No. 1 Huskers Look to Rope Red Raiders

No. 1 Nebraska (20-0, 12-0 Big 12
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

No. 1 Nebraska vs.
No. 17 Oklahoma (19-4, 11-2 Big 12)

Saturday, Nov. 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  
Television: Live on NET (Ch. 12 and Ch. 112 in HD); Tape-Delayed on CSTV on Sunday at 7 p.m. (central)
Free Video: Huskers.com

The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team begins the month of November on the road on Wednesday, as the Huskers travel to Lubbock, Texas, to take on Texas Tech. First serve between the Huskers and Red Raiders from United Spirit Arena is set for 7 p.m. Fans can follow Wednesday’s match on the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha, and on Huskers.com. In addition, live video of Wednesday’s match will also be carried on HuskersNside.

Nebraska (20-0, 12-0 Big 12) comes into the week with a 2-0 record after sweeps of No. 16 Missouri and Kansas State last week. While the results were the same, each win showed the Huskers’ versatility. Against the Tigers, Nebraska hit .425 as a team - its best offensive performance against a ranked opponent this season - as four Huskers all hit above .400 in the win. On Saturday, it was Nebraska’s defense that keyed the sweep over the Wildcats. Dani Busboom matched a career high with 23 digs, while the Huskers totaled 12 blocks and held Kansas State to a season-low .050 hitting percentage.

Texas Tech (11-11, 4-9 Big 12) heads into Wednesday’s match with some momentum after one of its best performances of the season, battling back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Kansas, 3-2. In that match, the Red Raiders received a strong performance from Philister Sang, who totaled a match-high 27 kills and 10 digs. Texas Tech has been tough at home in recent weeks, pushing Oklahoma to five games and taking a game off Texas in their last home match.

Wednesday’s match features three of the top four attackers in the Big 12 in Nebraska’s duo of Sarah Pavan (5.14 k/gm, first) and Jordan Larson (4.34 k/gm, fourth) and Philister Sang of Texas Tech, who is second in the league with 4.65 kills per game.

Did You Know?
?-Nebraska swept Kansas State in both meetings for the first time since 2002.

?-After Saturday’s win, the Huskers reached the 20-win plateau for the 32nd consecutive year - every season the program has been in existence.

?-Nebraska is 47-2 (.959) in November under John Cook since the 2000 season, In fact, NU is 178-16 (.916) in the month of November since 1983.

?-Jordan Larson has a team-best 15 double-doubles in 20 matches this season, including 10 of her last 11 contests. Larson has averaged 4.61 kills per game over the Huskers’ last seven contests.

?-With 5.14 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
?-Nebraska begins the week as the only remaining undefeated team in Division I, as Penn State suffered its first loss of the season at Wisconsin on Friday.

?-Nebraska is 64-2 (.970) 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 55 of its last 56 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.

?-One Husker who has emerged in the last three weeks is outside hitter Dani Mancuso. After hitting .182 in NU’s first 15 matches, the Omaha native is hitting .318 over Nebraska’s last five contests. Mancuso hit .400 or better in both matches last week, including a career-high .455 at Kansas State on Saturday.

?-Dani Busboom’s 23 digs against Kansas State on Saturday not only matched her career high, but was the highest three-game total by a Husker in three seasons.

?-NU has opened the season with at least 20 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 65 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 25 of the last 26 polls dating back to the start of 2005.

?-Wednesday’s match at Texas Tech is a homecoming for freshman Kori Cooper, who hails from Amarillo, Texas, which is 111 miles from Lubbock. Cooper, who made her first career start against Texas Tech last month, has started NU’s last seven matches and is averaging 1.76 kills and 1.33 blocks per game in that stretch.

?-NU has been stout on the defensive end, holding 12 of its last 14 opponents to under .200 hitting and leads the Big 12 in opponent hitting percentage at .133. In fact, NU ranks fourth among teams in this week’s top-25 in opponent hitting percentage.

Scouting Texas Tech
Head Coach Nancy Todd (43-65 in four seasons) has  Texas Tech at the .500 mark with an 11-11 record and one win away from its highest win total since 2002. The Red Raiders have played well at times, sweeping Kansas and taking games from nationally ranked Texas and Oklahoma. In fact, five of their 13 conference matches have gone five games.

Texas Tech features one of the Big 12’s top attackers in senior outside hitter Philister Sang. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter, who represented Kenya in the 2004 Olympics, averages a team-best 4.65 kills per game to rank second in the Big 12 in that category, while also averaging 2.68 digs per game. Middle blocker Amy Charlebois (2.62 kills and 1.36 blocks per game) is the only other Red Raider averaging more than two kills per game in Tech’s 6-2 offense. Texas Tech will usually play between 12 and 14 players per match and have nine hitters averaging over a kill per game.

The Huskers lead the all-time series, 25-1 and have won the last 20 meetings dating back to 1996. NU has swept 11 of the last 12 meetings dating back to the 2000 season.

Last Meeting vs. Texas Tech
Tracy Stalls and Kori Cooper combined for 14 kills and seven blocks, as No. 1 Nebraska posted a 30-27, 30-17, 30-24 sweep of Texas Tech.

The Huskers used a revamped lineup, starting Maggie Griffin at setter and Kori Cooper at middle blocker for the first time. Cooper totaled five kills on .455 hitting in her first career start, while Griffin totaled 43 assists and nine digs.

Stalls keyed NU’s attack with nine kills on .727 hitting, also adding six blocks as four Huskers totaled at least eight kills in the win.  Sarah Pavan led NU with 19 kills on .351 hitting, while Jordan Larson totaled a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Fr., Amarillo, Texas - Cooper splits time with Amanda Gates at middle blocker, averaging 1.59 kills and 0.95 blocks per game, while ranking second in the Big 12 with a .392 hitting percentage. Cooper, who has started NU’s last seven 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 2.71 kills and 1.34 blocks per game. She is fifth nationally in hitting percentage at .442 and is seventh in the Big 12 in blocks. Stalls has had nine 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 on 14 swings and four stuffs at Kansas State on Oct. 28. 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 (5.14) and points per game (6.09), ranking 11th nationally in kills. She has 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 4.34 kills and 3.60 digs per game, ranking in the Big 12’s top 10 in aces (0.49/gm, third), points (5.34, third), kills (fourth) and digs (ninth). She has a team-high 15 double-doubles, including a stretch of 10 in a row at one point. Larson had 15 kills on .458 hitting against No. 16 Missouri and led NU with 16 kills and 10 digs at Kansas State on Oct. 28. 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 2.49 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 eight of the last 10 matches. Schwartz came up with a career-high 15 digs in NU’s win at No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18 and had 13 digs at Kansas State on Oct. 28. She enjoyed her best match of the year at Baylor on Sept. 30, totaling a then-career high 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 2.45 kills, 0.66 blocks and 0.68 digs per game, primarily playing the front row. She has notched at least eight kills in 10 of NU’s last 12 matches and comes off her best week of the season, hitting .444 in wins over No. 16 Missouri and Kansas State, including seven kills on .455 hitting at KSU 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 13.45 assists, 2.71 digs and 1.21 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. 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 5.15 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, K-State 0
Behind Jordan Larson’s 15th double-double of the season, No. 1 Nebraska improved to 20-0 on the season with a 30-21, 30-24, 30-22 sweep of Kansas State on Oct. 28.

Larson, who had a career-high 20 kills in the first meeting on Oct. 4, totaled 16 kills and 10 digs to lead the Huskers (20-0. 12-0 Big 12) to their 16th sweep of the season. Sarah Pavan joined Larson in double figures with 12 kills, while Tracy Stalls and Dani Mancuso chipped in nine and seven kills, respectively. Stalls finished with nine kills on .643 hitting with four blocks, while Mancuso established a season high for the second straight match with her .455 effort.

While the Huskers enjoyed a balanced offense, NU shined on the defensive end, recording 12 blocks and holding Kansas State to a season-low .050 hitting percentage. Dani Busboom tied her career high with 23 digs, while Rachel Schwartz added 13 digs and turned the momentum with a key serving run in game two.