Set
1
The
fifth ranked Huskers came out swinging against the Virginia Cavaliers in their
first game of the Ameritas Players Challenge Thursday night. Nebraska had
trouble keeping their attacking inside the court at the beginning of the set
but quickly found a solution as the players warmed up to the Cavaliers’
defense. The best play of the game came when libero, Kayla Banwarth, saved the
ball only inches from the floor twice in one play, both times bringing it high
enough for her teammates to get over the net. During this play, the Huskers
were forced to use their bodies to keep the ball off the floor as it ricocheted
from player to player. Somehow, Nebraska managed to win this point giving them
the lead. Tara Mueller led the team with a .444 hitting percentage and earned
the team four points. Lindsey Licht came off the bench to give the Huskers points
exactly when they needed them by slamming the ball down where Virginia was
unable to reach. Licht’s best kill came in front of the ten foot line, landing at
the feet of the Cavaliers’ setter. Serving again held Nebraska back as they
racked up four service errors. The Huskers overcame these lost points to win
the set, 25-20.
Outstanding
Player: Tara Mueller
Outstanding
Off-Bench Player: Lindsey Licht
Set
2
Nebraska came out so strong the second
set that Virginia used two time-outs within the first ten minutes to try and
overcome the Huskers’ seven point lead. Jordan Wilberger dominated the net
along with Tara Mueller who again led with a hitting percentage of .643. Hannah Werth stepped up her attacking to add eight points for the Huskers. The
Cavaliers continued to struggle and a misunderstanding between the referees put
the Huskers at a ten point advantage. There was nothing Virginia could do to
get around the aggressiveness of Nebraska’s attacking and the agility of their
back row defense in this second set. The only thing going in favor of the
Cavaliers was the seven service error points the Huskers’ handed them. Nebraska
quickly won the second set, 25-11.
Outstanding
Player: Tara Mueller
Set
3
The
third set started out much like the second with the Huskers at a seven point
lead. A lack of communication from Nebraska sent them fighting for points as
their seven point lead diminished to only two. The Cavaliers handed out some
strong attacks that the Huskers’ defense sent shooting into the net. Noticing
it was time to step up their game, Nebraska began to attack better than they
had the entire night. Tara Mueller was on fire again this game and earned her second
best hitting percentage of the match at .583. Not too far behind were Sydney Anderson and Brook Delano with .500 and Lindsey Licht with .412. The Huskers
out-blocked Virginia 10-5 for set three and served four aces. Nebraska swept
Virginia by dominating again with a final score of 25-16.
Outstanding
Player: Tara Mueller
Outstanding
Off-Bench Player: Lindsey Licht
Overall
The
Huskers looked very prepared tonight as they improved from set to set. The
Cavaliers’ struggle in the second and third sets proves that when Nebraska is
on fire, they are nearly impossible to stop. Jordan Wilberger was unsuccessful
tonight because Virginia had made it a goal to keep the ball away from her as
they feared she would have a repeat of her outstanding match against Creighton
where she earned some of her highest attacking percentages. Brooke Delano was blocked
more than usual as the Cavaliers continued to be directly in her face, cutting
off her attacking angles. Tara Mueller was unstoppable and truly showed how
great of a player she is by switching her attacking positions according to
Virginia’s defense. It seemed she could hit any area of the court with a
guaranteed kill. There was nothing the Cavaliers could do to stop her and her
versatility and leadership on the court was the key to the Huskers’ win. “I
don’t know if I really see myself as the go to player. My role would be to be a
consistent leader,” Mueller said. Nebraska is coming closer to have a
consistent starting line-up and deciding on their top eight best players. “We
have to evaluate every week and see how it goes but they look like they were
having fun tonight and playing hard,” Coach Cook said.
This game served as a
reunion with Virginia’s head coach, Lee Maes, who served as an assistant coach
to the Nebraska volleyball team for three seasons from 2005-2007. Maes received
a standing ovation from the dedicated Husker fans and the improvement from some
of the Huskers he helped to recruit made him proud. “I was really happy to see
him. He was one of my favorite coaches,” Tara Mueller said of Maes.
Nebraska will take on
BYU Friday night and UCLA on Sunday afternoon to round-up the Ameritas Players
Challenge this weekend.
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