Saleaumua Leads NU Past Texas A&M

Lincoln ? Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua drilled a career-high 17 kills to lead the eighth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team to a come-from-behind 30-28, 26-30, 26-30, 30-26, 15-9 win over Texas A&M Wednesday night in front of 4,105 fans at the NU Coliseum. Saleaumua also added 20 digs for her team-leading third double-double of the season.

With the win, the Huskers improved to 9-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12 Conference. NU, which fell to Georgia Tech in five games Sunday, avoided dropping back-to-back matches for the first time since 1997. Wednesday marked the first time since the 1999 season that Nebraska has played back-to-back five game matches.

'I thought we were flat and sluggish tonight, and maybe still recovering from the weekend,' NU Coach John Cook said. 'We had to reach down to win this match. It was do or die, and the Huskers showed a lot of heart and character at the end. You have to love that.'

Down two games to one, Nebraska took its offensive game to a higher level to win games four and five. NU hit .167, .222 and .167 in the first three games, but swung at a .341 clip in game four and had a .364 mark in game five. Saleaumua tallied eight kills in the final two games, while senior outside hitter Anna Schrad posted 11 of her team-best 20 kills in the last two games.

After the score was tied 2-2 in game five, Nebraska never trailed as Saleaumua, Schrad and Ally Rebholz all provided kills at key points. And with NU leading, 6-3, freshman middle blocker Christina Houghtelling came up with back-to-back blocks of A&M's Beth Skypala and Carrie Moreira. NU finally took the match when sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer produced a service ace for the 15-9, fifth-game win.

'We weren't even thinking about losing out there,' said Rebholz, who totaled a career-high 15 kills. 'We go out to win every point, and if we have to go to five games, then we're going to do it.'

Nebraska led throughout game one and held a commanding 28-22 advantage after a kill by Saleaumua. A&M answered with a kill, but Saleaumua slammed another kill on the next play to force a game-point situation. However, the Huskers struggled to convert. The Aggies reeled off five straight points with Skypala at the service line in a stretch that included kills from Jones and Melissa Munsch. The Huskers finally took the 30-28 first-game win when Schrad hit a kill off the A&M block.

The Huskers committed seven service errors in game one and hit just .167, but held Texas A&M to a .128 average.

Nebraska improved slightly offensively in game two, hitting .222, but the Huskers eventually fell, 30-26. The Aggies led, 25-18, before Houghtelling slammed a kill. Saleaumua brought the Huskers within four with a kill, but Jones notched two kills down the stretch to secure the game for the Aggies.

Texas A&M carried its momentum into game three. The score was tied nine times before A&M took the lead for good with the help of a kill from Munsch. Schrad and Rebholz had several key kills down the stretch, as Schrad tallied five kills and a .455 hitting percentage and Rebholz posted four on a .444 clip, but NU hit .167 as a team. A&M wrapped up the 30-26, third-game win on a kill by Skypala.

NU rebounded in game four, winning 30-26 and tying the match at two games apiece. The Huskers led most of the way until Jones tied the score at 20 with a kill. Rebholz answered with a kill and Saleaumua served an ace to make it 22-20, Nebraska. Texas A&M cut the lead to one after Moreira slammed a kill. But NU reeled off three points with kills by Rebholz, Schrad and Fautsch, stretching their lead to 26-22. NU scored the winning point on an A&M service error.

With the loss, Texas A&M fell to 7-3 overall and 0-1 in the league. Sophomore outside hitter Laura Jones led the Aggies with 23 kills and hit .270. Skypala added 17 kills and a team-high 21 digs.

The Huskers return to action Saturday when they face Texas in Austin. First serve at Gregory Gymnasium is scheduled for 7 p.m. The match can be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network and B107.3 FM in Lincoln.