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Huskers blow past Cyclones to move within one step of the final four; Texas stands in the way
NCAAA VOLLEYBALL: OMAHA REGIONAL
By Chad Purcell
World-Herald News Service
The season has featured twists and turns, losses and low points, some head scratching and lots of soul searching.
But 18 weeks after Nebraska held its first volleyball practice in August, the Huskers are right where they always planned to be come December:
In Omaha, playing for a shot to get to the final four.
And the team the Huskers will battle tonight? That only adds another level of intrigue to a most fascinating 2009 season.
Seventh-ranked Nebraska rolled to its 10th consecutive sweep Friday night, rocking No. 5 Iowa State with a 25-11, 25-19, 25-22 win in the NCAA regional semifinals at Qwest Center Omaha. The victory moves the Huskers on to the round of eight for the sixth straight season — the longest such run in the country — and it sets up what’s sure to be a heated showdown in the regional final against No. 2 Texas.
The Longhorns and Huskers made the final four in 2008, and they came up one win shy of playing each other for a national championship. One of them will get to go to Tampa, Fla., this year after Texas brushed aside Texas A&M 25-18, 25-18, 25-21 in Friday’s first regional semifinal.
The loaded Longhorns, arguably the most talented and potent team in the country, have won three straight over Nebraska and four of the teams’ past five meetings. The rivals haven’t met in the postseason since 1995 — before the formation of the Big 12 — when NU beat UT for its first NCAA championship
“I think this team really wants another shot at Texas,” said coach John
Cook, whose Huskers took just one set during their two losses to UT this year. “We just feel like we haven’t given them our best shot, and now we have a chance to do that.”
The opportunity will come in front of a Qwest Center crowd that’s certain to top the turnout of 8,935 that saw Friday’s match. And if Nebraska is going to have any chance to take down Texas, the Huskers will have to baffle the Longhorns with balance and slow them with defense.
Fortunately, that’s the exact formula that allowed Nebraska to make Friday’s romp over Iowa State look so easy.
No team besides Nebraska this year has hit better than .300 against Iowa State — and now the Huskers have done it twice while sweeping two straight against the Cyclones.
Sydney Anderson finished with three kills and 37 assists as NU hit .324. Lindsey Licht led Nebraska with 10 kills on 21 swings, while Kori Cooper, Brooke Delano and Hannah Werth each added nine kills. All four of those attackers hit .270 or better, including a .562 effort from Cooper.
Licht, Delano and Cooper also teamed for seven blocks. Kayla Banwarth had a match-high 15 digs, Werth chipped in 13 more and Anderson and Gina Mancuso came up with seven apiece. NU’s digging and blocking resulted in the Cyclones hitting a season-worst .096. None of the Huskers’ past six opponents has hit better than .150.
“We’ve just been training so hard this year, and we’re really starting to see that now out there on the court,” said Licht, who led Nebraska in kills for the 10th time this season. “Coach Cook has been stressing that we have to go even harder now that it’s tournament time, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Nebraska roared past the Cyclones in set one, jumping out to a 14-3 lead. Mancuso served six straight points during an early 7-0 run that had Iowa State reeling. Licht and Delano combined for 10 kills in the opener as Nebraska outhit Iowa State, .441 to .056.
The Cyclones bounced back and battled NU point for point for the bulk of set two. But Nebraska closed its 2-0 lead with a late 7-0 burst — which featured some nasty serving by Banwarth during six straight rallies.
The Huskers’ ability to fight past the Cyclones in set two was a huge turning point. It’s something NU didn’t do after winning the opener during its five-set loss against Iowa State on Oct. 21 in Lincoln. Anderson said taking set two was a key to the win, and she said the Huskers were well aware how poorly they started playing after going up 1-0 against ISU at the NU Coliseum.
“After game one tonight, we came into the huddle saying we were down 0-1 in our minds,” Anderson said. “We were going to play that way. We reminded our team that this is exactly what happened in Lincoln, and we’re not going to let it happen again.”
Iowa State never threatened Nebraska in set three. The Cylones struggled to score all night, finishing with 22 errors to go with 33 kills. Victoria Henson had 13 kills on .321 attacking, but none of ISU’s other hitters finished better than .062.
Cyclones setter Kaylee Manns said it was the Huskers’ high level of play — not the rowdy atmosphere in the arena — that had her team so out of sync.
“I know none of us was nervous,” said Manns, who had 23 assists and 13 digs. “We were all really excited and really anxious to start the game. I think Nebraska just played awesome.”
Going into the regional, Iowa State had won its past seven matches, all by sweep. The Cyclones won 18 of their last 20 on the season, with both defeats coming against Nebraska.
ISU’s No. 5 ranking in the AVCA poll is the highest in program history, and the Cyclones finish at 27-5 — a school record for most victories in the NCAA era.
“I thought we ran into a really hot team right now,” said Iowa State coach Christy Johnson-Lynch, whose Cyclones handed Texas its only loss this year. “Nebraska’s just playing really well. We knew that coming in, and I thought they played almost flawless tonight.”
If the Huskers can duplicate that type of performance in the regional final, Johnson-Lynch — the former standout setter at NU — believes her alma mater has a good shot at knocking off the Longhorns.
It certainly won’t hurt Nebraska’s cause playing UT at the Qwest Center for the first time. Cook’s team is now 15-2 in Omaha’s arena, including 10-1 against top-five foes.
“We had opportunities we didn’t take advantage of,” Cook said of NU’s first two meetings against Texas. “Tonight, we took advantage of our opportunities. That’s what you have to do. We have to find a way to put pressure on Texas. We’ve got to be hitting on all cylinders.”
Iowa State (27-5) 111922
Nebraska (26-6) 252525
Iowa State (kills-aces-blocks): Hockaday 8-0-1, Manns 2-1-0, Petersen 4-0-1, Henson 13-0-0, Stadick 1-0-1, Straube 5-0-0, Mass 0-1-0, Mahoney 0-0-0.
Nebraska (kills-aces-blocks): Anderson 3-0-0, Licht 10-0-4, Delano 9-0-3, Cooper 9-0-4, Mueller 4-0-0, Werth 9-0-1, Banwarth 0-0-0, Mancuso 1-1-0,
Set assists: Nebraska 42 (Anderson 37); Iowa State 32 (Manns 23). A — 8,935.
NCAA REGIONAL FINAL: Nebraska vs. Texas
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Qwest Center Omaha
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 93.3 FM
Tickets: Available by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, by visiting ticketmaster.com. online and at the Qwest Center Omaha box office starting at 10 a.m. Saturday
Hooker, Texassweep past A&M, to face Huskers
It’s hard to shake the feeling that Texas looks Destineed for Tampa, Fla.
Longhorns megastar Destinee Hooker made sure No. 2 Texas’ march back to the final four wouldn’t end Friday. The All-America senior buried 23 kills on .465 hitting to lead the Longhorns to a 25-18, 25-18, 25-21 NCAA regional semifinal win over rival Texas A&M.
The victory was 27-1 Texas’ ninth straight win, and it marked the 12th straight win in UT’s series against the Aggies. The Longhorns will face Nebraska tonight at 8 on ESPNU.
“We’re excited, and our veterans have been here before,” said Hooker, the Big 12 player of the year. “We don’t want to look back and say, 45>If only we would’ve done this.’ We want to be remembered for giving everything we had.”
Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said he liked the balance his team showed in outhitting the Aggies .402 to .231. But there was little need for the Longhorns to diversify their attack until the third set. Hooker had 17 kills through the first two sets and didn’t make an error until her 28th swing of the match.
Referring to Hooker, Elliott said: “She’s a tremendous player that’s a big part of this team. She’s our energy player, and she has the capability of playing at a very high level — like tonight. She was bouncing off the walls today, and she just couldn’t get to 4:30 (the match’s start time) fast enough.”
In all, Hooker scored 27 points and finished with seven digs, five blocks and an ace. Of her four career matches at Qwest Center Omaha, the three-time NCAA high jump champion has had 20 or more kills three times.
“What a phenomenal athlete, and she had a great match,” A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. “It’s the ninth time I’ve coached against her, and it’s the last. I don’t know if there will ever be another player that can do the things she does.”
Juliann Faucette had 11 kills and hit .417 for Texas, which outblocked A&M 11-1. Jennifer Doris had three aces and six blocks for the Longhorns.
Texas now will aim to win its fourth straight match against Nebraska tonight.
“Nebraska is able to be very good when they’re playing their best,” Elliott said. “I think Nebraska’s biggest Achilles’ heel all year has been more of their errors. But when they’re playing clean volleyball, they’re as good as any team in the country.”
The loss put an end to A&M’s dramatic late-season run. The Aggies, who upset No. 19 Arizona and 18th-ranked Louisiana State to get to Omaha, finished with a 20-11 record. Corbelli’s team entered the regional riding a six-watch win streak.
Sarah Ammerman led A&M with 16 kills, while Jennifer Banse added 12.
“We hit a pretty tough spot in the middle of the season,” Ammerman said. “To be able to turn that around and achieve our goal of getting into the tournament and making the sweet 16 — I couldn’t be more proud of our team.”
Texas A&M (20-11) 181821
Texas (27-1) 252525
Texas A&M (kills-aces-blocks): Schevikhoven 3-1-1, Kastmo 0-0-1, Ammerman 16-0-0, Miller 5-0-0, Banse 12-0-0, Batis 9-0-0, Mellinger 0-1-0, Black 1-0-1, Kelner 0-0-0, Faulkner 0-0-0, Ringel 0-0-0.
Texas (kills-aces-blocks): Faucette 11-0-2, Adams 4-0-4, Doris 5-3-6, Engle 6-0-1, Yogi 0-0-0, Hooker 23-1-5, Kocher 0-0-0, McNeal 0-0-0, Kisner 0-0-0, Webster 2-0-2.
Set assists: Texas A&M 44 (Schevikhoven 31, Kelner 4);Texas 48 (Engle 27, Kocher 18).
But 18 weeks after Nebraska held its first volleyball practice in August, the Huskers are right where they always planned to be come December:
In Omaha, playing for a shot to get to the final four.
And the team the Huskers will battle tonight? That only adds another level of intrigue to a most fascinating 2009 season.
 |
| Nebraska's Sydney Anderson dives for a loose ball during the second set against Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament's Omaha Regional at the Qwest Center in Omaha. (World-Herald News Service/Chris Machian) |
The Longhorns and Huskers made the final four in 2008, and they came up one win shy of playing each other for a national championship. One of them will get to go to Tampa, Fla., this year after Texas brushed aside Texas A&M 25-18, 25-18, 25-21 in Friday’s first regional semifinal.
The loaded Longhorns, arguably the most talented and potent team in the country, have won three straight over Nebraska and four of the teams’ past five meetings. The rivals haven’t met in the postseason since 1995 — before the formation of the Big 12 — when NU beat UT for its first NCAA championship
“I think this team really wants another shot at Texas,” said coach John
Cook, whose Huskers took just one set during their two losses to UT this year. “We just feel like we haven’t given them our best shot, and now we have a chance to do that.”
The opportunity will come in front of a Qwest Center crowd that’s certain to top the turnout of 8,935 that saw Friday’s match. And if Nebraska is going to have any chance to take down Texas, the Huskers will have to baffle the Longhorns with balance and slow them with defense.
Fortunately, that’s the exact formula that allowed Nebraska to make Friday’s romp over Iowa State look so easy.
No team besides Nebraska this year has hit better than .300 against Iowa State — and now the Huskers have done it twice while sweeping two straight against the Cyclones.
Sydney Anderson finished with three kills and 37 assists as NU hit .324. Lindsey Licht led Nebraska with 10 kills on 21 swings, while Kori Cooper, Brooke Delano and Hannah Werth each added nine kills. All four of those attackers hit .270 or better, including a .562 effort from Cooper.
Licht, Delano and Cooper also teamed for seven blocks. Kayla Banwarth had a match-high 15 digs, Werth chipped in 13 more and Anderson and Gina Mancuso came up with seven apiece. NU’s digging and blocking resulted in the Cyclones hitting a season-worst .096. None of the Huskers’ past six opponents has hit better than .150.
“We’ve just been training so hard this year, and we’re really starting to see that now out there on the court,” said Licht, who led Nebraska in kills for the 10th time this season. “Coach Cook has been stressing that we have to go even harder now that it’s tournament time, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Nebraska roared past the Cyclones in set one, jumping out to a 14-3 lead. Mancuso served six straight points during an early 7-0 run that had Iowa State reeling. Licht and Delano combined for 10 kills in the opener as Nebraska outhit Iowa State, .441 to .056.
The Cyclones bounced back and battled NU point for point for the bulk of set two. But Nebraska closed its 2-0 lead with a late 7-0 burst — which featured some nasty serving by Banwarth during six straight rallies.
The Huskers’ ability to fight past the Cyclones in set two was a huge turning point. It’s something NU didn’t do after winning the opener during its five-set loss against Iowa State on Oct. 21 in Lincoln. Anderson said taking set two was a key to the win, and she said the Huskers were well aware how poorly they started playing after going up 1-0 against ISU at the NU Coliseum.
“After game one tonight, we came into the huddle saying we were down 0-1 in our minds,” Anderson said. “We were going to play that way. We reminded our team that this is exactly what happened in Lincoln, and we’re not going to let it happen again.”
Iowa State never threatened Nebraska in set three. The Cylones struggled to score all night, finishing with 22 errors to go with 33 kills. Victoria Henson had 13 kills on .321 attacking, but none of ISU’s other hitters finished better than .062.
Cyclones setter Kaylee Manns said it was the Huskers’ high level of play — not the rowdy atmosphere in the arena — that had her team so out of sync.
“I know none of us was nervous,” said Manns, who had 23 assists and 13 digs. “We were all really excited and really anxious to start the game. I think Nebraska just played awesome.”
Going into the regional, Iowa State had won its past seven matches, all by sweep. The Cyclones won 18 of their last 20 on the season, with both defeats coming against Nebraska.
ISU’s No. 5 ranking in the AVCA poll is the highest in program history, and the Cyclones finish at 27-5 — a school record for most victories in the NCAA era.
“I thought we ran into a really hot team right now,” said Iowa State coach Christy Johnson-Lynch, whose Cyclones handed Texas its only loss this year. “Nebraska’s just playing really well. We knew that coming in, and I thought they played almost flawless tonight.”
If the Huskers can duplicate that type of performance in the regional final, Johnson-Lynch — the former standout setter at NU — believes her alma mater has a good shot at knocking off the Longhorns.
It certainly won’t hurt Nebraska’s cause playing UT at the Qwest Center for the first time. Cook’s team is now 15-2 in Omaha’s arena, including 10-1 against top-five foes.
“We had opportunities we didn’t take advantage of,” Cook said of NU’s first two meetings against Texas. “Tonight, we took advantage of our opportunities. That’s what you have to do. We have to find a way to put pressure on Texas. We’ve got to be hitting on all cylinders.”
Iowa State (27-5) 111922
Nebraska (26-6) 252525
Iowa State (kills-aces-blocks): Hockaday 8-0-1, Manns 2-1-0, Petersen 4-0-1, Henson 13-0-0, Stadick 1-0-1, Straube 5-0-0, Mass 0-1-0, Mahoney 0-0-0.
Nebraska (kills-aces-blocks): Anderson 3-0-0, Licht 10-0-4, Delano 9-0-3, Cooper 9-0-4, Mueller 4-0-0, Werth 9-0-1, Banwarth 0-0-0, Mancuso 1-1-0,
Set assists: Nebraska 42 (Anderson 37); Iowa State 32 (Manns 23). A — 8,935.
NCAA REGIONAL FINAL: Nebraska vs. Texas
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Qwest Center Omaha
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 93.3 FM
Tickets: Available by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, by visiting ticketmaster.com. online and at the Qwest Center Omaha box office starting at 10 a.m. Saturday
Hooker, Texassweep past A&M, to face Huskers
It’s hard to shake the feeling that Texas looks Destineed for Tampa, Fla.
Longhorns megastar Destinee Hooker made sure No. 2 Texas’ march back to the final four wouldn’t end Friday. The All-America senior buried 23 kills on .465 hitting to lead the Longhorns to a 25-18, 25-18, 25-21 NCAA regional semifinal win over rival Texas A&M.
The victory was 27-1 Texas’ ninth straight win, and it marked the 12th straight win in UT’s series against the Aggies. The Longhorns will face Nebraska tonight at 8 on ESPNU.
“We’re excited, and our veterans have been here before,” said Hooker, the Big 12 player of the year. “We don’t want to look back and say, 45>If only we would’ve done this.’ We want to be remembered for giving everything we had.”
Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said he liked the balance his team showed in outhitting the Aggies .402 to .231. But there was little need for the Longhorns to diversify their attack until the third set. Hooker had 17 kills through the first two sets and didn’t make an error until her 28th swing of the match.
Referring to Hooker, Elliott said: “She’s a tremendous player that’s a big part of this team. She’s our energy player, and she has the capability of playing at a very high level — like tonight. She was bouncing off the walls today, and she just couldn’t get to 4:30 (the match’s start time) fast enough.”
In all, Hooker scored 27 points and finished with seven digs, five blocks and an ace. Of her four career matches at Qwest Center Omaha, the three-time NCAA high jump champion has had 20 or more kills three times.
“What a phenomenal athlete, and she had a great match,” A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. “It’s the ninth time I’ve coached against her, and it’s the last. I don’t know if there will ever be another player that can do the things she does.”
Juliann Faucette had 11 kills and hit .417 for Texas, which outblocked A&M 11-1. Jennifer Doris had three aces and six blocks for the Longhorns.
Texas now will aim to win its fourth straight match against Nebraska tonight.
“Nebraska is able to be very good when they’re playing their best,” Elliott said. “I think Nebraska’s biggest Achilles’ heel all year has been more of their errors. But when they’re playing clean volleyball, they’re as good as any team in the country.”
The loss put an end to A&M’s dramatic late-season run. The Aggies, who upset No. 19 Arizona and 18th-ranked Louisiana State to get to Omaha, finished with a 20-11 record. Corbelli’s team entered the regional riding a six-watch win streak.
Sarah Ammerman led A&M with 16 kills, while Jennifer Banse added 12.
“We hit a pretty tough spot in the middle of the season,” Ammerman said. “To be able to turn that around and achieve our goal of getting into the tournament and making the sweet 16 — I couldn’t be more proud of our team.”
Texas A&M (20-11) 181821
Texas (27-1) 252525
Texas A&M (kills-aces-blocks): Schevikhoven 3-1-1, Kastmo 0-0-1, Ammerman 16-0-0, Miller 5-0-0, Banse 12-0-0, Batis 9-0-0, Mellinger 0-1-0, Black 1-0-1, Kelner 0-0-0, Faulkner 0-0-0, Ringel 0-0-0.
Texas (kills-aces-blocks): Faucette 11-0-2, Adams 4-0-4, Doris 5-3-6, Engle 6-0-1, Yogi 0-0-0, Hooker 23-1-5, Kocher 0-0-0, McNeal 0-0-0, Kisner 0-0-0, Webster 2-0-2.
Set assists: Texas A&M 44 (Schevikhoven 31, Kelner 4);Texas 48 (Engle 27, Kocher 18).
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| Four Huskers recognized by AVCA | Anderson does it all for NU |
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