Eric the Red Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Watch the Huskers go for the Champiionship ESPNU dishing out problems for NU fans It will only be on ESPNU, find a bar. Quote Link to comment
NamelessHusker Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Watch the Huskers go for the Champiionship ESPNU dishing out problems for NU fans It will only be on ESPNU, find a bar. It is going to be hard to find a bar on a Thursday night that will put the game on a volleyball match. I am calling around and if i find one, i will let people know Quote Link to comment
Eric the Red Posted December 13, 2005 Author Share Posted December 13, 2005 Did I see a time of 7pm for this game??? Quote Link to comment
Eric the Red Posted December 13, 2005 Author Share Posted December 13, 2005 Huskers prep for national semis LINCOLN (AP) - Nebraska coach John Cook is counting on football karma to rub off on his volleyball team in the NCAA Championships at the Alamodome. “Hopefully, we'll go down there with the mentality that football has had, where we own San Antonio,” Cook said Monday, referring to the football team's 4-0 record at the Alamodome. The top-seeded Cornhuskers (32-1) are in the national semifinals for the first time since 2001 and ninth time overall. They play unseeded Santa Clara (27-4) at 8 p.m. Thursday. Third-seeded Washington (30-1) meets No. 15 Tennessee (24-8) in the first semifinal. Winners meet for the national championship at 5 p.m. Saturday. Nebraska won titles in 1995 and 2000. “We're on a mission, and we're not letting anything get in our way,” senior middle blocker Melissa Elmer said. “We've got two more steps to achieve to get to our final goal. We've been playing some great volleyball, and that's great to see this time of year.” The Huskers cleared what Cook considered a major obstacle in winning the Omaha Regional over the weekend. They swept UCLA and Florida before NCAA-record crowds of 15,000, with all but a few of the fans wearing Nebraska colors. Winning the regional alleviated some pressure, Cook said. “Everybody talks about home-court advantage. But in the back of your mind, you're thinking, ‘What if we don't get it done?”' Cook said. “I thought Saturday night was a pressure match, not only because we were at home and we had a lot to lose, but we were playing a great team in Florida. “The way our team responded to that shows how much confidence they have and how much they believe they have a chance to win a national championship. It was one big barrier we knocked down to get to this week.” Santa Clara, which plays in the West Coast Conference, presents a dangerous challenge, Cook said. The Broncos, who had never advanced past the NCAA tournament's second round in 10 previous appearances, are enjoying their best season in program history. They beat No. 5 Arizona for the second time this season to win the Palo Alto Regional and equal their school record for wins. Santa Clara, a 5,000-student Jesuit school in the San Francisco Bay Area, is ranked 11th nationally but came into the tournament unseeded after a three-game losing streak in November. “Santa Clara is the Cinderella team,” Cook said. “They pulled off a lot of big wins to get there, so they're on a roll right now. We have to expect it's going to be our toughest match of the year.” Quote Link to comment
DaveH Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 That blows that it is on ESPNU only. Quote Link to comment
NamelessHusker Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 If anyone wants to catch the game on thursday, you can see it at Old Chicago or D.J'S Dugout Quote Link to comment
Eric the Red Posted December 14, 2005 Author Share Posted December 14, 2005 If the Huskers make it to the Championship game, it will be on ESPN 2, I believe Quote Link to comment
Roy CO HSKR Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Solution: Call DirecTV and get the installation done by tomorrow. It is on Ch. 609! Quote Link to comment
StuckinChicago Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Im gonna head down to the old chicago downtown, so if anyone wants to meet me there, as I will probably be going alone (my roommates arent really into volleyball,) I would love to tip a few back with some fellow huskerboard comrades Quote Link to comment
kramer Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Unseeded Broncos Surprise Visitors to Semis Unseeded Broncos Surprise Visitors to Semis Santa Clara to play No.2 Nebraska Thursday night Dec. 14, 2005 By John Crumpacker The San Francisco Chronicle If it is possible for a school making the national semifinals to be overlooked, Santa Clara's women's volleyball team is probably it. Unseeded at the start of the NCAA tournament, the Broncos (27-4) dispatched Stanford, Pepperdine and Arizona to reach volleyball's Final Four for the first time in school history. They will face No. 1 Nebraska (32-1) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in one national semifinal in the Alamodome in San Antonio. Washington (30-1) meets Tennessee (25-8) in the other semi at 4 p.m. Winners play for the national championship Saturday. "I recognized our potential to make it this far earlier in the season,'' Santa Clara outside hitter Kim McGiven said. "Actually doing it is another thing. We were disappointed we didn't get a seed. When we didn't get it, we said we'll deal with it and still be great. We were going to go after our goals.'' This is only the fifth Santa Clara athletic team to advance to a national semifinal. Men's basketball did it in 1952, the baseball team played for the NCAA championship in 1962 and the Broncos' men's and women's soccer teams have made it that far on a number of occasions. And now the women's volleyball team, coached by Jon Wallace. "It means a lot to the team and the program,'' McGiven said. "It's really nice to see our program getting some recognition and respect. It's taken awhile for our program to get some respect. It's great to see Jon get some respect because he's worked really hard, and so has the staff.'' Nebraska represents a daunting challenge for the Broncos. The Cornhuskers are big, athletic and powerful and lost just once this season, to Texas on Nov. 26. In racking up 32 wins, Nebraska was extended to five games only twice. Its front line is 6-foot-2 outside hitter Christina Houghtelling, 6-5 OH Sarah Pavan, 6-2 middle blocker Melissa Elmer and 6-2 MB Amanda Gates. "They are big and they are the best blocking team in the country,'' Wallace said. "We'll just have to find a way to beat them and sell it to the girls that there is a way to beat them.'' After defeating Stanford for the first time in school history and then knocking off Arizona in five games to get this far, the Broncos are riding high with players such as McGiven with her 4.15 kills per game and libero Caroline Walters averaging 4.50 digs per game from her backcourt position. "Our team is just ecstatic right now,'' Walters said. "We have just been living the dream this year. It's a great experience, one not many people are able to have. We're very grateful.'' Assessing Nebraska, Walters said, "They are a very, very talented team. They are extremely tall and have a quick offense. We believe with our defense we can counter-attack them.'' Might the Cornhuskers, winners of national championships in 1995 and 2000, take Santa Clara lightly while looking forward to an NCAA title game? "I think they are, but at the same time, I think all four teams in the Final Four have respect for each other,'' Walters said. "Facing an unseeded team in the semis, they could have that attitude.'' That's fine with Santa Clara, the little team that could -- thus far, at least. Quote Link to comment
huskerstag Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Saw this over on Scout.com. The volleyball games will be televised in Devaney. Good move by Pederson Scout.com By Wire Reports/BigRedReport Date: Dec 14, 2005 For those that can't make it to San Antonio for the final four, the University of Nebraska is bringing the final four to you. Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson has invited Husker fans to come to the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Thursday evening for a free public viewing of the Nebraska volleyball team’s NCAA semifinal match against Santa Clara. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. with the match scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. with ESPNU providing television coverage of the match. Cable systems in Omaha and Lincoln do not carry ESPNU and most Husker fans would not have an opportunity to watch the match in their homes, prompting the Athletic Department to secure permission from ESPN to show the match at the Devaney Center. “The crowds last weekend in Omaha show the amount of support and passion Nebraska fans have for this volleyball team,” Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson said. “We expect that at least 3,000 Nebraska fans will travel to San Antonio for the weekend, but we think the fans here in Nebraska would like to be able to get together to watch the game. Opening the Devaney Center on Thursday night will provide that opportunity.” Details for the Thursday night event at the Bob Devaney Sports Center include: * Doors will open at 8 p.m. and television coverage of the match starts at 8:30 p.m. * Seating will be available in the “B” and “C” sections, but the floor-level seats will not be open * Two upper concession stands in the Northeast and Southwest corners of the Devaney Center will be open to fans * Fans may access the Devaney Center through all normal entrances, including the lower level entrances * Fans are asked to discard their trash when exiting on Thursday night to assist with the Devaney Center cleanup for Saturday morning’s UNL Commencement exercises. In the event Nebraska advances to Saturday night’s NCAA Championship match, Nebraska also plans to open the Devaney Center doors a half-hour earlier than normal for Saturday night’s men’s basketball game with Chicago State. Gates will open at 5 p.m. with ESPN2’s coverage of the championship volleyball match shown on the HuskerVision screens at the Devaney Center. Quote Link to comment
StuckinChicago Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Thats awesome. Cancel my trip to old chicago, Devaney it is. Quote Link to comment
NamelessHusker Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 For a straight-A student in biochemistry, the study of the chemistry of living things, Sarah Pavan sure does hear a lot of advice. Almost from the day she arrived at Nebraska last summer, representing arguably the highest-profile volleyball recruit ever to sign to play with the Huskers, people have wanted to change her makeup. And not just one person. Teammates who saw her every day chimed in right alongside the fans who watched her only play in matches. Sometimes only on TV. Even head coach John Cook pleaded with Pavan to let her hair down, so to speak. “Here they were expecting me to be loud, excited and going crazy all the time, and I had to say, ‘Listen, that’s not me,’” Pavan said, the frustration evident in the cadence of her words. “I struggled hearing every day that you have to start cheering.” There it is. With Pavan, that’s about as raw as you get when it comes to outward emotion. No angry words. No exaggerated fist pumps. Just a that’s-the-way-it-is honesty that can sometimes be overwhelmed by one’s actions. But inside, where none of us can see without a microscope, Pavan is a cauldron of emotion this week. She came to Nebraska not only wanting a 4.0 GPA in the classroom, but the unprecedented, some might say unrealistic, feat of winning four national championships. Her molecular structure is one part perfectionist and another misunderstood athlete. When NU lost to Southern California in the NCAA regional final last year, no one could understand why Pavan, the player who never celebrated enough in the good times, took losing the hardest. “I don’t think anybody will understand how much the USC loss devastated her,” said Paul Pavan, Sarah’s father. “That, in volleyball, was probably the lowest moment of her life, and that loss has stuck with her. I don’t know if she’ll ever get over that.” Volleyball is a passion for Paul and Cindy Pavan, both outstanding players who dragged along young Sarah to tournaments from the time she was little. Sarah grew, both in her interest in the game and standing against the measuring stick. She was the tallest kid in kindergarten and the biggest on her first volleyball team. Pavan was 10; her teammates all 13. “I remember that first time,” Paul Pavan said. “Her mother and I, we just looked at each other and said, ‘Holy mackerel.’ She was taller than everybody, she was so coordinated and she had all the skills. “She was starting to take over matches at 10 years old.” Pavan had her choice of all the top volleyball schools out of high school. Stanford was always at the head of the list, that is until she visited the school and came away with an uneasy feeling. Ultimately, the decision came down to Nebraska or Minnesota. As strange as it might sound in volleyball, a sport without a professional league in the United States, the Pavans looked at college as a stepping stone to a future playing career. They wanted a school where she could develop her all-around skills, the tools it would take to land a spot in the lucrative Italian professional league one day. “We told her that we felt she was good enough to play all the way around as long as she worked at it,” Nebraska head coach John Cook said. “And she works really hard. “When Pavan’s tired, it looks a little ugly, but statistically, she’s one of our best passers. Last year, we only had her pass one or two rotations. This year, she’s basically passing every rotation but one.” Cook said Pavan came in with a great foundation, one you can only build by spending countless hours in the gym. Technically, her arm swing is excellent, especially when you consider that tall players often develop funky swings as they grow. Paul Pavan said this week he couldn’t remember a time when his daughter said no to a chance to work on her skills. Sometimes that meant playing badminton to improve her hand-eye coordination. “Anything to get better,” he said. It’s the same way in the classroom. When Sarah actually admits to her parents that she might not study for the next big exam, they shake their head and laugh. “I know that she’s just talking, and within an hour she’s going to be down getting ready for it,” Paul Pavan said. “I really believe that Sarah in our system could achieve an 80 percent without doing any work. But for her, 80 is not good enough. “She’s always needed to be the best.” In volleyball, that translates to being the best she can be on the best team. Even while Nebraska was ranked No. 1 a year ago, Pavan sensed everything wasn’t right. There was a gap between the younger and older players. The players are closer this year, and Nebraska is two wins from closing in on its goal. A victory worth celebrating. “Since we have come so far and we have had the complete, perfect season, I won’t be able to settle for anything less than winning,” she said. “I play to win.” Link Quote Link to comment
NamelessHusker Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 From Huskers.com San Antonio, Texas – The Nebraska volleyball program continued its record-setting season on Wednesday, as four players earned AVCA All-America honors, including a national-best three first-team selections. Melissa Elmer (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Sarah Pavan (Kitchener, Ontario) and Christina Houghtelling (Cambridge, Neb.) were all chosen as first-team All-Americans, while Jennifer Saleaumua (National City, Calif.) received third-team honors, as three 12-member teams were selected in voting by the AVCA committee. The honorees, which improved Nebraska’s NCAA leading total to 53 certificates among 26 athletes, marked just the second time that Nebraska has had four All-Americans in one season with the other coming in 2001. It also was the first time since 1995 that Nebraska had three first-team honorees. Including 2005, Nebraska has had multiple first-team selections 12 times in school history, including five times in John Cook’s six seasons. The group is led by a pair of repeat selections in senior Melissa Elmer and sophomore Sarah Pavan. Elmer leads the nation in blocks, as she averages 2.18 blocks per game. The 6-foot-2 senior has had at least 10 blocks in a match 10 times this season, including a Big 12 record 16 stuffs at Kansas on Oct. 8. She also ranks among the national leaders with a .387 hitting percentage. A three-time All-American, Elmer, who earned MVP honors at the InfoUSA/Arby’s Players Challenge and the Sports Imports Classic, earned second-team accolades as a sophomore before garnering first-team honors in each of the last two seasons. Pavan also became a two-time first-team All-American with Wednesday’s selection. The Big 12 Player of the Year, Pavan ranks among the league leaders in hitting percentage (.351, eighth), kills (seventh), blocks (seventh), aces (0.31, 12th) and points per game (fifth, 4.76). She has topped NU in kills 12 times, including a season-best 22 kill performance against Missouri on Nov. 13. Pavan has had four double-doubles and also posted a triple-double with 11 kills, 11 blocks and 10 digs against Pepperdine on Sept. 8. Houghtelling was honored as an AVCA All-American for the first time in 2005, the only one of the four Huskers to be honored for the first time. She was the Big 12’s top outside hitter, averaging 3.71 kills, 2.45 digs and 1.00 blocks per game and ranks fourth in the Big 12 with a .375 hitting percentage. She has hit over .400 in 18 matches, including nine of the last 12 contests. Houghtelling earned MVP honors at the AVCA/NACWAA Showcase and at last weekend’s NCAA regional, when she had 18 kills on .615 hitting and six blocks against No. 4 Florida. Saleaumua earned her second All-America certificate with her selection to the third team. The 5-foot-11 senior is the two-time Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year and averages 3.82 digs, 2.29 kills and 0.81 blocks per game. She tops all Big 12 outside hitters in digs per game, and has had six double-doubles this season, including a 13-kill, 12-dig effort against UCLA in the regional semifinal. She is one of only two players in school history to have over 1,000 kills and digs, as she holds NU’s career digs record with 1,522 entering the national semifinals. In all five of the 12 first-team selections were from the Big 12, as Missouri’s Lindsey Hunter and Texas A&M’s Laura Jones were also honored, The No. 1 ranked Huskers will take on No. 11 Santa Clara in Thursday’s second semifinal, which is set for 8 p.m. (central) on ESPNU. The match will also be shown live at the Devaney Center, and doors open at 7:30 p.m. Fans who can’t watch Thursday’s match can also listen to it on the Pinnacle Sports Network, including B107.3 FM and KFAB 1110 AM. 2005 AVCA DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA FIRST-TEAMS Player Institution Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown Jane Collymore @ University of Florida OH Sr. 6-0 Englewood, Colorado Melissa Elmer ^$ University of Nebraska MB Sr. 6-2 Fort Wayne, Indiana Kim Glass !& University of Arizona OH Sr. 6-4 Lancaster, Pennsylvania Christina Houghtelling University of Nebraska RS/Opp Jr. 6-2 Cambridge, Nebraska Lindsey Hunter # University of Missouri S Sr. 5-10 Papillion, Nebraska Laura Jones # Texas A&M University OH Sr. 6-2 Arlington, Texas Sarah Pavan ^ University of Nebraska RS/Opp So. 6-5 Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Cassie Perret Santa Clara University RS/Opp Sr. 6-1 Menlo Park, California Kristin Richards Stanford University OH Jr. 6-0 Orem, Utah Courtney Thompson ^ University of Washington S Jr. 5-7 Kent, Washington Sanja Tomasevic $ University of Washington OH Sr. 6-1 Uzice, Serbia & Montenegro Sam Tortorello ^$ Penn State University S Sr. 5-11 Shorewood, Illinois 2005 AVCA DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA SECOND- TEAMS Player Institution Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown Foluke Akinradewo Stanford University MB Fr. 6-3 Plantation, Florida Kristen Andre University of Tennessee MB Sr. 6-1 Kelseyville, California Leticia Armstrong University of Texas MB So. 6-1 Elkhart, Indiana Lauren Brewster @ University of Notre Dame MB Sr. 6-3 Brentwood, Tennessee Bibiana Candelas @* Univ. of Southern California OH Sr. 6-5 Torreon, Mexico Nicole Fawcett Penn State University OH Fr. 6-4 Zanesfield, Ohio Jennifer Hoffman University of Louisville MB Sr. 6-1 Chicago, Illinois Candace Lee University of Washington Lib/DS Sr. 5-7 Eugene, Oregon Marisa Main # The Ohio State University S Jr. 5-9 Louisville, Kentucky Victoria Prince # University of Hawai’i MB Sr. 6-0 Kennewick, Washington Lena Ustymenko University of Louisville OH Sr. 6-3 Kiev, Ukraine Melissa Walbridge Penn State University MB So. 6-3 Yardley, Pennsylvania 2005 AVCA DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA THIRD- TEAMS Player Institution Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown Jennifer Abernathy University of Arizona OH Sr. 5-11 Antioch, California Anna Cmaylo Santa Clara University MB So. 6-4 Napa, California Kanoe Kamana’o ^! University of Hawai’i S Jr. 5-8 Honolulu, Hawai’i Bryn Kehoe Stanford University S So. 5-11 North Bend, Ohio Brandy Magee University of Texas MB Jr. 6-2 Mission Viejo, California Crystal Matich Santa Clara University S So. 5-11 Forestville, California Angie McGinnis University of Florida S So. 5-11 Fraser, Michigan Nana Meriwether UCLA MB Jr. 6-1 Potomac, Maryland Danielle Meyer The Ohio State University MB So. 6-1 Cincinnati, Ohio Christal Morrison # University of Washington OH So. 6-2 Puyallup, Washington Jennifer Saleaumua # University of Nebraska OH Sr. 5-11 National City, California Sheila Shaw University of Wisconsin MB Sr. 6-0 Muskego, Wisconsin ^ indicates 2004 AVCA First-Team All-America selection * indicates 2003 AVCA First-Team All-America selection # indicates 2004 AVCA Second-Team All-America selection $ indicates 2003 AVCA Second-Team All-America selection @ indicates 2004 AVCA Third-Team All-America selection ! indicates 2003 AVCA Third-Team All-America selection 2005 AVCA Division I Freshman of the Year: Nicole Fawcett (Penn State University, Outside Hitter) 2005 AVCA Division I Player of the Year: Announced at AVCA All-America/Players of the Year BanquetSM on Dec. 16, 2005 Link Quote Link to comment
NamelessHusker Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Although no current Nebraska player has ever played in an NCAA final four, the top-seeded Huskers have brought a been-there, done-that mentality deep into the heart of Texas. “We were talking about that this morning, and we just feel it’s another game,” said junior Christina Houghtelling. “We have two more games to win, and we’re just looking at this as another road trip.” But one with a little more at stake than the Huskers let on Wednesday, a day filled with news conferences and open-to-the-public practices at the Alamodome. There was no arguing the newness of the event by players from Santa Clara and Tennessee, both schools making their first appearance in the pinnacle of the collegiate volleyball season. Nebraska meets 11th-ranked Santa Clara in today’s 8 p.m. match, the second of two semifinals to be televised by ESPNU. The first unseeded team to ever make it to the final four, Santa Clara welcomes the role of Cinderella this weekend. “We have always been the underdog in the past few games,” libero Caroline Walters said. “We heard people saying that Stanford would win 3-0. Well, we proved them wrong. “(Arizona), 3-0. We proved them wrong. We are just so excited for the game and hopefully we’ll prove everyone wrong again.” Santa Clara isn’t without talent. The Broncos feature a first-team All-American in right-side hitter Cassie Perret and two third-team picks in middle blocker Anna Cmaylo and setter Crystal Matich. Nebraska landed four All-Americans Wednesday, including first-team picks Houghtelling, Melissa Elmer and Sarah Pavan. Jennifer Saleaumua was a third-team selection. That depth of talent is what separates Nebraska from Stanford and Arizona, said Santa Clara head coach Jon Wallace. “Nebraska will have four great players on the court at one time, so it will be really tough to pick our battles or guess to try to find out where they put the ball,” Wallace said. “The key is to get them to feel the pressure.” Nebraska’s coaches and players, however, say that some of the pressure is off after winning last weekend’s regional. The Huskers are back in the final four for the first time since 2001. In the interim, Nebraska has faced Santa Clara twice, defeating the Broncos in the U.S. Bank/Arby’s Classic in both 2002 and 2003. If Nebraska head coach John Cook has his way, this weekend’s tournament will be no different. “Last week’s regional and the AVCA Showcase back in August, those were two huge tournaments, and we just tried to approach those as we would if we were playing in any other type of tournament,” he said. “And this is just the final tournament of the year. “It helps keep us in perspective. It helps keep us even-keel. There’s a lot more distractions at the final four, so there is a little different feel to it, but we’re preparing like we would for anybody we’d play.” Link Quote Link to comment
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