Larson?s Aces Lift No. 2 Huskers past Kansas

Lincoln ? Behind 12 kills and three aces from All-American Jordan Larson, second-ranked Nebraska remained unbeaten, defeating Kansas, 3-1 (25-15, 25-19, 22-25, 25-15) Wednesday evening at the Nebraska Coliseum.

Larson, who added 11 digs for her third straight double-double, wasted little time taking sole possession of Nebraska’s all-time ace record, ripping her first serve of the night on the end line for her 162nd career ace. She broke the mark of 161 she shared with Val Novak (1987-90), earning an extended standing ovation from the crowd of 4,123 in attendance. Larson now has a school-record 164 aces in 111 career matches at Nebraska.

Tara Mueller tied Larson for team-high honors with 12 kills on .300 hitting and added three blocks for Nebraska, which improved to 11-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12. Kori Cooper and Lindsey Licht added nine and eight kills respectively, as the Huskers extended their home win streak to 77 matches.

Nebraska got on a roll offensively in the first set, hitting .520 as a team with all six hitters all recording at least two kills, led by Mueller’s four kills in five swings.  Cooper ignited an early run, coming through with back-to-back kills as part of a run of five unanswered points that spot the Huskers a 9-4 lead after a Schwartz ace. Leading 10-5, Larson’s ace began another four-point run, making it 14-5 after Sydney Anderson found an opening the Jayhawk defense.  The Huskers continued to add on to the lead, pushing the margin to 21-7 after two straight Mueller kills before rolling cruised to a 10-point win.

After the hot start, NU failed to sustain momentum, finishing the night with a .258 hitting percentage.

“In the first game, we were really sharp and focused and we did a really nice job, but then we started watching the scoreboard,” Nebraska Coach John Cook said. “When you start watching the scoreboard, you forget how to compete and how to play. I’m not surprised we had a little let-down tonight. I think after our adrenaline burned out in that first game, it’s kind of like a big jet going up, they burnt fuel before they could get right up there.  We kind of lost our focus, so all of the parts of the game started struggling a little bit and Kansas took advantage of it, especially in game three.”

Nebraska’s defense keyed a solid performance in the second set, as the Huskers recorded four blocks and KU to .026 hitting in a 25-19 win.  Gates paced the Huskers with three kills on four swings and a pair of blocks as Nebraska took control midway through the set.  With the score tied at 12-all, Licht took over, accounting for three of the Huskers’ five points to help NU take a 17-13 advantage. She combined with Gates on stuff block to highlight the spurt before adding a pair of kills to provide the hosts with a four-point lead. KU pulled to within 19-16, but kills from Larson and Cooper began a 5-0 Husker run that put the set out of reach.

In the third set, the Huskers dug themselves a deep hole and fought back before succumbing 25-22. KU out-hit the Huskers .143.-.083 behind four kills from Karina Garlington.  With the score tied at 11, three straight Husker miscues put NU in a three-point hole and forced an early timeout. Nebraska cut the deficit to 15-13 on a Cooper kill, but the Jayhawks ran off four straight points, extend the margin to 19-13 on a Garlington kill. The Huskers were down 20-15 before running off five straight points, evening the set at 20-all on consecutive Mueller kills. Kansas withstood the flurry, getting a kill from Natalie Uhart and a Husker miscue to push the lead back to two points. NU got within 23-22, but Uhart combined with Savannah Noyes for a block before Noyes’ kill gave Kansas their first set against the Huskers since 2005.

“We made a big run in game three and they (Kansas) did not let up,” Cook said. “They found a way to win game three, so you have to give them credit.”

Nebraska clamped down defensively in the finale, forcing KU to just -.071 in a 25-15 victory. Anderson took control for NU early, running off the first four points from the service to start the Big Red an early lead. Leading 8-4, Nebraska delivered the knockout blow behind Larson, who had two kills and an ace in a 7-1 spurt, giving the Huskers a 15-5 lead. NU eventually pushed the advantage to 20-8 after an Amanda Gates kill and cruised home to its 47th consecutive Big 12 home win.

Karina Garlington led Kansas (7-5, 1-2 Big 12) with a team-high 10 kills, while Noyes added nine for the Jayhawks, who were held to just .067 hitting on the night. 

The Huskers return to action on Saturday night, traveling to Ames, Iowa, for a matchup with the Iowa State Cyclones. First serve at Hilton Coliseum is set for 6:30 p.m. and the match will be carried on selected Husker Sports Network stations, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha and on Huskers.com