Huskers Host Ameritas Players Challenge

Ameritas Players Challenge

St. John’s (4-3) vs. New Mexico (7-0)
Friday, Sept. 12 ? Bob Devaney Sports Center ? 3:30 p.m.

No. 2 Nebraska (6-0) vs. LSU (4-1)
Friday, Sept. 12 ? Bob Devaney Sports Center ? 6 p.m.

Radio:  Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video: HuskersNside

No. 2 Nebraska vs. St. John’s/New Mexico
Saturday, Sept. 13 ? NU Coliseum ? 3 p.m.

Radio:  Selected Husker Sports Network (B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha) and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video: HuskersNside

The Nebraska volleyball team returns home for its final pre-conference test, as the Huskers host the Ameritas Players Challenge this weekend in Lincoln. The four-team tournament features 2007 NCAA Tournament teams LSU and St. John’s along with a New Mexico program that enters the weekend with a perfect 7-0 record.

Action begins at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday, Sept. 12, as New Mexico takes on St. John’s at 3:30 p.m., before the Huskers take the court against LSU at 6 p.m. (or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first match). One of the largest regular-season crowds in NCAA volleyball history is expected, as more than 12,750 advance tickets have been sold for Friday’s matches as of Tuesday afternoon. A limited number of $8 tickets are available for purchase on the Internet at Huskers.com or by calling the Nebraska Ticket Office at 800-8BIGRED. Tickets, if available, can also be purchased at the Devaney Center beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

Friday’s match is also Read to Succeed Night, as the Nebraska volleyball program is teaming up with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the annual Read to Succeed Book Drive.  Husker student-athletes will be collecting books at the Bob Devaney Sports Center prior to the Huskers’ match against LSU. All books that are collected will go to families of children from Title 1 Lincoln Public Schools to promote a life-long love of reading. All fans who bring books or a cash donation will be eligible to win an autographed volleyball by the 2008 Huskers.

The scene shifts back to the Nebraska Coliseum on Saturday afternoon with the Huskers playing against New Mexico or St. John’s at 3 p.m. The other contest featuring LSU will start at 12:30 p.m. The schedule for both days was revised following the announcement that Nebraska’s football game against New Mexico State will kickoff at 6 p.m. 

Fans can listen to all of the action with John Baylor, Lindsay Peterson and Dani Busboom on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on the Internet at Huskers.com. In addition, both of the Huskers’ matches will be video-streamed live on HuskersNside.

Worth Noting
?-Friday’s turnout for the opening round of the Ameritas Players Challenge has a chance to be one of the largest crowds in NCAA volleyball history. In fact, the seven largest regular-season crowds have all involved matches the Huskers have hosted.

?-With last weekend’s tournament title, Nebraska improved to 21-2 on the road competing in regular-season tournaments under John Cook. The Huskers have won the last five tournaments they have participated in dating back to the 2002 season.

?-Tara Mueller’s 33 kills at Cal Poly’s tournament not only earned the sophomore all-tournament honors, but also eclipsed her entire 2007 season total of 28. Mueller averaged 3.67 kills per set last weekend, leading the Huskers in kills against both No. 14 Cal Poly and Tulane.

?-Entering this week, NU’s three wins over ranked teams were the most by any school in the country. In fact, only three teams (Penn State and Stanford are the others) have multiple wins against ranked teams.

?-With last Friday’s win over No. 14 Cal Poly, the Huskers are 89-13 (.873) against ranked teams under John Cook, including 17 wins over top-five teams.

?-Nebraska’s sweep of Cal Poly on Friday marked the first time since 2004 that the Mustangs have been swept at home and the first home loss since the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

?-Two-time All-American Jordan Larson picked up her 39th career double-double against Cal Poly on Friday night after totaling 11 kills and 11 digs. The Huskers are 38-1 when Larson records a double-double.

?-The Huskers bring a 73-match home winning streak into this week’s matches. That is one shy of Northern Iowa’s total of 74 set between 1997 and 2004.

Scouting this Week’s Opponents
LSU: The Tigers come to Lincoln with a 4-1 record after sweeping Nicholls State and McNeese over the weekend. LSU, which won 25 matches and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, has every starter back along with the addition of Louisville transfer Samantha Dabbs. Outside hitter Kyna Washington, a first-team All-SEC pick, leads the Tigers with 3.74 kills per set, while Brittnee Cooper chips in 2.37 kills per set while hitting a team-best .356. Lauren DeGirolamo is LSU’s other returning all-conference pick and leads the Tigers with 1.05 blocks per set. 

Series History: NU leads the all-time series, 6-0, but the two teams have played only once since 1995, a 3-0 Husker sweep in New Orleans in 2003.

New Mexico: The Lobos, coached by former NU assistant Jeff Nelson, are enjoying one of the best seasons in school history. New Mexico, which was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West Conference, is a perfect 7-0 and has not dropped a set this year. New Mexico won the George Mason Patriot Invitational with a 4-0 record over the weekend. Outside hitter Jeanne Fairchild leads the Lobos with 4.65 kills per set, while Anne Lehne is at 2.50 kills per set on .402 hitting and 1.61 blocks per set. While this is Nelson’s first matchup with the Huskers at New Mexico, he served as head coach at Texas Tech from 1995 until 2002.

Series History: The two teams have split the four meetings in the series, all of which took place between 1991 and 1996. Nebraska has won the last two matchups, most recently, a sweep at the 1996 Domino’s Pizza Classic in Albuquerque.

St. John’s: The Red Storm enter the week with a 4-3 record prior to Tuesday’s match against Fordham. They are battle-tested with matches against Cal, Kentucky and Missouri among their first seven matches. Last season, SJU finished 33-4 and advanced to an NCAA Regional, where they pushed USC to five games. The Red Storm, which was picked to finish second in the Big East, are led by middle blocker Chen Chen, who averages 3.04 kills per set, while Valeria Kovaleva is at 3.00 kills per set. Senior Wiolet Leszczynska averages 10.26 assists and 1.07 kills per set and was third nationally in assists in 2007.

Series History: Saturday’s meeting would be the first ever on the volleyball court between the Huskers and Red Storm.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #17 Amanda Gates: 6-2, Sr., Columbus, Neb. - Gates brings extensive experience in her fourth season in the program and first as a full-time starter. She averages 1.22 kills and a team-best 1.33 blocks per game, ranking 10th in the Big 12 in that category. Gates led NU in blocks in all three matches last week, including five stuffs at No. 14 Cal Poly. She turned in her best match against No. 4 USC on Aug. 31 with seven kills on .357 hitting and six blocks. Gates averaged 1.29 kills and 0.81 blocks per set over 16 matches in 2007. She had her best match of the year against Texas A&M on Sept. 22, recording a career-high eight kills on .429 hitting and two blocks. As a sophomore, Gates appeared in 23 matches and had a career-high 10 blocks against San Diego in her first career start. Gates will also contend for academic honors, carrying a 3.96 GPA in communication studies.

MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Jr., Amarillo, Texas - Cooper begins her third season as one of the Huskers’ middle blockers. A preseason All-Big 12 selection, Cooper is averaging 1.94 kills on .364 hitting and 0.94 blocks per set, ranking sixth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage. She had a season-best nine kills and six stuffs against No. 4 USC and has hit .500 or better twice this season. Last year, Cooper averaged 2.31 kills and 1.01 blocks per set, ranking seventh in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.356). She reached double figures in kills in seven matches, highlighted by a career-high 14 kills in a five-set win against Missouri. She finished 2007 on a strong note, hitting over .400 in both of the Huskers’ NCAA Regional matches. Cooper was one of NU’s starting middle blockers as a freshman, averaging 1.67 kills and 0.95 blocks per set in 30 contests. Cooper is also a strong student, posting a 3.81 GPA in speech language pathology.

S - #1 Sydney Anderson: 6-0, So., Alta, Utah - Anderson is in her first season at Nebraska after spending the 2007 season with the U.S. National Team in Colorado Springs. Anderson, who was chosen as the Big 12’s Preseason Newcomer of the Year, is averaging 11.32 assists, 1.95 digs, and 0.58 aces per set. She leads the conference in both assists and service aces. Anderson has been named to the all-tournament team in both of NU’s tournaments to date, and averaged 11.67 assists at the Cal Poly Tournament last weekend, including 39 assists and 10 digs at No. 14 Cal Poly. She earned Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Week accolades after guiding the Huskers to a perfect 3-0 week. Anderson had a career-high five aces in the win over No. 4 USC. She was a member of the U.S. A-2 National Team at the USA Open in both 2007 and 2008. Anderson began her collegiate career at Utah, earning first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors in 2006. That year, she averaged 12.45 assists, 2.77 digs and 0.76 blocks per set en route to being named both the Mountain West Conference Setter and Freshman of the Year. Anderson totaled nine double-doubles on the year, including a 64-assist, 19-dig performance against Wyoming.

L - #2 Kayla Banwarth: 5-10, So., Dubuque, Iowa -  Kayla Banwarth is in her first full season as Nebraska’s libero, averaging 4.21 digs and 0.58 assists per set, ranking fourth in the Big 12 in digs. She has reached double figures in digs in all six matches and in 13 of her 14 career starts at NU. She earned a spot on the AVCA Showcase All-Tournament team after averaging 4.85 digs per set in wins over No. 2 Stanford and No. 4 USC, including 20 against the Women of Troy. Banwarth closed the 2007 season as Nebraska’s libero, earning the start in NU’s last nine matches and averaging 4.24 digs and 0.69 assists per set in that span. She averaged 2.75 digs, 0.45 assists and 0.17 service aces per set on the year, reaching double figures in digs in eight matches. Banwarth totaled a career-high 21 digs in a five-set win over Michigan State in the NCAA Regional semifinal. She was a three-time all-state selection at Wahlert Catholic High School in Iowa and was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection in 2007.

DS - #5 Rachel Schwartz: 5-9, Sr., Lincoln, Neb. -  Schwartz is NU’s defensive specialist, averaging 1.47 assists and 0.32 aces per set. She had five aces last weekend at Cal Poly, including three consecutive against Tulane on Sept. 6. Schwartz ranked 11th in the Big 12 in digs in 2007, averaging a career-high 3.66 digs and 0.16 service aces per set. She totaled double figures in digs in 17 matches, including a career-best 21 digs against  MU.

-or- OPP - #4 Lindsey Licht: 6-5, So., Aurora, Colo. - Licht moves into the right side hitter spot replacing four-year All-American Sarah Pavan. She has averaged 2.53 kills and 0.95 blocks per set this season and has hit .450 or better twice in six matches. She had a career-best 10 kills on .450 hitting against No. 2 Stanford and had a career-high eight blocks against No. 4 USC. As a freshman, Licht appeared in 13 matches, averaging 0.59 kills per set in 25 contests. Licht was a two-time  Mizuno/Volleyball Magazine All-American and was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection in 2007.

OH - #10 Jordan Larson: 6-2, Sr., Hooper, Neb. - Larson  is a two-time All-American and one of the nation’s best outside hitters. She was chosen as the preseason Big 12 Co-Player of the Year with Texas’ Juliann Faucette. This fall, Larson is averaging 3.42 kills, 2.95 digs and 0.53 service aces per set, ranking fourth in the league in aces and 10th in kills. She has been named to the all-tournament teams in both of NU’s tournaments to date. She had 11 kills and 11 digs in a win over No. 14 Cal Poly and earned AVCA Showcase All-Tournament honors after totaling 27 kills, six service aces and 19 digs in wins over Stanford and USC. Larson was named a third-team AVCA All-American in 2007 after averaging 3.45 kills, 3.18 digs, 0.51 aces and 0.63 blocks per set. She paced the Big 12 in aces per set and ranked ninth in points per set (4.39) while serving as one of the Huskers’ primary passers. Larson has 39 career double-doubles, helping the Huskers to a 38-1 mark in those matches. She turned in one of the best efforts of her career in the NCAA Madison Regional semifinal against No. 24 Michigan State with a  season-high 20 kills on .317 hitting and 17 digs in a five-set comeback. She averaged 4.13 kills and 3.50 digs per set in 2006 and was the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top 10 in both categories.

OH - #19 Tara Mueller: 6-0, So., Scottsdale, Ariz.  - Mueller moves into the outside hitter role after serving as a backup in 2007. She averages 3.32 kills and 1.42 digs per set and comes off her second 15-kill match of the year against Tulane on Sept. 6. She was selected to the Cal Poly All-Tournament team after averaging 3.67 kills, 1.67 digs and 0.78 blocks per set in three sweeps. She had 13 kills on .440 hitting and seven digs against No. 14 Cal Poly on Sept. 5. Mueller opened the year with a career-best 15 kills in a sweep of No. 2 Stanford on Aug. 29.  Mueller averaged 1.27 kills on .211 hitting, 0.95 digs and 0.36 blocks per set in 13 matches in 2007. She trained at both outside hitter and libero, recording eight digs in a start at libero against New Mexico State. A Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, Mueller was the 2005 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona and started for the U.S. Junior National Team in 2007.

Weekend Recap
Nebraska trekked to the West Coast in the regular season for the first time since 2001 and came back with a 3-0 record after winning the Paso Robles Marriott Invitational. The Huskers swept all three foes, holding Northeastern, Cal Poly and Tulane to a combined .086 hitting percentage.

   Tulane Recap: Tara Mueller tied a career high with 15 kills, leading the Huskers to a 3-0 sweep of Tulane (25-17. 25-15, 25-20). Mueller tied a career high for the second time this season and joined Sydney Anderson and Jordan Larson on the all-tournament team.  Anderson helped the Huskers out-hit the Green Wave, .280-.108, as she dished out 29 assists and added two blocks and a pair of service aces. Larson nearly posted her second straight double-double with a team-best 12 digs and seven kills.  NU used strong serving throughout the match, raking up seven aces, including three by senior Rachel Schwartz and two apiece from Anderson and Kayla Banwarth.

   Cal Poly Recap: Behind a match-high 13 kills and three blocks from Tara Mueller, No. 2 Nebraska swept No. 14 Cal Poly, 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-20).  Mueller hit .440 on 25 swings and chipped in seven digs to help NU become the first team to sweep Cal Poly at home since 2004.  Nebraska’s outside hitters were the story, as the trio combined for 32 of the Huskers’ 43 kills on the night. Jordan Larson joined Mueller in double figures with her first double-double of the year, as the All-American totaled 11 kills and 11 digs, while Lindsey Licht added eight kills and three blocks. Sydney Anderson also collected her first double-double as a Husker with 39 assists and 10 digs.

   Northeastern Recap: NU held Northeastern to .033 hitting, as the Huskers posted a 25-17, 25-20, 25-20 victory. Jordan Larson’s 12 kills led a balanced attack that featured four Huskers record at least six kills. Lindsey Licht had eight kills, while Kori Cooper totaled seven kills on .429 hitting. Brooke Delano turned in a strong performance off the bench with six kills and a block.

Sophomores Step Up in 2008
After replacing four All-Americans, Nebraska needed its sophomore class to step to the forefront this fall. The Huskers are starting four sophomores - setter Sydney Anderson, libero Kayla Banwarth, right side hitter Linsdey Licht and outside hitter Tara Mueller - and all four have helped the Huskers to a quick start. The group had combined for only 11 starts at Nebraska last season - including 10 starts at libero by Banwarth and Mueller. The group has combined for nearly half of Nebraska’s total of kills and aces, as well as most of the Huskers’ assist and dig totals.

Anderson Sets Her Sights on Big 12
Sydney Anderson has been an impact transfer in her first season as a Husker. The Salt Lake City, Utah, native leads the Big 12 in both assists (11.32) and service aces (0.58) while averaging nearly a kill per game. She is bidding to become the first Husker to lead the Big 12 in assists, and has lived up to the billing as the league’s top newcomer.

Anderson has claimed the league’s newcomer-of-the-week accolade twice this season, helping the Huskers to a 6-0 reocrd. Last week, Anderson averaged 11.67 assists, 2.11 digs and 0.78 kills per set on .462 hitting at the Paso Robles Marriott Invitational, highlighted by a 39-assist, 10-dig effort against No. 14 Cal Poly.

In her first week as a Husker, Anderson led NU to wins over No. 2 Stanford and No. 4 USC, averaging 11.00 assists, 0.90 kills, 0.70 service aces and 1.80 digs per set. Anderson enjoyed season bests in assists (41) and service aces (five) in a win over the Women of Troy.

Larson Aims for Ace Mark
Jordan Larson enters the week within striking distance of one of Nebraska’s oldest records. The two-time All-American heads into this weekend’s Ameritas Players Challenge with 157 career aces. She is two aces shy of matching Virginia Stahr (159, 1986-89) for second place on NU’s career list. Larson needs five service aces to move past Val Novak’s school mark of 161. Novak’s school mark of aces is the third-oldest record currently on NU’s school list.

Larson Joins 1,000-1,000 Club
Outside hitter Jordan Larson joined an exclusive club in Husker history in 2007, becoming just the third Nebraska player to ever record both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.  She joined two-time All-American Jennifer Saleaumua and Eileen Shannon in that illustrious list and was the first player to reach that milestone before her senior campaign. Larson has continued to climb on Huske rcareer charts, jumping from seventh to fourth on NU’s career digs list after totaling 31 digs last weekend. She also went over the 1,200-kill plateau against Tulane on Sept. 6 and is within striking distance of cracking the top-10 list in career kills.

KGB Spies on Opposing Hitters
For Kayla Grace Banwarth, shutting down the opposition has been her speciality. Since moving into the starting lineup at libero at the end of last season, the sophomore has been a force in the Husker lineup.

She has reached double figures in 14 of her 15 career starts, including 21 digs in last year’s NCAA Regional against No. 24 Michigan State and a season-high 20 digs in a win over No. 4 USC. She is currently fourth in the Big 12 in digs with 4.21 digs per set and is on pace to be only the third Husker to average more than four digs per set. Banwarth’s defensive efforts have been instrumental, as Nebraska limited four of its six opponents to under .150 hitting.

Huskers Relish Role as Underdogs
Nebraska’s two wins at the Runza/AVCA Showcase in August marked a first in the John Cook era. The Huskers had defeated only one higher ranked foe in Cook’s eight season at Nebraska and none since 2000. At the Runza/AVCA Showcase, the Huskers accomplished the feat twice, sweeping No. 2 Stanford before downing No. 4 USC two days later. Nebraska is now 3-3 against higher ranked foes under Cook.

What a Showcase
Nebraska has enjoyed tremendous success in the AVCA Showcase under John Cook. The Huskers are a perfect 8-0 in the event in its last four appearances (2001, 2005, 2007, 2008), collecting six wins over top-five teams in that stretch.

Huskers on Television
The Nebraska volleyball team will get plenty of television exposure during the 2008 season, as 12 matches have been selected for television broadcast.  Because of the television announcements, two starting match times have been changed from the originally published schedule. NU’s match at Missouri on Sunday, Oct. 12, will now start at Noon, while the Huskers’ contest at Texas on Wednesday, Nov. 19, has a first serve of 8 p.m.

 

No Place Like Home
From Lincoln to Omaha to North Platte, Nebraska has enjoyed overwhelming support across the state. The Huskers have won their last 79 matches inside the state’s borders, including matches in Omaha and North Platte, dating back to a loss to Florida A&M in 2004.

With the Sept. 1 win over Oral Roberts, the Huskers extended their home-court win streak to 73 matches - the third-longest streak in NCAA history. It is the longest home winning streak since Northern Iowa won 74 matches between 1997 and 2004.

NU is the only program to have a pair of home win streaks of at least 60 matches. In 2007, the Huskers were 18-0 at home and finished with an unblemished home mark for the 16th time in school history.

Huskers Tabbed for Second in Big 12 Poll
The NU volleyball program found itself in a position it has not been for 12 years ? the runner-up choice of the Big 12 coaches in the league’s preseason poll.

   The Huskers, who have won the last four Big 12 titles and 10 of 12 since the league’s inception in 1996, were tabbed for second in balloting by the league’s coaches. The Huskers received 88 total points, trailing only Texas in the preseason poll. The Longhorns received 100 points and 10 of the 11 first-place votes, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. Texas was also the coaches’ choice in 1996, the year the Huskers won their first Big 12 title. Nebraska had been the league’s choice in each of the last 11 polls.

   Individually, senior Jordan Larson and junior Kori Cooper were selected to the preseason All-Big 12 team, with Larson sharing league preseason player-of-the-year honors with Texas’ Juliann Faucette.

   Kori Cooper received preseason all-conference recognition for the first time after averaging 2.31 kills and 1.01 blocks per set in 2007. She was seventh in the conference with a .356 hitting percentage. Sydney Anderson rounded out Nebraska’s preseason honors, as she was tabbed the league’s preseason newcomer of the year.

Nebraska Coliseum: Sold Out for 2008
One school record has already been established this fall, as it took just 10 minutes to sell out the entire 2008 ticket allotment at the Nebraska Coliseum on Aug. 5.

It was the quickest that the single-match Coliseum allotment had ever sold out. Last year, it took 45 minutes to sell out the entire 2007 allotment, as the Huskers were bidding for a repeat NCAA title. The announcement guarantees that Nebraska’s NU Coliseum streak will continue this fall, hitting 118 matches in 2008.

The Huskers will carry a streak of 107 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum into Saturday’s match at the Ameritas Players Challenge. The Huskers are 101-6 at home during the sellout streak. Nebraska’s streak marks only the second time in NCAA history that a women’s sport has enjoyed a sellout streak of at least 100 matches, joining UConn women’s basketball, which had a streak of 113 straight regular-season sellouts between 1999 and 2005.

Nation’s Best Under Cook
 John Cook has been amazingly successful during his Husker tenure, posting a 253-16 record (.941 winning pct.) to lead all programs in that span. All 16 losses have come against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including the eventual NCAA champion in 2001 (Stanford), 2002 (USC) and 2005 (Washington).

A two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Cook has enjoyed greater success in the Big 12, going 154-6 in conference matches over the past eight seasons. NU has won seven Big 12 titles in that stretch, including each of the past four years.

Thater Honored with Retired Jersey
Former Husker great Stephanie Thater received the highest honor that a Husker volleyball player can receive on Aug. 23, as her jersey was retired prior to the annual Red/White Scrimmage.  Thater was the sixth Husker to be recognized on the Huskers’ Wall of Honor, joining former greats Cathy Noth, Karen Dahlgren, Lori Endicott, Allison Weston and Janet Kruse since the wall was initially unveiled in 2003.

A three-time All-American, Thater led her team to the NCAA National Semifinals as a sophomore and compiled an 81-14 record during her three years as a starter. She was a two-time Big Eight Player of the Year and was also selected to the Nebraska Volleyball 25th anniversary team in 1999.

Nebraska: All-America U          
NU continued its string of All-America success in 2007 with a school-record five Huskers earning AVCA All-America accolades. Rachel Holloway, Christina Houghtelling, Jordan Larson, Sarah Pavan and Tracy Stalls were all selected, increasing Nebraska’s NCAA-leading totals to 29 players and 62 certificates, respectively. Nebraska has had at least one All-American every season since 1983, a total of 26 straight seasons, including 27 in Cook’s eight seasons.