Huskers Stuff Hostra in NCAA Opener

Lincoln - Behind a big block, the 14th-seeded Nebraska volleyball team swept Hofstra, 3-0, Friday evening in a first-round NCAA Tournament match at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Despite the sweep, the Huskers had to work to win their opening NCAA Tournament match for the 31st consecutive season. Nebraska survived late Hofstra rallies in each of the first two sets, winning the opener 27-25 and taking set two, 25-23. NU closed out the match with a 25-16 victory in set three, but the Huskers did not secure the win until their fifth match point.

With the win, Nebraska (21-9) advances to Saturday's second-round match against No. 20 Utah, which swept Kansas State in Friday's first match. First serve between the Huskers and Utes is set for 7 p.m. and the match will air live in the state of Nebraska on NET. The television broadcast will also be streamed for free on Huskers.com and on BTN2GO.

Hofstra ended its season with a 28-6 record, tying for the sixth-most victories in school history and the program's highest total since 1989.

Hofstra enjoyed a 38-36 advantage in kills, but it was the Husker block that was the difference. Nebraska totaled 19.5 blocks, just one-half block shy of the school record for a three-set NCAA Tournament match. Amber Rolfzen had 10 blocks to tie Melissa Elmer's record for most blocks in a three-set postseason match. Amber's twin sister Kadie posted a match-high 13 kills and hit .323 for the Big Red, while adding a double-double with a team-high 15 digs. Nuria Lopes da Silva led Hofstra with 10 kills as the only other player with double-figure kills.

Nebraska was victorious, 27-25, in a tight opening set that featured nine ties and three lead changes. Hofstra won five of the first six rallies and was on top 8-3 before the Huskers stormed back to take a 10-9 advantage. After Hofstra regained the lead, Nebraska used a 7-1 run to take a 19-5 lead. The Pride chipped away from there, evening the match at 23-23. The teams then traded side outs before Kadie Rolfzen secured the victory with a kill on the Huskers' third set point. Rolfzen had five kills in the set, as did Lopes da Silva. Nebraska was strong at the net, recording 8.5 blocks in the set.

The Huskers began the second set in much stronger fashion, jumping out to a 9-2 advantage. Nebraska stretched the lead to as many as eight, before four straight Hofstra points closed the score to 12-8 and forced a Husker timeout. Nebraska won six of the next eight points to quickly push the lead back to eight. The Huskers were seemingly in control with six set points at 24-18, but Hofstra fought back with five straight points before Kelsey Fien closed out the 25-23 victory with a kill on Nebraska's sixth set point. Hofstra totaled more kills than Nebraska for the second straight set, but the Huskers were once again bolstered by their block, stuffing six attacks in the set.

Nebraska dominated much of the third set in a 25-16 win. The Huskers won eight of the first nine rallies and stretched the lead to 23-11 following an 8-2 run. But as was the case in the first two sets, Hofstra did not go down without a fight. Nebraska had its first match point at 24-13, but needed five match points to close out the victory. Kadie Rolfzen had five kills and seven digs in the third set.

Nebraska Post-Match Notes

• Nebraska improved to 90-29 all-time in its 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance. The Huskers joined Stanford as the only volleyball programs nationally with 90 all-time NCAA Tournament victories.
  
• The Huskers won their opening NCAA Tournament match for the 31st consecutive season, while improving to 28-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament first-round matches.
• Nebraska improved to 67-8 all-time in home NCAA Tournament matches, including a 9-2 record at the Devaney Center.
• The sweep was Nebraska's 60th in 119 all-time NCAA Tournament matches, and the Huskers' 35th sweep in 61 postseason matches under John Cook.
• NU recorded fewer kills than its opponents for the third straight NCAA Tournament match, dating back to last year's regional semifinal victory over San Diego.
• Prior to its last two victories, Nebraska had not won an NCAA Tournament match when being out-killed since a victory over Stanford in the 2006 NCAA Final.
• Nebraska had a season-high 19.5 blocks in the win, just 0.5 blocks shy of the school record for a three-set NCAA Tournament match.
• Amber Rolfzen totaled 10 blocks in the match, tying Melissa Elmer for the highest individual total in a three-set NCAA Tournament match in program history. Rolfzen was the first Husker outside hitter to total double-figure blocks in a three-set postseason match.
• Kadie Rolfzen had a match-high 13 kills and added a team-high 15 kills to produce her ninth double-double of the season.

Hofstra Post-Match Notes

• Hofstra fell to 1-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, making its eighth postseason appearance in school history.
• The Pride ended the season with a 28-6 record. Hofstra's 28 victories were its most since 1989 and ranked as the sixth-highest total in program history.
• Hofstra was swept for only the second time in 2014 and for the first time since a 3-0 loss at James Madison on Oct. 18.
• Kelsie Wills had eight kills in the match, finishing her career with a school-record 1,942 kills.
• Wills also eclipsed 500 kills on the season in the match, becoming the first player in school history to have three seasons with 500-or-more kills. Wills totaled 506 kills in 2014, the sixth-highest total in Hofstra history.
• Wills also had four digs in the match. She ended her career with 1,942 kills and 1,226 digs, becoming only the sixth player in Hofstra history to record 1,000 career kills and digs.