Post by bigfan on Oct 12, 2006 15:45:23 GMT -5
Huskers sweep Missouri in another road victory
By: Jordan Pascale
While the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team expected a long, drawn-out battle against its highest-rated opponent so far, the Cornhuskers stepped up to beat No. 15 Missouri in time to hit the road home early.
The Cornhuskers (16-0, 8-0 Big 12) played well throughout the night amd managed to defeat the Tigers 30-25, 30-25, 31-29 to take a two-game lead over the Tigers in the Big 12 Conference standings.
NU outplayed Missouri (13-5, 7-2) at the net, holding the Tigers to a .154 percentage and holding the blocking advantage 11.5 to 7.
Junior outside hitter Sarah Pavan again led the Huskers with 16 kills and hit a match-high .467 and sophomore outside hitter Jordan Larson chipped in 14 as NU beat the Tigers, second in the Big 12 standings coming into the night, with surprising ease.
"I'm very pleased with our composure in such a big game," NU Coach John Cook said in a post-match radio interview. "We played for the long haul, and we were grinding for one point at a time."
In game one, the Huskers came out with a less-than-impressive start, falling behind 17-12. NU rallied to tie the game at 20-20 behind kills from Pavan, Larson and junior middle blocker Tracy Stalls. NU found its mojo and scored four quick points to take a 24-20 lead. They never fell behind again, winning the game 30-25 and holding the Tigers to hitting .042 in the opening frame.
"Mizzou came out well in the first game, and we were shaky," Cook said. "We missed a lot of serves in the first game, but I told the girls to take a deep breath, settle down and regroup for game two."
The Huskers struggled at the service line in game one, missing on four attempts. Pavan especially was searching for her touch, pushing four of her jump serves out of bounds to the delight of a rowdy crowd of 6,105 in the Hearnes Center. Missouri fans chanted "U-S-A" to the Canadian outside hitter, setting the tone for a wild night.
"This was a tough environment to play in tonight," Cook said. "The students were raucous, but I said in the time out, 'If these guys are cheering for you at all, that's a good thing.' "
Cook later added that he thought Mizzou's chant was "cute."
Game two went a lot smoother for the Huskers, who hit a red-hot .438 with only four errors. Four different players put down at least three kills as NU ran away with the game 30-22.
In game three, Nebraska once again came out and kept toe-to toe with Missouri, with each team having its respective run early in the game. The Tigers ran off four straight points to take an early lead at 8-7 before NU retaliated with a 3-0 run to lead.
Tied at 20-20, the Huskers pulled away, eventually running off the final four points to finish the sweep of Missouri, snapping the Tigers' seven-match win streak.
Missouri's Nicole Wilson was the top Tiger hitter on the night. The Lincoln native led Mizzou with 13 kills.
The Tigers' star hitter, senior Jessica Vander Kooi, was kept pretty silent throughout the night, only scoring 11 kills on 32 swings. Cook attributed the low scoring to the defense of Husker senior outside hitter Dani Mancuso, who Cook said "was with Vander Kooi hit-for-hit."
Mancuso also notched nine kills while the Huskers got a needed contribution from freshman middle blocker Kori Cooper, who added four kills and only one error.
"Their performance really takes the pressure off Pavan and Larson, and in turn boosts everyone's numbers," Cook said.
This match marks the 25th consecutive win on the road against MU for the Huskers. Nebraska now returns home to play Colorado at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the NU Coliseum.
By: Jordan Pascale
While the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team expected a long, drawn-out battle against its highest-rated opponent so far, the Cornhuskers stepped up to beat No. 15 Missouri in time to hit the road home early.
The Cornhuskers (16-0, 8-0 Big 12) played well throughout the night amd managed to defeat the Tigers 30-25, 30-25, 31-29 to take a two-game lead over the Tigers in the Big 12 Conference standings.
NU outplayed Missouri (13-5, 7-2) at the net, holding the Tigers to a .154 percentage and holding the blocking advantage 11.5 to 7.
Junior outside hitter Sarah Pavan again led the Huskers with 16 kills and hit a match-high .467 and sophomore outside hitter Jordan Larson chipped in 14 as NU beat the Tigers, second in the Big 12 standings coming into the night, with surprising ease.
"I'm very pleased with our composure in such a big game," NU Coach John Cook said in a post-match radio interview. "We played for the long haul, and we were grinding for one point at a time."
In game one, the Huskers came out with a less-than-impressive start, falling behind 17-12. NU rallied to tie the game at 20-20 behind kills from Pavan, Larson and junior middle blocker Tracy Stalls. NU found its mojo and scored four quick points to take a 24-20 lead. They never fell behind again, winning the game 30-25 and holding the Tigers to hitting .042 in the opening frame.
"Mizzou came out well in the first game, and we were shaky," Cook said. "We missed a lot of serves in the first game, but I told the girls to take a deep breath, settle down and regroup for game two."
The Huskers struggled at the service line in game one, missing on four attempts. Pavan especially was searching for her touch, pushing four of her jump serves out of bounds to the delight of a rowdy crowd of 6,105 in the Hearnes Center. Missouri fans chanted "U-S-A" to the Canadian outside hitter, setting the tone for a wild night.
"This was a tough environment to play in tonight," Cook said. "The students were raucous, but I said in the time out, 'If these guys are cheering for you at all, that's a good thing.' "
Cook later added that he thought Mizzou's chant was "cute."
Game two went a lot smoother for the Huskers, who hit a red-hot .438 with only four errors. Four different players put down at least three kills as NU ran away with the game 30-22.
In game three, Nebraska once again came out and kept toe-to toe with Missouri, with each team having its respective run early in the game. The Tigers ran off four straight points to take an early lead at 8-7 before NU retaliated with a 3-0 run to lead.
Tied at 20-20, the Huskers pulled away, eventually running off the final four points to finish the sweep of Missouri, snapping the Tigers' seven-match win streak.
Missouri's Nicole Wilson was the top Tiger hitter on the night. The Lincoln native led Mizzou with 13 kills.
The Tigers' star hitter, senior Jessica Vander Kooi, was kept pretty silent throughout the night, only scoring 11 kills on 32 swings. Cook attributed the low scoring to the defense of Husker senior outside hitter Dani Mancuso, who Cook said "was with Vander Kooi hit-for-hit."
Mancuso also notched nine kills while the Huskers got a needed contribution from freshman middle blocker Kori Cooper, who added four kills and only one error.
"Their performance really takes the pressure off Pavan and Larson, and in turn boosts everyone's numbers," Cook said.
This match marks the 25th consecutive win on the road against MU for the Huskers. Nebraska now returns home to play Colorado at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the NU Coliseum.