No. 1 Huskers Travel to Kansas

No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team looks for the outright Big 12 title on Wednesday night, as the Huskers travel to Lawrence, Kan., to take on the Kansas Jayhawks.  First serve for the match is set for 7 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 and on Huskers.com.  Wednesday’s match will also be shown live for HuskersNside subscribers. For more information on HuskersNside, visit Huskers.com.

No. 1 Nebraska (25-1, 17-1)
at Kansas (10-17, 3-15)

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: HuskersNside (subscription required)

No. 1 Nebraska
vs. Texas (21-5, 16-3 Big 12)

Saturday, Nov. 25
NU Coliseum ? 7 p.m.

Radio: Husker Sports Network ( B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Omaha) and Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video Feed: Huskers.com (Free Video)
Television: Live on NET (Ch. 12) and NET-HD (Ch. 112); Tape Delayed on CSTV on Sunday at 7 p.m. (central)

 

The Huskers (25-1, 17-1 Big 12) come off their best offensive week of the season, hitting over .400 in sweeps of Texas A&M and Baylor. In Saturday’s match, the Huskers hit .450 as a team and had three players - Sarah Pavan, Dani Mancuso and Jordan Larson - all total at least 10 kills. NU also took control of the service line, totaling six aces, including four by Pavan, who matched her career high. At 17-1, Nebraska has already earned a share of the Big 12 title, but needs a win on Wednesday to lock up the conference crown. Texas is 16-3 and does not play until Saturday’s match in Lincoln, while the Sooners are 15-3 heading into this week’s action.

Kansas (10-17, 3-15 Big 12) will look to spoil the Huskers’ plans, as they host Senior Night on Wednesday. The Jayhawks have lost their last eight matches, including a 3-1 setback to Missouri on Saturday night. In that match, KU had five players reach double figures in kills, including 15 by Megan Hill and Brittany Williams and 14 from Savannah Noyes. In the first meeting on Sept. 13, KU held NU to a season-low .159 hitting, but fell to the Huskers in three games.

Worth Noting
?-Nebraska is 66-3 on the road in Big 12 action since the start of the 2000 season.

?-With Saturday’s win, Nebraska has clinched at least a share of the Big 12 title for the third straight year. It is the sixth title in seven years for Head Coach John Cook, the ninth time in 11 years of Big 12 play and 28th in 31 years of league competition for the Huskers.

?-With 23 kills in Saturday’s win over Baylor, Sarah Pavan now has 15 career matches with at least 20 kills (7 in 2004; 1 in 2005; 7 in 2006).
Pavan’s 15 matches with at least 20 kills is nearly half of Nebraska’s total of 32 since John Cook took over in 2000. Three other current Huskers have had at least one 20-kill match during their Husker careers: Dani Mancuso (2004 at KSU), Christina Houghtelling (005 at OU) and Jordan Larson (20 vs. KSU).

?-Despite seeing her streak of matches with at least 10 digs end at 21 last Wednesday, Dani Busboom still leads the Big 12 with 5.02 digs per game.

?-Saturday’s match against Texas will be the 88th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers are 81-6 at the NU Coliseum during the current sellout streak which dates back to 2001.

?-NU has won its last 51 home matches, dating back to the 2004 season, including its last 45 at the NU Coliseum. The current home streak is the nation’s longest active streak and ranks ninth on the NCAA’s all-time list. NU has also won its last 34 Big 12 home matches dating back to 2003.

?-Middle blocker Tracy Stalls hit .500 or better for the 11th time this season against Baylor last Saturday.

?-Nebraska has won 60 of its last 62 Big 12 matches dating back to the 2003 season.

?-With the No. 1 ranking in last 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 .144 hitting percentage, as only five teams have hit over .200 against the Husker defense.  NU ranks fifth among this week’s CSTV/AVCA Top 25 in opponent hitting percentage.

Scouting Kansas
The Jayhawks look to play spoiler during the season’s final week, as they host the Huskers on Wednesday. KU  opened the year with seven wins in its first eight matches, including a sweep of No. 16 BYU, before struggling in league play. KU was hurt by the season-ending injury to middle blocker Natalie Uhart during the preseason. Uhart was the Big 12’s Preseason Newcomer of the Year, but did not play a match this season.

Head Coach Ray Bechard (148-125 in nine seasons) has led KU to three straight NCAA Tournaments - the first appearances in Jayhawk history. The Jayhawks have a trio of players averaging more than 3.00 kills per game, outside hitter Jana Correa (3.82/gm), right side hitter Emily Brown (3.44/gm) and middle blocker Savannah Noyes (3.26/gm). 

KU also has a trio of players with Nebraska ties starters Megan Hill (Lincoln) and Noyes (Indianola), while middle blocker Paige Mazour (Franklin) has seen limited duty this season.

Sept. 13:  Nebraska 3, Kansas 0
Behind seven blocks from Amanda Gates, top-ranked Nebraska remained perfect, posting a 30-24, 30-21, 30-24 victory over Kansas on Sept. 13. The Huskers, who improved to 8-0 on the season, recorded 14 blocks and held Kansas (7-3, 0-1 Big 12) to just .038 hitting.

Gates, who also totaled six kills, provided an early spark, totaling six blocks and four kills in game one alone, as her blocking total was her best since recording 10 in NU’s season opener on Aug. 29. Tracy Stalls also had five blocks, as Kansas hit .061 or lower in all three games and fell to NU for the 77th straight time.

Sarah Pavan paced NU with 12 kills and chipped in four blocks, while Jordan Larson added 11 kills, two aces and eight digs.  Rachel Holloway totaled her fourth double-double with 35 assists and 14 digs. NU’s .159 hitting was its lowest total in a win since 1999.

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 1.02 blocks per game, while ranking fourth in the Big 12 with a .350 hitting percentage. Cooper led NU with five blocks in last 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 2.69 kills and 1.42 blocks per game. She tops the Big 12 in hitting percentage and is fifth nationally while ranking fourth in the league in blocks. Stalls has reached double figures in kills three times in NU’s last five 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 14 kills against Minnesota on Sept. 10 and against Long Beach State on Sept. 3. She has also had 11 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 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 (5.23) and points per game (6.20), ranking 11th nationally in kills. She has seven 20-kill performances this season, including three in her last four contests. Pavan had 46 kills on .544 hitting and seven aces in NU’s two sweeps last week, earning Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors. She finished with 23 kills and matched her career high with four aces against Baylor on Nov. 18 and had 23 kills on .588 hitting against Texas A&M on Nov. 15. She has reached double figures in kills in NU’s last 23 matches and 25 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 4.20 kills and 3.44 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 totaled 11 kills and a career-high seven assists against Baylor on Nov. 18. Larson 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 2.48 kills, 0.64 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 three matches and six times this season, including 11 kills on .381 hitting against Baylor on Nov. 18. 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 13.49 assists, 2.63 digs and 1.14 kills per game, ranking third in the Big 12 and 11th nationally in assists. Holloway has 10 double-doubles, including one in three of the last four matches. She has tallied at least 50 assists eight times this year and has helped NU hit .400 or better in four matches.  Holloway tied her career high with 57 assists against both Colorado and Iowa State, 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 5.02 digs per game and has reached double figures in digs 24 times in 26 matches. She had a streak of 21 straight matches in double figures before it was snapped against Texas A&M on Nov. 15. Busboom ranks second on NU’s career digs list with 1,133 and is 10 digs away from climbing into second place  on NU’s single-season digs chart. 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 2,901 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, Baylor 0
Behind a match-high 23 kills and four aces from All-American Sarah Pavan, No. 1 Nebraska clinched a share of the Big 12 title with a 30-17, 30-20, 30-22 sweep of Baylor on Nov. 18.

Pavan led the offensive barrage, reaching 20 kills for the seventh time this season, as she hit .528 on 36 swings and matched her career best with four service aces ? including three in a row at one stretch in the opener. Pavan also totaled eight digs and a pair of blocks against Baylor.

Behind Pavan’s offensive efficiency, the Huskers were like clockwork, committing a season-low eight errors en route to hitting .450 in the match, including .500 in each of the first two games. The Huskers limited Baylor to just three blocks and out-dug BU 55-40.

Redshirt freshman Rachel Holloway picked up her 10th double-double of the year with 37 assists, 10 digs and chipped in a pair of solo blocks, while piloting a Husker attack that saw three players finish in double figures in kills. Jordan Larson totaled 11 kills on .393 hitting and a career-high seven assists, while Dani Mancuso chipped in 10 more on .381 hitting.

What to Watch For on Wednesday
 ?-With a win, the Huskers clinch the outright Big 12 title, as NU would finish no worse than 18-2 in league play.

 ?-Sarah Pavan needs 20 kills to move past Virginia Stahr (1,395 from 1986-89) into sole possession of fifth place on Nebraska’s all-time kills chart.

 ?-With 450 kills this season, Pavan is also within striking distance of NU’s single-season top-10 list. She needs 31 kills to tie for 10th place on the Husker single-season list.

 ?-With 432 digs this year, Dani Busboom is five digs away from passing Jennifer Saleaumua into third place on NU’s single-season digs list and is only nine digs away from sole possession of second place. 

 ?-Jordan Larson is four digs away from reaching 300 digs for the second straight season.