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Lincoln ? The Nebraska volleyball team finds itself in a familiar position, as the Huskers were selected as the nation’s top-ranked team in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll released Tuesday afternoon.
The Huskers, who finished 33-1 en route to the school’s third NCAA title in 2006, return five AVCA All-Americans among their nine returning letterwinners, highlighted by AVCA National Players of the Year Sarah Pavan and Christina Houghtelling.
The Huskers received 53 of the 60 possible first-place votes for a total of 1,491 points, with second-ranked Stanford receiving the other seven first-place votes and totaling 1,350 points.
A three-time first-team All-American and two-time Big 12 Player of the Year, Pavan was the AVCA National Player of the Year last fall after averaging a school-record 5.10 kills and per game. The 6-foot-5 senior leads a talented attack that features three other All-Americans in 2006, outside hitter Jordan Larson, setter Rachel Holloway and middle blocker Tracy Stalls. In addition, Houghtelling, the 2005 AVCA National Player of the Year, returns after missing all of last season after shoulder surgery.
Nebraska, whose 72 weeks ranked No. 1 are the most of any program, have been the nation’s top-ranked club in 32 of the last 33 polls dating back to the start of the 2005 season.
If the Huskers are to retain their No. 1 ranking throughout the fall, they will have to overcome one of the toughest schedules in school history. NU could play as many as 11 regular-season matches against teams in the preseason top 25, including matches with No. 3 Penn State and two contests against fourth-ranked Texas. After taking on Tennessee in the opening round of the AVCA Showcase in Omaha, the Huskers will face either fifth-ranked UCLA or No. 21 Utah the following night.
The Huskers and Longhorns are two of the four Big 12 teams ranked in the preseason polling, as Missouri (No. 20) and Oklahoma (No. 22) are listed among the top 25, while Colorado, Iowa State and Texas A&M also received votes from coaches around the country.
Fans will have an opportunity to see a sneak preview of the 2007 season this Saturday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m., as the Huskers will have their annual Red/White Scrimmage at the Nebraska Coliseum.
Tickets for that match are on sale now with general admission prices set at $10 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors. In addition, there is no cost for UNL students with a valid student ID and for children ages 6 and under. Following the scrimmage, the Huskers will receive their national title rings and the two new banners at the NU Coliseum will be unveiled.
The Huskers open the season the following weekend, as they host the AVCA Showcase at the Qwest Center in Omaha. Tickets are going fast for the four-team tournament which features UCLA, Utah and Tennessee. Tickets for the tournament are on sale exclusively through Qwest Center Omaha and Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com).
CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll
Rank
School (First-Place Votes)
Total Points
2006 Record
2006 Final Rank
1
Nebraska (53)
1491
33-1
1
2
Stanford (7)
1443
30-4
2
3
Penn State
1350
32-3
5
4
Texas
1269
24-7
7
5
UCLA
1214
33-4
3
6
Southern California
1197
27-5
8
7
Florida
1131
30-3
10
8
Washington
1088
29-5
4
9
Minnesota
1032
26-8
6
10
Hawaii
982
29-6
9
11
Wisconsin
924
26-7
11
12
California
746
22-10
13
13
Purdue
658
23-11
18
14
Cal Poly
636
23-6
17
15
San Diego
614
26-6
14
16
Ohio State
586
25-8
16
17
BYU
375
25-6
20
18
Duke
284
29-4
22
19
Long Beach State
268
26-6
NR
20
Missouri
253
18-13
21
21
Utah
231
28-4
15
22
Oklahoma
205
26-5
12
23
LSU
200
26-6
19
24
Santa Clara
194
20-8
NR
25
Ohio
178
28-5
25
Others Receiving Votes and appearing on two or more ballots: Louisville 157; Pepperdine 126; New Mexico State 104; Notre Dame 86; Colorado State 76; Colorado 63; Arizona 44; Iowa State 39; Michigan 31; Northern Iowa 29; Texas A&M 29; Kentucky 24; St. John's 24; Alabama 22; Michigan State 22; UC Santa Barbara 12; Wichita State 11; Tennessee 10; Middle Tennessee 9; Sacramento State 5; Georgia Tech 3; Oregon 3.
Ten schools were listed on only one ballot for a total of 22 points.