Huskers sure give good quotes

You can see how cocky they are when they walk in here. You just want to beat them handily every time.
-- Sarah Pavan on Texas coming to Lincoln.

Mrwoowrr! PFfffft! C-c-c-c-atfight!

Cook mere steps away from life in a bubble

You know, Cook has never been one to couch his words, not known to beat around the bush. This time, according to an article in the Lincoln Star Journal, he wants atmospheric approval before the Huskers venture into Penn State's Rec Hall two years from now.

Cook wants a guarantee that Nebraska won’t have to play in (humid) conditions when the Huskers make a planned return to Penn State in 2009.

That's funny. When I look at Houghtelling, Pavan, Larson, Cooper, Holloway, Schwartz, heck even Lee Maes, the term "fragile" never really occurred to me. Nor "dainty," nor "delicate," nor...

Let's trip the Licht fantastic!

Any chance we can wait until at least Lindsey Licht's freshman fall before we start in with the obvious comparisons to Pavan?

"Yes, national player of the year Sarah Pavan and freshman recruit Lindsey Licht are both 6-foot-5. And, yes, they’re both left-handed."

No? OK, guess not.

It's just that we've got a whole summer and fall to play that card, and I didn't think we needed to use it in April. Next up, a discussion of playing in Pavan's shadow, and how, also being 6'5", Licht casts her own formidable shadow.

Fun with headlines on CSTV.com

Mackie? The "Boys"? Your boyfriend? The Real Slim Shady?

Ohhhh. I guess that was a rhetorical question. How...silly of us.

Stemke signs up to get heart broken again

Lizzy Stemke, nee Fitzgerald, has been lured away from the Joe Sagula Empire of the Southeast to John Cook's Oasis on the Plains. A bold move for Stemke, under the circumstances, as she was recruited to play at Wisconsin when Cook was the head cheese, only to see him scoot south to Lincoln a year later.

We hope Cook is more considerate of her fragile emotional state this time around.

And how about this picture of Cook? A T-shirt! Look how relaxed this guy is now! Winning the national title in December was the equivalent of spending a month with the Dalai Lama. Look for Cook to stop shaving soon and grow a full beard.

Wake the neighbors! Becky Pavan won't be a Husker!

How can you determine if a high school player's name has clout in the volleyball world? Well, if newspapers write articles about the schools she's ruled out, that's a pretty good indicator.

Case in point, The Record has an article today letting everyone know that Becky Pavan, younger sister of Nebraksa's Sarah, won't be a Husker.

Love the following snippet from the article:

...Elmira Lancers 25-12, 25-11, 25-10 to improve to 13-0 (won-lost) in Waterloo County play this season.

"(won-lost)." Just in case you're thinking that the losses are listed first, in a reverse of the standard that's been around since David went 1-0 vs. Goliath. Or maybe listing losses first is how they do things in Quebec, which wouldn't be surprising. They'd probably do it out of spite for the rest of Canada, which seems to be the reason they do most things.

Tagaloa not tagging-along-a, anymore

Charlene Johnson-Tagaloa, she of the ever-present flower / pen... thingie... has resigned from Nebraska to take a job that better suits her family life. So the recent female assistant coaching lineage at Nebraska goes like this: Kathy Noth. Stacie Wolfe (remember Stacie Wolfe? Sigh...). Charlene Johnson-Tagaloa. Whoever fills the position will have to continue the long legacy of Husker setting training, which was STELLAR under Noth. Not that Johnson hyphen Tagaloa was bad, but Noth set the bar pretty freakin' high.

Plus there was that whole period where Cepero came back from training with the national team and all of a sudden her hands were like salad tongs trying to shuffle a deck of cards. That's I think the moment when some people started to say, "Hey maybe this Toshi guy ain't all he's cracked up to be."

Who are the preeminent college setter trainers out there? OK, besides Debbie Green. Who are the preeminent college setter trainers out there that would move to Lincoln? Might Cook try to pull a Hebert and hire a male coach? Or go back to his San Diego roots and yank someone out of the club scene? Can you envision a Husker staff that reads Cook, Maes...Ozhan?

Mating rituals of the 6'5" Canadian Southpaw

We admit we might not be up on all the mating rituals of Canada, but we're wildly guessing that "feats of athleticism" is in there somewhere, if only for the following quote from Nebraska track and field athlete Dusty Jonas.

“I had to prove to myself, the track community, my girlfriend (Husker All-America volleyball player Sarah Pavan) and her family here from Canada that I could jump like I’m supposed to,” Jonas said.

Yikes. "Jump like I'm supposed to?" As in "Dusty could you clean out the garage" SPROING! "ABSOLUTELY!"

Apparently it's not enough that you're a nice guy, college athlete. You also have to be able to clear 7'1/4" in the high jump. Those...are tough standards.