Huskers Begin Tournament Action in Hawaii

The No. 15 Nebraska beach volleyball team took part in a pairs tournament on Queen's Beach in Honolulu on Friday. 

The Huskers competed against host No. 5 Hawaii, No. 2 USC and No. 20 Loyola Marymount. 

Nebraska's top-four pairs all lost round their first round matches before winning their consolation matches to take fifth place. Team point totals were kept with USC taking the title with 405 points. Hawaii was second with 185, while Nebraska was third with 100 points. Loyola Marymount had 75.

In the gold bracket, NU's top pair of Justine Wong-Orantes and Amber Rolfzen took the first set against USC's No. 2 pair, 21-18, but narrowly fell in the second and third sets - 15-21, 12-15 - to move to the consolation bracket. In that match, they topped Loyola Marymount's No. 2s, 19-21, 21-16, 15-3. 

Also in the gold bracket, NU's No. 2 pair of Kadie Rolfzen and Kelly Hunter fell in straight sets to USC's top pair before earning a big consolation win over Hawaii's No. 2 group, 21-16, 16-21, 15-7. 

In the silver bracket, Briana Holman/Kenzie Maloney and Annika Albrecht/Olivia Boender dropped straight-set matches to Hawaii pairs in the first round, but responded with sweeps over Loyola Marymount pairs in the consolation bracket. Holman and Maloney combined for a 21-12, 21-17 win against Loyola Marymount's No. 3, while Albrecht and Boender dominated Loyola Marymount's No. 4s, 21-16, 21-6.

In the bronze bracket, Mikaela Foecke/Brooke Smith and Sydney Townsend/Tiani Reeves went 0-2 playing pairs from USC and Hawaii.

The Huskers will play more tournament action in Waikiki on Saturday.

Gold Bracket
First round: Strange/Bukovich (USC 2) def. Wong-Orantes/A. Rolfzen (NEB 1) 18-21, 21-15, 15-12
First round: Hughes/Klaes (USC 1) def. Hunter/K. Rolfzen (NEB 2) 21-13, 21-12
Consolation: Wong-Orantes/A. Rolfzen (NEB 1) def. Carr/Nederend (LMU 2) 19-21, 21-16, 15-3 (5th place)
Consolation: Hunter/K. Rolfzen (NEB 2) def. Tucker/Long (UH 2) 21-16, 16-21, 15-7 (5th place)

Silver Bracket
First round: Rooks/Shucht (UH 3) def. Holman/Maloney (NEB 4) 21-11, 21-14
First round: Zalopany/Mamayun (UH 4) def. Albrecht/Boender (NEB 3) 21-19, 21-19
Consolation: Holman/Maloney (NEB 4) def. Lea/Williams (LMU 3) 21-12, 21-17 (5th place)
Consolation: Albrecht/Boender (NEB 3) def. Dominique/Schlange (LMU 4) 21-16, 21-6 (5th place)

Bronze Bracket
First round: Kernochan/Cannen (USC 6)  def. Foecke/Smith (NEB 5) 21-12, 21-9
First round: Kremer/Nightengale (USC 5) def. Townsend/Reeves (NEB 6) 21-11, 21-12
Consolation: Dunn/Young (USC 7) def. Foecke/Smith (NEB 5) 25-23, 21-10 (7th place)
Consolation: Shinn/Guinasso (UH 6) def. Townsend/Reeves (NEB 6) 21-16, 21-12 (7th place)