Huskers Open Season With Sweep of Tulsa

Lincoln - The No. 5 Nebraska volleyball team began the 2015 season with a 25-22, 25-14, 25-16 sweep of Tulsa at the Nebraska Invite at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday night before 8,028 fans.

Annika Albrecht led the Huskers with a double-double in her first career start. The sophomore had a career-high 10 kills and 11 digs. Kadie Rolfzen had nine kills and 11 digs, while freshman Mikaela Foecke had eight kills and hit .375 in her first collegiate match. Nebraska got strong performances from the middles, as Cecilia Hall, Amber Rolfzen and Meghan Haggerty combined for 16 kills and six blocks. Kelly Hunter had a career-best 33 assists, and Justine Wong-Orantes had a match-high 13 digs. 

NU outit Tulsa .282 to .134. The Huskers had a 7-2 edge in blocks. Erica Bohannon led Tulsa with 14 kills, while Rebecca Reeve had nine. 

The Huskers had to battle back in set one for the 25-22 win after Tulsa jumped out to a 10-7 lead. Nebraska recovered to take a 14-12 lead on a block by Kadie Rolfzen and Hall, but Tulsa answered with two points after a timeout. Nebraska picked up momentum with a 5-1 run to go up 19-15, with Hall involved in two blocks to spark the effort. Tulsa got back within 21-20, but Amber Rolfzen won a battle at the net to give Nebraska a 22-20 edge. The Huskers finished the set with the final two points, capped by a kill by Hall.

After six ties and two lead changes in the first set, Nebraska led for good in the second set after breaking a 1-1 tie. The Huskers took a 7-2 lead after back-to-back kills by Foecke. Albrecht didn't take long to set a career high for kills, as the sophomore's sixth one of the match made it 12-8 NU. Nebraska stretched the lead to 18-11 after two Kadie Rolfzen kills and one by Hall. Back-to-back kills by Foecke gave NU a 24-13 edge, and the Huskers finished out the 25-14 win. Nebraska hit .357 with just three errors in the second set after hitting .136 with 10 errors in the first. 

The teams battled early in set three with neither team able to grab more than a two-point lead until the Huskers went on a 10-2 run with the score tied 10-10. Meghan Haggerty was a spark off the bench, providing four kills on five attacks with one block. The Big Red went up 19-12 after kills by four different players, and the Huskers closed out the sweep with the 25-16 final margin. NU hit .419 in the final frame with 16 kills and three errors.

The tournament resumes with four matches on Saturday. Pittsburgh, who beat Grand Canyon 3-0 earlier on Friday, and Tulsa begin the day at 10 a.m., while the Huskers follow against Grand Canyon at Noon. After a break between sessions, Tulsa and Grand Canyon will play at 5 p.m., with Nebraska and Pittsburgh capping the day at 7 p.m.