No. 1 Huskers Head to Fifth-Ranked Texas for Big 12 Showdown

No. 1 Nebraska (19-0, 11-0 Big 12) at No. 5 Texas (14-3, 10-1 Big 12)

Wed., Oct. 24 ? Austin, Texas (Gregory Gym) ? 6:30 p.m.

Television:  FSN Midwest and FSN Southwest

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

Video: None

Live Stats: Huskers.com

First place in the Big 12 Conference is on the line Wednesday night, as the No. 1 ranked Nebraska volleyball team ventures to Austin, Texas, for a showdown with No. 5 Texas. First serve from Gregory Gymnasium is set for 6:30 p.m. and the match will be carried regionally on FSN, including live telecasts throughout the Big 12 region (FSN Midwest, FSN Southwest and FSN Rocky Mountain).

Fans across the country should check with their local FSN affiliate to see when the match is airing in their region. Fans can also listen to the match across the state of Nebraska on the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KHUS 93.3 FM in Omaha.

The Huskers’ trip to Austin wraps up a stretch of four matches in seven days in four different arenas for Nebraska (19-0, 11-0 Big 12). The Huskers come off back-to-back sweeps of Kansas and Hawai’i over the weekend, sweeping the Rainbow Wahine in front of a record crowd of 13,396 at a sold-out Bob Devaney Sports Center. NU out-hit Hawaii, .322-.140, and relied on another strong performance from Tracy Stalls (13 kills on .522 hitting and two blocks).

While the Huskers have swept their last 17 opponents, Texas (14-3, 10-1 Big 12) has been on a roll since falling to the Huskers in the Big 12 opener in Lincoln on Sept. 12. The Longhorns have won their last 10 matches, including sweeps at Oklahoma and Missouri last week to climb up to fifth in Monday’s AVCA poll.

At 11-0, the Huskers are a match up on Texas in the Big 12 race and both teams have sizable leads on third-place Kansas State (8-3). Nebraska and Texas rank 1-2 in the Big 12 in most offensive categories, including hitting percentage, assists per game and kills per game. The squads rank first (NU, .343) and second (Texas, .327) in hitting percentage nationally entering Wednesday’s contest.

NU Volleyball Quick Hits
?-Nebraska has been ranked No. 1 in each of the last 26 polls, the longest stretch in AVCA poll history.
?-Nebraska (13,396 vs. Hawaii) and Wisconsin (10,326 vs. Penn State) both drew crowds in excess of 10,000 on Sunday. It marked the first time in NCAA volleyball history that two sites had crowds of 10,000+ on the same day.
?-Nebraska and Texas have gone five games in Austin in each of the last three seasons.
?-Nebraska has won its last 22 matches on television dating back to the start of the 2006 season.
?-Jordan Larson enters the week needing nine kills to become the 19th Husker to reach the 1,000-kill plateau for her career.

Scouting Texas
Head Coach Jerritt Elliott (143-57 in seven years at UT) has Texas playing its best volleyball of the year entering Wednesday’s match with the Huskers. The Longhorns are 14-3 on the year and riding a 10-match winning streak following a sweep of Missouri on Saturday.

Texas is at full strength for this matchup after playing without Destinee Hooker and Ashley Engle available for the first meeting between the two teams in September. Hooker ranks third in the Big 12 in kills (4.65/gm) and joins freshman Juliann Faucette (4.87 k/gm) to give the Longhorns one of the top 1-2 combos in the Big 12. Senior Brandy Magee paces UT and is second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.432), while Michelle Moriarity ranks second in the conference in assists per game (13.70).

NU is 27-12 all-time against Texas in a series that dates back to 1981, and the Huskers have won 15 of the last 16 meetings, including the first matchup in September. The Huskers have won 20 of 23 matchups since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, while the most memorable matchup between the two schools came in the 1995 NCAA championship match. That day, the Huskers toppled Texas, 3-1, in Amherst, Mass., en route to their first national title.

Last Time vs. Texas
Behind 16 kills from AVCA National Player of the Year Sarah Pavan, 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 on Sept. 12. 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 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.

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.

Worth Noting
?-Wednesday’s match between NU and Texas will be the seventh time since 1996 that both teams have been ranked in the top 10-nationally at game time. NU is 6-0 in the previous matchups.
?-Sophomore All-American Rachel Holloway brings a different perspective on the NU-UT rivalry. Her older sister played at Texas in 2004, while her older brother (Tillman) and late grandfather (Bud McFadin) were both All-America football players at Texas.
?-Nebraska leads the nation in hitting percentage (.344), assists (17.11) and kills (18.49) per game. The Huskers are on pace to shatter single-season marks in all three categories and are looking to become only the second team - and first since Hawaii in 2002 - to lead in all three areas. ?-The Huskers have won their last 20 matches against ranked opponents and are 83-11 (.883) against ranked teams since the start of the 2000 season.
?-Nebraska is 72-3 (.960) on the road in Big 12 action in eight seasons under Coach John Cook.
?-Nebraska brings a nation-leading 29-match win streak into Wednesday’s match in Austin. 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 53 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.
?-The Huskers have extended their homecourt win streak to 66 matches dating back to 2004, which ranks third on the NCAA all-time list.
?-The Huskers are 74-2 (.974) in their last 76 Big 12 Conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.
?-The Huskers have played their last 92 matches as the nation’s top-ranked team in the AVCA poll, dating back to the end of the 2004 campaign. NU is 88-4 in that stretch.
?-With the No. 1 ranking in Monday’s CSTV/AVCA poll, the Huskers have now spent 81 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 41 of the last 42 polls dating back to the start of 2005.
?-Nebraska has a 115-5 (.958) record since the start of the 2004 season.
?-Nebraska is the nation’s last undefeated program following Dayton’s loss to Xavier on Friday night.

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 nation in hitting percentage (.495), averaging 2.71 kills and 1.12 blocks per game. Stalls had 13 kills on 23 swings and a pair of blocks against No. 11 Hawaii on Oct. 21. She  enjoyed one of her best matches at Missouri on Oct. 17, totaling 15 kills on .737 hitting and six blocks.  She has had 12 matches with at least eight kills, including four double-figure efforts.  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 fourth in the league in hitting percentage (.377), averaging 2.60 kills and 1.15 blocks per game. She has been dominant in Big 12 action, ranking third in the league in hitting percentage (.426), averaging 2.87 kills and 1.27 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 fifth in the Big 12 with 3.96 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 11 of her last 12 matches, including 15 digs against No. 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. 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 is one pace to become just the fourth player in NCAA history to be a four-time first-team All-American.  This season, Pavan averages 4.84 kills, 1.76 digs and 0.47 service aces per game, ranking first in the Big 12 in aces per game and points per game (5.74) and second in kills per game.  She has been on a tear recently, averaging 5.08 kills per game on .384 hitting in her last eight matches. Pavan became NU’s all-time kills leader against Kansas on Oct. 20, as she totaled 17 kills on .406 hitting against the Jayhawks. Pavan now has 1,790 kills, eclipsing the previous mark 1,778 by Allison Weston.  Pavan 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. 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 3.60 kills, 3.65 digs and 0.47 service aces per game, ranking first in the league in aces and ninth in points (4.48) and kills per game. She earned this week’s Big 12 Defensive Player-of-the-Week award on Oct. 22, after leading NU with 18 digs against Missouri and 15 digs versus No. 11 Hawaii. 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 (3.79), while averaging 3.44 kills per game on .341 hitting. 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 3.83 kills per game on .388 hitting and 3.88 digs per game. Houghtelling totaled 14 kills and a match-high 19 digs at No. 25 Oklahoma on Oct. 13 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 guides one of the most prolific offensive attacks in college volleyball, piloting an offense that leads the country in kills and hitting percentage. The second-team All-American in 2006 paces all Big 12 setters with 14.03 assists per game, a total that ranks fifth nationally, while also averaging 2.29 digs and 0.90 kills per game. Nebraska has hit .300 or better 16 times in 19 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 Break NCAA Mark vs. Hawaii
The venue was different but the result was the same as top-ranked Nebraska swept past No. 11 Hawaii, 30-22, 30-16, 30-24, in front of an NCAA regular-season record crowd of 13,396 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Oct. 21.

Nebraska (19-0) remained the lone unbeaten team in the country while extending its home court winning streak to 66 matches with its 17th consecutive sweep. Hawaii fell to 16-4 with the loss and saw its 13-match winning streak snapped at the hands of the Huskers.

The crowd of 13,396 broke the NCAA regular-season attendance mark of 13,081 set earlier in the year between NU and Penn State at Qwest Center Omaha.

Middle blocker Tracy Stalls led NU with 13 kills on a match-high .522 hitting. It marked the first time Stalls had led NU in kills since September of 2006.  Fellow middle blocker Kori Cooper added nine kills, while senior Sarah Pavan put down 11 kills. Hawaii’s Jamie Houston recorded a match-high 16 kills, but also committed a match-high eight errors.

NU hit .322 for the match, while Hawaii managed a hitting percentage of just .140. NU also totaled six aces and held the Rainbow Wahine without an ace.