Huskers Survive Aggies' Upset Bid

College Station, Texas -- If Wednesday’s match was Nebraska’s last match at G. Rollie White Coliseum, it will go down as a memorable one, as the third-ranked Huskers escaped with a 3-2 victory. The Huskers won by scores of 23-25, 25-17, 25-14, 20-25 and 15-13.

All-American Jordan Larson had six of her 17 kills in the finale, including the final one on match point, as the Huskers withstood the Aggies’ bid for the upset in the five-set thriller. Larson finished with her seventh double-double of the year with 17 kills, 18 digs and a career- best eight blocks.

Larson was one of three Huskers to finish in double figures for Nebraska, which improved to 22-1 overall and 13-1 in the Big 12. Tara Mueller put together one of the best matches of her career, establishing career highs in both kills (19) and digs (16), while Lindsey Licht came through with 12 kills and three blocks as the Huskers topped the Aggies for the 19th consecutive time dating back to 1999.

Nebraska held Texas A&M to .168 hitting and won the match at the service line with a season-high 11 aces, compared to none for the Aggies (10-14, 5-9 Big 12). Kayla Banwarth keyed NU’s serving and defense efforts with career bests in both digs and aces with 27 digs and three, respectively.  Her 27 digs not only easily topped her career best of 21 set in last season’s NCAA Tournament, but was the most by a Husker since Dani Busboom had 29 digs against UCLA in the 2006 NCAA semifinals. Rachel Schwartz was the fourth Husker to finish in double figures, as she came up with 15 digs.

Sarah Ammerman’s 20 kills and 21 digs led Texas A&M, while Mary Batis finished with 15 kills, as the Aggies were held to .168 hitting and were out-blocked 13-9.

In the opening set, the Huskers nearly overcame a six-point deficit to forge a tie, but the Aggies a late 5-1 spurt to claim a 25-23 victory and take their first set over NU in College Station since 2002. The Aggies held the Huskers to .105 hitting and used the outside hitting duo of Ammerman and Batis, who combined for 11 of the Aggies 14 kills. Mueller paced the Huskers with four kills, while Larson had three kills and three blocks.  The Huskers fell behind quickly, as the Aggies won four of the first five rallies and took a 7-3 lead to force an early Husker timeout.  Texas A&M extended the margin to 17-11 before Nebraska mounted a comeback. A block by Kori Cooper and Larson ignited the comeback, as Nebraska used a strong serving run by Amanda Gates to pull within 17-16 after her ace capped a run of four straight points. Nebraska eventually tied the score at 18, but a service error and a hitting miscue quickly put NU back in a 20-18 deficit, forcing the Huskers’ second timeout. NU fell behind 23-19 after a Batis tip, but fought back, as kills from Larson and Mueller sandwiched around a Banwarth ace made it 23-22. A Batis kill put the Aggies at set point, but a Mueller kill fought off one opportunity before Batis’ sixth kill of the set gave the Aggies a two-point win.

The second set was a defensive struggle before Larson’s serving keyed a 5-0 spurt that helped NU even the match with a 25-17 victory. The Huskers out-hit the Aggies, .120.-046, as the teams combined for 53 digs, including 13 by Banwarth. Mueller had five kills on 11 swings to lead the Husker offense in the set. Nebraska raced out to an early 6-2 lead, but could not sustain the momentum, as the Aggies fought back to within 8-7. Nebraska than ran off three straight points, taking an 11-7 advantage after a Mueller kill. The Aggies regrouped after a timeout and climbed back, forging a tie at 15 that forced NU to use its first timeout. The tide turned moments later, as Cooper and Larson combined on a block of Kristen Schevikhoven before Larson stepped to the service line. The senior All-American ripped a pair of service aces and Texas A&M misplayed the next serve, allowing Mueller to slam home an overpass to take a four-point lead. After an Aggie timeout, Mueller capped a sensational rally with a kill to cap the 5-0 spurt. Batis finally stemmed the tide with a kill, but kills from Larson and Mueller and an Aggie hitting error completed an 8-1 run that sent the teams to the locker room tied at one set apiece.

In the third set, the Huskers relied on the strong serving of Banwarth and Schwartz to put together some key spurts in posting a 25-14 victory. Nebraska hit .406 as a team, as Mueller and Licht combined for half of the Huskers’ 16 kills. Serving was the difference in the set, as Schwartz keyed an early 4-0 spurt that turned a 5-3 lead into a 9-3 cushion. Banwarth and Mueller then keyed a run of eight unanswered points, as Banwarth served seven straight points, while Mueller had three kills to put NU ahead 18-6 after Gates slammed home an overpass. The Aggies climbed back within 20-12, but a Gates kill and a Licht block quickly pushed the lead back to double digits and put the set out of reach..

In the fourth set, the Huskers struggled to get on track, hitting .089, as the Aggies took a 25-20 victory. Mueller had five kills, but no Husker attacker hit better than .150 in the set. Kelsey Bryant and Ammerman topped the Aggies with four kills apiece, as Bryant had four kills in five swings.  Texas A&M took advantage of an early run, using a 5-1 spurt to turn a tie game into a 10-6 Aggie lead after a block by Darla Donaldson. The Huskers fell behind14-6 before running off four straight points, pulling within 14-10 after a Larson kill. The Aggies fought back and extended their lead to 19-13 after an Ammerman kill, but Nebraska would have an answer. NU ran off four straight points, as Larson’s solo block made it 19-17. That would be as close as the Huskers would get, as kills from Ammerman and Jennifer Banse pushed the lead back to 21-17. NU was 21-19 after kills from Larson and Mueller, but the Aggies won four of the final five points to send the match to a fifth set.

The Huskers relied on Larson and Cooper in the finale, as the two veterans combined for eight kills in a 15-13 victory. Nebraska fell behind 1-0, only to come back with three straight points capped by Anderson’s ace. Texas A&M would respond, tying the set at three before the teams continued to trade points. Cooper’s tip over the Aggie block gave NU an 8-7 lead heading into the changeover. Cooper came through again moments later, as her kill gave NU a 10-8 lead and forced a Texas A&M timeout. The Aggies fought back, running off the next two points to tie the score at 10-all before Larson gave NU a spark. The senior ended a long rally with a kill, spotting NU a 11-10 lead, and kills from Licht  and Larson gave the Huskers a 13-10 cushion and forced A&M’s final timeout. Texas A&M fought back to within 13-12 after a Donaldson kill and was within 14-13 before Larson’s 17th kill provided the final blow for the Huskers.

Nebraska returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 8, as the Huskers play host to No. 15 Kansas State. First serve at the NU Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on selected Husker Sports Network stations and on the Internet at Huskers.com. In addition, the match will be televised statewide on NET Television.