Road Trip: No. 1 Huskers Travel to Texas Tech

No. 1 Nebraska (8-0, 1-0 Big 12)
at Texas Tech (6-3, 0-0 Big 12)Sat., Sept. 15 ? United Spirit Arena (Lubbock, Texas) ? 7 p.m.
Radio:  B107.3 FM in Lincoln and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)

For the first time all season, the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team hits the road, as the Huskers venture to Lubbock, Texas, to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. First serve between the Huskers (8-0, 1-0 Big 12) and Red Raiders (7-3, 1-0 Big 12) is set for 7 p.m. at the United Spirit Arena. Fans will be able to listen to the volleyball match on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and on Huskers.com. In addition, fans can also watch the action live on HuskersNside.

Nebraska comes off one of its best offensive performances of the year, hitting .400 as a team in a sweep of No. 7 Texas Wednesday night in the Huskers’ conference opener. Nebraska, which has wins over five top-20 teams in its eight contests, showed its offensive balance against the Longhorns with six players all recording at least six kills. Senior All-American Sarah Pavan paced NU with 16 kills on .520 hitting, while the middle blocking duo of All-American Tracy Stalls and Kori Cooper combined for 16 kills on .640 hitting.

Saturday’s road opener is a homecoming for Cooper, who hails from Amarillo, Texas, which is 111 miles from Lubbock. Cooper, whose .692 hitting percentage against Texas on Wednesday was a career high, is now averaging 2.32 kills per game and is  ninth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.369). Last season, she averaged just 1.67 kills per game.

Texas Tech has gotten off to a good start, as the Red Raiders bring a 7-3 record into Saturday’s contest. Among Tech’s wins to date includes a 3-0 sweep of Arizona State and a 3-2 victory over Colorado on Wednesday. In that match, the Red Raiders out-blocked Colorado, 19-5, as Amy Gandy (10 kills, 8 blocks), Brandi Hood (10 kills, 10 blocks) and  Alicia Ostmeyer (11 kills, 10 blocks) all enjoyed big nights against the Buffaloes.

NU Volleyball Quick Hits
?-Following Wednesday’s win over Texas, Nebraska has won its last 17 matches against ranked foes dating back to the start of 2006.
?-Nebraska has won its last 21 matches against Texas Tech dating back to 1996.
?-All-American Tracy Stalls has hit .450 or better in NU’s last four matches and is hitting .566 and averaging 3.84 kills per game in that stetch.
?-Rachel Holloway has guided the Huskers to a .384 team hitting percentage over the last four matches.
?-Nebraska is 67-3 on the road in Big 12 play since the start of the 2000 season.

Start Time Set for Sept. 22 Match vs. Texas A&M
Nebraska’s match against Texas A&M at the NU Coliseum will now start at 7 p.m. and will be televised in the state of Nebraska on NET (Ch. 12) and NET-HD (Ch. 112). The match was listed as a TBA on the schedule until the football time for the NU-Ball State game was determined. That game will kickoff at 11:30 a.m. on pay-per-view.

Devaney Center Match vs. Hawaii Sold Out
Nebraska’s match against No. 15 Hawaii on Oct. 21 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center is officially sold out. Approximately 13,000 tickets have been sold for the contest with the rest of the arena seats behind held for UNL students. It was mark the Huskers’ first sellout at the Devaney Center and will likely break the NCAA single-match attendance record of 13,081 set by Nebraska against Penn State on Sept. 2 at the Qwest Center in Omaha.

Scouting Texas Tech
Coach Nancy Todd (51-74 in five years) has the Red Raiders off to a good start in 2007 despite graduating outside hitter Philister Sang, who was second in the Big 12 in kills (4.68/gm) last season. Texas Tech already has a win over Arizona State and knocked off Colorado in five games in Wednesday’s Big 12 opener.

The Red Raiders, who returned five starters from a team that won 12 matches in 2006, will rely on a deep roster that features eight players averaging at least one kill per game. Outside hitter Michelle Flores tops Texas Tech with 3.24 kills per game. Setter Emily Ziegler leads all conference setters with 1.71 kills per game while hitting .420 and chipping in 11.05 assists and 2.02 blocks per game.

The Huskers lead the all-time series, 26-1 and have won the last 21 meetings dating back to 1996. NU has swept 12 of the last 13 meetings dating back to the 2000 season.

Worth Noting
?-Nebraska brings an 18-match win streak into Saturday’s contest with the Red Raiders dating back to last November.
?-Nebraska is 65-2 in its last 67 Big 12 Conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.
?-The Huskers have played their last 81 matches as the nation’s top-ranked team in the AVCA poll, dating back to the end of the 2004 season. In that span, NU has a record of 77-4. In fact, Husker juniors Amanda Gates, Jordan Larson and Rachel Schwartz have been a part of the nation’s No. 1 team in every match during their collegiate careers.
?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s CSTV/AVCA poll, the Huskers have spent 75 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 35 of the last 36 polls dating back to the start of 2005.
?-Nebraska has a 104-5 (.954) record since the start of the 2004 season.
?-Nebraska’s .400 hitting percentage against Texas was NU’s best against a top-10 team since also hitting .400 against Hawaii in 2001.
?-Following Wednesday’s win over Texas, Nebraska is 43-3 (.935) against ranked opponents since the start of the 2004 season and 79-11 (.878) against ranked foes under John Cook.
?-Nebraska has now won 60 straight home matches dating back to 2004, a total which ranks fourth in the NCAA record book for consecutive home wins.
?-With her 16 kills against Texas on Wednesday night, right side hitter Sarah Pavan now moved into sole possession of second place on Nebraska’s all-time kills chart. She trails only fellow AVCA Player of the Year Allison Weston (1,778) on NU’s all-time list.
?-Entering this weekend’s action, only nine Division I programs remain undefeated. A total of 11 teams began the week without a blemish, but Alabama A&M and Texas A&M both suffered their first losses on Wednesday. At least one more team will be removed from this list this weekend, as Yale and Stanford square off at the Yale Invitational.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #11 Tracy Stalls: 6-4, Sr., Denver, Colo. - Two-year captain who earned second-team AVCA All-America honors in 2006. Stalls leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.495), averaging 2.48 kills and 1.04 blocks per game in 2007. Stalls totaled seven kills on .462 hitting and three blocks in Wednesday’s win over No. 7 Texas. She was named to the Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament team, averaging 3.00 kills per game on .654 hitting. Stalls hit over .600 in both matches, including a season-best .692 (9-0-13) against New Mexico State. She had 16 kills on .640 hitting and four blocks in a win over No. 5  UCLA to earn a spot on the AVCA Showcase All-Tournament Team.  Stalls averaged 2.67 kills and 1.41 blocks per game in 2006, leading the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.400) and ranking 11th nationally. Stalls spent part of the summer with the USA National Team, playing in the Pan America Cup and averaging 2.25 kills per game while hitting .615.

MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, So., Amarillo, Texas - Second-year starter who shares the position with junior Amanda Gates. Cooper averages 2.32 kills and 0.95 blocks per game in 2007, while hitting .369 on the year. She comes off one of her best matches of the year on Wednesday, drilling nine kills on a career-best .692 hitting and three stuffs.  Cooper has reached double figures in kills twice in 2007, totaling 10 kills against No. 5 UCLA on Aug. 25 and versus No. 3 Penn State on Sept. 2. She totaled 10 kills on .350 hitting in a sweep of Penn State and hit .625 on eight swings against No. 17 Cal Poly on Sept. 3. She sparked NU to a win over UCLA in the AVCA Showcase with 10 kills on .526 hitting and four blocks. Cooper was one of two freshmen starters in 2006, averaging 1.67 kills and 0.95 blocks per game in 30 matches. She finished fourth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.344).

L - #5 Rachel Schwartz: 5-9, Jr., Lincoln, Neb. - Schwartz, who was NU’s defensive and serving specialist in 2006, won the starting libero job in fall camp. Schwartz is third on the team with 3.59 digs per game, establishing a career high with 17 digs against fifth-ranked UCLA on Aug. 25 and against No. 17 Cal Poly on Sept. 3. She started 29 matches in 2006, averaging 2.41 digs, 0.23 aces and 0.30 assists per game. She totaled double figures in digs a total of 15 times despite playing only three rotations.
-or- #19 Tara Mueller: 6-0, Fr., Scottsdale, Ariz. - Mueller made her first start at NU in Saturday’s sweep of New Mexico State. She totaled eight digs and added three assists in her first action at the position this year. Mueller is NU’s top reserve at outside hitter and had two kills and three blocks against Creighton on Aug. 21. A Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, Mueller was the 2005 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona and started this summer for the U.S. Junior National Team.

OPP - #9 Sarah Pavan: 6-5, Sr., Kitchener, Ontario - Pavan is a three-time first-team AVCA All-American and reigning Honda-Broderick Cup winner. Pavan averages a Big 12-best 5.08 kills, 1.92 digs and 0.40 service aces per game. She led NU to a sweep of No. 7 Texas on Sept. 12, delivering a team-high 17 kills on .520 hitting against the Longhorns. Pavan was selected as the MVP of both the AVCA Showcase and the Holiday Inn Downtown Classic. She was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Aug. 27, totaling 39 kills on .385 hitting in a pair of wins. She was dominant in a sweep of No. 17 Cal Poly on Sept. 3, finishing with 17 kills on .485 hitting against the Mustangs.  Pavan tallied a match-high 25 kills, 12 digs and three blocks in a win over No. 5 UCLA on Aug. 25.  She was the AVCA National Player of the Year in 2006, leading the Big 12 in kills (5.10) and points per game (5.98), while hitting .313 on the season. Pavan reached double figures in kills in 33 of 34 matches as a junior, including 10 matches with at least 20 kills. Pavan, who needs 142 kills to break Allison Weston’s school record of 1,778, is on pace to become just the fourth four-time, first-team All-American in NCAA volleyball history. She carries a 4.0 GPA in biochemistry and was recognized as the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American of the Year for all sports at the Division I level for the 2006-07 year. She declined an opportunity to play with the Canadian team this summer to take an upper-level chemistry class so she can graduate this season. She made her Canadian National Team debut at age 16.

OH - #10 Jordan Larson: 6-2, Jr., Hooper, Neb. - Larson is one of the country’s top all-around performers, earning first-team AVCA All-America honors in 2006. She enters Wednesday’s match averaging 3.64 kills and 3.64 digs per game after earning all-tournament honors in NU’s first two weekends. Larson, who is 10th in the league in digs and service aces (0.40/gm), has a team-best four double-doubles, all of which have come against ranked opponents. She recorded a season-high 16 kills and a match-high 14 digs against No. 11 Duke on Sept. 7. Larson had 11 kills, 15 digs and a season-high five blocks against No. 5 UCLA on Aug. 25. Last year, she averaged 4.13 kills and 3.50 digs per game and was the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top 10 in both categories. She was the Big 12’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year and totaled a team-high 22 double-doubles in 2006. Larson had 19 kills on .378 hitting and 15 digs in the win over No. 2 Stanford in the NCAA title match. She was also the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Gainesville Regional with 3.62 kills, 3.25 digs and 0.50 aces per game, highlighted by a career-high 21 kills and 17 digs in the regional final against No. 9 Minnesota.

OH - #3 Christina Houghtelling: 6-2, Sr., Cambridge, Neb. - Houghtelling has returned to her 2005 form after missing all of last season after shoulder surgery. She leads all Big 12 outside hitters in digs and ranks eighth overall with 3.88 per game while also averaging 3.25 kills per game. She was the MVP of the Amertias Players Challenge last weekend, hitting .535 and averaging 4.167 kills, 3.00 digs and 0.67 blocks per game. She recorded a season-high 15 kills on .519 hitting and nine digs in the sweep of New Mexico State. Houghtelling had 12 kills and hit .379 against No. 17 Cal Poly. She had two double-doubles (vs. Penn State and UCLA), including a career-high 23 digs against the Bruins on Aug. 25. She topped NU in digs in both matches at the AVCA Showcase en route to Big 12 Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors, highlighted by a career-best 23 digs against No. 5 UCLA on Aug. 25. She was the 2005 AVCA Player of the Year, averaging 3.69 kills, 2.49 digs and 1.03 blocks per game in helping the Huskers to 33 wins and an NCAA finals appearance. Houghtelling was among the Big 12 leaders in both kills (10th) and hitting percentage (.375, fifth) in 2005. She tied for the team-lead with six double-doubles, including a 19-kill, 20-dig performance against Kansas State. She also was a first-team Academic All-American who carries a 3.90 GPA entering her final college semester.

S - #12 Rachel Holloway: 5-10, So., Franklin, Tenn. - Holloway is one of five AVCA All-Americans in the Husker lineup and held her job despite a strong challenge from senior Maggie Griffin in fall camp. Holloway is second in the Big 12 with 13.60 assists per game and also chips in 1.00 kills and 2.80 digs per game. Holloway guides an offense that leads the Big 12 in kills and hitting percentage  despite playing five ranked teams in eight matches. Holloway played one of the best matches of her career vs. No. 7 Texas on Sept. 11, dishing out 39 assists as NU hit .400 as a team while also adding six kills and six digs.  She has two double-doubles on the year - a 35 assist, 12-dig outing against Creighton on Aug. 31 and  61 assist, 16-dig effort against No. 5 UCLA on Aug. 25. Holloway, who earned all-tournament honors in each of the past two weeks, comes off a solid perfomance against New Mexico State, totaling 39 assists, eight digs, six kills and four blocks. The Huskers hit a season-best .409 against the Aggies and are hitting .386 over NU’s last four matches.  Holloway was a third-team All-American in 2006, piloting an offense that led the nation in assists (16.20/gm) and kills (17.40/gm) and ranked second in hitting percentage (.295). She averaged 13.43 assists, 2.49 digs and 1.11 kills per game, finishing 11th nationally in assists. Holloway, who was only the second freshman in NCAA history to be a starting setter for a title team, totaled 13 double-doubles in 2006. She tallied a career-high 65 assists in the NCAA Regional title win over Minnesota.

Last Time Out: Huskers Sweep No. 7 Texas
 Behind 16 kills from AVCA National Player of the Year Sarah Pavan, top-ranked Nebraska opened Big 12 action with a 3-0 sweep over No. 7 Texas, winning 30-24, 30-17, 30-25 in front of a national television audience Wednesday evening.

 Pavan hit a blistering .520 on 25 swings and keyed a Husker attack that hit .400 against the Longhorns, the second straight match that Nebraska (8-0, 1-0 Big 12) eclipsed the .400 mark as a team. It was the highest NU hit against a top-10 foe since hitting .400 against fifth-ranked Hawaii in 2001.

The senior, who also chipped in five digs and two blocks, moved in sole possession of second place on NU’s career kills list, moving past three-time All-American Lisa Reitsma. Pavan now has 1,637 career kills and is within striking distance of Allison Weston’s career record.

While Pavan was the only Husker to reach double figures, Nebraska enjoyed superb offensive balance against Texas in posting its 60th consecutive home win.  All-American setter Rachel Holloway guided an attack that hit .300 in all three games and featured all six starters with at least six kills. The sophomore from Franklin, Tenn., had six kills on nine swings and added six digs in one of her best all-around performances of the year.

 Middle blockers Tracy Stalls and Kori Cooper both enjoyed big nights, as Stalls had seven kills on .462 hitting and three blocks, while Cooper totaled nine kills on a career-high .692 hitting and three stuffs. Cooper’s hitting percentage was not only a career best, but also the highest single-match total by any Husker in 2007.