Nebraska Wins Fourth Big 12 Conference Title

Lincoln -- The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team clinched the Big 12 Conference title Wednesday night with a 15-5, 15-10, 15-1 win over Iowa State before 4,128 fans at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers improved to 25-0 overall and have claimed 17 conference victories, a total that no other Big 12 team is capable of equaling with three matches remaining in the Big 12 season.

Second-place Kansas State had 12 wins entering its Wednesday match at Oklahoma.

"It feels good to mathematically clinch the Big 12 title this early," NU Coach John Cook said. "People around here are used to winning conference titles. Coach (Terry) Pettit has about 20 Big 12 and Big Eight rings, but for some of us, this is a very big deal. The coaches are all new, and most of the players are young, so we aren't used to this. It's such a great accomplishment."

The sophomore trio of setter Greichaly Cepero, middle blocker Amber Holmquist and outside hitter Laura Pilakowski led the Huskers to victory, combining for 30 kills and a .440 hitting percentage. Holmquist pounded a match-high 11 kills on .389 hitting and tied for the match-high in blocks with four. Cepero posted her ninth double-double of the season with 31 assists and 10 kills on a .533 hitting percentage, and Pilakowski had nine kills on .412 hitting and recorded seven blocks. Junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp added six kills and hit .750.

The Huskers also received a boost from their bench. Cook started freshman defensive specialist Jenae Dowling and sophomore middle blocker Pam Krejci in the third game after Nebraska struggled in the second. The Cyclones' 11 points in the second game were the highest point-total posted by an ISU team at the NU Coliseum since Oct. 22, 1994.

But sparked by Dowling's three service aces and Krejci's five kills on five attacks, the Huskers downed the Cyclones 15-1 in the third.

"We had our two best practices of the year this week, so I was expecting us to come out smoking," Cook said. "For whatever reason, we didn't. It was like slow motion compared to what the starters see in practice. So when Jenae and Krejci came in, they provided some enthusiasm and excitement, and it spread to everyone else."

Iowa State, which was led by Norfolk, Neb., native Sarah Rollman's 11 kills, fell to 2-25 overall and 0-18 in the league.

The Huskers return to action Saturday when they travel to Waco, Texas, to face Baylor in a 7 p.m. match. Nebraska returns home Nov. 22 to battle Texas Tech in the Huskers' last regular season home match. A Big 12 championship ceremony will follow the match.