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Category: College

No. 1 Nebraska sweeps TCU to advance to Sweet 16

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riggertNebraskaLINCOLN, Neb. – The No. 1 seed Nebraska volleyball team never trailed in a 3-0 sweep of TCU on Saturday night in a second-round NCAA Tournament match in front of 8,204 fans inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center. With the win, Nebraska advanced to face 16th-seeded Penn State next Friday in an NCAA Regional Semifinal at the Devaney Center.

The win was the Huskers’ eighth straight postseason victory and marked the 100th NCAA Tournament win in program history. Nebraska became just the second program in NCAA history to reach the 100-win milestone, while the Huskers advanced to an NCAA Regional for the 32nd time, the most in NCAA history. Nebraska improved to 29-2 on the season, and the Huskers’ quest for back-to-back national championships will continue on Friday when the Huskers face Penn State for the third time this season. Game times for Friday’s regional semifinals at the Devaney Center have not yet been announced.

Senior Kadie Rolfzen paced the Huskers in the sweep of the Horned Frogs with an all-around effort befitting of her status as a three-time All-American. Rolfzen finished with a match-high 14 kills on only 30 swings while hitting .400. She also added seven blocks, four digs and two assists. Sophomore Mikaela Foecke added 10 kills on 28 swings, while senior libero Justine Wong-Orantes broke one Nebraska postseason record and tied another. Wong-Orantes totaled 24 digs in the match, tying the Husker record for most digs in a three-set NCAA Tournament match. The 24 digs also allowed Wong-Orantes to pass Kayla Banwarth as the Huskers’ all-time digs leader in NCAA Tournament matches. Juniors Kelly Hunter and Annika Albrecht added 10 digs apiece, and Nebraska blocked TCU 10 times while holding the Horned Frogs to an .056 attack percentage that tied their lowest mark of the season.

Although TCU saw its season come to an end with a 15-13 record, the Horned Frogs matched the best finish in school history by advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Ashley Smith narrowly missed a double-double in her final match, pacing TCU with nine kills while adding 10 digs. Natalie Gower added seven blocks for the Horned Frogs, while Jillian Bergeson tallied a TCU postseason-record 21 digs.

Set 1: Hunter served Nebraska to a 3-0 lead with an ace. After TCU cut it to 3-2, the Huskers put together a 5-0 run to go up 8-2, which included a pair of kills by Kadie Rolfzen. The spurt became 9-1 after the Huskers made it 12-3 with another kill by Kadie Rolfzen and one from Malloy. The Horned Frogs strung together some successful attacks to get within 15-9, but the Huskers scored seven of the next 11 points, as kills by Foecke and Amber Rolfzen put NU up 22-13. However, TCU closed the gap to 23-20 with a 7-1 run, three of which came via blocks. After Foecke earned set point for the Huskers with a kill, Sarita Mikals got a kill for TCU and the Huskers committed another error to let TCU within two at 24-22. The Huskers won 25-22 after a TCU block on Kadie Rolfzen’s swing ricocheted off her face and over the net for a kill. The teams combined for 17 attacking errors in the set, with the Huskers holding a narrow .082 to .064 hitting advantage. Wong-Orantes had 14 digs alone in set one.

Set 2: A long rally that ended with a Malloy kill, followed by a TCU error put the Huskers up 5-1. Holman and Kadie Rolfzen combined for a block, and Rolfzen followed with her seventh kill for an 11-6 lead. With a 12-8 lead, Nebraska completely took over the set behind the serve of Wong-Orantes. The Huskers went on an 11-0 run to grab a 23-8 lead. A Briana Holman kill, followed by a block by the Rolfzen twins started the run. Wong-Orantes served an ace to make it 17-8, and the Huskers tallied blocks on three consecutive rallies to go up 21-8, two of which came from Amber Rolfzen and two from Kadie Rolfzen. Kills by Kadie Rolfzen and Amber Rolfzen gave Nebraska set point at 24-9, and the Huskers eventually won 25-12 on a TCU service error. The Huskers hit .233 and were even better defensively in set two with five blocks to hold TCU to -.027 hitting.

Set 3: Nebraska asserted itself early once again, jumping out to a 4-0 lead with a block and two kills by Kadie Rolfzen and an ace by Hunter. The Horned Frogs rallied to tie the set at 5-5, then waged a sideout battle with the Huskers. A kill by Hunter put the Huskers in front 10-9, and Foecke blasted a pair of kills before a block by Hunter and Holman made it 13-9 Huskers. With Sydney Townsend still serving the run, Hunter and Foecke found the floor once again, followed by Holman after an outstanding defensive effort by the Huskers, and they led 16-9 after the 7-0 run. A block by Malloy and Amber Rolfzen gave NU match point at 24-15, and the Huskers clinched a berth in the regional at 25-16 on a Malloy kill.

Up Next: Nebraska will host a regional in Lincoln next Friday and Saturday for the first time since 2013. The Huskers will face 16th-seeded Penn State on Friday. A start time and broadcast information will be announced on Sunday. The other teams in the regional will be the winner Arizona and the winner of Washington-Kentucky.

— NU Athletics —

Missouri women rout Missouri State Friday 73-49

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball downed Missouri State, 73-49, behind a high-octane offense on Friday at Mizzou Arena. Mizzou (6-2) capitalized on timely three-point shooting and second half dominance in the paint and on the free throw line to secure a win over the Lady Bears.

Sophomore Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) racked up a team-high 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. She is the only Mizzou player this year to put up at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in a single game, reaching those marks for the third consecutive contest. Cunningham’s 22 points were a season-high as she recorded the 11th 20-point performance of her career.

Redshirt senior Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) poured in a season-high 13 points tonight to go along with a season-high three steals. She also matched her career high for three-pointers made in a game with three treys.

Senior Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) and sophomore Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) also reached double figures, contributing 15 points and 13 points, respectively. Porter has now scored at least 10 points in all eight of Mizzou’s games this season.

Redshirt senior guard Lianna Doty (St. Louis, Mo.) added two assists Friday. She has now surpassed the 400-career assist mark, becoming just the third Tiger ever to reach that plateau.

The Cunningham sisters sparked the Tigers early and often on the offensive end. The duo accounted for 14 of the 22 Tigers’ first-quarter points. Michaelis also accounted for eight points of her own in the opening quarter, shooting 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.

The Tigers extended their advantage throughout the second quarter and led the Bears by as many as 14 points at the 4:35 mark. Michaelis hit another clutch three-pointer with just over a minute left in the first half while the stingy Missouri defense held the Bears scoreless for the last 2:16 of the half. The Tigers entered halftime leading 40-29.

Mizzou picked up right where it left off offensively in the second half. Freshman guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La) was a dominating force in the paint, racking up six points in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Michaelis knocked down another deep three-pointer with 4:50 left, which extended the Mizzou lead to 53-36.

Mizzou’s defense kept Missouri State scoreless for almost six minutes down the stretch in the fourth quarter and held the Bears to just 20 percent shooting from the field. The Tigers stretched their lead to as many as 27 at the 2:17 mark in the fourth quarter. The Tigers held the Bears to 27 percent shooting from the field Friday, marking the fourth time that Mizzou has held an opponent under 30-percent shooting in a game this season.

Sophie Cunningham scored nine of her 22 points in the final quarter to help cement the 24-point victory by the Tigers.

Mizzou finished its two-game homestand 2-0 and now hits the road for a matchup with IUPUI (5-1) on Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis. Tip is set for 1 p.m. CT.

— Mizzou Athletics —

No. 1 Huskers sweep New Hampshire in NCAA Tournament opener

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riggertNebraskaLINCOLN, Neb. – The No. 1 seed Nebraska volleyball team began its quest for back-to-back national championships with a first-round sweep of New Hampshire in front of 8,014 fans inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center Friday night. The Huskers dominated the opening set winning 25-9, then rallied for a 25-23 victory in set two before closing out the match with a 25-18 win in the third set.

With the win, Nebraska advanced to play TCU on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament. The Huskers, who won their seventh straight postseason match, improved to 28-2 on the season. Nebraska hit .352 in the match behind 13 kills from sophomore Mikaela Foecke and 12 from senior Kadie Rolfzen. The duo combined for half of Nebraska’s 50 kills, while senior Andie Malloy added nine kills and junior Briana Holman chipped in seven kills in her Nebraska NCAA Tournament debut. Junior setter Kelly Hunter finished with 40 assists while adding eight digs and three kills. Defensively, senior Amber Rolfzen had four blocks, while senior libero Justine Wong-Orantes posted a match-high 14 digs.

New Hampshire, which was making its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, saw its season end with a 21-11 record. The Wildcats hit .175 in the match, highlighted by a .333 mark in the second set. Gabri Olhava paced the Wildcats with 11 kills on 25 swings, while Demi Muses narrowly missed a double-double with eight kills and 10 digs.

On Saturday, Nebraska will look to become just the second team in NCAA history to record 100 victories in the NCAA Tournament.

Set 1: Nebraska got off to a hot start, bolting to a 10-2. The Huskers continued to blast kills and reeled off an 8-0 run to go up 19-4. After New Hampshire scored three straight points, the Huskers came back with kills by Amber Rolfzen, Kadie Rolfzen and Hunter, as well as a Kadie Rolfzen ace, to go ahead 23-7. Nebraska had 12 kills on its first 16 swings (.750) and finished the set with a .485 hitting percentage. The Huskers’ 25-9 win marked only the fourth time in the rally scoring era that the Huskers have held an NCAA Tournament foe to single digits.

Set 2: New Hampshire gained some momentum early in the set and took a 6-4 lead. The Huskers went on a 3-0 run with kills by Foecke, Holman and Kadie Rolfzen, but the Wildcats put up a much tougher fight this time around, engaging in a sideout affair for nine straight rallies that saw the set tied 15-15. After the Huskers hit wide twice, New Hampshire had a 17-15 lead. Kills by Kadie Rolfzen and Malloy brought the Huskers back level, but the Wildcats remained ahead 19-18 after a kill by Hannah Petke. Kadie Rolfzen and Malloy produced kills for the Huskers to give them a 20-19 lead, but Muses answered to knot the score at 20-20. Nebraska appeared to finally take control when a UNH service error and kill by Foecke gave the Big Red a 22-20 cushion. But the Wildcats, who’ve made four straight NCAA Tournaments, showed their experience in fighting back to a 22-22 tie on a kill by Muses. After a timeout, a dump by Hunter made it 23-22, and Foecke put down the final point for a 25-23 win. Nebraska was strong offensively again, hitting .342. But the Wildcats hit .333 with 13 kills and just two errors after hitting .062 in set one.

Set 3: Back-to-back kills by Foecke, followed by a stuff block by Hunter and Amber Rolfzen put the Huskers ahead 8-5 after a 4-0 run. Nebraska had two blocks through the first two sets, but posted four early in the third set on its way to a 13-9 lead. The Huskers flexed their muscles with a 4-0 run off of three kills and a Kadie Rolfzen ace to go up 18-12. Foecke and Holman tacked on kills for a 22-17 lead, and Kadie Rolfzen hammered match point to the floor at 24-18. A UNH hitting error finished off the match in the Huskers’ favor, 25-18.

Up Next: Nebraska advances to face TCU in the second round on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Horned Frogs topped Wichita State, 3-0.

— NU Athletics —

Mizzou defeats Purdue 3-1 to advance to first volleyball Sweet 16 Since 2010

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 18 Mizzou Volleyball (27-5) carried its momentum from Thursday evening into Friday at the Hearnes Center, earning a 3-1 (25-13, 22-25, 25-16, 25-21) victory over Purdue. The Tigers earned their first all-time win against the Boilermakers, while also supplying redemption from their previous meeting in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Mizzou now advances to the Sweet 16 in this year’s NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament. It marks the Tigers’ first trip to the NCAA Regionals round since 2010.

Redshirt junior Melanie Crow (Wildwood, Mo.) delivered a memorable performance against Purdue, recording 25 kills on .426 hitting. Crow’s 25 strikes marked a new career high, while also establishing her sixth 20-plus kill match of the season.

The Tiger outside hitter’s performance against the Boilermakers will live in Mizzou Volleyball postseason lore for years to come. Crow’s 25 kills and 27.5 points both rank third-most in all-time Tiger NCAA Tournament action. In her first taste of NCAA postseason play, Crow has produced 42 kills (6.00 kills per set) on .393 hitting over two matches.

Junior Courtney Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) was sensational for the second-consecutive night at setter. Her 51 assists led to the Tigers tallying 59 total kills on .346 hitting. Similar to Thursday against Northern Illinois, Eckenrode excelled at divvying up Mizzou’s attacks on offense. Along with Crow’s stellar performance, four other Tigers posted seven-plus kills to keep the Purdue defense on its heels.

Redshirt junior Kira Larson (Fargo, N.D.) tallied one of her top individual matches this season, finishing with nine kills on .389 hitting, two aces and three total blocks. In Mizzou’s first and second round matchups at Hearnes, Larson posted 17 total kills on .412 hitting.

Top Tigers

– Crow: 25 kills on .426 hitting, 9 digs, 3 total blocks, 27.5 points
– Eckenrode: 2 kills, 51 assists, 1 ace
– Munlyn: 7 kills on .316 hitting, 5 total blocks
– Larson: 9 kills on .389 hitting, 2 aces, 3 total blocks

Up Next

Mizzou advances to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010. The NCAA Regionals will take place from Dec. 9-10 at four non-predetermined campus sites.

— Mizzou Athletics —

No. 4 Kansas volleyball gets knocked out of NCAA Tournament by No. 21 Creighton

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riggertKULAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas staved off six match points, including a near-match-ending call reversal, but Creighton’s Megan Ballenger flushed an overpass while playing out the seventh to lift the Bluejays to a 20-18 victory in the fifth set and 3-2 win over the Jayhawks. Creighton advanced to its second consecutive NCAA Championship Regionals while denying Kansas a repeat bid to the NCAA Final Four.

Playing in their second narrowly decided, fifth-set nail biter of the season, Kansas and Creighton traded their best shots, but despite dropping the opening set and seemingly losing momentum with a fourth-set defeat, the Jays played the aggressor in the final frame and knocked and knocked and knocked again before finally handing the No. 5 overall seeded Jayhawks their first five-set loss of the season.

“That was the best match I’ve ever been a part of,” a beaming Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said after the match. “I hate that someone’s season ends because the match could have gone either way. Hats off to (Kansas) for a great season. They gave us everything that we could handle, but it was surreal. We made our first Sweet 16 last year, that was pretty incredible, but this one is even bigger because KU is fifth in the country, to do it on their home court, with such a great atmosphere…we went for it tonight.”

Kansas head coach Ray Bechard had similar thoughts on the events of the evening but obviously had hoped for a different outcome.

“It was a special atmosphere in there, a special effort from both teams,” Bechard said. “I’m as proud as I can be for our group, but pretty devastated that we couldn’t flip the score.”

Kansas got 26 kills from All-American right-side hitter Kelsie Payne, including seven in the fifth set, but the Jayhawks spotted the Jays the first two points of the deciding set and despite leading at 10-9, seemed to be playing with their backs against the wall throughout.

Creighton’s first match point was at 14-12 but a just-wide serve by Brittany Witt moved Kansas within one and a double hit by Lydia Dimke evened the tally. Creighton All-American Jaali Winters and Kansas outside hitter Madison Rigdon traded kills on the next four points and the Jays saw match-point number five on a service error by Ainise Havili.

That’s when an already elevated tension level escalated further as an attack by Payne was initially ruled long, sparking a bench-clearing celebration by Creighton. One of the four officials however had correctly ruled a Creighton touch, extending the match at 17-17.

“There was an obvious touch, that should’ve gave us some momentum,” Bechard said. “Obviously we didn’t do enough. You wouldn’t want to end a match like that. Give Creighton credit, every time you turned around they were making a play.”

CU’s Marysa Wilkinson wrapped a pair of kills around another Payne blow to mark the sixth and seventh match points. There would not be another. Ballenger waited on an over passed ball on Creighton’s right side of the net and sent it down and the Jays into celebration mode again.

Kansas claimed the opening set, 25-21, behind six kills from Payne on 14 swings – her entire total from the First Round sweep of Samford Thursday night – and five from Rigdon. However, true to the September match-up in Omaha that saw Creighton take a 2-1 advantage, the Jays responded by taking 11 of the first 15 points in the second set while winning 25-20, then hit .414 in the third set with three service aces to win 25-17.

Pushed to the brink, Kansas responded by scoring five straight to open set No. 4 and cruised to a 25-16 win while forcing the deciding fifth, but unlike the previous meeting this season, it was Creighton who struck first.

“They’re going to have a response, and they did,” Bechard said of his thoughts after the fourth set. “We had some opportunities at 4-3, 5-4 that were just as big (as some of the later points). We were out of character that we tipped some balls, you have to play clean in the fifth set. They were a little cleaner than us. That’s a good team guys, Creighton is a very good team.”

For Creighton, Winters (23), Wilkinson (15) and Kloth (12) led the way in kills while Big East Player of the Year Lydia Dimke logged a match-high 56 assists. Bluejay freshman Brittany Witt led all player with three service aces.

Payne’s kills led all players and the Kansas junior was joined in double digits by Jada Burse and Rigdon, who each had 12. Havili directed the offense with 53 assists and added 18 digs. KU libero Cassie Wait led all players with a match-high 27 digs.

Jayhawk seniors Maggie Anderson, Tayler Soucie and Wait ended their careers with 103 total victories, including the best four-year winning percentage in program history. Among a slew of other firsts, the trio helped Kansas to its’ first two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and last year’s Final Four berth. This season, KU claimed its first ever Big 12 Championship.

Creighton advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinal to meet No. 12 overall seed Michigan, which defeated Oregon, 3-1, Friday.

— KU Athletics —

MWSU’s Caldwell, Anderson earn second team All-Region honors

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riggertMissouriWesternST. JOSEPH – Two members of the 2016 Missouri Western football team have been named second team All-Region by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).

Running back Josh Caldwell and offensive lineman Travis Anderson both received the honor. It’s Caldwell’s fourth postseason honor so far as the MIAA’s leading rusher was also named unanimous first team All-MIAA, first team CoSIDA Academic All-District and second team CoSIDA Academic All-America.

It was Anderson’s second postseason honor of 2016. The senior guard was also named first team All-MIAA for the third straight year. The Derby, Kansas native was an honorable mention Don Hansen All-American a season ago and started 32 of 33 games over the past three seasons, blocking for the MIAA’s leading rusher twice in that same time span.

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri dismisses Dilosa from team after assault arrest

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Tigers have dismissed wide receiver Keyon Dilosa from the team after he was accused of punching a woman in the face.

Missouri associate athletic director Chad Moller confirmed Thursday that Dilosa was no longer on the team.

Dilosa was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of third-degree domestic assault. He has not been charged.

Police say a witness reported seeing Dilosa hit a 20-year-old woman in the face after an argument outside a Columbia bar.

Dilosa, a native of Round Rock, Texas, played in only three games this season. He made 11 catches for 86 yards during his freshman season in 2015.

University of Missouri athletics gets $1.4M donation

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has received $1.4 million for its proposed plan to build a new south end zone facility at its stadium.

The Columbia Missourian reports the funds are from an anonymous donor. The university has been accepting contributions for the new facility for several months.

The university has raised $68.4 million for the project, which is still in the planning and development stages. The goal is to raise $75 million.

Mizzou’s Charles Harris declares for 2017 NFL Draft

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri junior DE Charles Harris (Kansas City, Mo.) will bypass his final year of eligibility and make himself available for the 2017 NFL Draft. Harris made the announcement Thursday in a press conference held at the Mizzou Athletics Training Complex.

Harris came to Mizzou as a virtually unheralded recruit, and developed into one of the top collegiate defensive ends in the nation. He had a breakout season along the defensive line on one of the nation’s top defenses in 2015, leading the SEC in tackles for loss (18.5) while posting seven sacks. He earned All-SEC Second Team honors.

Heralded as the next great player along #DLineZou heading into the 2016 season, Harris earned preseason All-SEC honors and was named to five preseason award watch lists. His play on the field did not disappoint as he finished 2016 with 9.0 sacks (26th nationally), 12.0 tackles for loss, 10 QB hurries and was second on the team with 61 tackles. He will finish his Mizzou career ranked seventh in program history with 18.0 sacks and 12th in school history with his 34.5 tackles for loss.

“Charles and I have had a few conversations about his future,” said Head Coach Barry Odom. “I am extremely proud of his approach on a very big decision. Certainly, I wish we could have another year with Charles leading our program, but there’s no question in my mind that he’s ready for the next level.  He knew the time would come to make a decision, but his primary focus was always this team and doing what he could to make himself better and to help his teammates and coaches. Charles was voted as a team captain, which shows the level of competitor he is and the respect he had on this team. We’re going to miss him, no doubt, but it’s time for him to take his talents to the NFL. We’ll be beaming with pride when we turn on the TV on Sundays and see Charles out there representing Mizzou,” he said.

Harris is another in a long line of Mizzou standouts to declare for the NFL Draft early. Other notables include Kony Ealy (second round, 2014), Blaine Gabbert (first round, 2011), Jeremy Maclin (first round, 2009), Shane Ray (first round, 2015), Sheldon Richardson (first round, 2013) and Aldon Smith (first round, 2011).

— Mizzou Athletics —

Kansas State women upend No. 23 Auburn 71-66

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riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kindred Wesemann scored 16 points and Kansas State made 12 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter to turn back No. 23 Auburn 71-66 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Thursday night.

Auburn, ranked for the first time since the final poll of the 2008-09 season, used a 10-0 run, capped by four free throws by Katie Frerking, to take a 62-57 lead with 5:09 to play.

Shaelyn Martin’s 3 then started a 10-2 run for Kansas State for a 67-63 lead at 1:48. After Brandy Montgomery’s 3 made it a one-point game, Breanna Lewis followed her own shot and Martin made 1 of 2 free throws after an Auburn miss. The Tigers missed a pair of 3s before the teams traded turnovers and Martin capped the scoring with a free throw with five seconds left.

Lewis finished with 13 points and nine rebounds as the Wildcats (7-0) had a 39-26 rebounding advantage.

Frerking finished with 22 points and Janiah McKay added 15 for the Tigers (6-2), who had three players foul out.

— Associated Press —

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