Huskers Sweep Indiana on 'Pink Night'

LINCOLN, Neb. - The No. 3 Nebraska volleyball team picked up a 25-23, 25-13, 25-17 win over Indiana on "Pink Night" at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday in front of a crowd of 8,019. 

The Huskers (13-1, 4-1 Big Ten) got nine kills, three digs and three blocks from Kadie Rolfzen on .438 hitting. Briana Holman celebrated her birthday with six kills and two blocks, and Mikaela Foecke and Amber Rolfzen each posted five kills. Rolfzen also had a team-high five blocks. 

Kelly Hunter had 28 assists, six digs and three blocks. Justine Wong-Orantes had eight digs, while Kenzie Maloney had seven and Sydney Townsend had four. Townsend also served an ace during a long service run in set two to help spark the Huskers. 

Indiana (12-6, 1-4 Big Ten) was led by Elizabeth Asdell's nine kills. 

Nebraska outhit Indiana .250 to .052 and finished with a 7-2 edge in blocks. The Huskers held the Hoosiers to -.016 hitting over the final two sets. 

Set 1: Both teams attacked efficiently early as the Huskers took a 15-14 lead at the media timeout with both teams hitting .333 at that point and neither team recording a block. The Hoosiers took an 18-17 lead before serving into the net to even the set at 18-18. But a trio of Indiana errors put the Huskers ahead 21-18. A pair of Indiana kills out of a timeout forced an NU timeout with the Big Red ahead 21-20. Andie Malloy posted a kill to restore a two-point lead before the Hoosiers won the next three rallies to take a 23-22 lead. An Amber Rolfzen kill and Indiana attacking error gave the Huskers set point, 24-23, and Annika Albrecht clinched the win with an ace. Both teams cooled off considerably in the second half of the set, as NU finished at .179 and Indiana at .171. 

Set 2: Indiana took a 4-2 lead on the strength of Taylor Lebo's jump serve. Trailing 6-4, Nebraska used a 4-0 run on Albrecht's serve to take an 8-6 lead, with Amber Rolfzen and Hunter combining for a pair of blocks, the Huskers' first two of the match. Indiana got a sideout, but a Kadie Rolfzen kill continued the Huskers' surge, and Townsend's serve - including an ace - built a 15-7 lead and capped an 11-1 Husker run. Foecke served an ace, the Huskers' fifth of the match, and Kadie Rolfzen posted a pair of kills and teamed up with Holman for a block to make it 22-10. NU finished with a 25-13 win after hitting .333 in the set with three aces and three blocks. The Huskers held the Hoosiers to -.143 hitting in the set and finished on a 21-7 run.

Set 3: A kill by Holman, followed by blocks by Amber Rolfzen and Olivia Boender and Amber and Kadie Rolfzen helped the Huskers jump out to a 7-2 lead with Wong-Orantes serving. The Hoosiers pulled within 16-13 after a 4-0 run, but Boender terminated to end IU's threat. A great dig by Townsend led to a Holman kill that made it 20-15. The Huskers completed the sweep with a 25-17 win. 

Up Next: The Huskers host No. 17 Purdue Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN2. Fans are reminded that their tickets - which say Saturday, Oct. 8 - are incorrect. The match was moved to Sunday to be on ESPN2.