present) after earning the starting nod in fall camp. She averages 13.35 assists, 2.90 digs and 1.19 kills per game, ranking third in the Big 12 and 13th nationally in assists. She has six double-doubles, including a 54-assist, 15-dig, seven-kill effort at Baylor on Sept. 30, matching career highs in both digs and kills. Holloway, who leads all freshmen nationally in assists, 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 Colorado Gatorade High School Player of the Year 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 leads  the Big 12 with 5.18 digs per game and has reached double figures in digs 15 times in 16 matches. WIth 13 digs at Missouri on Oct. 11, Busboom moved past Cris Hall (955, 1988-91) and Jaime Krondak (960, 1995-98) for sole possession of eighth place in school history. She has totaled 20-or-more digs in four matches, including a career-high 23 against Creighton on Sept. 24. She also turned in 20+ dig efforts against No. 25 Cal Poly on Sept. 3, No. 20 San Diego on Aug. 29 and at Oklahoma on Sept. 15.  Against No. 20 Louisville on Sept. 8, Busboom had 14 digs and three aces while helping to hold Louisville to .044 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 2,868 and is the second player in school history on top-10 lists in both assists and digs, joining former NU All-American Val Novak.

Last Time Out: No. 1 Nebraska 3, Missouri 0
Sarah Pavan had a match-high 16 kills on .467 hitting, as No. 1 Nebraska posted a 30-25, 30-22, 31-29 sweep of No. 15 Missouri on Oct. 11

Pavan, the Big 12’s reigning player of the year, was dominant with 16 kills in 30 swings, while adding four blocks and eight digs, as the Huskers handed Missouri its first home loss of the season.

Pavan was one of several offensive stars for Nebraska (16-0, 8-0 Big 12), which hit .339  as a team and out-digged and out-blocked the Tigers.  

Jordan Larson totaled 14 kills and 14 digs for her eighth straight double-double and team-best 12th of the year, while Dani Mancuso and Tracy Stalls both totaled nine kills in the win. Mancuso hit a season-best .400 on 20 swings, while Stalls led all players with eight stuffs, matching her season high.