Nebraska Beats Missouri State

Lincoln - All-American Tara Mueller posted a match-high 14 kills to lead four Huskers in double figures, as the Nebraska volleyball team defeated Missouri State, 25-14, 25-22, 20-25, 25-16 in a spring exhibition match Saturday night in front of more than 2,300 fans at the NU Coliseum.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Freshman Hannah Werth and Brooke Delano added 12 kills apiece, while middle blocker Jordan Wilberger added 10 kills to complete the quartet in double figures, helping the Huskers improve to 2-0 in the spring.

Nebraska hit .221 as a team on the evening, as All-American Sydney Anderson dished out 51 assists in guiding a balanced offense. The Huskers held Missouri State to .095 hitting, as Kayla Banwarth recorded a match-high 17 digs to help NU enjoy a 49-31 advantage in digs.

 “At times I saw us being a really good passing team and a very good serving team. When we are doing those two things really well, we become a pretty good team,” Head Coach John Cook said.

Five Huskers played their first match at the Coliseum, including Werth and fellow freshman Megan Pendergast, who both enrolled in January. Allison McNeal and Kaitlynn James made their Husker debuts after redshirting last year, as well as Jessica Yanz, who sat out after transferring from Penn State.

“There is going to be some ups and downs,” Cook said. “They feel the most pressure ever when they play their first match in the Coliseum. This was a great thing for us to get through. We got some great teaching moments out of this match too.”

McNeal recorded five kills and seven blocks, while James, who missed all of last year because of surgery, came into the match midway through the fourth set and performed well with three kills in four swings during a decisive run.

“[James] provided a spark,” Cook said. “Kaitlynn is a very smart player. She has a lot of experience as a player, and I think you saw some of that today.”

Calli Norman posted 12 kills to lead Missouri State’s offense, while Julie Cawthra had 15 assists. Cara Hackmann had 12 digs.

Nebraska concludes the indoor portion of its spring season in Scottsbluff, Neb., against Wichita State at 2 p.m. CT on April 11. The match is sold out with over 2,400 tickets sold for the contest at Western Nebraska Community College.

 

MSU vs NU (Apr 03, 2009 at Lincoln, NE)

 

NU def. MSU 25-14,25-22,20-25,25-16

 

MSU (Kills-aces-blocks) - Norman,Calli 12-0-8; Bess,Megan 8-0-4;

Fuller,Bethany 6-0-5; Staubach,Sara 4-1-0; Foley,Addie 4-0-1;

Gmur,Melissa 1-1-0; Patrick,Shayla 0-0-1; Totals 35-2-10.0. (Assists)

- Cawthra,Julia 15; Gmur,Melissa 12. (Dig leaders) - Hackmann,Cara 12;

Gmur,Melissa 6

 

NU (Kills-aces-blocks) - Mueller, Tara 14-0-2; Delano, Brooke 12-0-5;

Werth, Hannah 12-2-1; Wilberger, Jordan 10-0-4; McNeal, Allison 5-0-7;

Anderson, Sydney 5-0-4; James, Kaitlynn 3-0-0; Totals 61-2-11.5.

(Assists) - Anderson, Sydney 51. (Dig leaders) - Banwarth, Kayla 17;

Anderson, Sydney 9; Werth, Hannah 8

 

Site: Lincoln, NE (NU Coliseum)

Date: Apr 03, 2009   Attend: 2373   Time: 1:35   

Referees: Daryl Korinek, DeAnn Korinek