Huskers Head West for Cal Poly Tournament

Nebraska (3-0) at Paso Robles Marriott Invitational

No. 2 Nebraska vs. Northeastern (2-1)
Friday, Sept. 5 ?  2 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: Bigwest.org/tv/ (Free Video)

No. 2 Nebraska at No. 14 Cal Poly (2-1)
Friday, Sept. 5 ?  9:30 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: Bigwest.org/tv/ (Free Video)

No. 2 Nebraska vs. Tulane (1-2)
Saturday, Sept. 6 ? 8:30 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: None

Following a 3-0 week, the Husker volleyball team makes a trip west to compete in the Paso Robles Marriott Invitational in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Huskers, who climbed from seventh to second in the CBS College Sports/AVCA Poll released Monday afternoon, will face Northeastern (Friday at 2 p.m.), No. 14 Cal Poly (Friday at 9:30 p.m.) and Tulane (Saturday at 8:30 p.m.) at Cal Poly’s Mott Gym.

Fans can listen to all of the action with John Baylor and Lindsay Peterson 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. None of this week’s matches will be carried on HuskersNside, but fans can watch the Huskers’ match with Cal Poly for free on Bigwest.org/TV (advanced sign up is required).

This weekend’s matches marks the Huskers’ first regular-season non-conference trip outside the state since the 2005 season, when the Huskers competed at Ohio State and Michigan. It also mark the Huskers’ first trip to California since the 2001 Long Beach State Invitational.
While the Huskers are familiar with Cal Poly, Friday’s match with Northeastern will be the first contest against the Huskies in school history. Nebraska has not faced Tulane since a 3-0 sweep of the Green Wave in 2003.

The Huskers, who are replacing four All-Americans from 2006, capped a strong opening weekend with a sweep of Oral Roberts on Monday. In that match, the Huskers hit a season-best .390 and had three players record at least eight kills against the Golden Eagles. That came on the heels of victories over then-No. 2 Stanford and then-No. 4 USC at the Runza/AVCA Showcase in Omaha.

Worth Noting
?-Nebraska is 18-2 on the road competing in regular-season tournaments under John Cook. The Huskers have won the last four tournaments they have participated in dating back to the 2002 season.

?-Last week’s two wins at the Runza/AVCA Showcase marked a first in the John Cook era at Nebraska. The Huskers had not defeated a higher ranked team since a five-set win over No. 3 UCLA in 2000 prior to the victories over No. 2 Stanford (Friday) and No. 4 USC (Sunday) and had only beaten two teams ranked higher that NU dating back to 2004.

?-Nebraska is now 8-0 in the Runza/AVCA Showcase under John Cook and 10-4 in its seven all-time AVCA Showcase events.

?-With the two wins this weekend, the Huskers have 17 wins over top-five teams and are 88-13 (.871) against ranked opponents under John Cook.

?-Nebraska is 8-0 in the Runza/AVCA Showcase under John Cook and 10-4 in its seven all-time AVCA Showcase events.

?-Lindsey Licht’s career-high eight blocks against USC on Sunday were the most by a Husker since Tracy Stalls had nine stuffs in a five-game match against Kansas State last November. It is also the first time a Husker outside hitter had at least eight blocks in a match in two seasons.

?-Amanda Gates’ two aces against USC were the first two of her career, a span of 50 matches.

Scouting this Week’s Opponents
Northeastern: The Huskies come into this weekend’s tournament with a 2-1 record after the opening weekend. The Huskers went 19-13 overall last year and were picked to finish second to Delaware in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll. Northeastern is led by outside hitter Lauren DeTurk, who averaged 3.78 kills per set in 2007 and was a preseason all-CAA performer. Sophomore Caitlin Tittl was the CAA Rookie of the Year in 2007 after averaging 2.24 kills per game on .240 hitting.
Series History: Friday’s matchup will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools in volleyball.

Cal Poly: The host Mustangs return home with a 2-1 record after a runner-up finish at the Sooner Invitational in Norman. Cal Poly, which advanced to the NCAA regional semifinal before falling to Stanford in 2007, have won the Big West title in both 2006 and 2007. All-American Kyle Atherstone is a two-time Big West Player of the Year and averages a team-best 3.27 kills and 1.73 digs per set. Middle blocker Jaclyn Houston was named Big West Player of the Week after hitting .477 with 1.67 kills per game in three matches. They are two of five returning starters for the Mustangs. 

Series History: Nebraska has won two of the three all-time meetings, with victories in both 2006 and 2007. Last year, the Huskers posted a 30-20, 30-19, 30-18 sweep of No. 17 Cal Poly. The Huskers hit .393 as a team and held Cal Poly to just .120. Sarah Pavan led a potent Husker offense with a match-high 17 kills on .483 hitting, while Christina Houghtelling (12 kills on .379 hitting and eight digs) and Jordan Larson (11 kills and 13 digs) joined Pavan in double figures. The Huskers also received strong performances from the middle blocking trio of Tracy Stalls, Kori Cooper and Amanda Gates, who combined for 17 kills on .600 hitting.

Tulane: The Green Wave is 1-2 on the season after going 1-2 at BYU’s tournament last weekend. Tulane returns all of its starters from a team that went 28-6 and 14-2 in Conference USA, including honorable-mention All-American Sara Radosevic. She leads the Green Wave attack with 3.91 kills per set, while Briget Wells chips in 2.91 kills per set.
Series History: The Huskers have won both meetings in the series, but the teams have not met since a 3-0 Husker sweep in New Orleans in 2003.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #17 Amanda Gates: 6-2, Sr., Columbus, Neb. - Gates brings extensive experience in her fourth season in the program. She started all three matches last week, averaging 1.33 kills and 1.33 blocks per set. She turned in her best match against No. 4 USC 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 2.33 kills on .386 hitting and 1.33 blocks per set. She has a season-best nine kills and six stuffs against No. 4 USC and has hit .500 or better twice in three matches. Cooper averaged 2.31 kills and 1.01 blocks per set in 2007, 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-game 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 11.0 assists, 1.80 digs, and 0.70 aces per game. 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 4.50 digs and 0.70 assists per set. She had a season-high 20 digs and two aces in a victory over fourth-ranked USC. She 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 last year.

DS - #5 Rachel Schwartz: 5-9, Sr., Lincoln, Neb. -  Schwartz is NU’s defensive specialist, averaging 1.50 assists per set. She 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 in a win over Missouri.

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 2.40 kills and 1.30 blocks per set and has hit .450 or better in two of NU’s matches. As a freshman, Licht appeared in 13 matches, averaging 0.59 kills per game in 25 contests. She had a season-high four kills against Creighton on Aug. 31. Licht was a two-time  Mizuno/Volleyball Magazine All-American and was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection in 2007. She started all four seasons, totaling 1,199 kills, 335 blocks, 385 digs and 80 aces and was a two-time Volleyball Magazine All-American.

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 3.60 kills, 2.50 digs and 0.80 service aces per set. She 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 38 career double-doubles, helping the Huskers to a 37-1 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 2007 and was the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top 10 in both categories. 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.

OH - #19 Tara Mueller: 6-0, So., Scottsdale, Ariz. - Larson moves into the outside hitter role after serving as a backup in 2007. She averages 3.00 kills and 1.20 digs per set and had 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. Larson turned in her best performance of the year against Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament, totaling nine kills on .316 hitting while coming off the bench. 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 this summer for the U.S. Junior National Team.

Last Time Out
No. 2 Nebraska wrapped up a successful three-match weekend, using a balanced offense to dispose of Oral Roberts (25-19, 25-14, 25-17) Monday afternoon.

The Huskers hit .390 as a team in the match, including over .400 in each of the first two sets. Sydney Anderson piloted the offense, dishing out 32 assists while Jordan Larson, Tara Mueller and Lindsey Licht all totaled at least eight kills in the sweep. Licht hit .467 on 15 swings and added three blocks to help the Huskers enjoy a 10-4 advantage in that category, as NU cooped up the Golden Eagles with a .160 hitting percentage.

Runza/AVCA Showcase Recap
The Huskers opened the 2008 season by going a perfect 2-0 at the Runza/AVCA Showcase at the Qwest Center. Sydney Anderson, Jordan Larson and Kayla Banwarth were all selected to the eight-member all-tournament team after helping the Big 12 go 3-1 against Pac-10 schools.

USC Recap: Behind a match-high 18 kills from Jordan Larson and a strong defensive performance, seventh-ranked Nebraska downed No. 4 USC, 3-1. Larson slammed 18 kills and added eight digs and three service aces in the victory.  NU relied on a balanced attack that saw four players total at least seven kills. Middle blockers Kori Cooper (nine kills and six blocks) and Amanda Gates (seven kills, six blocks and two service aces) combined for 16 kills while Tara Mueller added seven kills and three blocks. Sydney Anderson keyed the Husker attack, dishing out 41 assists, while also chipping in five of the Huskers’ 11 service aces on the day.  Nebraska held USC to just .141 hitting, as Kayla Banwarth recorded a match-high 20 digs for the Big Red, while Lindsey Licht totaled eight blocks.

Stanford Recap: Tara Mueller totaled a career-high 15 kills to lead No. 7 Nebraska to a 3-0 sweep of second-ranked Stanford (25-17, 25-19, 26-24) at the Runza/AVCA Showcase. Mueller, making just her third career start, paced Nebraska with 15 kills on .355 hitting and five digs, while sophomore Lindsey Licht had a career-high 10 kills on .450 hitting in her first collegiate start. The Huskers totaled eight service aces and held the Cardinal to .194 hitting.

Huskers Schedule Changes for Next Week
The Huskers announced scheduling changes to the upcoming Ameritas Players Challenge on Sept. 12-13. The changes were made after the announcement that the Nebraska-New Mexico State football game on Sept. 13 will kickoff at 6 p.m.

On Friday, Sept. 12, No. 2 NU will take on No. 24 LSU at the Bob Devaney Sports Center beginning at 6 p.m. or 30 minutes following the contest between New Mexico and St. John’s, which has been moved to a 3:30 p.m. start. Over 11,500 advance tickets have been sold for the match and remaining tickets in the upper bench areas are $8 and can be purchased online at Huskers.com, by calling the NU Ticket Office at 800-8BIGRED or visiting the Ticket Office (located across the street from Memorial Stadium) during regular business hours. 

On Saturday, Sept. 13, the scene shifts back to the NU Coliseum for two matches. The consolation match will take place at 12:30 p.m. with the championship match now set for 3 p.m., giving fans a chance to see the volleyball match and the football game that evening.

Ameritas Players Challenge Schedule
Friday, Sept. 12 (Bob Devaney Sports Center)
Match Time
New Mexico vs. St. John’s  3:30 p.m.
Nebraska vs. LSU 6 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 13 (NU Coliseum)
Match Time
Consolation Match 12:30 p.m.
Championship Match 3 p.m.

Anderson Honored by Big 12
Setter Sydney Anderson was honored Tuesday, as she was selected as the Big 12’s Newcomer of the Week. Anderson guided the Huskers to three wins last week, including triumphs over No. 2 Stanford and No. 4 USC. She averaged 11.00 assists, 0.90 kills, 0.70 service aces and 1.80 digs per set.   Against Stanford, Anderson totaled 37 assists, three kills and two aces in her Husker debut to help the Huskers sweep the NCAA-runner up Cardinal. She keyed the Huskers’ win over No. 4 USC with 41 assists and a career-high five service aces to complete a perfect 2-0 performance at the Runza/AVCA Showcase. Against Oral Roberts, Anderson had 32 assists, four blocks and four kills while helping Nebraska hit .390 as a team.

Aces High
 Senior Jordan Larson enters the week within striking distance of one of Nebraska’s oldest record. The two-time All-American heads in to this weekend’s tournament with 155 career aces. She is four shy of Virginia Stahr (159, 1986-89) for second place on NU’s career list. Larson needs seven service aces to move past Val Novak’s school mark of 161.
 
Nebraska All-Time Service Aces
No.  Player, Years Aces
1. Val Novak, 1987-90 161
2. Virginia Stahr, 1986-89 159
3. Jordan Larson, 2005-pres. 155

Oldest Career Records at Nebraska
No.  Category  Player Last Year
1. Solo Blocks Karen Dahlgren (132) 1986
2. Hitting Pct. Virginia Stahr (.401) 1989
3. Aces Val Novak (161) 1990
4. Assists Fiona Nepo (4,824) 1998

Larson Joins 1,000-1,000 Club
Outside hitter Jordan Larson joined an exclusive club in Husker history last season, as she became just the third Nebraska player to ever record both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.  She joins 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 enters this weekend’s tournament at Cal Poly looking to climb up Nebraska’s career lists in both kills and digs.

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 announcement, two starting match times have been changed from the original schedule. NU’s match at Missouri on Sunday, Oct. 12, will now start at Noon, while the Huskers’ contest at Texas on Nov. 19 has a first serve of 8 p.m.

2008 Nebraska Television Schedule
Date Matchup (Television) Time
Aug. 29 Stanford vs. Nebraska (CBS College/NET) W, 3-0
Aug. 31 USC vs. Nebraska (CBS College/NET) W, 3-1
Sept. 20 Texas at Nebraska (NET) 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 Kansas at Nebraska (NET/CBS CS) 7 p.m.
Oct. 5 Nebraska at Creighton (NET/CBS CS) 5 p.m.      
Oct. 8 Oklahoma at Nebraska (ESPNU) 7 p.m.
Oct. 12 Nebraska at Missouri (FSN) Noon
Oct. 15 Baylor at Nebraska (NET/CBS CS) 7 p.m.
Oct. 22 Texas A&M at Nebraska (NET/CBS CS) 7 p.m.
Nov. 1 Iowa State at Nebraska (NET) 7 p.m.
Nov. 12 Missouri at Nebraska (NET/CBS CS) 7 p.m.
Nov. 19 Nebraska at Texas (ESPNU) 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 2004.

With Monday’s win over Oral Roberts, the Huskers extended their home-court win streak to 73 matches - the third-longest streak in NCAA history. 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 teams. 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. Larson, a two-time AVCA All-American averaged 3.45 kills, 3.18 digs and a Big 12-best 0.51 service aces per set, while pacing the Huskers with 11 double-doubles.

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. Anderson comes to Nebraska following a stint with the U.S. National Team in Colorado Springs.

Big 12 Preseason Poll
Rank    Team (First-place Votes) Points
1.   Texas (10) 100
2.   Nebraska 88
3.   Kansas State (1) 84
4.   Texas A&M  71
5.   Missouri 62
6.   Iowa State 55
7.   Colorado 38
8.   Baylor 37
        Oklahoma 37
10.  Kansas 23
11.  Texas Tech 10

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 next weekend’s 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.