No. 1 Huskers Head to Kansas State on Saturday

Following a sweep of 16th-ranked Missouri on Wednesday night, the No. 1-ranked  Nebraska volleyball team travels to Manhattan, Kan., to take on a dangerous Kansas State squad this Saturday, Oct. 28. First serve between the Huskers (19-0, 11-0 Big 12) and Wildcats (9-13, 1-11 Big 12) is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha, and Huskers.com.

HuskersNside subscribers can also watch Saturday’s match exclusively on HuskersNside. Saturday’s match at Kansas State begins a challenging stretch for NU, as it will play four of its next five matches away from the NU Coliseum.

No. 1 Nebraska vs.
at Kansas State (9-12, 1-10 Big 12)

Saturday, Oct. 28
Ahearn Fieldhouse ? 7 p.m.

Radio:  Husker Sports Network
(B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Live Stats:
Huskers.com
Free Audio: Huskers.com  
Television: None
Video: HuskersNside

No. No. 1 Nebraska at
Texas Tech (10-11, 3-9 Big 12)

Wednesday, Nov. 1 ? Lubbock, Texas
(United Spirit Arena) ? 7 p.m.

Radio:  Husker Sports Network
(B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha)
Live Stats:
Huskers.com
Free Audio: Huskers.com  
Television: None
Video: HuskersNside

The Huskers come off one of their best perfomances of the year, sweeping the No. 16 Tigers with an impressive offensive barrage. Nebraska hit .425 as a team and had four players - Sarah Pavan, Jordan Larson, Dani Mancuso and Kori Cooper - all hit above .400 in the win. Redshirt freshman Rachel Holloway totaled 48 assists and 12 digs, while libero Dani Busboom totaled 14 digs, as Nebraska out-dug the Tigers, 50-30. With her 14 digs on Wednesday, Busboom became the eighth Husker to reach 1,000 career digs. With the win, the Huskers remained two matches up on Oklahoma, a 3-1 winner at Kansas, and three matches ahead of Texas, which defeated Texas Tech in four games in Lubbock.

Kansas State comes into Saturday’s match looking to break a two-match losing streak after falling at Iowa State in four games on Wednesday. The Wildcats, who have been to 10 straight NCAA Tournaments, have played their best in the league against the Big 12’s top teams, taking Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and Iowa State to five games. The Huskers will see a different Wildcat team from the first meeting, a 3-0 Husker win in Lincoln on Oct. 4, as All-Big 12 libero Angie Lastra has moved to outside hitter and is averaging better than 4.25 kills per game over K-State’s last five matches.

Did You Know?
?-Nebraska’s .425 hitting percentage  on Wednesday against No. 16 Missouri was its best peformance against a ranked team since hitting .449 against Santa Clara in the 2005 NCAA semifinals.
?-Wednesday’s match against Missouri was the first time in 54 matches that NU did not record an ace. The streak dated back to the 2005 season opener against Hawaii.
?-With a win on Saturday, the Huskers will reach 20 wins for the 32nd consective year - every season the program has been in existance.
?-Jordan Larson saw her streak of double-doubles end at 10 with 15 kills and six digs vs. Missouri. She has 14 double-doubles on the year.
?-With 5.15 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
?-After Wednesday’s win over Missouri, Nebraska is 32-3 (.914) against ranked opponents since the start of the 2004 season and 69-11 (.863) since John Cook took over the Husker program in 2000.
?-Nebraska is 63-2 (.969) on the road in Big 12 play since the start of 2000, losing at Kansas State in 2003 and at Texas in 2005.
?-Nebraska has won 54 of its last 55 Big 12 matches since its 2003 loss at Kansas State. The Huskers had won 43 straight conference matches before Texas ended that streak in the 2005 regular-season finale in Austin.
?-The Huskers are hitting .309 since Kori Cooper moved into the starting lineup six matches ago. Cooper, a freshman from Amarillo, Texas, is hitting .412 in that span, averaging 1.94 kills and 1.22 blocks per game in a stretch that features three wins over top-16 teams.
?-Another Husker who has emerged in recent weeks is senior outside hitter Dani Mancuso, who is hitting .297 over the last four contests after hitting just .182 in NU’s first 15 matches.
?-NU has opened the season with at least 19 straight wins for the sixth time in school history. The following chart lists the other quick starts in school annals.
?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s AVCA poll, the Huskers have spent 64 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 24 of the last 25 polls dating back to the start of 2005.
?-The Big 12 Conference features four teams in the top 25 this week: No. 1 Nebraska, No. 8 Texas, No. 16 Missouri and No. 20 Oklahoma.
?-NU has been stout on the defensive end, holding 11 of its last 13 opponents to under .200 hitting and leads the Big 12 in opponent hitting percentage at .137.

Chart Watching
?-After reaching 1,000 career digs on Wednesday, Busboom is quickly climbing the NU record books in digs. The senior has 1,013 digs and needs six on Saturday to move past Maria Hedbeck (1,018, 1993-96) for sole possession of seventh place on NU’s career list.
?-Sarah Pavan enters Saturday’s match needing two kills to pass Jennifer Saleaumua for ninth place on NU’s career kills list and six kills from passing Cris Hall for eighth place.

Scouting Kansas State
Kansas State enters Saturday’s match with a 9-13 record and have won once in Big 12 action. The Wildcats, who have made 10 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, got off to an 8-1 start, highlighted by a win over then-No. 23 Notre Dame. Since then, KSU has been snakebit, losing six matches in five games, including contests against nationally ranked Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri, among others.

The Wildcats are led by outside hitter Sandy Werner, who leads KSU with 3.59 kills per game. Werner is the only senior on an otherwise youthful Wildcat roster. Junior Angie Lastra has moved from libero to outside hitter, providing a spark for the KSU attack. She is averaging better than 4.25 kills per game over the last five contests, including four double-doubles in that stretch. Junior Stacey Spiegelberg averages 12.31 assists, 2.07 digs and 0.94 blocks per game from the setter spot.
The Huskers lead the all-time series, 71-3, including a 31-1 advantage in Manhattan. The Huskers have won the last five meetings, including a 3-0 sweep in Lincoln earlier in the month.

Last Meeting vs. Kansas State
Jordan Larson totaled a career-high 20 kills and added 10 digs, while Nebraska’s floor defense keyed the top-ranked Huskers to a 30-17, 30-22, 30-17 sweep of K-State on Oct. 4.

While Larson paced a solid offensive attack with five players totaling at least eight kills, NU’s floor defense sparked the Huskers’ 11th sweep holding KSU to season-low .061 hitting. NU totaled 72 digs, setting a Big 12-high for a three-game match this season.

Dani Busboom led the defensive effort with 19 digs, while Larson, Sarah Pavan (13 kills and 10 digs) and Rachel Holloway (46 assists and 11 digs) all recorded double-doubles. In addition, Rachel Schwartz matched her career high in digs for the fourth straight match with 14 digs.

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 0.88 blocks per game, while hitting a Big 12-high.434. Cooper, who has started NU’s last six matches, turned in a solid effort against No. 16 Missouri, totaling six kills on 10 swings and three blocks against the Tigers. She had one of her best matches of the year at No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18, totaling seven kills while adding a career-high eight blocks against the Longhorns. Against Kansas State on Oct. 4, she set then-career bests in both kills (eight) and blocks (five). At Texas A&M on Oct. 7, 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 2.69 kills and 1.34 blocks per game. She is fifth nationally in hitting percentage at .433 and is sixth in the Big 12 in blocks. Stalls has had eight 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. She has recorded double figures in kills six times in 2006. At No. 9 Texas, Stalls had 13 kills on .417 hitting, while posting 12 kills and hitting .571 against Colorado on Oct. 14. She keyed NU’s win over No. 15 Missouri on Oct. 11 with nine kills and matched her season high with eight blocks. 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 against Long Beach State on Sept. 3. Last season, Stalls ranked third in the Big 12 with 1.59 blocks per game and 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 (5.19) and points per game (6.15), ranking 11th nationally in kills. She had four 20-kill performances this season, including a 22-kill effort at No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18.  Pavan had one of her best performances of the year against No. 16 Missouri on Oct. 25, totaling 18 kills on .424 hitting, six digs and three blocks against the Tigers. 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 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 4.29 kills and 3.61 digs per game, ranking in the Big 12’s top 10 in aces (0.52/gm, third), points (5.27, third), kills (fourth) and digs (eighth). She has a team-high 14 double-doubles, including a stretch of 10 in a row that was snapped against Missouri on Oct. 25. Larson had 15 kills on .458 hitting and six digs in Wednesday’s win over MU and had 17 kills and 10 digs against Colorado on Oct. 15 She earned the Big 12 weekly honor after averaging 5.17 kills and 4.17 digs in two matches, including a career-high 20 kills against Kansas State on Oct. 4.  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 2.40 digs per game. She has tied or set career highs in digs seven times this season, and has been in double figures in digs in seven of the last nine matches. Schwartz came up with a career-high 15 digs in NU’s win at No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18. She enjoyed her best match of the year at Baylor on Sept. 30, totaling a then-career high14 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 2.45 kills, 0.68 blocks and 0.68 digs per game, primarily playing the front row. She has notched at least eight kills in nine of NU’s last 11 matches and comes off her best hitting night of the year, totaling nine kills on .438 hitting against No. 16 Missouri on Oct. 25. Mancuso had nine kills and matched her career best with six blocks in NU’s win over No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18 and nine kills on .400 hitting against 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). She averages 13.41 assists, 2.75 digs and 1.22 kills per game, ranking third in the Big 12 and 11th nationally in assists. Holloway had seven double-doubles, including 48 assists and 12 digs against No. 16 Missouri on Oct. 25, a match NU hit .425 as a team.  Holloway, who had 55 assists and eight kills in NU’s win at No. 9 Texas,  was selected as the Big 12’s Player of the Week on Oct. 16, after averaging 16.00 assists per game in sweeps of Colorado and Missouri. She has seven double-doubles, including a 54-assist, 15-dig, seven-kill effort at Baylor on Sept. 30. 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 5.03 digs per game and has reached double figures in digs 18 times in 19 matches. Busboom, who is in eighth place on NU’s career charts, reached the 1,000-dig plateau against Missouri on Oct. 25.   She has totaled 20-or-more digs four times, 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 2,884 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, No. 16 MU 0
Sarah Pavan’s match-high 18 kills on .424 hitting led an explosive attack, as No. 1 Nebraska swept No. 16 Missouri, 30-27, 30-23, 30-16 at the NU Coliseum on Oct. 25. 

The Huskers (19-0, 11-0 Big 12) put together one of their best offensive performances of the year, hitting .429 as a team, while four NU attackers - Pavan, Kori Cooper, Dani Mancuso and Jordan Larson - all hit over .400 in the sweep. It was NU’s best offensive performance since hitting .487 against Saint Mary’s in early September and best against a ranked opponent since the 2005 NCAA semifinals.

While Pavan had a match-high 18 kills, she was one of four Huskers to record at least eight kills. Larson totaled 15 kills on .458 hitting, but saw her streak of consecutive double-doubles end at 10 matches. Mancuso also enjoyed another strong performance, hitting a season-high .438 with eight kills, while Tracy Stalls also chipped in eight kills. Cooper rounded out the Huskers’ attack, posting six kills on just 10 swings while also tying Pavan and Stalls with a team-high three blocks.