No. 1 Huskers Tangle with Tigers

No. 1 Nebraska (16-0, 9-0 Big 12) at Missouri (12-6, 5-4 Big 12)

Wed., Oct 17 ? Columbia, Mo. ? 6:30 p.m.
Television:  None

Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KHUS 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com

Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)

Live Stats: Huskers.com

The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team wraps up the first half of its Big 12 schedule Wednesday night as they take on the Missouri Tigers. First serve from the Hearnes Center in Columbia is set for 6:30 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 Columbia on HuskersNside.com. 

Nebraska begins a busy week where it will play three matches in a five-day span, beginning with a Missouri team which has won its last five matches to move into the upper half of the Big 12 standings. Wednesday marks the halfway point of the Big 12 slate, as NU is 9-0 in the league, one game ahead of Texas and two matches up on Oklahoma. The Longhorns and Sooners meet Wednesday in Norman.

The Huskers (16-0, 9-0 Big 12) come off a strong effort against No. 25 Oklahoma on Saturday, sweeping the Sooners for their 14th straight sweep. Christina Houghtelling totaled 14 kills on .609 hitting and a match-high 19 digs for her third consecutive double-double, while Sarah Pavan pounded home a match-high 16 kills as the Huskers hit .316 as a team. Nebraska leads the country in hitting percentage (.339), kills per game (18.63) and assists per game (17.22).

Missouri (12-6, 5-4 Big 12) has regrouped after a rocky start and is on a five-match win streak following a sweep of Baylor on Saturday. The Tigers, who have swept their last three foes, overcame a season-ending injury to Julianna Kline prior to the start of Big 12 play and have regrouped with their 6-2 offense. Outside hitter Na Yang leads the Tigers with 4.44 kills per game.

NU Volleyball Quick Hits
?-Nebraska has now been ranked No. 1 in the last 25 polls, breaking the AVCA poll record of 24 weeks set by USC from 2002 to 2004.
?-Christina Houghtelling has averaged 4.27 kills on .429 hitting and 4.60 digs per game over NU’s last five matches. She has recorded three straight double-doubles.
?-Rachel Schwartz has averaged 4.28 digs per game over her last nine matches.
?-Nebraska’s sellout against Kansas on Saturday will be the 100th straight at the NU Coliseum.
?-NU is gunning for its 15th straight sweep on Wednesday, which would be its longest streak since 1995, when NU ran off 22 straight sweeps.

Scouting Missouri
Under Coach Wayne Kreklow (55-24 in three seasons), Missouri comes into Wednesday’s match with a 12-6 record and a 5-4 mark in the Big 12. The Tigers started slowly in conference play with four straight losses before beginning their current win streak with a five-game win over Oklahoma.

The Tigers feature one of the league’s top outside hitters in senior Na Yang, who is fourth in the Big 12 with 4.44 kills per game. She is one of three Tigers averaging at least 2.74 kills per game, joining Megan Wilson (2.74 k/gm) and Weiwen Wang (2.74 k/gm). Senior libero Tatum Ailes leads the Big 12 with 4.90 digs per game.  The Tigers have a distinctive Nebraska look, as four players, Ailes, Megan Wilson, Catie Wilson and Amanda Hnatouli, all hail from Nebraska. Of the 14 players on the Missouri roster, seven are from either Nebraska or China.

The Huskers lead the all-time series, 63-3-1, in a series that dates back to Oct. 31, 1975. The Huskers have won the last seven matches in the series, including sweeps in both meetings during the 2006 season.

Last Time vs. Missouri
Sarah Pavan’s match-high 18 kills on .424 hitting led an explosive attack, as No. 1 Nebraska swept No. 16 Missouri, 30-27, 30-23, 30-16 at the NU Coliseum on Oct. 25, 2006  The Huskers put together one of their best offensive performances of the year, hitting .425 as a team, while Pavan, Kori Cooper, Dani Mancuso and Jordan Larson all hit over .400. It was NU’s best offensive performance since hitting .487 against St. Mary’s earlier in the 2006 season and the best against a ranked opponent since the 2005 NCAA semifinals.

While Pavan had a match-high 18 kills, she was one of four Huskers to record at least eight kills. Larson totaled 15 kills on .458 hitting, while Mancuso hit a season-high .438 with eight kills. Tracy Stalls also chipped in eight kills. Cooper rounded out the Huskers’ attack, posting six kills on just 10 swings while tying Pavan and Stalls with a team-high three blocks.

Worth Noting
?-Nebraska leads the nation in hitting percentage (.339), assists (17.02) and kills (18.37) per game. The Huskers are on pace to shatter single-season marks in all three categories and are looking to be only the second team - and first since Hawaii in 2002 - to lead in all three areas.
?-Nebraska is 71-3 (.959) on the road in Big 12 action in eight seasons under Coach John Cook.
?-The Huskers have won their last 19 matches against ranked opponents and are 82-11 (.882) against ranked teams since the start of the 2000 season.
?-Nebraska brings a nation-leading 26-match win streak into Wednesday’s match with Missouri. 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 44 games dating back to the match with UCLA on Aug. 25, a total that is tied for second in school history.
?-NU broke its school record for consecutive home wins against Iowa State on Oct. 13. 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 72-2 (.973) in their last 74 Big 12 Conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.
?-The Huskers have played their last 89 matches as the nation’s top-ranked team in the AVCA poll, dating back to the end of the 2004 campaign. NU is 85-4 in that stretch.
?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s CSTV/AVCA poll, the Huskers have now spent 80 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 40 of the last 41 polls dating back to the start of 2005.
?-Nebraska has a 112-5 (.957) record since the start of the 2004 season.
?-After a wild weekend, Nebraska and Dayton are the last two undefeated teams in college volleyball.
?-While no current Husker is from Missouri, one player who has ties to the area is freshman Tara Mueller. The freshman outside hitter has much of her extended family in the state and many of them will attend Wednesday’s match. Mueller had one of her best matches of the year in her last outing, when she had four kills and an ace against Iowa State on Oct. 10.

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 second nationally in hitting percentage (.472), averaging 2.47 kills and 1.12 blocks per game. Stalls totaled nine kills on .571 hitting in NU’s sweep of No. 25 Oklahoma on Oct. 13 and recorded a season-high six blocks in NU’s sweep at Colorado on Oct. 6. She has had nine 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 (.389), averaging 2.58 kills and 1.12 blocks per game. She has been dominant in Big 12 action, ranking second in the league in hitting percentage (.441), averaging 2.90 kills and 1.29 blocks per game. Cooper has been in double figures five times, 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 eighth in the Big 12 with 3.95 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 eight of her last nine matches, including 15 digs against Mo. 25 Oklahoma on Oct. 13. 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 4.80 kills, 1.82 digs and 0.47 service aces per game, ranking first in the Big 12 in kills per game and second in points per game (5.66) and service aces. Pavan has been on a tear recently, averaging 5.07 kills per game on .372 hitting in her last five contests. She totaled a match-high 16 kills on .351 hitting and two blocks against No. 25 Oklahoma on Oct. 13. 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 34 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 3.73 kills, 3.41 digs and 0.47 service aces per game, ranking second in the league in aces, eighth in points (4.62) 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 (4.02) and hitting percentage (.346), while averaging 3.50 kills per game. She has six double-doubles, including one in each of the last three contests. Over her last five contests, Houghtelling has averaged 4.27 kills per game on .429 hitting and 4.60 digs per game.

Houghtelling totaled 14 kills and a match-high 19 digs at No. 25 Oklahoma on Saturday and had a season-best 19 kills on .410 hitting and 11 digs in a sweep at Colorado on Oct. 6.  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 (13.84) while adding 2.41 digs and 0.90 kills per game. She guides an offense that leads the country in kills, assists and hitting percentage. Nebraska has hit .300 or better 13 times in 15 matches, including .400 or better on three occasions.  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 Storm No. 25 Sooners
Behind an sterling performance from outside hitter Christina Houghtelling, Nebraska remained undefeated with a 30-25, 30-21, 30-25 sweep of No. 25 Oklahoma.

Houghtelling recorded her third straight double-double with 14 kills on a season-best .609 hitting and 19 digs. The .609 hitting was Houghtellling’s highest hitting percentage since hitting .615 against Florida in the 2005 NCAA Omaha Regional.

Nebraska Coach John Cook said that setter Rachel Holloway continually put Houghtelling in opportune positions to put shots away against OU. Holloway dished nearly recorded a double-double of her own with 49 assists and eight digs, while helping NU hit .350 or better in the final two games.

Sarah Pavan led NU (16-0, 9-0 Big 12) with 16 kills, while Jordan Larson totaled 10 kills and eight digs as the Huskers remained one of only two undefeated teams in the country and became the first team to win in Norman since September of 2006. The Huskers also collected their 14th consecutive sweep, while snapping a 15-match home win streak for Oklahoma.