No. 1 Huskers Head to No. 25 Oklahoma

Nebraska (15-0, 8-0 Big 12) at No. 25 Oklahoma (15-3, 7-1 Big 12)

Sat., Oct. 13 ? Norman, Okla. ? 1 p.m. Television: None Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and on Huskers.com Video: HuskersNside (subscription required) Live Stats: Huskers.com

The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team returns to action Saturday afternoon, as the Huskers travel to Norman, Okla., to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. First serve from the McCasland Field House is set for 1 p.m. and fans can listen to the match on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and on the Internet at Huskers.com. HuskersNside subscribers can also watch all of the action live from Norman on Saturday.

The Huskers (15-0, 8-0 Big 12) are coming off a solid defensive effort against Iowa State Wednesday night, sweeping the Cyclones with a 33-31, 30-19, 30-20 win. In that match, Sarah Pavan pounded home a match-high 18 kills, while outside hitters Christina Houghtelling (12 kills and 10 digs) and Jordan Larson (11 kills and 13 digs) both put together double-doubles to lead NU to its 13th straight sweep. The Huskers held ISU to .184 hitting and out-blocked ISU, which entered the match leading the league in blocks. NU survived a sub-par offensive performance, as the Huskers were held under .300 hitting for the third time in 15 matches.

For the second straight season, Oklahoma has been the surprise of the Big 12. The Sooners, who moved back into the national poll this week, enter Saturday’s match with a 15-3 record and are tied with Texas for second place in the league with a 7-1 mark after being picked ninth by the league coaches in the preseason poll. The Sooners, who are 6-0 at home, have shown their mettle in conference play, going 4-1 in five-game matches, including wins at then No. 25 Texas A&M and No. 16 Kansas State. Oklahoma comes off a strong defensive showing on Wednesday, holding Texas Tech to .060 hitting in a 3-0 sweep in Lubbock.

NU Volleyball Quick Hits
?-Nebraska has been ranked 24 consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the AVCA poll, equaling USC’s record set between 2002 and 2004. To put that in perspective, only six other programs (UCLA, Hawaii, Stanford, USC, Long Beach State and Penn State) have ever been ranked more than 24 weeks at No. 1 since the AVCA poll began in 1982.

?-The Huskers have held their last six foes to a combined .112 hitting, and lead the Big 12 in opponent hitting percentage (.142).

?-The Huskers have swept their last 17 straight Big 12 foes dating back to 2006.

?-NU is going for its 14th straight sweep on Saturday, which would be its longest streak of sweeps since 1995, when NU ran off 22 straight sweeps.

Worth Noting
?-Nebraska leads the nation in hitting percentage (.341), assists (16.91) and kills (18.30) per game. The Huskers are on pace to shatter single-season marks in all three categories and will look to become the first team since Hawaii in 2002 to lead the country in all three areas in a year.

?-Nebraska is 70-3 (.959) on the road in Big 12 action in eight seasons under Coach John Cook.

?-The Huskers have won their last 18 matches against ranked opponents and are 81-11 (.880) against ranked teams since the start of the 2000 season.

?-Nebraska brings a nation-leading 25-match win streak into Saturday’s contest with the Sooners. In that span, NU has dropped just six games and has been pushed to five games only once - the 2006 NCAA regional final against Minnesota.

?-Nebraska has won its last 41 games dating back to the match with UCLA on Aug. 25, a total that ranks as the third-longest streak in school history.

?-NU broke its school record for consecutive home wins in Wednesday’s sweep of Iowa State. The Huskers have now won their last 64 home matches dating back to the 2004 season, a total that ranks as the third-longest streak in the NCAA record books.

?-The Huskers are 71-2 (.973) in their last 72 Big 12 Conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.

?-The Huskers have played their last 88 matches as the nation’s top-ranked team in the AVCA poll, dating back to the end of the 2004 campaign. NU is 84-4 in that stretch.

?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s CSTV/AVCA poll, the Huskers have now spent 79 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 39 of the last 40 polls dating back to the start of 2005.

?-Nebraska has a 111-5 (.957) record since the start of the 2004 season.

?-Only four Division I programs (Dayton, Florida, Nebraska and Stanford) are undefeated entering this weekend’s action. Washington fell from the ranks of the undefeated Thursday night with a five-game loss at California.

Scouting Oklahoma
Head Coach Santiago Restrepo (62-48 in four seasons at OU) has the Sooners poised for another NCAA Tournament run in 2007. Despite losing five starters from a team that went 28-6 and finished second in the Big 12, Oklahoma is off to a 15-3 start and is tied for second in the Big 12 with a 7-1 record. The Sooners, who were tabbed to finish ninth in the league by the Big 12 coaches, have been solid across the board. They have shown their toughness in five-game matches, where they have a 5-1 record, including wins at nationally ranked Texas A&M and Kansas State.

Senior Mariana Blum leads a balanced Oklahoma attack in kills (3.51) and is second in digs (3.03), as the Sooners feature five players averaging at least 2.50 kills per game. Senior setter Julie Chester guides the OU attack, averaging 12.97 assists to rank third in the league in assists.

NU leads the all-time series, 66-6, and has won the last 19 meetings dating back to 1997. This is the second straight meeting - and only the fourth time ever - where both teams have been ranked at game time.

NU-Oklahoma When Both are Ranked

Date NU OU Location Result
10/15/88 7 16 Lincoln NU, 3-2
12/9/88 5 13 Champaign, Ill. OU, 3-2
11/4/06 1 17 Lincoln NU, 3-0

Last Time vs. Oklahoma
Jordan Larson had a match-high 16 kills, leading No. 1 Nebraska past No. 17 Oklahoma, 30-19, 30-26, 30-27 in front of a season-high crowd of 4,294 at the NU Coliseum and a national television audience on Nov. 4, 2006.

Larson narrowly missed her 17th double-double of the season, totaling 16 kills on .324 hitting, nine digs and two blocks. Larson was one of three Huskers to reach double figures in kills, as Sarah Pavan had 13 kills and a team-high six blocks, while Tracy Stalls had 10 kills on .444 hitting and three blocks.

The Huskers out-hit Oklahoma, .288-.178 and totaled 12 blocks in handing the Sooners only their second loss in the last 12 matches. Dani Busboom recorded a match-high 15 digs, the 19th straight match that she has been in double figures.

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 ranks third nationally in hitting percentage (.465), averaging 2.42 kills and 1.15 blocks per game. Stalls had a season-high six blocks in NU’s sweep at Colorado on Oct. 6 and had eight kills and four blocks in NU’s sweep of Iowa State on Oct. 10. She has had eight matches with at least eight kills, including double-figure efforts against UCLA on Aug. 25 and Texas Tech on Sept. 15. Stalls had 10 kills on .600 hitting and five stuffs vs. Texas Tech on Sept. 15. She totaled seven kills on .462 hitting and three blocks in a sweep of No. 7 Texas on Sept. 12. 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). 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 - Two-year starter who has enjoyed a breakout 2007 campaign. Cooper is third in the league in hitting percentage (.410), averaging 2.57 kills and 1.11 blocks per game. She has been dominant in Big 12 action, hitting a league-best .490 and averaging 2.94 kills and 1.28 blocks per game.Cooper has been in double figures five times this season, including 11 kills on .688 hitting and a season-high seven blocks against No. 17 Kansas State on Oct. 3, and a career-high 12 kills on .706 hitting and four blocks against Baylor on Sept. 29. Cooper had 11 kills and five blocks at Texas Tech on Sept. 15, and drilled nine kills on .692 hitting with three stuffs versus No. 7 Texas on Sept. 12. 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.

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 ranks seventh in the Big 12 with 3.88 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. Schwartz has been in double figures in digs in seven of her last eight matches. She totaled 13 digs and a service ace in NU’s sweep of Colorado on Oct. 6. She had a 16-dig effort against Texas A&M on Sept. 22, and 11 digs in two games against Baylor on Sept. 29. Schwartz totaled 10 digs and matched her career high with three service aces at Texas Tech on Sept. 15. Schwartz started 29 matches as NU’s defensive specialist in 2006, averaging 2.41 digs, 0.23 aces and 0.30 assists per game.

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. She averages 4.76 kills, 1.90 digs and 0.48 service aces per game, ranking second in the Big 12 in points per game (5.64) and third in kills per game and service aces. Pavan led NU with 18 kills on .361 hitting and nine digs in a sweep of Iowa State on Oct. 10. She totaled a match-high 16 kills on .364 hitting and five blocks in NU’s sweep of No. 17 Kansas State on Oct. 3. Pavan collected her second double-double of the year against Texas A&M on Sept. 22, totaling 12 kills and 10 digs. She led NU to a sweep of No. 7 Texas on Sept. 12, delivering a team-high 17 kills on .520 hitting. 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, who needs 68 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 history. She also 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. Pavan declined an opportunity to play with the Canadian team this summer to take an upper-level chemistry class so she can graduate in May. She made her Canadian National Team debut at age 16.

OH - #10 Jordan Larson: 6-2, Jr., Hooper, Neb. - Larson is a returning first-team AVCA All-American and one of the nation’s premier outside hitters. She averages 3.76 kills, 3.46 digs and 0.48 service aces per game, ranking third in the league in aces, seventh in points (4.60) and ninth in kills per game. Larson has a team-high eight double-doubles, including 13 kills, 14 digs, five blocks and three aces at Colorado on Oct. 6. She had 17 kills, 11 digs and three aces at KU on Sept. 26, and a 15-kill, 10-dig effort against Texas A&M on Sept. 22. She earned all-tourney honors at the AVCA Showcase and the Holiday Inn Downtown Classic. Larson 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 following shoulder surgery. She leads all Big 12 outside hitters in digs and ranks seventh overall with 3.88 per game, while also averaging 3.42 kills per game. Houghtelling is coming off two straight double doubles against Iowa State (12 kills on .391 hitting, 10 digs) and Colorado (19 kills on .410 hitting, 11 digs) and owns five double-doubles on the year. Her 19 kills at Colorado were a season best and one off her career high set as a sophomore. She had 12 kills on .526 hitting and a match-high 16 digs in a sweep of Baylor on Sept. 29. Houghtelling was the MVP of the Ameritas Players Challenge, hitting .535 and averaging 4.17 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 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. 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 returning AVCA All-Americans in the Husker lineup and held her job despite a strong challenge from senior Maggie Griffin. She is playing at an exceptionally high level, leading the Big 12 and ranking sixth nationally in assists (13.67) while adding 2.39 digs and 0.96 kills per game. She guides an offense that leads the country in kills, assists and hitting percentage. Nebraska has hit .300 or better 12 times in 15 matches and in 11 straight matches before the streak was snapped against Iowa State on Oct. 10. Holloway totaled 50 assists and three blocks in NU’s sweep of Colorado on Oct. 6, and had 43 assists and eight digs against No. 17 K-State on Oct. 3. She totaled 39 assists, three aces and six digs against Baylor on Sept. 29, as Nebraska hit .500 as a team. She 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 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 a 61-assist, 16-dig effort against No. 5 UCLA on Aug. 25. Holloway was a third-team All-American in 2006, averaging 13.43 assists, 2.49 digs and 1.11 kills per game, finishing 11th nationally in assists. Holloway became only the second freshman in NCAA history to be a starting setter for a title team.

Last Match: Huskers Sweep Cyclones
Behind a match-high 18 kills from AVCA Player of the Year Sarah Pavan, the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team held off a game Iowa State squad, 33-31, 30-19, 30-20 Wednesday night at the NU Coliseum.

Pavan ht .351 on 36 swings and added nine digs to lead three Huskers (15-0, 8-0 Big 12) with at least 10 kills in the sweep. Former AVCA National Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling totaled 12 kills on .391 hitting and 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the year, while All-American Jordan Larson totaled 11 kills and a team-high 13 digs for her team-high eighth double-double performance.

The victory was Nebraska’s 64th consecutive home win, breaking the school record of 63 established between 1999 and 2002, and the Huskers’ 25th straight triumph overall dating back to last November. The 64 straight home wins is now the third-longest streak in NCAA volleyball history.

The Huskers were given a stern test by the Cyclones (11-7, 5-2 Big 12). ISU held NU to .271 hitting, snapping a streak of 11 straight matches over .300, while out-digging NU, 54-51.