No. 1 Huskers Head to Colorado

The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team wraps up a stretch of four road matches in the last five contests on Saturday, as the Huskers travel to Boulder, Colo., to take on the Colorado Buffaloes. First serve from the Coors Event Center is set for 8 p.m. (central) and the match will be carried on the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha, and on Huskers.com. The match will also be shown live for HuskersNside subscribers. For more information on HuskersNside, visit Huskers.com.

No. 1 Nebraska (23-0, 15-0 Big 12)
at Colorado (14-9, 10-6 Big 12)

Saturday, Nov. 11 ?
Boulder, Colo. ? 8 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 (subscription required)

No. 1 Nebraska vs. Texas A&M

Wednesday, Nov. 15
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: None
Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)

The Huskers (23-0, 15-0 Big 12) are coming off a solid road win, a 3-1 victory over Iowa State on Wednesday night in Ames. All-American Sarah Pavan’s season-high 24 kills led four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska snapped the Cyclones’ five-match win streak.  NU also out-blocked ISU, 14-12, and totaled a season-high 85 digs, including 23 from Dani Busboom. One overlooked part of Wednesday’s win was the offensive performance of middle blockers Kori Cooper and Tracy Stalls, who combined for 22 kills and 12 blocks. Cooper established a career-high with 12 kills on .429 hitting, while Stalls totaled 10 kills and a match-high seven stuffs.  The duo ranks first and second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage.

Colorado (14-9, 10-6 Big 12) moved into fourth place in the Big 12 standings on Wednesday, posting a 3-0 sweep of Kansas in Lawrence. In that match, Amber Sutherland’s double-double of 13 kills and 12 digs led four Colorado players in double figures. The Buffaloes, who have won five of the last seven matches following their loss to the Huskers on Oct. 14, have played well at the Coors Event Center, going 9-3 in home matches this year.

Following Saturday’s match, the Huskers return home for a pair of matches, taking on Texas A&M on Wednesday, Nov. 15, and Baylor on Saturday, Nov. 18.

Did You Know?
?-With 388 digs this season, Dani Busboom is already sixth on NU’s single-season digs list and needs only three digs to move past Jennifer Saleaumua (389, 2004) and Kate Crnich (390, 1996) for sole possession of fourth place on Husker single-season list.
?-While Jordan Larson averages 0.68 blocks per game, her 21 solo blocks this season is the third-highest total in the Big 12, trailing only Oklahoma’s Eliane Santos (29) and Texas’ Destinee Hooker (23)
?-NU has improved its blocking over the last month, averaging 3.48 blocks per game over the last seven matches and now ranks second in the Big 12 with 3.23 blocks per game.
?-Nebraska is 50-2 (.962) in November under John Cook since the 2000 season, In fact, NU is 181-16 (.919) in the month of November since 1983.

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 and 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.
?-After matching her career high with 57 assists on Wednesday, Holloway is on track to become only the fourth Husker player to ever average 13.50 assists per game, joining former All-Americans Christy Johnson, Fiona Nepo and Val Novak in that elite group.
?-Nebraska is 66-2 (.971) on the road in Big 12 play since the start of 2000 season, losing at Kansas State in 2003 and at Texas in 2005.
?-Nebraska has won 58 of its last 59 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.
?-Dani Busboom has reached double figures in digs in each of the Huskers’ last 20 contests, breaking Amanda McCormick’s libero record for most consecutive matches with double-figures digs.
?-While Nebraska has already reached the 20-win plateau for the 32nd straight year, it marks only the sixth time in school history that the Huskers have opened the year with 20 straight wins.
?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s AVCA poll, the Huskers have spent 66 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 26 of the last 27 polls dating back to the start of 2005.
?-NU has held opponents to a Big 12-low .136 hitting percentage, as only four teams have hit over .200 against the Husker defense.  NU ranks fourth among this week’s CSTV/AVCA Top 25 in opponent hitting percentage.

Scouting Colorado
Head Coach  Pi’i Aiu (177-113 in 10 seasons at CU) leads the Buffaloes into Saturday’s match with a 14-9 record and a 10-6 mark in league play. The Buffaloes have been playing their best volleyball of late, winning five of the last seven matches, including a three-game road sweep at Kansas on Wednesday.  

CU, which is fourth in the league standings, has been tested by a non-conference schedule that included nationally ranked UCLA, Hawaii and Florida, all away from Boulder. The Buffaloes have one win over a ranked opponent this year, a 3-2 win over No. 17 Missouri in Boulder on Sept. 13.

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 12.42 assists, 1.26 kills and 1.70 digs per game. Outside hitter Amber Sutherland paces the Buffaloes with 4.39 kills per game, while Austin Zimmerman (1.78 k/gm, .331 pct) and Lauren Schaefer (2.49 k/gm, .319 pct) both rank among the Big 12 leaders in hitting percentage.

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 42-5 and has won the last 18 meetings dating back to 1997, including 11 of the past 12 in three-game sweeps.

Oct. 14, Nebraska 3, Colorado 0
Jordan Larson’s 17 kills led three Huskers in double figures in kills, as No. 1 Nebraska remained unbeaten with a 30-27, 30-18, 30-21 victory on Oct. 14 Larson totaled 17 kills and 10 digs, as the Huskers improved to 17-0 overall and 9-0 in the Big 12.

Sarah Pavan and Tracy Stalls joined Larson in double figures in the victory, totaling 12 kills apiece against the Buffaloes (9-7, 5-4 Big 12). Pavan totaled a team-high six blocks and had two aces, while Stalls enjoyed one of her most efficient matches of the year, hitting .571 in reaching double figures in kills.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Fr., Amarillo, Texas - Cooper splits time with Amanda Gates at middle blocker, averaging 1.72 kills and 1.00 blocks per game, while ranking second in the Big 12 with a .389 hitting percentage. Cooper comes off her best effort of the year, totaling a career-high 12 kills and adding five blocks at Iowa State on Wednesday. She is averaging a team-high 1.40 blocks over NU’s last five matches. 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). 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 1.40 blocks per game. She is fourth nationally in hitting percentage at .434 and is sixth in the Big 12 in blocks. Stalls has been in double figures in kills in each of the last two matches, including 10 kills and seven blocks on Wednesday’s win at Iowa State. It marked the eighth time Stalls has had at least 10 kills in a match this season, including a season-high 14 kills against Minnesota on Sept. 10 and against Long Beach State on Sept. 3. She has also had nine matches where she has hit .500 or better, including a season best .727 vs. Texas Tech on Sept. 23. At No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18, 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. 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.

RS - #9 Sarah Pavan: 6-5, Jr., Kitchener, Ontario - A two-time, first-team AVCA All-American, Pavan leads the Big 12 in both kills (5.16) and points per game (6.08), ranking 11th nationally in kills. She has five 20-kill performances this season, including a season-high 24 kills at Iowa State on Nov. 8. She has reached double figures in kills in NU’s last 20 matches and 22 of 23 times in 2006.  Pavan had 13 kills and six blocks against No. 17 Oklahoma on Nov. 4. She posted a strong effort against No. 16 Missouri on Oct. 25 with 18 kills on .424 hitting, six digs and three blocks. 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 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 has become one of the Big 12’s top all-around performers in 2006 after earning Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year accolades in 2005. She averages 4.32 kills and 3.56 digs per game, ranking in the Big 12’s top 10 in aces (0.45/gm, third), points (5.25, third), kills (fourth) and digs (ninth). She has a team-high 17 double-doubles, including a stretch of 10 in a row earlier this season. Larson totaled 15 kills, 12 digs and four blocks in Wednesday’s win at ISU and a had match-high 16 kills in a sweep of No. 17 Oklahoma on Saturday, the eighth time she has led NU in kills this season. 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 2.51 digs and 0.17 aces per game. She has tied or set career highs in digs seven times this season, and has been in double figures in digs nine times in the last 13 contests. 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 Iowa State on Nov. 8. 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 2.43 kills, 0.67 blocks and 0.69 digs per game, primarily playing the front row. She has notched at least eight kills in 12 of NU’s last 16 matches, including .333 or better three times in the last five matches. She enjoyed her best week of the season two weeks ago, hitting .444 in wins over No. 16 Missouri and Kansas State, including seven kills on .455 hitting at KSU on Oct. 28. 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 13.56 assists, 2.65 digs and 1.21 kills per game, ranking second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally in assists. Holloway had eight double-doubles, including 48 assists and 12 digs against No. 16 Missouri on Oct. 25, a match NU hit .425 as a team.
She tied her career high with 57 assists and added three blocks at Iowa State on Wednesday. Holloway was chosen 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, totaled a career-high 57 assists, eight digs and seven kills against Minnesota,  helping NU hit .337. Last 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 5.17 digs per game and has reached double figures in digs 22 times in 23 matches, including each of NU’s last 20 matches. Busboom, is now in third place on NU’s career digs list with 1,089, climbing three spots on the list after matching her career high with 23 digs at Iowa State on Wednesday. She has totaled at least 20 digs in six matches, including 23 digs at Kansas State on Oct. 28 and at Creighton on Sept.. 24, 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 2,889 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. 17 OU 0
Sarah Pavan tied a season-high with 24 kills, as No. 1 Nebraska turned back a challenge from an upstart Iowa State squad, winning 30-20, 22-30, 30-27, 30-25 in front of a crowd of 2,500 at Hilton Coliseum Wednesday evening.

Pavan, who also had 24 kills in two other matches this season, hit .321 and totaled eight digs to lead four Huskers (23-0, 15-0 Big 12) with at least 10 kills. Jordan Larson totaled her 17th double-double of the season with 15 kills and 11 digs, while middle blockers Kori Cooper and Tracy Stalls combined for 22 kills. Cooper totaled a careeer-high 12 kills on .429 hitting, while Stalls chipped in 10 kills and a team-high seven blocks.

The Huskers held ISU to .178 hitting and out-blocked the Cyclones, which led the Big 12 in blocks, 14-12. NU also totaled a season-high 85 digs, including 23 by Dani Busboom and 13 by Rachel Schwartz, whose serving sparked several key spurts for Nebraska, which snapped ISU’s five-match win streak.

What to Watch For on Saturday
 ?-Rachel Holloway is 24 assists from reaching 1,000 assists on the season. Her 13.56 assists per game is the best by a Husker since Fiona Nepo in 1998 (13.79/gm).
 ?-Dani Busboom has 388 digs on the season and is already in sixth place on NU’s single-season list and needs 12 digs to become only the third Husker to record 400 digs in a year. The only other Huskers to reach that plateau were Jennifer Saleaumua (2003, 2005) and Amanda McCormick (2004).