25 points about the Huskers' 2008 season
Instead of 30 points, it will now require only 25 points to win sets one through four. So we'll kick off the season with 25 points to get you up to speed:
1. Nebraska enters 2008 with a 72-match home winning streak, the third-longest streak in NCAA history. Penn State has the record with 87 consecutive wins.
2. Former NU assistant Lee Maes is in his first season as head coach at Virginia. The Cavaliers are picked to finish fifth in the ACC.
3. UCLA will begin the season without Kaitlin Sather, who underwent surgery to repair a biceps injury. Sather averaged 3.76 kills and 3.07 digs a set last year.
4. Without four-year starter Bryn Kehoe, Stanford could employ a two-setter system with junior Joanna Evans and sophomore Cassidy Lichtman.
5. Nebraska will play twice on the same day at an early-season tournament at Cal Poly. The Huskers haven’t double up since 2003 at Illinois State.
6. After tying for last in the Big 12 a year ago, Colorado was picked seventh in this year’s preseason poll. In 2006, Oklahoma went from last to second.
7. This was the first Olympics since 1988 where a former Husker wasn’t involved. Candidates for 2012 include Nancy Metcalf, Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson.
8. Texas and Penn State, two favorites to reach the final four, will both play host to regionals. Colorado State and Washington are the other regional sites.
9. Former NU assistant Jeff Nelson will lead New Mexico into this year’s Ameritas Players Challenge. Nelson coached previously at San Francisco and Texas Tech.
10. Call is the “Restrepo Rule.” Oklahoma’s active head coach, and others, are to be 1.75 meters (5.75 feet) from the sideline while the ball is in play.
11. Dave Shoji begins his 34th year at Hawaii with a new five-year contract that guarantees the coach a base salary of $175,000 a year.
12. Unless Texas elects to go with a two-setter system that includes junior Ashley Engle, the Horns will have a true freshman feeding a stable of great outside hitters.
13. Referees are to call multiple contacts only when obvious and are to give the benefit of the doubt when judging extremely athletic plays.
14. With the length of sets reduced, Sarah Pavan’s NU record of 5.10 kills per set could be tough to beat. Same for Melissa Elmer (blocks) and Dani Busboom (digs).
15. Although Penn St. returns four All-Americans, coach Russ Rose has used last year’s NU finish to squelch overconfidence. No team has repeated since USC in 2003.
16. Former Husker Brooke Bartek still hopes to play for Kentucky this season. The junior is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
17. Last year’s national player of the year, Stanford senior MB Foluke Akinradewo returns after hitting .499, the second best single-season mark in NCAA history.
18. Although not yet a sellout, tickets for the final four in Omaha are moving. As of Sunday, the best available four-seat block was in row L of the upper deck.
19. Since 2000, Nebraska is the winningest program in Division I with 250 victories. A surprise in top 10? Florida A&M is ninth, ahead of Texas.
20. Creighton won’t factor into the Big 12 race, but the Jays’ non-conference schedule includes Texas A&M, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
21. Soriana Pacheco, a juco standout at Western Nebraska Community College, will battle for the starting setter position at Kansas State.
22. The only top-25 teams on No. 8 Florida’s regular-season schedule are No. 17 Colorado State, No. 21 LSU and No. 24 Long Beach State.
23. After Texas backed out of a tournament in Hawaii to play in the AVCA Showcase, the Rainbow Wahine signed up Penn State as a replacement.
24. Richkern.com already lists 28 players as committed to Division I schools for the 2010 recruiting class.
25. All of last season, NU opponents reached 25 points in a set 31 times out of 100 possibilities. Nebraska was 95 out of 100.
1. Nebraska enters 2008 with a 72-match home winning streak, the third-longest streak in NCAA history. Penn State has the record with 87 consecutive wins.
2. Former NU assistant Lee Maes is in his first season as head coach at Virginia. The Cavaliers are picked to finish fifth in the ACC.
3. UCLA will begin the season without Kaitlin Sather, who underwent surgery to repair a biceps injury. Sather averaged 3.76 kills and 3.07 digs a set last year.
4. Without four-year starter Bryn Kehoe, Stanford could employ a two-setter system with junior Joanna Evans and sophomore Cassidy Lichtman.
5. Nebraska will play twice on the same day at an early-season tournament at Cal Poly. The Huskers haven’t double up since 2003 at Illinois State.
6. After tying for last in the Big 12 a year ago, Colorado was picked seventh in this year’s preseason poll. In 2006, Oklahoma went from last to second.
7. This was the first Olympics since 1988 where a former Husker wasn’t involved. Candidates for 2012 include Nancy Metcalf, Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson.
8. Texas and Penn State, two favorites to reach the final four, will both play host to regionals. Colorado State and Washington are the other regional sites.
9. Former NU assistant Jeff Nelson will lead New Mexico into this year’s Ameritas Players Challenge. Nelson coached previously at San Francisco and Texas Tech.
10. Call is the “Restrepo Rule.” Oklahoma’s active head coach, and others, are to be 1.75 meters (5.75 feet) from the sideline while the ball is in play.
11. Dave Shoji begins his 34th year at Hawaii with a new five-year contract that guarantees the coach a base salary of $175,000 a year.
12. Unless Texas elects to go with a two-setter system that includes junior Ashley Engle, the Horns will have a true freshman feeding a stable of great outside hitters.
13. Referees are to call multiple contacts only when obvious and are to give the benefit of the doubt when judging extremely athletic plays.
14. With the length of sets reduced, Sarah Pavan’s NU record of 5.10 kills per set could be tough to beat. Same for Melissa Elmer (blocks) and Dani Busboom (digs).
15. Although Penn St. returns four All-Americans, coach Russ Rose has used last year’s NU finish to squelch overconfidence. No team has repeated since USC in 2003.
16. Former Husker Brooke Bartek still hopes to play for Kentucky this season. The junior is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
17. Last year’s national player of the year, Stanford senior MB Foluke Akinradewo returns after hitting .499, the second best single-season mark in NCAA history.
18. Although not yet a sellout, tickets for the final four in Omaha are moving. As of Sunday, the best available four-seat block was in row L of the upper deck.
19. Since 2000, Nebraska is the winningest program in Division I with 250 victories. A surprise in top 10? Florida A&M is ninth, ahead of Texas.
20. Creighton won’t factor into the Big 12 race, but the Jays’ non-conference schedule includes Texas A&M, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
21. Soriana Pacheco, a juco standout at Western Nebraska Community College, will battle for the starting setter position at Kansas State.
22. The only top-25 teams on No. 8 Florida’s regular-season schedule are No. 17 Colorado State, No. 21 LSU and No. 24 Long Beach State.
23. After Texas backed out of a tournament in Hawaii to play in the AVCA Showcase, the Rainbow Wahine signed up Penn State as a replacement.
24. Richkern.com already lists 28 players as committed to Division I schools for the 2010 recruiting class.
25. All of last season, NU opponents reached 25 points in a set 31 times out of 100 possibilities. Nebraska was 95 out of 100.
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