Reds Sweep Whites in Front of Record Crowd

Lincoln -- The third-ranked Nebraska volleyball team trilled a sold out NU Coliseum crowd, as the Reds swept the White squad, 4-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-15, 25-19) Saturday evening.

The Reds were led by All-American Tara Mueller, who recorded a team-high 14 kills, 11 digs and a pair of service aces. Mueller, a junior outside hitter, was one of two Husker red squad members to post double-doubles, as All-American setter Sydney Anderson added a match-high 44 assists, 12 digs and three blocks.

The sellout crowd of 4,158 was treated to high level volleyball, especially during the first two sets when the teams were evenly matched. The Reds outhit the Whites, .179-.076, on the night and totaled 73 digs, including a match-high 21 by Kayla Banwarth.

Nebraska Coach John Cook was pleased with the competitiveness that both sides showed Saturday night.

“I thought out of all the Red-White games, this was a very spirited effort by our players,” Cook said. “I thought the crowd was really into it. I think the reason the crowd really got into it is because these guys are making unreal plays. When balls should be going down, they’re coming back up. They just played with great energy and passion, and I think our crowd fed off of that tonight. We still have a lot of work to do, but it us great preparation for next week.”

“I think Kayla (Banwarth), Sydney (Anderson) and Brooke (Delano) stood out to me tonight,” Cook said, as Delano totaled seven kills, a match-high seven blocks and nine digs seeing time at middle blocker and on the right side.

Several players split time playing for both squads, including Lindsey Licht, who totaled 13 kills on .357 hittting and a pair of blocks and Gina Mancuso, who led all players with 15 kills and added 21 digs while chipping in three blocks. Megan Pendergast also had 21 digs, splitting time on both teams during the match, while Hannah Werth added 11 kills and 10 digs.

In the opener, the Reds withstood a valiant comeback by the Whites to pull out a 25-23 victory. Defense was the key for both sides, as the Reds held the opposition to a .122 hitting percentage, as Banwarth collected 11 digs in the first stanza. Offensively, Mueller totaled six kills on .333 hitting while Werth added five kills in the first set. The Whites were by Mancuso, who totaled six kills and 10 digs in the opening set alone. The Reds took command early, using a 6-2 spurt to turn a one-point lead into a 12-7 advantage, as Mueller chipped in a pair of kills in the run. Trailing 22-17, the Whites fought back, winning six of the next eight rallies to get to within 24-23 after Mancuso’s sixth kill of the set.  After a timeout, the Reds closed out the set, as Muller’s next attempt found the floor for a 25-23 win.

The second set featured more lockdown and another comeback for the Whites that just fell short, as the Reds took a 25-23 victory to head to the locker room up 2-0. Trailing 24-21, the Whites fought off two set points, as a Lindsey Licht kill and a solo stuff by Mancuso made it 24-23, but a service error, ended any chance by the White squad to even the match. Leading 9-8, kills by Anderson and Cooper sparked a 6-1 spurts to make it 15-9 after a White hitting error.  Cooper had four kills on .375 hitting and a block in the set, as the Reds held the Whites to .083 hitting. The Whites trailed 23-17 before Licht led a comeback bid, as the junior dilled three kills as part of a 6-1 spurt to make it 24-23.

In the third set, the Huskers used the combination of Licht and Muller to post a 25-15 victory. Mueller had four kills on nine swings, while Licht drilled four kills on .429 hitting. The Reds took control early, using 10-3 spurt to double up the Whites at 14-7.  From there, they extended the lead to double figures, at 23-13, and cruised to the win.

In the finale, the Reds used strong serving from Banwarth and Mancuso to jump out to a 10-4 lead and were never threatened in a 25-19 victory. Mancuso’s three kills led a balanced attack that saw five players recorded at least a pair of kills in the set. The Reds led by as many as seven points and rolled to complete the four-set sweep.

The Huskers will begin the 2009 season in Omaha, as they travel to the Qwest Center to take part in the 2009 Runza/AVCA Showcase. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster locations and at Ticketmaster.com. 

                            Short Box Score (Match)
                            The Automated ScoreBook
          Nebraska White vs Nebraska Red (Aug 22, 2009 at Lincoln, NE)

  Nebraska Red def. Nebraska White 25-23,25-23,25-15,25-19

  Nebraska White (0-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Mancuso, Gina 9-0-2; Meske,
  Dan 7-0-1; Licht, Lindsey 6-0-1; McNeal, Allison 5-0-2; Thramer,
  Hayley 4-0-4; Werth, Hannah 4-0-0; James, Kaitlynn 2-0-1; Yanz,
  Jessica 1-0-0; Pendergast, Megan 0-1-0; Totals 38-1-7.0. (Assists) -
  Yanz, Jessica 33. (Dig leaders) - Pendergast, Megan 15; Mancuso, Gina
  12; Yanz, Jessica 11; Hubl, Paige 8; James, Kaitlynn 8

  Nebraska Red (1-0) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Mueller, Tara 14-2-1; Delano,
  Brooke 7-1-7; Licht, Lindsey 7-0-1; Werth, Hannah 7-0-1; Cooper, Kori
  6-0-1; Mancuso, Gina 6-2-1; Wilberger, Jordan 5-0-3; Anderson, Sydney
  4-0-3; Totals 56-5-11.0. (Assists) - Anderson, Sydney 44. (Dig
  leaders) - Banwarth, Kayla 21; Anderson, Sydney 12; Mueller, Tara 11;
  Delano, Brooke 9; Mancuso, Gina 9

  Site: Lincoln, NE (NU Coliseum)
  Date: Aug 22, 2009   Attend: 4158   Time: 1:50   
  Referees: Daryl Korinek, Dave Spencer