At Nebraska, the list of setters who didn't go on to become All-Americans is seemingly shorter than that of the ones who did.

Such mystique at a position could be intimidating if you think much about it. Rachel Holloway, a redshirt freshman, understands that she's following in the footsteps of Greichaly Cepero, Fiona Nepo, Christy Johnson and others as the quarterback of the Huskers' tradition-rich volleyball program.

Yet, Holloway is charting her own course, and in doing so, she figures to one day threaten some of the most treasured records in NU history.

By starting Nebraska's season-opener against San Diego, Holloway became the first freshman to begin her career directing the Huskers in a one-setter system since at least 1983.

"I was a little jittery at first," admitted Holloway, who emerged as the starter after a battle with junior Maggie Griffin during preseason drills. Head coach John Cook informed Holloway that she had won the job only hours before Nebraska's Red-White Scrimmage on Aug. 26.

"He just called me into the office and said you have the keys to the car — some kind of fancy car, it's hard to remember," Holloway added, recalling the moment. "When I went home to shower, I called my sister Sarah, and said, 'I'm really nervous.' "

If there are any jitters over having Holloway at the controls, however, they aren't evident among Nebraska's players and coaches.

Even though Holloway should only be in her first year of college this fall, she is experienced beyond her years. Rather than move with her family from Colorado to Tennessee, she elected to enroll at Nebraska a year early and spent the 2005 season training with the Huskers.

Holloway is a decorated player internationally, having led the U.S. Youth National Team as its starting setter for two years. Under her leadership, the U.S. finished fourth at the Under-18 World Championships in 2005 in China.

And late this summer, Holloway was the heavily recruited captain of the U.S. Junior National Team that won the gold medal at the NORCECA Continental Championships.

"I said no to them three times before because I wanted to be fresh and I wanted the summer to condition," said Holloway, who virtually walked off the court in Mexico and into practices at Nebraska last month.

"There were a lot of young girls and a lot of new girls, so I worked a lot on my leadership while I was there," Holloway added. "As it turned out, it was really fun to just play."

First and foremost, Holloway is a competitor whose athletic genes trace to her grandfather, a two-time All-American at Texas and a member of college football's Hall of Fame.

An older brother, Tillman, was an All-American lineman and a four-year letterman for the Longhorns, and Sarah, too, was a starter for the Longhorns' volleyball team as a freshman in 2004.

In choosing Nebraska over Texas, the younger Holloway became the first big-name setter in several years to commit to a program that hasn't produced an All-American setter since Cepero in 2002.

While it's too early to talk about All-American certificates in Holloway's future, her teammates say she likely has what it takes.

"She's a well-trained, gifted athlete, and she knows how to dish it," said junior middle blocker Tracy Stalls. "She puts it in the wheelhouse, man, and it's fun."

Like Stalls, Holloway trained under coach Jim Miret of the Front Range Volleyball Club. Their connection was evident in Nebraska's opening matches of the season when Stalls, a career .290 hitter, hit .607 while averaging close to 3.5 kills a game.

Holloway's sets have made All-American Sarah Pavan even more of a threat this season. Against Long Beach State, nine of Pavan's 24 kills were back-row attacks.

"If she gets it high enough and far enough in front of the 10-foot line, I'm golden," Pavan said. "The ball was there every time."

For her part, Holloway says she's not good at saying good things about herself. That's likely to change, especially if Nebraska has more performances like the one against Long Beach State that Cook put in the category of "amazing."

"You can see she's very athletic and does some special things as a setter," he said.