Larson, Pavan Power Sweep of Jays

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln -- Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson combined for 33 kills, lifting No. 1 Nebraska to a 30-23, 30-18, 30-26 sweep of Creighton Friday night at the NU Coliseum.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

The Huskers, who improved to 3-0 on the season and extended their home winning streak to 55 matches, used strong performances from their first-team All-Americans to pick up their 10th win in as many matches against their in-state rival.

Pavan finished with a match-high 18 kills on .394 hitting and seven digs, while Larson totaled 15 kills on .345 hitting, four service aces, three blocks and eight digs.

A junior outside hitter from Hooper, Neb., Larson stepped up in the finale, delivering four kills and served the final four points to help NU close game three with a 5-0 run after falling behind 26-25. Larson's four aces give her 101 in her career, putting her 10 away from Nebraska's top-10 list.

Nebraska out-hit Creighton, .282-.125 and totaled 50 digs, including a team-high 12 by Rachel Holloway. The sophomore setter led NU in digs for the first time in her career and also chipped in 35 digs and a pair of aces en route to her second straight double-double.

Nebraska will look to extend its home win streak on Sunday against third-ranked PennState, which won a five-game thriller over No. 18 Cal Poly earlier Friday. Over 11,500 tickets have been sold for the matchup and tickets are still available at the Qwest Center Omaha box office, Ticketmaster outlets and at Ticketmaster.com.

The Huskers received contributions from their talented class of freshmen as well, as Lindsey Licht and Tara Mueller combined for six kills and three blocks. Licht had four kills and three digs, while Mueller had a pair of kills and three blocks in her Husker debut.

Creighton, which fell to 3-2 on the season and saw its three-match win streak snapped, was led by Jessica Houts' 13 kills and four blocks, while no other Bluejay finished with more than five kills.

 

In the opener, Nebraska used a strong offensive effort to pull away with a 30-23 victory. The Huskers hit .405 as a team, as Pavan and Larson combined for 15 of the Huskers’ 22 kills. The Huskers forged out to a 13-9 lead, only to see the Bluejays roll off five consecutive points from the serve of Lauren Bloemke, taking a 14-13 lead off Bloemke’s ace. That was the final time Creighton led in the opener, as the Huskers ran off five unanswered points to turn a 16-all contest into a 21-16 advantage after Larson’s first solo block of the match. The run continued moments later as a Bluejay attack error and a Pavan kill 24-17 and forced CU to use its second timeout. Creighton closed to within 26-20, but Licht delivered a pair of kills to push the lead back to seven points, at 28-21.

 

The Husker defense was more methodical in game two, holding Creighton to .027 hitting in a 30-18 victory. NU used the serving of Larson to run off five straight points, highlighted by a two Christina Houghtelling kills and a Larson ace to turn a two-point deficit into an 8-5 lead. Creighton pulled to within 10-7, but the Huskers responded by winning five of the next six rallies, capped by Larson’s solo block of Allie Oelke to make it 15-8. CU eventually whittled the lead to 16-13, but a Kori Cooper kill, a Holloway ace and two Bluejay hitting errors quickly made it 20-13, snuffing out CU’s best chance to tie the match before intermission.

 

Game three was a back-and-forth battle that saw neither team take control. Pavan’s two kills and a block keyed an early 5-1 spurt that gave NU its biggest lead at 14-10. Creighton fought back, closing to within 16-14 on a block from Bloemke and Sarah Schulze. Neither team led by more than three points until the final point of the night. Creighton took a 23-21 lead after a pair of Bloemke aces and held a 26-25 lead until Larson took over the match. Pavan tied the game at 26 with her 18th kill of the match, before a Mueller kill gave NU a 27-26 lead. After a Creighton timeout, Larson ripped consecutive aces to put NU within a point of victory before a Bluejay attack error gave the Huskers their second sweep in three matches.