Nebraska Advances to Sweet 16 with Win at Kansas State

Manhattan, Kan. - The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in school history with a 30-25, 28-30, 30-26, 30-19, win over Kansas State in second-round action Saturday night at Ahearn Fieldhouse. The Huskers, who are making their 20th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, have advanced 18 times to the Sweet 16. Nebraska, 49-17 all-time in the tournament, will face either Colorado or Colorado State in the regional semifinals. Sites for the four NCAA regionals will be determined Sunday night following the conclusion of all second-round matches.

Nebraska (29-1) used a balanced offensive attack in their second-round triumph, engineered by Greichaly Cepero. The junior setter produced eight kills, 51 assists, 14 digs and 10 blocks in leading NU to a .352 hitting percentage. Nancy Metcalf tallied 14 kills and 16 digs, while Laura Pilakowski posted 14 kills and 12 digs. Middle blockers Jenny Kropp and Amber Holmquist combined for 25 kills and two errors on 40 attacks with 14 blocks. Anna Schrad produced a team-high 18 digs and two service aces.

Kansas State ended its season with a 20-8 overall record. NU out-blocked the Wildcats 18-8 and held them to a .172 hitting percentage. Lisa Mimick led KSU with 13 kills, and Liz Wegner added 12. Setter Gabby Guerre recorded nine kills and 40 assists.

"Kansas State came out with a lot of fight and they played great defense against us," NU Coach John Cook said. "They are such a great serving team that you never really feel comfortable against them. I was very impressed with them tonight."

Nebraska was on fire early in game one as they raced to a 7-0 lead with Schrad at the service line. Schrad picked up two aces, and Pilakowski and Holmquist each produced two kills in the run. The Huskers led by 12 before KSU mounted a comeback. The Wildcats cut NU's lead to 15-8 with the help of two kills from Mimick. Kansas State pulled within four after a kill by Lauren Goehring, and then cut Nebraska's advantage to three with another kill by Goehring.

But Schrad stopped KSU's run with a kill. NU went up 25-21 after a service error by Mimick. A kill by Cepero, a KSU service error, a kill from Kropp and a block of Goehring by Pilakowski and Kropp brought the Huskers to game point. Kansas State twice thwarted Nebraska, first with a kill by Guerre and then with a block of Kropp. But Metcalf secured a 30-25, first-game win for the Huskers with a perfectly placed roll shot that landed in the deep left side of the court.

"We have to credit that first game in part to our fans," Cook said. 'There were so many of them here, and that really fired us up."

In game two, Nebraska led by as many as eight before Kansas State tied it at 25 with back-to-back kills by Wegner. Holmquist answered with a kill to make it 26-25 NU, and Metcalf followed to widen the margin to two. KSU tied it at 27 with another kill by Wegner and an ace serve by Kris Jensen. A Nebraska hitting error and kills by Wegner - who accounted for four of Kansas State's final six points -- and Geohring gave the Wildcats the 30-28, second-game win.

In game three, the two teams battled point-for-point to a 22-22 tie. With Metcalf at the service line, the Huskers reeled off five straight as Holmquist and Cepero combined for two blocks and Cepero notched a solo stop. KSU blocked an attack by Anna Schrad to cut NU's lead to 27-24, but Cepero answered with a kill. The squads exchanged service errors to make it 29-24, Nebraska. The Wildcats held NU off twice with kills from Guerre and Wegner, but Nebraska took the 30-26, third-game win on the ensuing possession on a service error by Jayne Christen.

Nebraska controlled the entire fourth game, using a 6-0 lead that included two kills by Kropp to take a 17-8 advantage. The Wildcats pulled within six after an ace serve by Cari Jensen, but never got closer than that. NU used an 8-0 run to make it 24-12, its largest lead of the game. The Huskers wrapped up the 30-19, fourth-game win and the match on a kill by Metcalf.

"I was very, very proud to be the coach of this team tonight," KSU Coach Suzie Fritz said. "They fought the good fight, and they gave everything they had. I thought that it was unfortunate that we had to be matched up against Nebraska in the first round, because this team is a top 16 team without a doubt."