Five Huskers Earn Big 12 Awards

Irving, Texas ? Two-time Big 12 Player of the Year Sarah Pavan headlines a group of five Husker award winners, as the Big 12 announced its yearly honors on Monday. Nebraska not only had four first-team All-Big 12 selections, but also took home honors for the top libero, newcomer and defensive player in voting by the Big 12 coaches.

Pavan, a three-time All-Big 12 First Team member, becomes the first Husker to repeat as conference player of the Year since Allison Weston in 1994 and 1995. The junior from Kitchener, Ontario, led No. 1 Nebraska (19-1 Big 12; 27-1 overall) to its ninth Big 12 title in 2006, leading the league in both kills (5.15) and points (6.11) per game in conference action and also was fourth in service aces (0.36) per contest. Pavan, who averages 5.22 kills per game overall, is on pace to break NU’s single-season record for kills per game, held by Nancy Metcalf in 1999.

The Huskers finished the conference season first in hitting percentage and kills while leading the nation in kills per game (17.53). Pavan is the third Husker to earn multiple Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors, joining Metcalf (1999, 2001) and Greichaly Cepero (2000, 2002).

Pavan was joined by a trio of teammates as first-team selections: redshirt freshman setter Rachel Holloway, junior middle blocker Tracy Stalls and sophomore outside hitter Jordan Larson. In addition, senior Dani Busboom also shared the Big 12’s Libero-of-the-Year honors with Oklahoma’s Anna Monson.

A first-team All-Big 12 honoree, Holloway directed the NU offense to the best hitting percentage and most kills per game in Big 12 matches during her first season as setter for the Huskers. She averages 13.56 assists per game, including 13.59 per game in conference play, as NU ranks among the top-three nationally in kills, assists and hitting percentage. In addition to her assists, which leads all freshmen and ranks 11th nationally, she also averages 1.16 kills and 2.66 digs per game.

Larson earned both first-team honors and shared the league’s Defensive Player of the Year with Iowa State middle blocker Erin Boeve and Oklahoma middle blocker Eliane Santos. Larson is fourth in the Big 12 with 4.23 kills per game while ranking 10th in digs at 3.40 per game and the only player in the Big 12 in the top 10 in both kills and digs. Larson also ranks among the Big 12 leaders with 24 solo blocks. It is the first time Larson has been a first-team All-Big 12 pick.

Stalls rounds out Nebraka’s first-team honorees, as she averages 2.67 kills and a team-best 1.40 blocks per game. She leads the Big 12 with a .433 hitting percentage ? a number that is fifth nationally ? and is fifth in the league in blocks. Stalls, who was honored by the Big 12 for the first time this fall, has reached double figures in kills nine times, including a career-high 16 kill, 12 block effort at Colorado on Nov. 11.

Busboom earns her first major award, as she becomes the first Husker to earn the Big 12’s top libero honor. The senior, who started at setter her first three seasons, leads the Big 12 with 5.05 digs per game and is on pace to become only the second player in conference history to average better than five digs a game. She has finished in double figures 26 times in 28 regular-season matches while her 465 digs already rank second on NU’s single-season list.

Player

Pos.

Ht..

Yr.

Hometown/Last School

Ashley Nu’u Colorado

S

5-10

Sr.

Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill

Erin Boeve, Iowa State

MB

6-2

Jr.

Steen, Minn./Hills-Beaver Creek

Jessica Vander Kooi, Missouri

OH

6-2

Sr.

Merill, Iowa/Hinton

Rachel Holloway, Nebraska

S

5-10

Fr.

Franklin, Tenn./Smoky Hill (Colo.)

Jordan Larson, Nebraska

OH

6-2

So.

Hooper, Neb./Logan View

Sarah Pavan, Nebraska

RS

6-5

Jr.

Kitchener, Ontario/Forest Hts, Collegiate Institute

Tracy Stalls, Nebraska

MB

6-3

Jr.

Denver, Colo./Lakewood

Eliane Santos, Oklahoma

MB

6-2

Sr.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/College of Southern Idaho

Joanna Schmitt, Oklahoma

OH

5-10

Sr.

Cottage Grove, Wis./Deerfield

Ashley Engle, Texas

OPP

6-3

Fr.

Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza

Destinee Hooker, Texas

OH

6-4

Fr.

San Antonio, Texas/Southwest

Christi Hahn, Texas A&M

MB

6-1

Sr.

Leander, Texas/Leander

Individual Big 12 Awards
Player of the Year: Sarah Pavan, Nebraska
Newcomer of the Year: Rachel Holloway, Nebraska
Freshman of the Year: Ashley Engle, Texas
Defensive Players of the Year: Erin Boeve, Iowa State; Jordan Larson, Nebraska; Eliane Santos, Oklahoma
Libero of the Year: Dani Busboom, Nebraska; Anna Monsen, Oklahoma
Coach of the Year: Santiago Restrepo, Oklahoma