Huskers Top Wildcats in Exhibition

Lincoln ? Jordan Larson’s 17 kills led four Huskers in double figures, as the Nebraska volleyball team defeated Kentucky 31-29, 25-18, 25-20, 25-14, in a spring exhibition Saturday night in front of a crowd of 2,792 at the Nebraska Coliseum.

Larson totaled a match-high 17 kills on .378 hitting and added 14 digs, as the Huskers wrapped up the team portion of the spring exhibition season with a 3-1 mark.  Sophomores-to-be Tara Mueller and Lindsey Licht also turned in strong performances against the Wildcats, combining for 28 kills on the evening. Mueller totaled 16 kills and 11 digs, while Licht totaled 12 kills and a match-high eight blocks.  

NU also ran its middle attack with efficiency, as its four middle blockers combined for 28 kills on just 41 swings. Kori Cooper totaled 10 kills on 12 swings, while Amanda Gates added eight kills on .375 hitting and four blocks. Redshirt freshmen-to-be Brook Delano had seven kills and three blocks while Jordan Wilberger was successful on all three of her attempts.

On the night, Nebraska hit .316 as a team with Maggie Griffin dishing out 68 assists in her final match at the NU Coliseum

Kayla Banwarth and Rachel Schwartz anchored a defensive effort that held the Wildcats to .137 hitting, as Banwarth totaled 13 digs, while Schwartz chipped in 10 digs, helping NU post a 56-38 advantage in that category.
 
Sarah Mendoza led Kentucky with nine kills and 10 digs, while Queen Nzenwa and Lauren Rapp totaled eight kills apiece in the loss.
 
While the team portion of the spring is concluded, the Huskers will now set their sights toward the beach, heading to San Diego, Calif., for the Collegiate Nationals next Sunday in San Diego.

Nebraska Coach John Cook
On what he saw in the match
“Well, I saw a lot of nerves. Which we were expecting because it’s the first time these guys have played in the Coliseum. Really if you look at it, we had two starters out there. I saw a lot of nerves but I thought we played through it. I think we did some really good things, and I thought our passing was really good for the spring.  Kentucky is a very good serving team.  The end of the first game is the only time we really only broke down.  I thought that was a positive, and I thought our defense was great.  I think they played really well as a team tonight. I could sense that there was a tremendous commitment to each other. I am going to credit Jordan (Larson), if you could of just watched how she interacted with her teammates, it was very good.

On Maggie Griffin playing her last match at the Coliseum
“She was crying at the end (of the match), so it meant a lot to her. She hasn’t played this good all spring. She’s only been practice twice a week, and she comes late on one of the days, so it’s not like she has been in there training.  Maggie was in the moment tonight and it was a blast to watch it.”

               Kentucky vs Nebraska (Apr 12, 2008 at Lincoln, NE)

  Nebraska def. Kentucky 31-29,25-18,25-20,25-14

  Kentucky (Kills-aces-blocks) - Mendoza, Sarah 9-0-2; Rapp,
  Lauren 8-1-7; Nzenwa, Queen 8-0-6; Rumely, Sarah 7-0-4; Armes, Ann
  4-0-4; Hiler, Blaire 4-0-0; Totals 40-1-13.0. (Assists) - Rumely,
  Sarah 28. (Dig leaders) - Mendoza, Sarah 10; Rumely, Sarah 8

  Nebraska (Kills-aces-blocks) - Larson, Jordan 17-0-0; Mueller,
  Tara 16-0-0; Licht, Lindsey 12-0-8; Cooper, Kori 10-1-0; Gates, Amanda
  8-0-4; Delano, Brooke 7-0-3; Wilberger, Jordan 3-0-1; Griffin, Maggie
  3-0-1; Schwartz, Rachel 0-1-0; Totals 76-2-10.0. (Assists) - Griffin,
  Maggie 68. (Dig leaders) - Larson, Jordan 14; Banwarth, Kayla 13;
  Mueller, Tara 11; Schwartz, Rachel 10

  Site: Lincoln, NE (NU Coliseum)
  Date: Apr 12, 2008   Attend: 2792   Time: 1:48
  Referees: Daryl Korinek, Bill Stanley