Huskers Sell Out for Jayhawks, Wahine

Kansas (10-10, 3-7 Big 12) at No. 1 Nebraska (17-0, 10-0)Sat., Oct. 20 ? NU Coliseum ? 6 p.m.
Tickets: Sold out (100th Consecutive Sellout)
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and on Huskers.com
Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)
Live Stats: Huskers.com

No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 11 Hawai’i (16-3)

Read to Succeed Book Drive

Sun., Oct. 21 ? Bob Devaney Sports Center ? 5 p.m.

Tickets: General Public Sold Out; UNL Students are Free with valid student ID

Television:  NET (Ch. 12) and NET-HD (Ch. 112)

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 returns home for one of its busiest weekends of the season, as the Huskers play host to Kansas and Hawai’i. The weekend begins on Saturday night, as the Huskers host Kansas in the 100th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum. First serve is set for 6 p.m. and the match can be heard on B107.3 FM and on Huskers.com.

One day later, the Huskers will step out of Big 12 action to welcome the No. 11 Rainbow Wahine to Lincoln in one of the most anticipated matchups of the year. Fans will be a part of an NCAA record crowd that night, as more than 13,000 tickets have been sold for this showdown between two of college volleyball’s most storied programs. First serve is set for 5 p.m. and fans can listen to the match across the state on the Husker Sports Network and watch live on NET (Ch. 12) and NET-HD (Ch. 112).

The Huskers (17-0, 10-0 Big 12) wrapped up the first half of Big 12 play with one of their best offensive performances of the year, hitting .458 as a team in a 3-0 sweep at Missouri. Rachel Holloway guided NU with 55 assists - the most by a Husker in a three-game match since 1998 - and also added four kills and five digs. Tracy Stalls was the beneficiary of Holloway’s work, slamming home 15 kills on 19 swings and adding a season-high six blocks.

Kansas (10-10, 3-7 Big 12) looks to rebound after falling to Baylor in five games Wednesday night. Emily Brown recorded a triple-double with a team-high 14 kills, 27 assists and 14 digs, but was out-hit .234-.171 en route to dropping its fifth match in the last six contests. Hawai’i (16-3) has rediscovered its winning ways, running of 13 straight wins following a 3-3 start. The Rainbow Wahine wrapped up the first part of their road trip on Monday, sweeping Utah State to remain undefeated in the WAC.

NU Volleyball Quick Hits
?-Saturday will be the Huskers’ 100th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum, marking only the second time a women’s collegiate team has reached the 100-consecutive sellout mark.  NU volleyball will join UConn women’s basketball, which enjoyed a 113-game regular-season sellout streak from 1997 to 2005.

?-Sunday is the Huskers’ Read to Succeed Book Drive and fans are encouraged to bring new or in good condition picture and chapter books. The books will be given to Title 1 Lincoln Public Elementary Schools to encourage families to practice reading and develop a love for reading. All fans who bring books to the NU-Hawaii match will be entered in a drawing for an autographed Husker volleyball.

Scouting Kansas
Head Coach Ray Bechard (158-137 in 10 seasons at KU) looks to help the Jayhawks rebound from a two-match losing streak. KU comes off a five-game loss to Baylor on Wednesday after taking a 2-1 lead.  Kansas runs its own version of the 6-2 offense, taking advantage of the talents of senior Emily Brown in that system. Brown leads KU in assists (6.59) and also averages 2.22 kills, 2.16 digs and 0.74 blocks per contest. She posted a triple-double in Wednesday’s loss to Baylor. The Jayhawks have four players averaging at least two kills per game, while freshman Jenna Kaiser averages a team-best 2.64 kills per game.
KU also has a pair of players with Nebraska ties in middle blockers Savannah Noyes (Indianola) and Paige Mazour (Franklin). Noyes is fourth on the team with 2.03  kills per game and also ranks among team leaders with 0.63 blocks per game. Mazour has had four kills and three blocks in limited duty this season.

Nebraska has won 79 of the 80 meetings between the two squads, including a sweep in the first meeting on Sept. 26. The Huskers’ 79 wins against Kansas are the most among any opponent.

Last Time vs. Kansas
Jordan Larson’s double-double propelled top-ranked Nebraska to a 30-18, 30-24, 30-18 sweep at Kansas on Sept. 26.  Larson totaled her sixth double-double of the season with a season-high 17 kills on .389 hitting, 11 digs and a trio of aces, as the Huskers improved to 11-0 overall and 4-0 in Big 12 action. The Huskers relied on strong efforts from their outside hitters against Kansas, as Larson and Christina Houghtelling combined for 26 kills on .389 hitting.  Houghtelling totaled nine kills, hit .389 and added eight digs in the win. Sarah Pavan joined Larson in double figures with 12 kills and three blocks.

Nebraska earned the win on the defensive end, out-blocking Kansas, 8-3, and holding Kansas to .073 hitting ? the lowest by a Husker opponent this season.

Scouting Hawai’i
Legendary Coach Dave Shoji (942-166-1 in 33 years) brings his Rainbow Wahine into town riding a 13-match win streak. Hawai’i, which started the year 1-2, has won 15 of its last 16 matches, with the only setback coming at the hands of UCLA on Sept. 3.  Hawaii’s offense features one of the nation’s top players in All-American outside hitter Jamie Houston, who is sixth in the country, averaging 5.28 kills per game. Aneli Cubi-Otineru joins Houston in giving Hawai’i two offensive threats, as she averagesd 3.64 kills and 2.57 digs per game.

NU leads Hawai’i, 6-4, in a series that dates back to 1981. Of the last five meetings between the two teams, three have taken place at the AVCA Showcase (1996-01-05) while the other two have been in NCAA Tournament play, including the 2000 national semifinals and the 2002 Lincoln Regional finals.

Worth Noting
?-Nebraska leads the nation in hitting percentage (.347), assists (17.17) and kills (18.58) 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.
?-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.
?-Sunday’s match will feature two of the winningest coaches in college volleyball in Dave Shoji (.850, second) of Hawai’i and Nebraska’s John Cook (.821, fifth).
?-Nebraska has won its last 40 Big 12 matches at the NU Coliseum dating back to the 2003 season.
?-Nebraska brings a nation-leading 27-match win streak into this weekend’s action. NU has dropped just six games in that span and has been pushed to five games only once - the 2006 NCAA regional final against Minnesota.
?-Nebraska has won its last 47 games dating back to the match with UCLA on Aug. 25, a total that ranks second in school history and among the longest streaks in NCAA history.
?-NU broke its school record for consecutive home wins against Iowa State on Oct. 13. The Huskers have 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 73-2 (.973) in their last 75 Big 12 Conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.
?-The Huskers have played their last 90 matches as the nation’s top-ranked team in the AVCA poll, dating back to the end of the 2004 campaign. NU is 86-4 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 113-5 (.958) record since the start of the 2004 season.
?-Nebraska and Dayton are the last two undefeated teams in college volleyball.

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 (.494), averaging 2.62 kills and 1.17 blocks per game. Stalls comes off one of her best efforts of the year, totaling 15 kills on .737 hitting and six blocks at Missouri on Oct. 17. She has had 10 matches with at least eight kills, including double-figure efforts against UCLA on Aug. 25 and Texas Tech on Sept. 15, and at Missouri on Oct. 13.  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 (.385), averaging 2.56 kills and 1.12 blocks per game. She has been dominant in Big 12 action, ranking third in the league in hitting percentage (.426), averaging 2.83 kills and 1.25 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 seventh in the Big 12 with 3.94 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 nine of her last 10 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 4.87 kills, 1.81 digs and 0.46 service aces per game, ranking first in the Big 12 in kills per game and aces while ranking second in points per game (5.74). Pavan has been on a tear recently, averaging 5.22 kills per game on .396 hitting in her last six contests. She totaled a match-high 18 kills on .516 hitting and four blocks at Missouri on Oct. 13.  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 3.69 kills, 3.56 digs and 0.46 service aces per game, ranking first in the league in aces, eighth in points (4.56) 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 (3.92) and hitting percentage (.348), while averaging 3.51 kills per game. She has six double-doubles, including a stretch of three straight that was snapped at Missouri on Oct. 17. Over her last six contests, Houghtelling has averaged 4.17 kills per game on .421 hitting and 4.22 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 fifth nationally in assists (14.10) while adding 2.37 digs and 0.92 kills per game. She guides an offense that leads the country in kills, assists and hitting percentage. Nebraska has hit .300 or better 14 times in 17 matches, including .400 or better on four occasions. Holloway totaled 55 assists - the most in a three-game match by a Husker since 1998 - in guiding NU to a .458 hitting percentage at Missouri on Oct. 17. 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 Can Tigers, 3-0
 It was too much Tracy Stalls, as top-ranked Nebraska continued its winning ways with a 31-29, 30-18, 30-14 victory over Missouri in front of a crowd off 6,059 at the Hearnes Center.

Stalls, who is second nationally in hitting percentage, hammered home 15 kills on just 19 swings for the Huskers (17-0, 10-0 Big 12). The senior middle blocker set season bests in both hitting percentage (.737) and blocks (six) to power a potent Husker attack.

Sarah Pavan led Nebraska with 18 kills on .516 hitting and four stuffs, while outside hitter Christina Houghtelling was the third Husker to finish in double figures in kills with 11 while adding three service aces.

Rachel Holloway guided the Huskers to .458 hitting percentage, totaling 55 assists ? her best three-game total of her career ? and adding five digs and four kills on seven swings of her own. She helped NU hit over .400 in all three games, including at a .513 clip in the finale, as NU posted its 15th consecutive sweep.