The Huskers will look to start their streak against a familiar foe, as the Huskers and Tigers (13-9, 6-7 Big 12) will meet for the second time in the last three weeks Wednesday. Missouri snapped a three-match losing streak with a five-game victory at Kansas on Saturday. In that match, Na Yang totaled a match-high 22 kills and 16 digs to pace six Tigers in double figures in kills. Lei Wang recorded a triple-double for the Tigers in the win with 10 kills, 11 digs and 45 assists.

NU Volleyball Quick Hits
•-Jordan Larson enters Wednesday’s match needing five kills to become the 19th Husker to reach 1,000 kills in a career.
•-Wednesday’s match is the first time NU has played on Halloween since a 3-0 sweep of Iowa State on 1998. NU is 9-1 all-time on Halloween with five of those matches coming on the same day in 1975 - the first year of the program. NU has faced Missouri twice on Halloween, posting sweeps in both 1975 and 1992.
•-Nebraska dropped out of the No. 1 spot for the first time since the end of the 2005 season on Monday. It ended an AVCA record 26-week run at the top spot. Wednesday’s match will mark the first time since Nov. 27, 2004, that the Huskers have not been ranked No. 1 at match time - a span of 94 matches.

Scouting Missouri
Under Coach Wayne Kreklow (56-27 in three seasons), Missouri comes into Wednesday’s match with a 13-9 record and a 6-7 mark in the Big 12. The Tigers  have been streaky in conference action, sandwiching losing streaks of four and three matches around a five-match win streak.
The Tigers feature one of the league’s top outside hitters in senior Na Yang, who is fifth in the Big 12 with 4.39 kills per game. She is one of three Tigers averaging at least 2.50 kills per game, joining Megan Wilson (2.67 k/gm) and Weiwen Wang (2.81 k/gm). Senior libero Tatum Ailes leads the Big 12 with 4.94 digs per game and had 32 digs in the Tigers’ win at Kansas on Saturday. The Tigers have a distinctive Nebraska look, as four players, Ailes, Megan Wilson, Catie Wilson and Amanda Hnatouli, all hail from Nebraska. Of the 14 players on the Missouri roster, seven are from either Nebraska or China.
The Huskers lead the all-time series, 64-3-1, in a series that dates back to Oct. 31, 1975. The Huskers have won the last eight matches in the series, including sweeps in the last three matches.  NU has won 26 of 28 matchups in Lincoln.

Last Time vs. Missouri
It was too much Tracy Stalls, as No. 1 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 on Oct. 17.

Stalls hammered home 15 kills on just 19 swings for the Huskers. 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 a .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 a .513 clip in the finale, as NU posted its 15th consecutive sweep.

Worth Noting
•-The Huskers have done a good job of bouncing back from losses under Head Coach John Cook. The Huskers are 8-1 in matches after a loss in the same season (Cook’s other five losses have come in the NCAA Tournament).

•-The Oct. 24 loss at Texas snapped the fourth-longest winning streak in program history. The 29-match win streak fell one win shy of making the top-20 list in the NCAA record book.

•-Nebraska’s streak of 53 consecutive games won ranked second on NU’s school list before it was snapped at Texas on Oct. 24. It tied for the seventh-longest streak in NCAA history and trailed only the 1995 team’s record of 68 consecutive games won.

•-The Huskers have won their last 66 home matches dating back to the 2004 campaign. The win streak is the third longest in NCAA history.

•-Nebraska leads the nation in hitting percentage (.331), assists (16.82) and kills (18.40) per game following last weekend’s matches. The Huskers are on pace to shatter single-season marks in all three areas and are looking to become only the second team - and first since Hawaii in 2002 - to lead in all three areas.

•-Nebraska has won its last 41 Big 12 matches at the NU Coliseum dating back to the 2003 season.

•-The Huskers are 74-3 (.961) in their last 77 Big 12 Conference matches dating back to the 2003 season.

•-The Huskers have played their last 93 matches as the nation’s top-ranked team in the AVCA poll, dating back to the end of the 2004 campaign. NU is 88-5 in that stretch.

•-Nebraska has a 115-6 (.950) record since the start of the 2004 season.

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 Big 12 and ranks third nationally in hitting percentage (.458), averaging 2.70 kills and 1.10 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 13 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 (.373), 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 2.72 kills and 1.28 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 matching her 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 3.96 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 12 of her last 13 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 on pace to become just the fourth player in NCAA history to be a four-time first-team All-American. This season, Pavan averages 4.89 kills, 1.72 digs and 0.44 service aces per game, ranking first in the Big 12 in kills, aces and points per game. She has been on a tear recently, averaging 5.14 kills per game on .353 hitting in her last nine matches, including a match-high 17 kills at No. 5 Texas on Oct. 24. 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 1,808 career 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 3.49 kills, 3.54 digs and 0.44 service aces per game, ranking first in the league in aces, ninth in points per game (4.33) and 10th in kills per game. She was named the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Week 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 (3.77), while averaging 3.42 kills per game on .333 hitting. She ranks eighth in the league in service aces per game and 10th in digs and points per game (4.13). She is second on the team with six double-doubles, highlighted by 14 kills and a match-high 19 digs at No. 25 Oklahoma on Oct. 13. She totaled a season-best 19 kills on .410 hitting and 11 digs in a sweep at Colorado on Oct. 6. 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 then-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 13.89 assists per game, a total that ranks third nationally, while also averaging 2.28 digs and 0.93 kills per game. Nebraska has hit .300 or better 16 times in 20 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 Fall at Texas
Sarah Pavan totaled a match-high 17 kills, but fifth-ranked Texas snapped the Huskers’ 29-match win streak with a 30-22, 30-25, 30-20 victory over top-ranked Nebraska on Oct. 24, in Austin.

Destinee Hooker and Juliann Faucette combined for 30 kills, as Texas became the first Big 12 team to sweep the Huskers since the Longhorns accomplished the feat in 1997.

With the win, Texas forged into a tie with Nebraska at the top of the Big 12 standings. The Huskers swept the first meeting between the teams in Lincoln on Sept. 12.  The Huskers fell for the first time since Nov. 11, 2006, at Colorado, a span of 30 matches Since then, NU had dropped only six games and none in their previous 17 matches.

Pavan finished with 17 kills, but the Huskers hit a season-low .145, nearly .200 points below their national-best .343 hitting entering Wednesday’s contest and were swept for the first time since the 2005 NCAA title match.  Hooker tied Pavan for match-high honors, while hitting .455 on 33 swings. Faucette finished with 13 kills, seven digs and three blocks, as UT out-blocked the Huskers 12.5-7 and hit .371 against the Big Red.

Nebraska’s Run at No. 1 Ends at 26 Weeks
Nebraska’s unprecedented run at No. 1 ended on Oct. 29, as the Huskers were ranked second in the CSTV/AVCA weekly poll. The Huskers totaled 1,444 points and 25 first-place votes, falling shy of Penn State’s totals of 1,455 points and 26 first-place votes, respectively.

•-It marked the first time since the final poll of the 2005 season that NU was not ranked No. 1. The 26 straight weeks at No. 1 broke the previous record of 24 set by USC between 2002 and 2004.

•-Seniors Christina Houghtelling, Sarah Pavan and Tracy Stalls are the only current Huskers remaining from the 2004 team, as 11 of the 14 Huskers had played as the nation’s No. 1 team their entire career.

•-The Huskers played their last 93 matches as the nation’s top-ranked team, going 88-5 in that stretch. NU won 36 of 40 matches against ranked teams during the run, including a 9-2 record against top-five teams.

•-Nebraska leads all schools with 81 weeks ranked at No. 1, 30 weeks ahead of runner-up UCLA. Under John Cook, NU has spent 62 weeks at No. 1 since the start of the 2000 season. That total is more than any other program has spent in the top spot since the AVCA Poll began in 1982.

•-Nebraska is one of two teams to be ranked in the AVCA Coaches poll for all 362 weeks of its existence. The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 for 328 weeks, which trails only Stanford’s 332 weeks in the top 10.

Schedule Updates
Nebraska’s November schedule has been changed with the addition of a televised match at Kansas State and two road start times adjusted for basketball contests. These are changes from the originally published information (guides, posters, etc.).

• - Nebraska’s match at Kansas State this Saturday, Nov. 3, will now be carried live on Nebraska Educational Television (NET) and NET-HD (Chs. 12 and 112) with a  start time at 7 p.m. Saturday’s match will be the ninth of 10 regular-season matches carried on NET this season and the first time the network has done a road contest.

•-Nebraska’s match at Iowa State on Sunday, Nov. 11, is slated to begin at 4 p.m. It follows an Iowa State-Pepperdine women’s basketball contest scheduled for 1 p.m. that afternoon.

•-The start time of Nebraska’s match at Texas A&M on Wednesday, Nov. 14, has moved to 5:30 p.m. to accommodate the Aggies’ home basketball game that evening.

Caution: Milestones Quickly Approaching
While Pavan set NU’s school record for most kills in a career earlier this month, a number of plateaus could fall during the second half of the 2007 season.
•-Junior outside hitter Jordan Larson owns 995 career kills and is five kills away from becoming the 19th Husker to ever reach the 1,000-kill plateau. She also has 922 career digs, she is 33 digs away from 10th place on that list. 

•-Larson is on pace to join two-time All-American Jennifer Saleaumua and Eileen Shannon as the only players in school history with both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. No player in school history has reached the 1,000-1,000 plateau prior to their senior year.

•-Seniors Sarah Pavan and Tracy Stalls could finish their careers during one of the most successful eras in college volleyball history. They have been a part of a national championship team (2006), two national championship matches (2005-06) and three Big 12 titles (2004-06) entering the home stretch of the 2007 season. Here is a look at the winningest classes in school history.

•-Both Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson are climbing NU’s top-10 list for aces. Pavan and Larson are tied for sixth place with 121 aces, nine away from tying Annie Adamczak for fifth all-time.

• - Tracy Stalls is quickly climbing NU’s career blocks list. The senior middle blocker has 529 career blocks to sit in eighth place on the Husker career chart. She is nine blocks away from from matching Tonia Tauke for seventh place on NU’s list.