Volleyball Travels to Take On No. 1 Nebraska
9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 30, 2005
Baylor at No. 1 Nebraska Preview
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BAYLOR (9-6, 1-3 Big 12) at
No. 1 Nebraska (12-0, 4-0 Big 12)
Saturday, Oct. 1 - 7:30 p.m.
Nebraska Coliseum (4,030) - Lincoln, Neb.
TV (Tape Delay): CSTV (Sunday, Oct. 2 - 3 p.m.)
Baylor hits the road to face top-ranked Nebraska Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Nebraska Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb. The match will be the first in the history of Baylor's volleyball program to be nationally televised. It will be shown tape delayed on CSTV's Sunday Night Spikes: AVCA Match of the Week Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Bears have lost four of their last five, including three straight and two in a row to ranked teams. Nebraska is a perfect 12-0 and have dropped only four games all season. The Huskers have downed six top-25 teams, including four teams which have appeared in the top five.
Baylor is led by junior outside hitter and captain Nicole LeBlanc, who is one of only four players in the Big 12 to average three kills and three digs per game, leading the team and ranking eighth in the Big 12 with 3.96 kills and ranking second on the team with 3.00 digs per game. Sophomore libero Kristen Schramek paces the Bears defensively, ranking fourth in the Big 12 overall with 4.21 digs per game and leading the league in conference matches only with 4.93 digs per game. Nebraska has no shortage of stars with All-Americans Melissa Elmer, Sarah Pavan and Jennifer Saleaumua and U.S. Junior National Team standout Jordan Larson. However, the Huskers are led offensively by Christina Houghtelling, who leads the team with 3.62 kills per game. Saleaumua leads the team and ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 4.12 dig per game, while Elmer leads the Big 12 with 2.20 blocks per game.
Saturday's match will be a matchup of two of the conference's better defensive teams, with each ranked among the top half of the Big 12 in both blocks and digs. Baylor ranks fifth in the league with 2.88 per game, even without All-Big 12 middle blocker Desiree Guilliard-Young, who has missed the entire season with a knee injury but is close to a return. Nebraska leads the nation with 4.29 blocks per game with Elmer and Pavan leading the way. The Bears rank fourth in the conference in digs with 15.66 per game, while the Huskers are sixth with 14.48 digs per game.
Saturday marks the 20th meeting between Baylor and Nebraska, with the Huskers winning all of the previous 19 meetings. The Bears are winless in 10 tries in Lincoln. The last time the two teams met, Nebraska downed the Bears in four games Oct. 23, 2004, in Waco. Nicole LeBlanc led the Bears with 13 kills and 11 blocks, and Adeline Meira also added 11 blocks. Sarah Pavan had 24 kills for the Huskers, while Melissa Elmer had 13 and Tracy Stalls had 10. Jennifer Saleaumua recorded 24 digs and Elmer had seven blocks. Baylor outblocked Nebraska, the nation's top blocking team, 14.0-11.0.
The Bears return to action when they face Colorado Wednesday at 8 p.m. CDT in Boulder, Colo., and are hoping to see the return of Guilliard-Young to the court.
