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Category: Sports

Northwest women get clobbered by Central Missouri 85-39

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Northwest2013riggertCentral Missouri hit 14 three-pointers in Saturday’s 85-39 victory over the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team.

The Bearcats are now 2-6 overall and 0-2 in the MIAA, while the Jennies improve to 2-5 and 1-1 in conference action.

Taylor Shull scored nine points for the second straight game to lead the Bearcats.

After the Jennies scored the first four points of the game, Tanya Meyer drained a three-pointer after a pass from Tember Schechinger to put the Bearcats on the board. Late in the quarter, Jaylah Jackson found Meyer under the basket for a layup before Alexa Schaaf knocked down a trey on a pass from Taylor Shull, closing the gap to 17-11 after the first 10 minutes.

With less than four minutes to play, Arbrie Benson hit a jumper before the Bearcats forced a Jennie turnover. Carlie Wilhelmi then scored five straight points for Northwest, three from the charity stripe and two on a layup following her own offensive rebound.

The Bearcats will wrap up a three-game road trip when they head to Joplin, Mo. to face off with Missouri Southern on Wednesday, Dec. 9. First tip is scheduled for 5:30.

— Northwest Athletics —

No. 4 Kansas holds off Harvard 75-69

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riggertKULAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Landen Lucas led No. 4 Kansas’ rebounding domination over Harvard on Saturday.

He grabbed four offensive rebounds and four defensive rebounds and six of the boards came in the second half of the Jayhawks’ 75-69 victory.

Lucas started the second half in place of Jamari Traylor, who didn’t pull down a single rebound in the first half. Lucas finished with five points, four in the second half.

“He’s by far our best big,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of Lucas. “He defended (Zena Edosomwan) great. And (he’s) a terrific player. (Lucas) was by far the only big guy we had who could guard him one-on-one.”

Frank Mason III scored 21 points and Perry Ellis and Devonte’ Graham added 12 points for Kansas (6-1).

“We were disappointed in not really paying attention to details,” Mason said. “Giving up open looks and easy baskets.”

Some of those “details” were how Harvard scored 32 of its 69 points in the paint and had 11 offensive rebounds.

Freshman reserve Weisner Perez had 15 points, Tommy McCarthy added 11 and Edosomwan had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Crimson (2-6) in their third straight loss.

“Our message for our kids for this game was concentration, composure, confidence and competitive,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “If we could try to see if we could attack those c-words and we thought that we would feel good about ourselves.”

Midway through the first half, freshman Cheick Diallo pulled up and hit a mid-range jumper to put Kansas up 15-12. That jumper started a 17-4 run for the Jayhawks. Kansas scored only four points in the final 6 minutes of the first half.

The Jayhawks came out of halftime scoring four points in less than 40 seconds, but fell flat offensively after that, going a full 2 minutes without scoring. In that time, Harvard cut Kansas’ lead from 13 to nine, and subsequently got within four after Evan Cummins dunked.

The pairing of stagnant offensive play and ineffective defense from Kansas allowed Harvard to get within one with under 12 minutes to go.

“We had to be scrappy,” Edosomwan said.

Kansas managed to get some cushion from two layups, one from Svi Mykhailiuk and the other from Lucas, but that five-point lead was short-lived.

On the ensuing possession, McCarthy released a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, bringing Harvard back within one. Forty-five seconds later, it was a tie game.

“I’ve always had a knack for playing in the moment and playing my strengths,” McCarthy said. “I never really back down from anyone. I’m pretty confident in myself and my abilities. When it was time to step up, I tried to just do my best.”

And then Kansas surged.

Ellis completed a three-point play and hit a jumper two possessions later to put the Jayhawks back up by five points. Two 3-pointers later, the Jayhawks found themselves up by seven with 4 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Crimson cut into the lead once more with under 3 minutes to go, but it wasn’t enough.

TIP-INS

Harvard: Edosomwan’s double-double was his third of the season.

Kansas: The Jayhawks have never lost to an Ivy League school.

UP NEXT

Harvard visits Boston University on Tuesday.

Kansas hosts Holy Cross on Wednesday.

STAT LINES

Wayne Selden Jr. of the Jayhawks is shooting 62.9 percent (22 of 35) from behind the arc. That ranks him No. 7 nationally.

WELCOME HOME

Kansas basketball Hall of Famer Lynette Woodard was recognized during a timeout for being named the 2015 Naismith Contributor to Women’s Basketball. Woodard played at Kansas from 1978 to 1981 and was the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

— Associated Press —

No. 4 Huskers sweep Wichita State to advance to Sweet 16

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riggertNebraskaLincoln – Strong serving and an outstanding night from Mikaela Foecke powered the fourth-seeded Nebraska volleyball team into the Sweet 16, as the Huskers swept the Wichita State Shockers in a second-round NCAA Tournament match Saturday night in a front of sellout crowd of 8,132 at the Devaney Center.

The Huskers trailed for a total of only five rallies in the match, cruising to a 25-19, 25-19, 25-14 win for their 12th consecutive victory. With the win, Nebraska advanced to an NCAA Regional for the 21st time in the past 22 seasons. Nebraska will face either No. 13 BYU or Western Kentucky next Friday in Lexington, Ky. Game time for that match will be either 4 or 6:30 p.m. (Central) and the match will be carried on ESPN3.

Foecke had a match-high 12 kills without an error to post a .600 attack percentage. Foecke connected on 11 of her first 14 swings and added one of Nebraska’s six aces. All three of the Huskers’ primary outside hitters tallied double-digit kills, as Kelsey Fien registered 10 kills and Kadie Rolfzen had 11 kills and only one error on 26 swings. Rolfzen also added a team-high 13 digs to post her seventh straight double-double in postseason play. Setter Kelly Hunter dished out 38 assists and added four kills of her own while directing a Husker offense that hit .347 on the night.

Wichita State was led by its middles, as Abbie Lehman and Katie Reilly combined for 22 kills on 33 swings with only one error. Lehman produced 10 kills on 15 error-free swings, while Reilly had 11 kills and hit .556. Their efforts were not enough, however, as Wichita State ended its season with a 27-9 record.

Set One: The teams traded leads three times early in set one before Nebraska scored five straight points to take a 10-6 advantage. The Huskers continued to lead by at least two and tried to pull away by winning four consecutive points to take a 21-14 lead. But the Shockers fought back, scoring four straight points to pull within 23-18 and force Nebraska to use its first timeout. Three rallies later, the Huskers closed out a six-point win on Kadie Rolfzen’s third kill. Nebraska hit .417 in the opening set, fueled by freshman Mikaela Foecke, who had six kills on eight error-free swings. Wichita State also attacked well, hitting at a .364 clip.

Set Two: Nebraska never trailed in set two and was tied for only one rally after Wichita State scored four straight points to pull even at 8-8. The Huskers answered the Shockers’ run by winning seven of the next nine rallies to take a 15-10 lead into the media timeout. Nebraska stretched its lead to as many as seven before Kelly Hunter scored on a setter dump to cap the Huskers’ second straight 25-19 win. Foecke continued to dominate, tallying five kills on 10 swings in the second set, giving her 11 kills on 18 error-free swings through the first two sets. Kelsey Fien added four kills for Nebraska, while Abbie Lehman had four kills on seven swings for the Shockers.

Set Three: The Huskers scored four straight points to jump out to a 5-2 lead in set three. Nebraska maintained its three-point advantage at 11-8 before the Huskers won 14 of the final 20 rallies. Senior Meghan Haggerty ended the match with her final swing at the Devaney Center, putting down her second kill of the set on the Huskers’ first match point. Nebraska hit .389 in the final set, fueled by five kills from Kadie Rolfzen on seven swings. The Huskers also totaled two blocks in the third set to hold Wichita State to a .118 attack percentage.

— NU Athletics —

Missouri State knocks off Oklahoma State in Stillwater

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riggertMSUSTILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Missouri State has played some tough opponents so far this season and wasn’t able to pull out wins against teams such as Butler, Minnesota and Utah State.

On Saturday at Oklahoma State, it looked like the Bears might find a way to lose yet again, but Dequon Miller scored five of his 21 points in the final 20 seconds to help Missouri State avoid a massive second-half collapse and escape with a 64-63 victory.

Camyn Boone scored 17 points and added nine rebounds for Missouri State (2-5), which led 39-22 early in the second half.

“I’m most pleased for every one of our players in that locker room,” said Missouri State coach Paul Lusk. “In the second half, we knew it was going to get difficult. We were ready to break completely but we stuck with it and found a way to win the game.”

Jawun Evans and Jeff Newberry each scored 15 points to lead Oklahoma State (5-3), which lost its second straight. Evans, who scored all of his points in the second half, added five rebounds and seven assists.

The Cowboys rallied through the second half, using a 12-2 run to lead 49-48 on Newberry’s 10-foot jump shot with 6:14 to go.

The lead traded hands five times after that, with Oklahoma State going up 63-59 following two free throws from Newberry with 28 seconds remaining, before Miller’s late heroics.

Miller made it a one-point game with 17 seconds left after his free throw completed a 3-point play. Then, after Evans missed two free throws, Miller went the length of the court for a layup with 7.3 seconds left to put Missouri State ahead 64-63.

“I’m happy for him, because he’s really struggled to this point,” Lusk said of Miller, who came into the game averaging 8.7 points. “He’s a junior-college kid who’s making the transition. But we believe in him and happy that he did some good things out there.”

As for Evans’ failure in the clutch, Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford stood behind his freshman guard.

“He made some big shots in the second half, did a really good job,” Ford said. “He’ll get another opportunity at some point to make those, he’s a really good free-throw shooter. That’s life.”

Joe Burton, who played just four minutes, attempted a 3-pointer as time expired for Oklahoma State but it fell short.

“Their guys showed a lot of toughness, a lot of maturity, down the stretch,” Ford said. “It’s not easy to do, when you have a big lead and you lose the lead. They showed a lot of mental toughness.”

Trailing 32-20 at halftime, things got worse for Oklahoma State before they got better, as Missouri State opened the second half with a 7-2 run to build a 39-22 lead.

The Cowboys reeled off an 11-2 run to pull back to within 41-33 following Newberry’s fast-break dunk with 14:35 remaining. Oklahoma State continued to whittle away, making it 43-37 with 12:15 to go on Anthony Allen’s jump shot.

Missouri State led from the opening tip-off, building a 9-2 lead over the first seven minutes and holding to the Cowboys to 1-of-9 shooting. Oklahoma State put together a 9-2 run to pull to within 11-9, but Missouri State scored the next six points.

The Bears continued to increase their lead, closing on another 9-2 run to take a 32-20 lead into halftime — just the second time this season the Bears led at the break.

OSU missed its last seven shots in the first half, shooting 28.6 percent (8 of 28) from the floor.

—

TIP INS

Missouri State won the rebounding battle 41-31, marking the sixth time in seven contests that they matched or led in that category. Of those, 10 were offensive boards, giving the Bears 84 on the season.

Oklahoma State, which entered the game ranking fifth in the nation in blocked shots and seventh in blocks per game (6.7), recorded just two blocks.

MASH UNIT

With senior leader Phil Forte III already out indefinitely with an elbow injury, Oklahoma State lost Newberry to a head injury after he collided with teammate Tyree Griffin with 14 seconds remaining. Newberry stayed down for several minutes and was bleeding from his nose before leaving the court under his own power. Afterwards, he was being evaluated for a head injury.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

“They played really well. Give them credit, their team played well, made big plays and showed a lot of grit.” — Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford, who repeated a variation of this phrase at least six different times, doing his best Marshawn Lynch impression, during his postgame press conference.

UP NEXT

Missouri State faces IUPUI at home next Thursday.

Oklahoma State goes up against Minnesota next Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D.

— Associated Press —

White’s career high 30 leads Nebraska past Abilene Christian

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riggertNebraskaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Andrew White III picked up a scholarship before Nebraska played Abilene Christian Saturday, then scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Huskers to a 73-63 win over the Wildcats.

White did much of his damage at the free throw line where Nebraska won the game. The Huskers had one less field goal and one less 3-pointer than Abilene Christian. But the Huskers were 27-for-36 from free throw line. The Wildcats were 14-for- 17.

“I got to the free throw line,” said White who made 14 of 16 from the stripe. “I don’t think I’ve ever, in my years of playing basketball, shot that many free throws. I think part of that was just crashing the boards. I think my teammates did a good job looking for me also and, just being more aggressive.”

White, who also had career highs in rebounds with seven and steals with four, scored seven straight points in the second-half spurt that put the Huskers in the lead for good. Shavon Shields added 21 points and Tai Webster 10.

Slow-starting Nebraska (6-3) led Abilene Christian (3-5) 46-43 when Shields hit a pair of free throws with 15:32 left to start a breakaway run. White then hit a pair of free throws, a 3-pointer and two more charity shots to put Nebraska up 55-45 with 12:50 left.

The Wildcats cut the lead to seven twice but could get no closer.

The Huskers started the game 1-for-10 from the field, falling behind 12-7. Nebraska then hit 7 of its next 9, going up 31-26 on a Shields fast-break layup with 6:54 left in the half. The Huskers led 36-34 at the half.

“Thank goodness for Shavon and Andrew,” said Nebraska coach Tim Miles. “You’ve got to score to win. I’m not pleased with anybody’s defense. I think you have to credit Abilene Christian.They hit some tough shots early. Once a team gains confidence, it’s on. That’s what we allowed them to do the first half. Once you open that door anything could happen.”

Abilene Christian coach Joe Golding was pleased with how his team performed.

“I thought our guys played well,” he said. We were able to get some stops in the first half, but we let them get to the free throw line too much in the second half. Shields is a great player, and they have more size than we could put out there. We have to do a better job of guarding without fouling. We turned the ball over too much (20 turnovers), but I thought our guys competed for 40 minutes. I’m very proud of the way this team came on the road and competed for 40 minutes against a solid Big Ten team. Our team is growing up and I believe it will show down the road.”

Duran Porter led the Wildcats with 17 points, Jaylen Franklin added 14 and Jovan Crnic 13.

Prior to the game, White received the third Bus Whitehead Memorial Basketball Scholarship. The scholarship is presented for athletic achievement, moral character and leadership.

“It was a big honor,” White said. “I was really surprised…You have do more than just be a good basketball player to get something like that. I’m just glad people think enough of my character to award me with something like that.”

——–

TIP INS

Abilene Christian: The Wildcats are 4-19 against non-conference Division I opponents in its two-plus years in Division I. The Wildcats are 0-16 in true road games.

Nebraska: Shields’ 21 points is his third 20-point game this season.

UP NEXT

Abilene Christian hosts Schreiner Dec. 12.

Nebraska plays Creighton Tuesday in Omaha.

— Associated Press —

Missouri gets second straight win, hands Northern Illinois first loss

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Kevin Puryear calls Missouri his “dream school.”

Now that the Blue Springs, Missouri, native is the leading scorer and rebounder for a school he grew up watching, Puryear really is living the dream.

Puryear scored 17 points, including 13 in the second half, and Missouri beat Northern Illinois 78-71 Friday night, handing the Huskies their first loss of the season.

“Missouri had the answer,” Huskies coach Mark Montgomery said. “They had different players that stepped up. They just made a few more plays than us.

“He’s a good player,” Montgomery said of Puryear. “I thought we had him scouted pretty well, but he found a way to make clutch shots.”

Puryear led a balanced scoring effort. Terrence Phillips had 13 points to go with six assists, Jakeenan Gant had 11 points and six rebounds, and Namon Wright added 10 points and five rebounds.

After shooting 1 for 3 in the first half, Puryear found a rhythm, shooting 5 for 7 in the second. He has reached double-digit scoring in six of his seven collegiate games.

NIU guard Marshawn Wilson led all scorers with 24 points, making all 10 of his free-throw attempts. Center Marin Maric finished with 14 points and a team-best seven rebounds.

After a quiet start, Travon Baker and Aaric Armstead combined for 16 points in the second half. Baker finished with 11 points and four rebounds, while Armstead had 10 points to go with five rebounds.

Missouri (4-3) took a one-point lead into halftime after opening on a 12-0 run. NIU (7-1) missed its first 10 shots before Maric made a layup five minutes into the first half.

NIU fought back, taking advantage of 11 first-half turnovers by Missouri. The Huskies scored 16 points off turnovers and 19 second-chance points.

“We were really sloppy down the stretch, which allowed them to get back in the game,” said Phillips, who had five of Missouri’s 15 turnovers. “We went into half, we calmed down, we came back and we just made plays in the second half.”

Phillips hit a jumper from the elbow, beginning a 15-7 run that lasted 3:02. The Tigers shot 6 for 9 during that stretch, capped by a 3-pointer from Cullen VanLeer, his only points.

Post play proved crucial for Missouri, which outscored NIU 32-24 in the paint and enjoyed a 38-34 rebounding advantage. Russell Woods added nine points and four rebounds in 15 minutes, tying his career highs. Center Ryan Rosburg had four points and seven rebounds, and Gant scored nine of his 11 points in the second half.

“The points in the paint, we’ve got to have it,” said Missouri coach Kim Anderson. “You’re not going to make jump shots every night. You’ve got to be able to pound it inside. The last two or three games, I guess we’ve gotten better at that.”

Rosburg, who saw limited playing time due to foul trouble, was impressed with Gant’s production.

“We see every day in practice, he’s capable of providing a big spark for us,” Rosburg said. “He can do a lot of things. He’s just so athletic and long. It was great to see him have some success tonight.”

—

TIP-INS

Missouri: In an 88-78 win over Arkansas State Tuesday, five Missouri players scored in double figures for the first time since 2012. Wright scored 14 points, Tramaine Isabell had 11 and Rosburg, Puryear and K.J. Walton each added 10… Free-throw shooting has been key for the Tigers, who average 22.2 free-throw attempts per game, up from 17.5 attempts per game last season.

Northern Illinois: This was only the second meeting between the schools. Missouri won the first meeting 97-61 on Dec. 27, 2010 in Columbia… NIU’s 7-0 start to the season is its best since a 9-0 start in 1994… The Huskies entered the game outscoring opponents by 19.1 points per game and outrebounding them by 12.3 rebounds per game.

COURTSIDE

Missouri head football coach Barry Odom addressed Mizzou Arena from half court during halftime. Athletic director Mack Rhoades announced yesterday that Odom, after his first year as defensive coordinator, would replace Gary Pinkel in 2016. Pinkel announced his retirement last month, having been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

“I thought our guys executed well down the stretch,” Anderson said. “That’s really encouraging with a young team.”

UP NEXT

Missouri hosts Omaha next Wednesday.

NIU visits Ohio State Wednesday, Dec. 17.

— Associated Press —

Wade’s late jumper lifts Kansas State past Georgia, 68-66

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riggertKansasStateATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Dean Wade didn’t have to be reminded of Kansas State’s total of true road wins last season.

“We only had one,” Wade said.

The Wildcats matched that total in their road opener on Friday night as Wade scored 17 points, including a go-ahead jumper with 4.1 seconds remaining, and Kansas State edged Georgia 68-66.

The Wildcats were 1-10 away from home last season, not including games played at neutral sites. Wade said winning at Georgia was proof this year’s team can win in tough environments.

“It keeps our confidence up,” said Wade, a 6-foot-10 freshman. “This was a hostile environment. It was fun to play in it.”

It was Kansas State’s first road win outside of Big 12 games since a win at George Washington on Dec. 8, 2012.

Wade made two jumpers in the final minute for Kansas State (6-1).

Yante Maten had 20 points for Georgia (3-3), which led by 12 points in the first half. Kenny Gaines scored only four of his 17 points in the second half.

Mike Edwards’ strong offensive rebound and follow shot of a missed hook by Maten gave Georgia a 63-62 lead. Following two free throws by Iwundu, Maten’s inside basket gave the lead back to the Bulldogs.

Trailing 65-64, Kansas State called timeout with 1:13 remaining. Wade’s jumper with 56 seconds remaining gave the Wildcats a 66-65 lead. Edwards sank one of two free throws for a 66-all tie, but Wade answered with the decisive baseline jumper.

J.J. Frazier missed a last-second 3-pointer for Georgia.

Asked to describe Georgia’s plan for its final possession, Frazier said “It was for me to make a play. … I had space, I had time, so I shot it.”

Frazier had 11 points.

Georgia did not trail in the first half. Its big lead was 12 points at 26-14. Freshman William “Turtle” Jackson scored on a drive before back-to-back baskets by Maten, including one set up by Jackson’s assist, capped a 10-0 run for the big lead.

Georgia led 37-28 at halftime. There were 11 lead changes in the second half.

The Wildcats opened the second half with a 17-5 run, including the first seven points from Wade. Kansas State took its first lead at 43-42 when Iwundu made one of two free throws.

Kansas State had a 36-35 advantage in rebounds, but it seemed like a huge imbalance to Georgia coach Mark Fox.

“The key for us is we have not rebounded the ball nearly at the level it takes to win,” Fox said. “We didn’t do it tonight. That’s an area we have to improve.”

—

TIP-INS

Kansas State: Wesley Iwundu had 14 points and Kamau Stokes had 13 for the Wildcats. Justin Edwards had 12 points and eight rebounds. … Kansas State’s last 6-1 start came in the 2012-13 season.

Georgia: Freshman F Derek Ogbeide did not score in closely guarded playing time in his debut after missing the first five games with a right shoulder injury. He played with a wrap on the arm. Fox expects Ogbeide (6-8, 250) to provide rebounding help when fully recovered. … Georgia’s 37 first-half points set a season high. … Georgia blocked eight shots, including three by Maten.

GEOGRAPHY LESSON

This was Kansas State’s first game in the state of Georgia in 16 years, since a win at Georgia State on Nov. 29, 1999. The Wildcats’ trip to Athens completed a two-game series, following Georgia’s 50-46 win at Kansas last season.

KANSAS TIES

Fox is a native of Garden City, Kansas. He was an assistant at Kansas State from 1994-2000. Fox’s wife, Cindy, worked at Kansas State as an assistant athletic director for marketing.

WHAT’S NEXT

Kansas State hosts Coppin State on Wednesday.

Georgia hosts Winthrop on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

No. 8 KU sweeps 25th-ranked Mizzou volleyball to reach Sweet 16

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riggertKULAWRENCE, Kan. – Every time Missouri flexed a little muscle during Friday night’s NCAA Championship Second Round match, Kansas pushed right back, eventually overpowering its former rival in a three-set sweep at Horejsi Family Athletics Center (3-0; 25-16, 25-13, 27-25). Kansas advances to its second NCAA Sweet 16 in three years while keeping it’s unprecedented, magical season alive.

Hosting the NCAA tournament first and second rounds for the fourth-straight season, Kansas continued to cruise while running its’ season record to 28-2 and swept both Furman and Missouri to move on to next week’s regional round in San Diego.

Mizzou, ranked No. 25 entering the tournament, scored the first point in all three sets, but in each frame No. 9 Kansas responded with a show of force in a pivotal moment.

In the first set, Tayler Soucie turned in back-to-back blocks – the second an assisted denial with Anise Havili – to set the tone and give Kansas a 7-4 advantage. The Jayhawks would use two more blocks while pushing the lead to four at 9-5 before eventually rolling to a 25-16 first-set victory.

In the second set, Mizzou spurted out to a 3-1 advantage and looked to be settling in before a 50-50 ball at the net gave the Jayhawks another chance to assert themselves. Havili, the 5-foot-10 Big 12 Setter of the Year, went hand-to-hand with Missouri middle blocker Emily Thater, the tallest player on the floor at 6-foot-3, and pushed the point down in a one-handed tussle. That gave Kansas its first lead at 5-4 and the Jayhawks would later use a 12-2 run to put the second set away, 25-13.

Missouri bolted to an even bigger lead in the third set, scoring five of the first six points and led by as many as five at 7-2. Despite the best efforts from Kansas, that lead would stick until a timeout by KU with the Tigers up 18-13. The stoppage allowed Kansas to regroup and Tiana Dockery provided a kill on the left side down the line, but the teams traded services errors until Kansas cut it to 20-16.

Seemingly running out of time in the set, KU got a big boost with back-to-back crushing kills from Kelsie Payne to make it a two-point contest at 20-18, but couldn’t pull even before Missouri had its first shot at set point, 24-20.

Undeterred, Kansas got a kill from Soucie, 24-21. Mizzou’s second shot at set point went into the net, 24-22, then the third, 24-23. The Tigers fourth shot at set point was rejected by Dockery and Janae Hall, 24-24. Carly Kan logged the last of her team-leading 12 kills for Missouri to give the Tigers a fifth set point at 25-24, but another attack error re-tied the game. Payne used another thunderous smash to give Kansas it’s first lead of the set, then found a way to put down the game winner on her next attack.

Payne led all players with 16 kills and hit .500 for the match. Finished the match with 40 assists and added 12 digs – one of four Jayhawks with double-digit digs. Soucie, who had four blocks in the first set alone, led the match with seven total blocks – a major reason the Jayhawks held the Missouri attack to a mere .061 for the night.

NEXT UP
The Jayhawks face Loyola Marymount next Friday, Dec. 11. On the other side of the San Diego bracket, No. 1 overall seed USC will play the winner of North Carolina and No. 16 Creighton, who compete in the second round on Saturday. Regionals are set for Dec. 11-12 at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

— KU Athletics —

No. 4 Nebraska volleyball rallies past Harvard in NCAA opener

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riggertNebraskaLincoln – The fourth-seeded Nebraska volleyball team had to post a rare come-from-behind victory in a first-round NCAA Tournament match on Friday, rallying for a 3-1 victory over Harvard in the Crimson’s postseason debut in front of 8,098 fans at the Devaney Center.

The Huskers never led as Harvard burst onto the postseason scene with a 25-22 win in the opening set. Trailing a first-round NCAA Tournament opponent for only the third time in school history – and for the first time since 1986 – Nebraska trailed for a total of only three rallies over the final three sets. NU won the first 10 rallies of set two to cruise to a 25-15 win. The Huskers then pulled away from the Crimson late to take set three, 25-17, before closing out their 11th straight victory with a 25-19 victory in set four.

By winning their opening NCAA Tournament match for the 32nd straight season, the Huskers advanced to Saturday’s second-round match against Wichita State, which defeated Kansas State, 3-1, in Friday’s opening match. The Huskers and Shockers will meet on Saturday at 7 p.m. with a trip to the Regional Semifinals in Lexington, Ky., on the line.

Saturday’s match will be televised live in the state of Nebraska on NET and the television broadcast is also available nationwide on BTN2Go. A live video feed featuring commentary from IMG Husker Sports Network announcers John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall is also available for free on Huskers.com.

Kadie Rolfzen had a double-double and paced four Huskers in double-figure kills with a match-high 15 kills. Mikaela Foecke added 12 kills in her postseason debut, while middle blockers Cecilia Hall and Amber Rolfzen had 10 kills each. Amber Rolfzen added a season-high nine blocks, as Nebraska finished with 15 stuffs, one shy of its season high. Kelly Hunter had 54 assists for a Husker attack that hit .298 and Justine Wong-Orantes tallied 23 digs.

Corinne Bain produced a triple-double for Harvard, which ended its season with a 15-11 record. Bain led the Crimson with 13 kills and 14 digs, while adding 19 assists. Kathleen Wallace added 12 digs for Harvard and just missed a double-double with nine digs. Harvard hit .163 for the match and stuffed the Huskers six times.

Set One: Harvard showed no signs of nerves in its postseason debut, jumping out to a 7-3 lead in set one. Strong serving from Mikaela Foecke helped the Huskers pull even with four straight points but Harvard answered with its own 4-0 run to take a 13-9 lead and force a Husker timeout.  The Crimson built their largest lead at 17-12 and answered every Nebraska spurt, winning rallies on three different occasions after the Huskers had pulled to within two. Nebraska saved one set point with a Kadie Rolfzen kill before Caroline Holte closed out the 25-22 win with her only kill of the set. Harvard had four blocks in the set, contributing to eight Husker attack errors.

Set Two: Nebraska came out firing in set two, scoring the first 10 points of the set. Harvard was able to pull within 14-7 but could get no closer. The Huskers led by as many as 13 but Harvard fought to the end, fending off three set points before Meghan Haggerty’s kill wrapped up the 25-15 win. After eight attack errors held Nebraska to a .186 hitting percentage in set one, the Huskers hit .394 in the second set. Kadie Rolfzen had five kills on nine swings in set two, and the Huskers stuffed Harvard four times.

Set Three: Nebraska jumped out to an early 6-3 lead in set three, only to see Harvard rally to take a 10-9 advantage. Tied at 11, the Huskers won five of the next six rallies to take a 16-12 lead. Nebraska maintained at least a two-point advantage the rest of the set, winning six of the final seven rallies of the 25-17 win. Nebraska hit .394 for the second straight set, and it was Kadie Rolfzen leading the way again, this time with six kills on 13 swings.

Set Four: The Huskers put up a wall at the net early in set four. Nebraska had five blocks in the first 15 rallies to race to a 10-5 lead. Harvard would get no closer than four the rest of the way but continued to fight, as Nebraska was never able to expand its lead to larger than seven points. The Huskers closed out the match on their sixth block of the set and 15th of the match. The Huskers held Harvard to an .091 attack percentage, as Amber Rolfzen had a hand in all six Nebraska blocks in the final set.

— NU Athletics —

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