Four Huskers Honored by the AVCA

Omaha ? Jordan Larson was named a first-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Wednesday, headlining a list of four Huskers who were honored by the organization.

Larson was one of 14 players named to the first team, marking the second first-team All-America selection of her career, and her third overall All-America honor. Larson was the Huskers’ only first-team honoree, but a pair of sophomores earned second-team accolades, as Sydney Anderson and Tara Mueller were both named All-Americans for the first time in their careers. Kori Cooper, who suffered a season-ending injury on Nov. 19, rounded out the honorees by earning honorable-mention All-America accolades.

Nebraska’s selections on Wednesday increased its nation-leading total to 65 all-time AVCA All-America certificates, six more than Stanford, which had three selections to push its total to 59 all-time awards. The Huskers have produced at least one All-American every season since 1983, including at least three selections in seven of the past eight seasons.

Undefeated Penn State, the Huskers’ opponent in Thursday’s NCAA Semifinal match, had a nation-best six players earn All-America honors from the AVCA, including four first-team selections.

A senior outside hitter from Hooper, Neb., Larson is the 11th three-time All-American in Husker history. She averages 3.95 kills, 3.17 digs and 0.34 service aces per set. Larson was chosen as the Big 12 Player of the Year, as well as the league’s defensive player of the year, marking the first time any player has earned both honors in one year. She has a team-high 16 double-doubles this season, including 10 in NU’s last 12 contests.

Anderson is a sophomore setter in her first season at Nebraska after spending 2007 with the U.S. National Team in Colorado Springs. The Big 12’s Newcomer of the Year, Anderson averages 11.66 assists, 2.09 digs and 0.30 aces per set, ranking second in the Big 12 in assists and sixth in service aces. She is seventh in the country in assists per set and has eight double-doubles on the year, including three in the NCAA Tournament.

A sophomore from Scottsdale, Ariz., Mueller is in her first year starting at outside hitter and averages 3.53 kills and 2.39 digs per set. She ranks sixth in the Big 12 in kills and seventh in points. Mueller has seven double-doubles this season, including a career-high 24 kills and 16 digs against No. 5 Washington on Dec. 13. The Most Outstanding Player of the Seattle Regional, Mueller averaged 4.00 kills and 3.25 digs per set last weekend to help the Huskers advanced to the NCAA Semifinals.

Cooper, a middle blocker from Amarillo, Texas, put together a solid junior season before suffering a season-ending knee injury on Nov. 19. A three-year starter, Cooper was averaging 2.09 kills and 0.88 blocks per set before her injury. She ranks second in the Big 12 and 10th nationally with a .396 hitting percentage. She hit .400 or better in 14 of her 27 matches in 2008.

The awards will be presented on Friday, Dec. 19 at the AVCA All-America/Players of the Year Banquet at the Qwest Center. Before the banquet, the fourth-seeded Huskers face No. 1 seed Penn State at 8 p.m. on Thursday in the second NCAA Semifinal match. The national semifinal will be carried live on ESPN2 and ESPNU.