Huskers Host Baylor with Big 12 Title on the Line

The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team wraps up a short homestand on Saturday afternoon as it welcomes the Baylor Bears to a sold out Nebraska Coliseum. First serve for the Saturday matinee is set for 2 p.m. and the match will be carried across the state on the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in both Lincoln and Omaha. The match will also be shown live for HuskersNside subscribers. For more information on HuskersNside, visit Huskers.com.

No. 1 Nebraska (24-1, 16-1 Big 12)
vs. Baylor (18-12, 6-11 Big 12)

Saturday, Nov. 18
NU Coliseum ? 2 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 at Kansas

Wednesday, Nov. 22
Lawrence, Kan. ? 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: TBA

The Huskers (24-1, 16-1 Big 12) come off one of their best offensive performances of the season, hitting .436 in a sweep of Texas A&M on Wednesday night. Sarah Pavan totaled a match-high 23 kills on .588 hitting, while outside hitters Jordan Larson and Dani Mancuso combined for 23 kills and a .340 hitting percentage. NU’s hitting percentage was its best in Big 12 play this season and the third time NU has hit .400 or better in a match in 2006.

The Huskers enter Saturday’s match with a two-match lead in the loss column over both Texas and Oklahoma and can clinch a share of the Big 12 title with a win against the Bears on Saturday. It would mark the Huskers’ third consecutive Big 12 title and the ninth in 11 years of league competition. In addition, NU would capture its 28th conference crown in 31 seasons of league competition

Baylor (18-12, 6-11 Big 12) has been playing its best volleyball of the season in recent weeks, going 5-2 over its last seven contests, including a 3-0 sweep of Kansas on Wednesday night. In that contest, the Bears held the Jayhawks to .010 hitting, while freshman Katie Sanders totaled a match-high 13 kills. The Bears, seeking their first NCAA berth since 2001, are two wins away from becoming the fourth Big 12 team to reach the 20-win plateau this season.

Did You Know?
?-Nebraska’s .436 hitting percentage on Wednesday was its best in a Big 12 match since hitting .482 against Colorado on Nov. 25, 2005.

?-Middle blocker Tracy Stalls has been on a tear of late, averaging 2.81 kills on .434 hitting and 1.76 blocks per game over Nebraska’s last five matches.

?-While Dani Busboom saw her streak of consecutive matches in double figure digs end at 21, she moved past Lindsay Wischmeier for second place on NU’s career list. Busboom now has 1,117 career digs.

?-While Jordan Larson averages 0.71 blocks per game, her 24 solo blocks this season are the third-highest total in the Big 12, trailing only Oklahoma’s Eliane Santos (35) and Texas’ Destinee Hooker (28).

Worth Noting
?-Saturday’s match will feature two of the Big 12’s best blocking squads, as Nebraska is second in the league with 3.31 blocks per game, just
ahead of Baylor’s 3.17 blocks per game.

?-Two of the Big 12’s top serving specialists will be in action on Saturday, as BU’s Taylor Barnes leads the league with 0.53 service aces per game, while Jordan Larson ranks third in that category at 0.43 aces per game.

?-Saturday’s match against Baylor will be the 87th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers are 80-6 at the NU Coliseum during the current sellout streak which dates back to 2001.

?-NU has won its last 50 home matches, dating back to the 2004 season, including its last 44 at the NU Coliseum. The current home streak is the nation’s longest active streak and ties for ninth on the NCAA’s all-time list. NU has also won its last 33 Big 12 home matches dating back to 2003.

?-Middle blocker Tracy Stalls hit .500 or better for the 10th time this season in Wednesday’s win over Texas A&M, slamming home eight kills in just 12 swings. The eight kills snapped a streak of three straight matches in double figures for the junior from Denver.

?-Nebraska had four players record double-doubles in last Saturday’s match at Colorado (Tracy Stalls, Jordan Larson, Rachel Holloway and Sarah Pavan), the first time NU has had four double-doubles in a match this season.

?-Nebraska has won 59 of its last 61 Big 12 matches dating back to the 2003 season.

?-Despite seeing her streak of matches with at least 10 digs end at 21 on Wednesday, Dani Busboom still leads the Big 12 with 5.01 digs per game.

?-With 23 kills in Saturday’s win over Texas A&M, Sarah Pavan now has 14 career matches with at least 20 kills.

?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s AVCA poll, the Huskers have spent 67 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 27 of the last 28 polls dating back to the start of 2005.

?-NU has held opponents to a Big 12-low .143 hitting percentage, as only five 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 Baylor
The Bears enter Saturday’s match with an 18-12 record and have already clinched their first winning season since 2001 - the year of Baylor’s last NCAA Tournament appearance. Under third-year coach Jim Barnes (45-48 at BU), the Bears rebounded from an eight-match losing streak midway through the year to win five of the last seven matches.

Baylor is led by one of the Big 12’s best middle blockers in Desiree Guilliard-Young, who averages 2.95 kills and 1.56 blocks per game, ranking second in the league in blocks and fifth in hitting percentage (.349).  The Bears feature four players averaging over 2.50 kills per game, led by Nicole LeBlanc’s 3.30 kills per game. Baylor is one of the youngest teams in the Big 12, as it relies on a quartet of freshmen, including middle blocker Anna Breyfogle (2.76 k/gm and 1.41 b/gm) and setter Taylor Barnes (11.42 a/gm, 1.33 k/gm and 0.53 sa/gm).

Nebraska has won all 22 previous meetings with Baylor in a series that saw only one meeting prior to the start of Big 12 play.

Sept. 30:  Nebraska 3, Baylor 1
Sarah Pavan matched a season-high with 24 kills, while the top-ranked Huskers posted a season-high 11 service aces to post a 3-1 victory (30-32, 30-18, 30-21, 30-24) over Baylor on Sept. 30. Pavan posted 24 kills, two aces, six digs and three blocks, as Nebraska (13-0, 5-0 Big 12) swept the final three games after dropping the opener. Jordan Larson joined Pavan in double-figures in kills with 17 kills, 16 digs and a pair of aces.

Larson was one of a pair of Huskers to post double-doubles as Rachel Holloway had 54 assists and a career-high 15 digs, as NU held Baylor to .193 hitting.  NU won the match at the service line, as Rachel Schwartz had a career-high three aces while Pavan, Larson and Busboom had two each.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Fr., Amarillo, Texas - Cooper splits time with Amanda Gates at middle blocker, averaging 1.70 kills and 1.07 blocks per game, while ranking fourth in the Big 12 with a .354 hitting percentage. Cooper led NU with five blocks in Wednesday’s sweep of Texas A&M and totaled 21 kills and 12 blocks in two matches last week, including a career-high 12 kills and five blocks at Iowa State on Nov. 8. She is averaging 1.40 blocks over NU’s last nine matches. She had one of her best matches of the year at No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18, totaling seven kills and a career-high eight blocks. 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 2.72 kills and 1.45 blocks per game. She tops the Big 12 in hitting percentage and is sixth nationally in hitting percentage while ranking fourth in the league in blocks. Stalls has reached double figures in kills three times in NU’s last four matches, including a career-high 16 kills and 12 blocks at Colorado on Nov. 11. It marked the ninth time Stalls has had at least 10 kills in a match this season, including a 14 kills against Minnesota on Sept. 10 and against Long Beach State on Sept. 3. She has also had 10 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 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.

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 (6.08), ranking 11th nationally in kills. She has six 20-kill performances this season, including 23 kills on .588 hitting against Texas A&M on Nov. 15. She has reached double figures in kills in NU’s last 22 matches and 24 times in 2006. Pavan matched her season high with 24 kills and added eight digs in a win over Iowa State on Nov. 8. 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 three double-doubles on the year, with her most recent coming with 17 kills, 10 digs and eight blocks at Colorado on Nov. 11. 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 4.22 kills and 3.52 digs per game, ranking in the Big 12’s top 10 in aces (0.45/gm, third), points (5.14, third), kills (fifth) and digs (10th). She has a team-high 18 double-doubles, including a stretch of 10 in a row earlier this season. Larson had 13 kills, 17 digs and matched her career high with six blocks at Colorado on Nov. 11 and had a match-high 16 kills in a sweep of No. 17 Oklahoma on Nov. 4. 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 2.41 digs and 0.17 aces per game. She has tied or set career highs in digs seven times this season, and has reached double figures in digs nine times in the last 15 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 2.45 kills, 0.66 blocks and 0.76 digs per game, primarily playing the front row. She has reached double figures in kills in each of NU’s last two matches and five time this season. Mancuso had 10 kills on .316 hitting in a sweep of Texas A&M on Nov. 15 and matched her season high with 11 kills and added five blocks at Colorado on Nov. 11. She enjoyed her best week of the season three 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 also 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 13.54 assists, 2.60 digs and 1.16 kills per game, ranking third in the Big 12 and 11th nationally in assists. Holloway had nine double-doubles, including one in two of the last three matches. She has tallied at least 50 assists in each of the last three matches and eight times this year. Holloway tied her career high with 57 assists in both matches last week, adding 13 digs and four blocks at Colorado on Nov. 11 and four stuffs at ISU on Nov. 8.  She 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 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 5.09 digs per game and has reached double figures in digs 23 times in 24 matches, including each of NU’s last 21 matches. Busboom, is now in third place on NU’s career digs list with 1,108 and is four digs away from passing Lindsay Wischmeier for second place in NU’s career list. She has totaled at least 20 digs in six matches, including 23 digs at Iowa State on Nov. 8, 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 2,895 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, Texas A&M 0
 Sarah Pavan totaled a match-high 23 kills on .588 hitting, as No. 1 Nebraska rebounded from its first loss of the season with a 30-16, 30-28, 30-25 victory over Texas A&M Wednesday night at the NU Coliseum. 

Pavan, who reached the 20-kill mark for the sixth time this season, finished with 23 kills on just 34 swings and added a season-high three aces and three blocks to help the Huskers improve to 24-1 on the season and 16-1 in Big 12 play.  

Nebraska turned in one of its best offensive performances of the season, hitting .436 as a team, as both Pavan and Stalls (eight kills on .583 hitting) finished above .500 hitting on the night. Freshman Rachel Holloway totaled 50 assists and guided a Husker attack that saw four players total at least eight kills in NU’s 19th sweep of the year. The .436 hitting was NU’s best effort in a Big 12 match this season and its second-best total of the year

What to Watch For on Saturday
 ?-With 1,351 kills, Sarah Pavan is 22 kills away from passing Kathi DeBoer (1,372, 1984-87) for sole possession of sixth place on NU’s career kills list.
 ?-Dani Busboom is 21 digs away from passing Jennifer Saleaumua into third place on NU’s single-season digs list and is only 26 digs away from sole possession of second place.