Huskers Match Home Mark with Sweep of K-State

Lincoln ? Sarah Pavan’s 16 kills led three Huskers in double figures, as the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team rolled to a 30-16, 30-16, 30-25 sweep of No. 17 Kansas State Wednesday night at the Nebraska Coliseum.

Pavan totaled 16 kills on .364 hitting and a season-high five blocks, as the Huskers improved to 13-0 overall and 6-0 in Big 12 action with their 11th consecutive sweep. Pavan’s 16 kills also equaled her highest total in conference play, as she also had 16 in the Huskers’ Big 12 opener against Texas.

Wednesday’s win was NU’s 63rd straight home triumph, matching the school mark originally set between 1999 and 2002. It is now the third-longest home winning streak in NCAA Division I volleyball history.

Pavan, the reigning AVCA National Player of the Year, was one of three Huskers to eclipsed season bests against K-State. Sophomore Kori Cooper continued her string of impressive efforts, as she totaled 11 kills without an error on 16 swings and paced NU with a team-high seven blocks. Cooper’s blocks were not only a season best, but the highest total by any Husker in 2007. In addition, Christina Houghtelling paced NU with a season-high three aces and paced the Huskers with 13 digs while adding seven kills in the victory.

After winning the first two games comfortably, the Huskers were challenged in game three, falling behind by as much as five points and trailed 21-17 before regrouping behind Pavan, who had two kills and a block as part of NU’s 7-1 spurt to regain the lead at 24-22. Kansas State (13-4, 5-2 Big 12) ran off two straight points to tie the score at 24 on a Natalya Korobkova kill, but could not stay with the Huskers, who closed the match with a 5-1 run. Cooper, who has reached double figures in kills in each her last three Big 12 matches, had three kills and combined with Pavan on a block in the spurt, helping NU wrap up its 12th  sweep in 13 contests this season.

Nebraska Head Coach John Cook was pleased with how his team handled the adversity in game three.

“I was interested to see how our team would respond,” Cook said. “Kansas State upped their level of play. They started digging balls, and they were serving very tough. You have to give K-State credit for really battling because they could have packed it in.”

“You could see the crowd was getting a little antsy, and we were getting a little antsy,” Cook said about the third game.  “I could see their competitiveness start coming out and their determination. I was really pleased with how our team responded and was really competitive when we got down. We haven’t been in that situation in a couple of weeks and it was fun to see that.”

Cook had plenty to smile about early on, as the Huskers were precise during the first two games. NU hit well over .400 in each of the first two games, while holding the Wildcats, who led the Big 12 in aces per game, without an ace heading into the intermission.

The Huskers used a strong start and great serving from Rachel Holloway to key NU’s 30-16 victory in the opener. Holloway served 10 of NU’s 30 points, including a run of six straight points to open the contest, and dished out 14 assists in helping the Huskers hit .424 as a team.  While Holloway carved K-State up with her serving, Jordan Larson capitalized with three kills and a block in a four rally sequence, slamming home a pair of overpasses in the process.  KSU got to within 9-5, but NU ran off four straight points to force the Wildcats to used their second timeout after Larson’s shot found the corner and gave the Huskers a 13-5 lead. The Huskers continued to expand the lead and never led by fewer than eight points in cruising to 14-point win.

Nebraska continued the momentum in game two racing out to a 9-3 lead in posting another 30-16 victory. The Huskers hit a blistering .457 as a team with Houghtelling, Pavan and Larson adding four kills apiece. Nebraska continued to blister the Wildcats with strong serving, pushing the lead to 12-4 after consecutive aces by Houghtelling. The Wildcats eventually whittled the lead to 15-9, but a Holloway kill keyed a 4-1 sport that made it a 19-10 lead and essentially took the visitors out of the game.

Korobkova led Kansas State with a match-high 19 kills, but the Wildcats were held to .117 hitting, well under their .272 team average entering Wednesday’s contest.

The Huskers, who have won 23 straight matches dating back to last season, now travel to Boulder, Colo., to take on the Colorado Buffaloes. First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. (Central) on Saturday and fans can listen on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and on Huskers.com.