Nebraska shot a blistering 76 percent in the second half, pulling away from Peru State, 97-58, in an exhibition game Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena. 

Nebraska used second-half runs of 16-2, 14-1 and 19-3 take control in the second half after leading by only eight at the break. NU was 22-of-29 from the floor in the final 20 minutes, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range. 

Grad transfer Alonzo Verge Jr. led four Huskers in double figures with 20 points, eight assists and three steals and had eight of his points in the 16-2 spurt after Peru State pulled to within 39-33. Derrick Walker Jr. and Keon Edwards added 12 while Eduardo Andre had 10 points and six boards in the second half.

In all, the Huskers shot 62.1 percent from the field and had 25 assists to only nine turnovers, while holding Peru State to 35 percent shooting, including 27 percent in the second half. 

Peru State made one last run, cutting NU's lead from 20 to 11 and trailed 64-50 following a 3-pointer from Tonje Durham with 11:20 left, but could get no closer as Nebraska went on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to put the game out of reach. 

The Huskers shot 48 percent in the first half and got strong performances from Walker and Verge in taking a 39-31 halftime lead. Walker had 12 points, as he hit his first five shots, while Verge came of the bench and tallied seven assists and six points for the Big Red in the opening half. 

Leading 16-14, the Huskers used a 9-2 run to stretch their lead to 25-16 after a 3-pointer from Keon Edwards. The Bobcats, who went 7-of-14 from the 3-point arc in the first half, stayed within striking range and trailed 31-27 after Jibril Harris' fourth 3-pointer of the half.  The Huskers responded with an 7-2 run and built a 38-29 lead after Lat Mayen's 3-pointer with 1:17 left in the half. 

The Huskers will have their second exhibition game this Sunday, Oct. 31, as they host the Colorado Buffaloes. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. and tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED during business hours. 

By NU Athletic CommunicationsNebraska shot a blistering 76 percent in the second half, pulling away from Peru State, 97-58, in an exhibition game Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska used second-half runs of 16-2, 14-1 and 19-3 take control in the second half after leading by only eight at the break. NU was 22-of-29 from the floor in the final 20 minutes, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range. Grad transfer Alonzo Verge Jr. led four Huskers in double figures with 20 points, eight assists and three steals and had eight of his points in the 16-2 spurt after Peru State pulled to within 39-33. Derrick Walker Jr. and Keon Edwards added 12 while Eduardo Andre had 10 points and six boards in the second half.In all, the Huskers shot 62.1 percent from the field and had 25 assists to only nine turnovers, while holding Peru State to 35 percent shooting, including 27 percent in the second half. Peru State made one last run, cutting NU's lead from 20 to 11 and trailed 64-50 following a 3-pointer from Tonje Durham with 11:20 left, but could get no closer as Nebraska went on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to put the game out of reach. The Huskers shot 48 percent in the first half and got strong performances from Walker and Verge in taking a 39-31 halftime lead. Walker had 12 points, as he hit his first five shots, while Verge came of the bench and tallied seven assists and six points for the Big Red in the opening half. Leading 16-14, the Huskers used a 9-2 run to stretch their lead to 25-16 after a 3-pointer from Keon Edwards. The Bobcats, who went 7-of-14 from the 3-point arc in the first half, stayed within striking range and trailed 31-27 after Jibril Harris' fourth 3-pointer of the half. The Huskers responded with an 7-2 run and built a 38-29 lead after Lat Mayen's 3-pointer with 1:17 left in the half. The Huskers will have their second exhibition game this Sunday, Oct. 31, as they host the Colorado Buffaloes. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. and tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED during business hours.

Huskers Win Exhibition Opener, 97-58

The No. 6 Nebraska volleyball team saw its 10-match win streak come to an end Wednesday night, falling 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-23) to No. 3 Wisconsin at the Devaney Center. The Huskers are now 16-4 (10-1 Big Ten), while the Badgers improve to 18-1 (10-1).

Madi Kubik, Lindsay Krause and Lauren Stivrins all finished with nine kills on the night to lead Nebraska. Kubik added six digs and two blocks, Krause had three blocks, and Stivrins had two more.

Kayla Caffey finished with eight kills and a match-high five blocks.

Nicklin Hames registered her fifth straight double-double and 13th of the season with 32 assists and 14 digs. Lexi Rodriguez (11) and Keonilei Akana (10) both had double-figure dig nights.

Wisconsin was led by 12 kills on .647 hitting from Anna Smrek and 11 more from Dana Rettke. Sydney Hilley had 37 assists and 16 digs, and Lauren Barnes finished with a match-high 20 digs. Devyn Robinson had five blocks.

The Badgers hit .229 to Nebraska's .148 and had a narrow blocking advantage, 9-8.

UW took a 5-1 lead to open the match. Down 12-6, the Huskers stormed back as Caffey and Krause combined for two kills and a block, and coupled with two Badger attack errors, the 5-1 run cut it to 13-11. NU locked it at 15-all on a Stivrins kill and two more UW attack errors, prompting a Badger timeout.

The Big Red built to an 18-16 lead, and Hames extended it with a kill to make it 19-17. UW responded with a block and two kills to regain the lead, 20-19, before an Akana kill from the back row tied it once more.

NU and UW continued to trade points up to a 24-24 tie, but the Badgers pulled away with a Grace Loberg kill and a Husker setting error to claim it, 26-24.

Seven different NU players registered a kill as the Huskers outhit Wisconsin .255 to .212 in the set with four kills from Ally Batenhorst. Smrek had five kills on six swings for UW.

Three Stivrins kills kept NU in it early as the set drew to a 7-7 tie. UW assumed its largest lead at 18-13 before the Husker block went to work, with two blocks from Caffey/Krause and Caffey/Hames and a solo stuff by Batenhorst cutting it to 18-16 before a Badger timeout. After kills from Julia Orzol and Rettke, the Huskers took their own timeout, trailing 21-17. A Caffey kill and a Stivrins/Krause block twice staved off set point, but Smrek closed it out with a kill for UW, 25-19.

After UW went up 7-5, the Huskers rallied with a 6-0 run bolstered by two kills and a solo block from Caffey. UW, hitting -.231 to start, had just one kill with four attack errors before the first timeout as Nebraska led 11-7.

NU held on to its lead until back-to-back kills from Smrek and Orzol tied it at 17-17. A 4-0 run then gave UW a 21-18 edge. Kills from Caffey, Krause and Stivrins all got the Huskers within two multiple times, but a Rettke kill brought it to match point at 24-21. Following a Badger service error, Stivrins put down another kill to pull NU within one at 24-23. The Badgers called for a timeout, and a Husker attack error gave them the set, 25-23.

Nebraska faces its third straight ranked opponent with a visit to No. 11 Minnesota this Saturday, Oct. 30. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn. The match will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed via its digital extension on the FOX Sports app, with Larry Punteney and Audrey Flaugh on the call. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will also have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.

By NU Athletic CommunicationsThe No. 6 Nebraska volleyball team saw its 10-match win streak come to an end Wednesday night, falling 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-23) to No. 3 Wisconsin at the Devaney Center. The Huskers are now 16-4 (10-1 Big Ten), while the Badgers improve to 18-1 (10-1).Madi Kubik, Lindsay Krause and Lauren Stivrins all finished with nine kills on the night to lead Nebraska. Kubik added six digs and two blocks, Krause had three blocks, and Stivrins had two more.Kayla Caffey finished with eight kills and a match-high five blocks.Nicklin Hames registered her fifth straight double-double and 13th of the season with 32 assists and 14 digs. Lexi Rodriguez (11) and Keonilei Akana (10) both had double-figure dig nights.Wisconsin was led by 12 kills on .647 hitting from Anna Smrek and 11 more from Dana Rettke. Sydney Hilley had 37 assists and 16 digs, and Lauren Barnes finished with a match-high 20 digs. Devyn Robinson had five blocks.The Badgers hit .229 to Nebraska's .148 and had a narrow blocking advantage, 9-8.Set 1UW took a 5-1 lead to open the match. Down 12-6, the Huskers stormed back as Caffey and Krause combined for two kills and a block, and coupled with two Badger attack errors, the 5-1 run cut it to 13-11. NU locked it at 15-all on a Stivrins kill and two more UW attack errors, prompting a Badger timeout.The Big Red built to an 18-16 lead, and Hames extended it with a kill to make it 19-17. UW responded with a block and two kills to regain the lead, 20-19, before an Akana kill from the back row tied it once more.NU and UW continued to trade points up to a 24-24 tie, but the Badgers pulled away with a Grace Loberg kill and a Husker setting error to claim it, 26-24.Seven different NU players registered a kill as the Huskers outhit Wisconsin .255 to .212 in the set with four kills from Ally Batenhorst. Smrek had five kills on six swings for UW.Set 2Three Stivrins kills kept NU in it early as the set drew to a 7-7 tie. UW assumed its largest lead at 18-13 before the Husker block went to work, with two blocks from Caffey/Krause and Caffey/Hames and a solo stuff by Batenhorst cutting it to 18-16 before a Badger timeout. After kills from Julia Orzol and Rettke, the Huskers took their own timeout, trailing 21-17. A Caffey kill and a Stivrins/Krause block twice staved off set point, but Smrek closed it out with a kill for UW, 25-19.Set 3After UW went up 7-5, the Huskers rallied with a 6-0 run bolstered by two kills and a solo block from Caffey. UW, hitting -.231 to start, had just one kill with four attack errors before the first timeout as Nebraska led 11-7.NU held on to its lead until back-to-back kills from Smrek and Orzol tied it at 17-17. A 4-0 run then gave UW a 21-18 edge. Kills from Caffey, Krause and Stivrins all got the Huskers within two multiple times, but a Rettke kill brought it to match point at 24-21. Following a Badger service error, Stivrins put down another kill to pull NU within one at 24-23. The Badgers called for a timeout, and a Husker attack error gave them the set, 25-23.Up NextNebraska faces its third straight ranked opponent with a visit to No. 11 Minnesota this Saturday, Oct. 30. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn. The match will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed via its digital extension on the FOX Sports app, with Larry Punteney and Audrey Flaugh on the call. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will also have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.

Husker Streak Ends in Loss to Wisconsin, 3-0

By Heather Johnson - Public Information Specialist

The North Platte Community College Knights volleyball team will host the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX Championship Game at 3 p.m. Saturday in the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.

“We are excited that we get to host the Region Championship Game,” said NPCC Head Volleyball Coach Alexa McCall. “It puts some pressure on our regular season games, but ultimately allows us to play on our home floor, in front of the great fans that we have.”

The Knights will take on the winner of the opening round of the Region IX Tournament, which will be played between Central Community College and Southeast Community College at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Columbus.

NPCC enters championship play as the No.1 seed with a 17-14 overall record, 3-3 conference record and 3-1 record in Region IX. Central Community College is second in the lineup and Southeast Community College is third. Central brings to the table 17-17 overall, 3-3 conference and 3-1 Region IX records. Southeast is 9-23 overall, 0-6 in conference play and 0-4 in regional standings.

North Platte is leading the region this season with 10.57 kills per set and is second in hitting percentages with 0.141 – just behind Central’s 0.164. NPCC also leads in assists per set with 9.97 and is second with blocks per set at 1.58. Central has 1.62. Additionally, the Knights have the most serving aces per set with 2.08.

Individual leaders for NPCC include Kim Krise, of Briggsdale, Colo., who ranks first in the region with 3.01 kills per set. Her teammate, Morgan Ramsey, of Bartlett, is right behind her in second place with 2.82 kills per set.

Katy Bartell, of Eustis, is second in digs per set with 3.88 - following Central’s Chloe Odbert with 4.63. NPCC’s Allie Schneider is second in assists per set with 8.15, ahead of Central’s 8.95 posted by Kamryn Chohon.

For the Knights, Madi Neely, of Broken Bow, is leading total ace serves with 46. Her teammate, Avery Johnson, of Hayes Center, is third for blocks per set with 0.74, and Neely is fourth in that division with 0.71. First is Central’s Rachel Otten with 0.98 blocks per set, and second is Southeast’s Emily Miller with 0.75.

“We have our work cut out for us, regardless of who wins on Wednesday,” McCall said. “We have the talent and the skills to win, we just have to work hard and for each other. I believe that if we can serve well and be able to get out of serve receive without allowing teams to go on runs, we are a hard team to stop. We are excited for this point in our season and ready to play on our home floor one last time this year.”

Those unable to attend the game in person can view a livestream at npccknights.com.

By Heather Johnson - Public Information SpecialistThe North Platte Community College Knights volleyball team will host the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX Championship Game at 3 p.m. Saturday in the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.“We are excited that we get to host the Region Championship Game,” said NPCC Head Volleyball Coach Alexa McCall. “It puts some pressure on our regular season games, but ultimately allows us to play on our home floor, in front of the great fans that we have.”The Knights will take on the winner of the opening round of the Region IX Tournament, which will be played between Central Community College and Southeast Community College at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Columbus.NPCC enters championship play as the No.1 seed with a 17-14 overall record, 3-3 conference record and 3-1 record in Region IX. Central Community College is second in the lineup and Southeast Community College is third. Central brings to the table 17-17 overall, 3-3 conference and 3-1 Region IX records. Southeast is 9-23 overall, 0-6 in conference play and 0-4 in regional standings.North Platte is leading the region this season with 10.57 kills per set and is second in hitting percentages with 0.141 – just behind Central’s 0.164. NPCC also leads in assists per set with 9.97 and is second with blocks per set at 1.58. Central has 1.62. Additionally, the Knights have the most serving aces per set with 2.08.Individual leaders for NPCC include Kim Krise, of Briggsdale, Colo., who ranks first in the region with 3.01 kills per set. Her teammate, Morgan Ramsey, of Bartlett, is right behind her in second place with 2.82 kills per set.Katy Bartell, of Eustis, is second in digs per set with 3.88 - following Central’s Chloe Odbert with 4.63. NPCC’s Allie Schneider is second in assists per set with 8.15, ahead of Central’s 8.95 posted by Kamryn Chohon.For the Knights, Madi Neely, of Broken Bow, is leading total ace serves with 46. Her teammate, Avery Johnson, of Hayes Center, is third for blocks per set with 0.74, and Neely is fourth in that division with 0.71. First is Central’s Rachel Otten with 0.98 blocks per set, and second is Southeast’s Emily Miller with 0.75.“We have our work cut out for us, regardless of who wins on Wednesday,” McCall said. “We have the talent and the skills to win, we just have to work hard and for each other. I believe that if we can serve well and be able to get out of serve receive without allowing teams to go on runs, we are a hard team to stop. We are excited for this point in our season and ready to play on our home floor one last time this year.”Those unable to attend the game in person can view a livestream at npccknights.com.

Knights Volleyball to host Region IX Championship Game

10.26.21 NPHS Volleyball @ PLV South District day two! - LIVESTREAM

Post Podcast: Jeff with MPCC Business and Community Education talking November classes! 

Lexi Rodriguez was doubly honored with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week recognition, while Nicklin Hames was named Big Ten Co-Setter of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.

Rodriguez's Defensive Player of the Week distinction was the first of her career, while the Freshman of the Week award was her third. The Sterling, Ill., native averaged a team-leading 5.86 digs per set alongside 1.29 assists and 0.29 service aces per set last week as Nebraska improved to 10-0 in Big Ten play. Rodriguez finished with a match-high 17 digs, three assists and two aces Wednesday at Iowa, then followed with a season-high-tying 24 digs with six aces Saturday against No. 7 Purdue.

Hames' award is the second of her career. The Maryville, Tenn., native averaged a team-leading 12.43 assists, 4.00 digs, 0.71 service aces, 0.57 kills and 0.29 blocks per set last week. On Wednesday at Iowa, she finished with 39 assists, 11 digs, two aces and a kill, moving up to third in program history for career assists. On Saturday against No. 7 Purdue, Hames totaled 48 assists, a season-high-tying 17 digs, three aces, three kills and two blocks for her team-leading 12th double-double. She surpassed 4,000 career assists in the match, becoming the third Husker all-time -- and the second in the rally-scoring era -- to reach the milestone.

NU has counted 10 Big Ten weekly award winners this season.

NEBRASKA'S 2021 BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS

Aug. 30 -- Lexi Rodriguez - Freshman of the Week 

Sept. 6 -- Kayla Caffey - Defensive Player of the Week 

Sept. 27 -- Lindsay Krause - Freshman of the Week

Oct. 11 -- Madi Kubik - Player of the Week 

Oct. 11 -- Nicklin Hames - Setter of the Week 

Oct. 11 -- Lexi Rodriguez - Freshman of the Week

Oct. 18 -- Madi Kubik - Player of the Week

Oct. 25 -- Nicklin Hames - Co-Setter of the Week

Oct. 25 -- Lexi Rodriguez - Defensive Player of the Week

Oct. 25 -- Lexi Rodriguez - Freshman of the Week

By NU Athletic CommunicationsLexi Rodriguez was doubly honored with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week recognition, while Nicklin Hames was named Big Ten Co-Setter of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.Rodriguez's Defensive Player of the Week distinction was the first of her career, while the Freshman of the Week award was her third. The Sterling, Ill., native averaged a team-leading 5.86 digs per set alongside 1.29 assists and 0.29 service aces per set last week as Nebraska improved to 10-0 in Big Ten play. Rodriguez finished with a match-high 17 digs, three assists and two aces Wednesday at Iowa, then followed with a season-high-tying 24 digs with six aces Saturday against No. 7 Purdue.Hames' award is the second of her career. The Maryville, Tenn., native averaged a team-leading 12.43 assists, 4.00 digs, 0.71 service aces, 0.57 kills and 0.29 blocks per set last week. On Wednesday at Iowa, she finished with 39 assists, 11 digs, two aces and a kill, moving up to third in program history for career assists. On Saturday against No. 7 Purdue, Hames totaled 48 assists, a season-high-tying 17 digs, three aces, three kills and two blocks for her team-leading 12th double-double. She surpassed 4,000 career assists in the match, becoming the third Husker all-time -- and the second in the rally-scoring era -- to reach the milestone.NU has counted 10 Big Ten weekly award winners this season.NEBRASKA'S 2021 BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARD WINNERSAug. 30 -- Lexi Rodriguez - Freshman of the Week Sept. 6 -- Kayla Caffey - Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 27 -- Lindsay Krause - Freshman of the WeekOct. 11 -- Madi Kubik - Player of the Week Oct. 11 -- Nicklin Hames - Setter of the Week Oct. 11 -- Lexi Rodriguez - Freshman of the WeekOct. 18 -- Madi Kubik - Player of the WeekOct. 25 -- Nicklin Hames - Co-Setter of the WeekOct. 25 -- Lexi Rodriguez - Defensive Player of the WeekOct. 25 -- Lexi Rodriguez - Freshman of the Week

Hames, Rodriguez Combine for Trio of Big Ten Weekly Awards

Arthur County def. Sandhills/Thedford, 22-25, 26-24, 25-17, 18-25, 15-12 (3-2)

Bridgeport def. Perkins County, 25-16, 22-25, 25-14, 25-23 (3-1)

Chase County def. Ogallala, 25-19, 25-20, 18-25, 16-25, 15-11 (3-2)

Garden County def. Potter-Dix, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-14 (3-1)

Gothenburg def. Broken Bow, 25-19, 25-19, 25-18 (3-0)

Maywood-Hayes Center def. Medicine Valley, 25-20, 25-17, 25-11 (3-0)

Medicine Valley def. Brady, 25-23, 25-12, 25-23 (3-0)

Minden def. Cozad, 25-18, 25-4, 25-10 (3-0)

Mitchell def. Hershey, 25-14, 25-18, 25-20 (3-0)

North Platte def. Omaha South, 25-7, 25-10, 25-9 (3-0)

Ogallala def. Chadron, 24-26, 23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-8 (3-2)

Overton def. Sandhills Valley, 25-18, 25-13, 25-12 (3-0)

Paxton def. Wallace, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-8 (3-2)

Perkins County def. Sutherland, 25-15, 19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-10 (3-2)

Sandhills Valley def. Maxwell, 16-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-14 (3-1)

Sandhills/Thedford def. Hyannis, 25-17, 26-24, 25-13 (3-0)

South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) def. Southern Valley, 25-20, 25-16, 21-25, 16-25, 15-12 (3-2)

Sumner-Eddyville-Miller def. North Platte St. Patrick's, 22-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-22 (3-1)

Wauneta-Palisade def. Dundy County Stratton, 25-16, 25-5, 25-15 (3-0)

Arthur County def. Sandhills/Thedford, 22-25, 26-24, 25-17, 18-25, 15-12 (3-2)Bridgeport def. Perkins County, 25-16, 22-25, 25-14, 25-23 (3-1)Chase County def. Ogallala, 25-19, 25-20, 18-25, 16-25, 15-11 (3-2)Garden County def. Potter-Dix, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-14 (3-1)Gothenburg def. Broken Bow, 25-19, 25-19, 25-18 (3-0)Maywood-Hayes Center def. Medicine Valley, 25-20, 25-17, 25-11 (3-0)Medicine Valley def. Brady, 25-23, 25-12, 25-23 (3-0)Minden def. Cozad, 25-18, 25-4, 25-10 (3-0)Mitchell def. Hershey, 25-14, 25-18, 25-20 (3-0)North Platte def. Omaha South, 25-7, 25-10, 25-9 (3-0)Ogallala def. Chadron, 24-26, 23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-8 (3-2)Overton def. Sandhills Valley, 25-18, 25-13, 25-12 (3-0)Paxton def. Wallace, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-8 (3-2)Perkins County def. Sutherland, 25-15, 19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-10 (3-2)Sandhills Valley def. Maxwell, 16-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-14 (3-1)Sandhills/Thedford def. Hyannis, 25-17, 26-24, 25-13 (3-0)South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) def. Southern Valley, 25-20, 25-16, 21-25, 16-25, 15-12 (3-2)Sumner-Eddyville-Miller def. North Platte St. Patrick's, 22-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-22 (3-1)Wauneta-Palisade def. Dundy County Stratton, 25-16, 25-5, 25-15 (3-0)

Area Volleyball results from 10/25

10.25.21 NPHS District Volleyball vs Omaha South - LIVESTREAM

The No. 9 Nebraska volleyball team's win streak extended to 10 matches Saturday night, as the Huskers took down No. 7 Purdue, 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-21) at the Devaney Center. NU remains perfect in conference play at 16-3 (10-0 Big Ten), while the Boilermakers drop to 14-5 (6-4).

Nicklin Hames surpassed 4,000 career assists in the match, becoming the third Husker in program history -- and the second in the rally-scoring era -- to reach the milestone. The senior finished with 48 assists, a season-high-tying 17 digs, three service aces, three kills and two blocks for her team-leading 12th double-double of the season.

Four Huskers had double-figure kill performances on the night, led by Madi Kubik's 15 kills with 10 digs for her third double-double. Kubik has led the Huskers in kills in 10 straight matches.

Nebraska's middles provided a big boost offensively, as Kayla Caffey had a career-high 14 kills on .619 hitting with two blocks, and Lauren Stivrins had 14 more kills on .393 hitting with a team-leading five stops.

Lindsay Krause added 13 kills with three blocks.

Lexi Rodriguez tied her season high with 24 digs and added six assists. Kenzie Knuckles had eight scoops with two aces.

NU hit .214 to Purdue's .123 and had the advantage in kills (64-39), assists (59-38), aces (6-1) and digs (70-62). The Boilermakers outblocked NU 16-7.

Purdue was led by a match-best 16 kills from Caitlyn Newton. Raven Colvin had a match-high nine blocks, and Taylor Trammell had seven more.

Purdue had nine kills on its first 13 swings with no attack errors to open the match. The Boilermakers led 15-8 by the first timeout. Back-to-back kills from Stivrins and Kubik propelled NU out of the break, but Purdue worked back out to an eight-point lead.

The Huskers regrouped and staged a seven-point run on two kills apiece from Caffey and Kubik, one from Krause and a pair of Knuckles aces, narrowing the gap to 23-20. A Newton kill stopped the surge, but Caffey came right back with one of her own to hold off set point. Kubik added another to cut it to 24-22, and a Stivrins/Krause block prompted a Boilermaker timeout with NU trailing by one. But another Newton kill stopped the 10-1 Husker run and gave Purdue the set, 25-23.

For the set, Purdue hit .429 with just one attack error and had a 6-2 advantage at the net. Kubik had eight kills on .438 hitting, while Caffey had five kills and hit at a .625 clip.

The Huskers' momentum continued as they took an 8-4 lead in set two with early kills from five different players, and two Boilermaker errors sandwiched a Krause/Caffey block for a 12-7 advantage. By the media timeout, NU led 15-9.

After a Knuckles kill, Kubik followed with another -- her 10th of the night -- to put the Huskers up 17-10 at the Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers later put together a 4-0 run on two kills and two blocks to narrow NU's advantage to three, but the Huskers came right back with a 4-0 stretch of their own to go up 23-16. Two Krause kills finished it off for the Big Red, 25-18, evening the match at one set apiece.

The Huskers used a 4-0 run with two Krause kills to go up 6-3 in the third set. Three straight kills between the senior duo of Stivrins and Lexi Sun extended it to 10-5 by Purdue's first timeout.

An 8-1 run bolstered with five consecutive kills between Krause, Caffey and Kubik put NU firmly in control at 19-9. Purdue came no closer than seven the rest of the way, and NU outscored Purdue 4-1 to close it at 25-15.

NU hit .270 in the set while holding Purdue to -.061 while the Boilermakers registered just five kills as a team. Krause and Stivrins had five kills apiece to pace the Huskers.

The Huskers broke through a 6-6 tie, and three aces between Hames and Evans powered a 5-1 spurt for an 11-7 lead. Purdue managed to pull within one three times in the set -- first at 13-12, again at 17-16 and a final time at 21-20. But the Huskers withstood their threat, capitalizing on two Boilermaker attack errors and a Stivrins/Kubik block to bring it to match point at 24-20. A Stivrins kill punctuated it, 25-21.

-Nicklin Hames joins the company of two former Huskers with 4,000 career assists at Nebraska: Kelly Hunter (4,125 from 2013-17) and Fiona Nepo (4,824 from 1995-98). Hames now has 4,040.

-Nebraska leads the all-time series with Purdue 20-8, including 11-4 in the John Cook era.

-The Huskers have won eight of the last nine meetings.

-NU has an 12-2 advantage at home in the series, and it has not surrendered a home match to Purdue since 2013.

-Tonight was Nebraska's third win over a ranked opponent this season and its first over a top-10 foe.

Nebraska has another top-10 matchup ahead, welcoming No. 3 Wisconsin to the Devaney Center on Wednesday, Oct. 27. First serve is set for 8 p.m., and Larry Punteney and Audrey Flaugh will have the call on Big Ten Network. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.

By NU Athletic CommunicationsThe No. 9 Nebraska volleyball team's win streak extended to 10 matches Saturday night, as the Huskers took down No. 7 Purdue, 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-21) at the Devaney Center. NU remains perfect in conference play at 16-3 (10-0 Big Ten), while the Boilermakers drop to 14-5 (6-4).Nicklin Hames surpassed 4,000 career assists in the match, becoming the third Husker in program history -- and the second in the rally-scoring era -- to reach the milestone. The senior finished with 48 assists, a season-high-tying 17 digs, three service aces, three kills and two blocks for her team-leading 12th double-double of the season.Four Huskers had double-figure kill performances on the night, led by Madi Kubik's 15 kills with 10 digs for her third double-double. Kubik has led the Huskers in kills in 10 straight matches.Nebraska's middles provided a big boost offensively, as Kayla Caffey had a career-high 14 kills on .619 hitting with two blocks, and Lauren Stivrins had 14 more kills on .393 hitting with a team-leading five stops.Lindsay Krause added 13 kills with three blocks.Lexi Rodriguez tied her season high with 24 digs and added six assists. Kenzie Knuckles had eight scoops with two aces.NU hit .214 to Purdue's .123 and had the advantage in kills (64-39), assists (59-38), aces (6-1) and digs (70-62). The Boilermakers outblocked NU 16-7.Purdue was led by a match-best 16 kills from Caitlyn Newton. Raven Colvin had a match-high nine blocks, and Taylor Trammell had seven more.Set 1Purdue had nine kills on its first 13 swings with no attack errors to open the match. The Boilermakers led 15-8 by the first timeout. Back-to-back kills from Stivrins and Kubik propelled NU out of the break, but Purdue worked back out to an eight-point lead.The Huskers regrouped and staged a seven-point run on two kills apiece from Caffey and Kubik, one from Krause and a pair of Knuckles aces, narrowing the gap to 23-20. A Newton kill stopped the surge, but Caffey came right back with one of her own to hold off set point. Kubik added another to cut it to 24-22, and a Stivrins/Krause block prompted a Boilermaker timeout with NU trailing by one. But another Newton kill stopped the 10-1 Husker run and gave Purdue the set, 25-23.For the set, Purdue hit .429 with just one attack error and had a 6-2 advantage at the net. Kubik had eight kills on .438 hitting, while Caffey had five kills and hit at a .625 clip.Set 2The Huskers' momentum continued as they took an 8-4 lead in set two with early kills from five different players, and two Boilermaker errors sandwiched a Krause/Caffey block for a 12-7 advantage. By the media timeout, NU led 15-9.After a Knuckles kill, Kubik followed with another -- her 10th of the night -- to put the Huskers up 17-10 at the Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers later put together a 4-0 run on two kills and two blocks to narrow NU's advantage to three, but the Huskers came right back with a 4-0 stretch of their own to go up 23-16. Two Krause kills finished it off for the Big Red, 25-18, evening the match at one set apiece.Set 3The Huskers used a 4-0 run with two Krause kills to go up 6-3 in the third set. Three straight kills between the senior duo of Stivrins and Lexi Sun extended it to 10-5 by Purdue's first timeout.An 8-1 run bolstered with five consecutive kills between Krause, Caffey and Kubik put NU firmly in control at 19-9. Purdue came no closer than seven the rest of the way, and NU outscored Purdue 4-1 to close it at 25-15.NU hit .270 in the set while holding Purdue to -.061 while the Boilermakers registered just five kills as a team. Krause and Stivrins had five kills apiece to pace the Huskers.Set 4The Huskers broke through a 6-6 tie, and three aces between Hames and Evans powered a 5-1 spurt for an 11-7 lead. Purdue managed to pull within one three times in the set -- first at 13-12, again at 17-16 and a final time at 21-20. But the Huskers withstood their threat, capitalizing on two Boilermaker attack errors and a Stivrins/Kubik block to bring it to match point at 24-20. A Stivrins kill punctuated it, 25-21.Noting Tonight's Match-Nicklin Hames joins the company of two former Huskers with 4,000 career assists at Nebraska: Kelly Hunter (4,125 from 2013-17) and Fiona Nepo (4,824 from 1995-98). Hames now has 4,040.-Nebraska leads the all-time series with Purdue 20-8, including 11-4 in the John Cook era.-The Huskers have won eight of the last nine meetings.-NU has an 12-2 advantage at home in the series, and it has not surrendered a home match to Purdue since 2013.-Tonight was Nebraska's third win over a ranked opponent this season and its first over a top-10 foe.Up NextNebraska has another top-10 matchup ahead, welcoming No. 3 Wisconsin to the Devaney Center on Wednesday, Oct. 27. First serve is set for 8 p.m., and Larry Punteney and Audrey Flaugh will have the call on Big Ten Network. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.

No. 9 Nebraska Upends No. 7 Purdue for 10th Straight Win

1) Fremont - 66 pts 2) Millard West - 69 pts 3) Creighton Prep - 111 pts 4) Lincoln East - 125 pts 5) Elkhorn South - 147 pts 6) Gretna - 148 pts 7) Papillion La Vista South - 165 pts 8) Lincoln Southwest - 178 pts 9) Lincoln Pius X - 205 pts 10) North Platte - 210 pts 11) Norfolk - 215 pts

1) Lincoln East - 54 pts 2) Fremont - 87 pts 3) Lincoln Southwest - 115 pts 4) Millard West - 140 pts 5) Omaha Westside - 146 pts 6) Gretna - 147 pts 7) Papillion La Vista South - 153 pts 8) Elkhorn South - 208 pts 9) Millard North - 221 pts 10) Kearney - 248 pts 11) North Platte - 255 pts 12) Lincoln Pius X - 267 pts

1) Fort Calhoun - 46 pts 2) Sidney - 58 pts 3) Milford - 70 pts 4) Lincoln Christian - 111 pts 5) Gothenburg - 119 pts 6) Broken Bow - 126 pts 7) Arlington - 134 pts 8) Lincoln Lutheran - 145 pts 9) Aurora - 147 pts 10) Minden - 152 pts 11) Battle Creek - 160 pts 12) Hartington - 161 pts 13) Pierce - 162 pts 14) Douglas County West - 178 pts 15) Adams Central - 183 pts

No Class C girls teams qualified from the area

1) Norfolk Catholic - 20 pts 2) McCool Junction - 39 pts 3) Cornerstone Christian - 39 pts 4) North Platte St. Patricks - 50 pts 5) Ainsworth - 74 pts 6) Elkhorn Valley - 76 pts 7) Stanton - 78 pts 8) West Holt - 101 pts 9) Nebraska Christian - 103 pts 10) Perkins County - 105 pts 11) Bertrand/Loomis - 117 pts 12) Axtell - 120 pts 13) Shelton - 122 pts 14) Laurel-Concord-Coleridge - 130 pts 15) Sutherland - 134 pts 16) Centennial - 138 pts 17) Doniphan - Trumbull - 163 pts 18) Hemingford - 173 pts

1) Crofton - 46 pts 2) Nebraska Christian - 48 pts 3) Ainsworth - 52 pts 4) North Platte St. Patricks - 53 pts 5) Palmyra - 63 pts 6) Aquinas Catholic - 67 pts 7) Fullerton - 71 pts 8) Doniphan Trumbull - 81 pts 9) Morrill - 83 pts 10) North Central - 85 pts 11) Wallace - 91 pts 12) McCool Junction - 99 pts 13) Cambridge - 104 pts 14) Wisner-Pilger - 112 pts 15) South Loup - 115 pts 16) Sutherland - 130 pts 17) Oakland-Craig - 130 pts 18) Neligh-Oakdale - 145 pts

Area Sports: State Cross Country results

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635160620551.png" alt="Class D6 bracket.PNG" />
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 </figure>

Area Football: Class D6 Bracket

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635160581815.png" alt="Class C2 bracket.PNG" />
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Area Football: Class C2 Bracket

Finishing the season with a 6-3 record the North Platte Bulldog football team throughout the year has consistently been in the top 10 of power points. That success all year has lead to another playoff birth and for the 2nd straight season the Bulldogs will host a home playoff game in the first round:

Finishing the season with a 6-3 record the North Platte Bulldog football team throughout the year has consistently been in the top 10 of power points. That success all year has lead to another playoff birth and for the 2nd straight season the Bulldogs will host a home playoff game in the first round:<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635018666823.jpeg" alt="2021 Class A football.jpg" />
 <figcaption>2021 Class A football.jpg</figcaption>
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NPHS Bulldogs host playoff game for 2nd year in a row

10.22.21 NPHS Football at Columbus - LIVESTREAM

<h2>Class D1 round of 16:&nbsp;</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634907065784.jpeg" alt="2021 D1 reseed.jpg" />
 <figcaption>2021 D1 reseed.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Class D2 round of 16:&nbsp;</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634907084263.jpeg" alt="2021 D2 reseed.jpg" />
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Area Football: Class D1 and D2 reseeded in round of 16

Post Podcast: Flat Rock Roller Derby has a home bout! - AUDIO

Here is all the brackets for the area volleyball teams for district and subdistrict play. To find your team easily use the search feature by school.

Class A District A-1 (North Platte High)&nbsp;

Class B District B-7 (Lexington and McCook)&nbsp;

Class C District C1-10 ( Cozad and Gothenburg)

District C1-12 (Ogallala, Chase County, Hershey)

District C2 - 11 ( Sutherland and Perkins County )

Class D District D1 - 11 ( Maxwell, North Platte St. Pats )&nbsp;

District D2 - 8 ( Medicine Valley, Brady, Maywood-Hayes Center )

District D2 - 9 ( Wauneta-Palisade, Wallace, Paxton )

District D2 - 11 ( Sandhills/Thedford, Arthur County )

Here is all the brackets for the area volleyball teams for district and subdistrict play. To find your team easily use the search feature by school.Class A District A-1 (North Platte High)&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634833162311.png" alt="A-1 District.PNG" />
 <figcaption>A-1 District.PNG</figcaption>
 </figure>Class B District B-7 (Lexington and McCook)&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634833199870.png" alt="B-7 district.PNG" />
 <figcaption>B-7 district.PNG</figcaption>
 </figure>Class C District C1-10 ( Cozad and Gothenburg)<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634833263846.png" alt="C-1 10.PNG" />
 <figcaption>C-1 10.PNG</figcaption>
 </figure>District C1-12 (Ogallala, Chase County, Hershey)<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634833309723.png" alt="C-1 12 district.PNG" />
 <figcaption>C-1 12 district.PNG</figcaption>
 </figure>District C2 - 10 ( South Loup )<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634833349696.png" alt="C-2 10 district.PNG" />
 <figcaption>C-2 10 district.PNG</figcaption>
 </figure>District C2 - 11 ( Sutherland and Perkins County )<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634833383230.png" alt="C-2 11 District.PNG" />
 <figcaption>C-2 11 District.PNG</figcaption>
 </figure>Class D District D1 - 11 ( Maxwell, North Platte St. Pats )&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634833417266.png" alt="D-1 11 District.PNG" />
 <figcaption>D-1 11 District.PNG</figcaption>
 </figure>District D2 - 8 ( Medicine Valley, Brady, Maywood-Hayes Center )<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634833453858.png" alt="D2 - 8 District.PNG" />
 <figcaption>D2 - 8 District.PNG</figcaption>
 </figure>District D2 - 9 ( Wauneta-Palisade, Wallace, Paxton )<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634833491147.png" alt="D2 - 9 District.PNG" />
 <figcaption>D2 - 9 District.PNG</figcaption>
 </figure>District D2 - 11 ( Sandhills/Thedford, Arthur County )<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634833526487.png" alt="D2 - 11 District.PNG" />
 <figcaption>D2 - 11 District.PNG</figcaption>
 </figure>

Area Volleyball: District and Sub-district brackets

The No. 9 Nebraska volleyball team notched its ninth straight win Wednesday night on the road, sweeping Iowa 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 26-24) at Xtream Arena. The Huskers maintain their hold on the top spot in the Big Ten with a record of 15-3 (9-0), while the Hawkeyes drop to 2-17 (0-9).

Madi Kubik led the Huskers in kills for the ninth straight match, totaling 13 alongside five digs and two blocks. Lauren Stivrins joined her in double figures with a season-high-tying 11 kills on .667 hitting with one block.

Lindsay Krause added eight kills, five digs and two blocks. Kayla Caffey returned to the lineup and registered seven kills on .500 hitting with a match-high five blocks.

Lexi Rodriguez notched 17 digs and had two service aces for the night. Nicklin Hames had a double-double effort with 39 assists, 11 digs and two aces. Kenzie Knuckles finished with a team-leading three aces and added six digs.

The Huskers hit .266 to Iowa's .215 and also had the advantage in kills (46-43), assists (45-42), aces (8-3) and blocks (8-3). The teams had an identical 55 digs each.

Iowa's Courtney Buzzerio finished with a match-high 14 kills, and Addie VanderWeide had 10 more with 11 digs for a double-double. Mari Hinkle had 16 digs.

Nebraska and Iowa were nearly even in the opening set, as the Huskers hit .342 with two attack errors and the Hawkeyes hit .341 with four miscues. Stivrins had five kills on .625 hitting with no errors, and Kubik and Krause each added four more kills apiece. NU had two service aces, while Iowa committed four service errors.

Tied at 6-6, the Huskers broke through with a 9-4 stretch, including four straight to take a 15-10 lead. The Hawkeyes got within two at 20-18, but NU held them at bay, and a Knuckles ace took it back out to a four-point margin at 22-18. A Stivrins kill capped the set, 25-21.

Iowa had nine kills on their first 14 swings with no errors to start set two, with VanderWeide tallying four kills early to help the Hawkeyes to a 9-4 lead. Ally Batenhorst got a kill out of the NU timeout, which spurred a huge 12-1 run. Hames served back-to-back aces for an 11-10 edge and an Iowa timeout, and the Huskers kept it up out of the break, using a Caffey/Krause block, two kills by Batenhorst and another by Kubik to go up 16-10.

After Iowa got three points back, a Caffey kill and another ace from Knuckles put it on track for the Huskers at 18-13. The Hawkeyes later staved off set point four times, but Kubik terminated from the back row to seal it, 25-22. It was her sixth kill of the set and 10th of the night.

Down 12-9 in the third set, NU won the next five points with a Caffey/Kubik block, a Knuckles ace and kills from Kubik and Krause to lead 14-12 at the timeout.

Iowa put up a fight, regaining the lead with a 5-1 spurt. Two Stivrins kills powered a quick 3-0 Husker run that put them back in the lead, 18-17. After Iowa tied it once more, Stivrins went to work again with a kill and teamed up with Lexi Sun for a block to go up 20-18.

The battle tied three more times up to 23-23, the last time on a Krause kill. She and Caffey put down a block to bring it to match point, but the Hawkeyes knotted it again on a Hannah Clayton kill. An Iowa attack error pushed it to match point a second time, and Rodriguez put it away with an ace to secure the sweep for Nebraska.

-Nebraska leads the all-time series with Iowa 35-0, including 22-0 in the John Cook era.

-The Huskers have registered sweeps in four straight meetings with the Hawkeyes.

-NU has a 13-0 advantage over Iowa on the road and has won 34 consecutive road sets against the Hawkeyes dating back to 1987. The Huskers are 2-0 at Xtream Arena.

-Nebraska's nine-match win streak is its longest since 13 straight from Nov. 2 – Dec. 13, 2018.

-The Huskers' sweep of the Hawkeyes is their 10th 3-0 win of the year and fourth in a row.

Nebraska takes on No. 7 Purdue on Saturday, Oct. 23, with first serve set for 8 p.m. at the Devaney Center. The match will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed on its digital extension on the FOX Sports app with Larry Punteney and Audrey Flaugh on the call. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will also have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.

By NU Athletic CommunicationsThe No. 9 Nebraska volleyball team notched its ninth straight win Wednesday night on the road, sweeping Iowa 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 26-24) at Xtream Arena. The Huskers maintain their hold on the top spot in the Big Ten with a record of 15-3 (9-0), while the Hawkeyes drop to 2-17 (0-9).Madi Kubik led the Huskers in kills for the ninth straight match, totaling 13 alongside five digs and two blocks. Lauren Stivrins joined her in double figures with a season-high-tying 11 kills on .667 hitting with one block.Lindsay Krause added eight kills, five digs and two blocks. Kayla Caffey returned to the lineup and registered seven kills on .500 hitting with a match-high five blocks.Lexi Rodriguez notched 17 digs and had two service aces for the night. Nicklin Hames had a double-double effort with 39 assists, 11 digs and two aces. Kenzie Knuckles finished with a team-leading three aces and added six digs.The Huskers hit .266 to Iowa's .215 and also had the advantage in kills (46-43), assists (45-42), aces (8-3) and blocks (8-3). The teams had an identical 55 digs each.Iowa's Courtney Buzzerio finished with a match-high 14 kills, and Addie VanderWeide had 10 more with 11 digs for a double-double. Mari Hinkle had 16 digs.Set 1Nebraska and Iowa were nearly even in the opening set, as the Huskers hit .342 with two attack errors and the Hawkeyes hit .341 with four miscues. Stivrins had five kills on .625 hitting with no errors, and Kubik and Krause each added four more kills apiece. NU had two service aces, while Iowa committed four service errors.Tied at 6-6, the Huskers broke through with a 9-4 stretch, including four straight to take a 15-10 lead. The Hawkeyes got within two at 20-18, but NU held them at bay, and a Knuckles ace took it back out to a four-point margin at 22-18. A Stivrins kill capped the set, 25-21.Set 2Iowa had nine kills on their first 14 swings with no errors to start set two, with VanderWeide tallying four kills early to help the Hawkeyes to a 9-4 lead. Ally Batenhorst got a kill out of the NU timeout, which spurred a huge 12-1 run. Hames served back-to-back aces for an 11-10 edge and an Iowa timeout, and the Huskers kept it up out of the break, using a Caffey/Krause block, two kills by Batenhorst and another by Kubik to go up 16-10.After Iowa got three points back, a Caffey kill and another ace from Knuckles put it on track for the Huskers at 18-13. The Hawkeyes later staved off set point four times, but Kubik terminated from the back row to seal it, 25-22. It was her sixth kill of the set and 10th of the night.Set 3Down 12-9 in the third set, NU won the next five points with a Caffey/Kubik block, a Knuckles ace and kills from Kubik and Krause to lead 14-12 at the timeout.Iowa put up a fight, regaining the lead with a 5-1 spurt. Two Stivrins kills powered a quick 3-0 Husker run that put them back in the lead, 18-17. After Iowa tied it once more, Stivrins went to work again with a kill and teamed up with Lexi Sun for a block to go up 20-18.The battle tied three more times up to 23-23, the last time on a Krause kill. She and Caffey put down a block to bring it to match point, but the Hawkeyes knotted it again on a Hannah Clayton kill. An Iowa attack error pushed it to match point a second time, and Rodriguez put it away with an ace to secure the sweep for Nebraska.Noting Tonight's Match-Nebraska leads the all-time series with Iowa 35-0, including 22-0 in the John Cook era.-The Huskers have registered sweeps in four straight meetings with the Hawkeyes.-NU has a 13-0 advantage over Iowa on the road and has won 34 consecutive road sets against the Hawkeyes dating back to 1987. The Huskers are 2-0 at Xtream Arena.-Nebraska's nine-match win streak is its longest since 13 straight from Nov. 2 – Dec. 13, 2018.-The Huskers' sweep of the Hawkeyes is their 10th 3-0 win of the year and fourth in a row.Up NextNebraska takes on No. 7 Purdue on Saturday, Oct. 23, with first serve set for 8 p.m. at the Devaney Center. The match will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed on its digital extension on the FOX Sports app with Larry Punteney and Audrey Flaugh on the call. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will also have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.

No. 9 Huskers Sweep Past Hawkeyes, 3-0

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Fred Hoiberg’s first Nebraska team won seven games with a roster he was forced to put together in haste.

He turned over the roster before his second season, and the Cornhuskers again won just seven games.

The roster was shuffled yet again this offseason, though not as dramatically. The difference this time is that key pieces of the 2020-21 team returned, and Hoiberg has put together the highest ranked recruiting class in program history.

The way the nonconference schedule sets up, the Huskers just might have seven wins by the end of November.

“We basically started from the ground up with our first two seasons,” Hoiberg said. “We took over a big rebuilding project in a league where we were the only team that was really going through a rebuild. That created some very difficult moments.”

Trey McGowens, Kobe Webster, Lat Mayen and Derrick Walker have starting experience for the Huskers, and they’ll be joined by transfers Alonzo Verge Jr. (Arizona State), C.J. Wiltcher (Xavier), Keon Edwards (DePaul) and Keisei Tominaga (Ranger College).

The Huskers also brought in guard Bryce McGowens of Pendleton, South Carolina, the first five-star recruit to sign with Nebraska, and four-star forward Wilhelm Breidenbach of Rancho Santa Margarita, California.

Preseason practices have been extremely competitive, Hoiberg said.

“It is going to be my single most difficult part of the job this year, figuring out a rotation, who starts, and more importantly who finishes games, who we can trust in those late-game situations,” he said.

Nebraska had an advantage when it came to recruiting McGowens with his older brother on the roster.

Bryce was a top-25 national recruit by ESPN and 247Sports after averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a senior at Legacy Early College in South Carolina. He picked Nebraska over Georgia, Michigan, Oregon and Florida State.

“Bryce is as talented a kid as I’ve had an opportunity to coach,” Hoiberg said. “He is so gifted athletically. He’s smooth, shoots it effortlessly, but he’s a freshman. As talented as Bryce is, we have to have a level of patience as well just because of the learning curve that he has. But as far as an excitement level and a talent, I haven’t been around many that that have the physical gifts that he has now.”

The Huskers say they are fully vaccinated following a rough 2020-21 season in which 10 players and four coaches came down with COVID-19 and the program was shut down between Jan. 11 and Feb. 5.

Combined with regularly scheduled games and makeups, the Huskers closed the season with 14 games in 29 days.

“I did appreciate everything about that group and the way we finished that season,” Hoiberg said. “I think it was great for the returning core that we had some success in the system and in a couple of those games at the end of the year.”

Arizona State’s Verge picked the Huskers on July 8, a stroke of luck for Hoiberg given that Delano Banton decided six days earlier to remain in the NBA draft rather than return to Nebraska.

“It was imperative that we added depth to our backcourt and to get a player of Alonzo’s caliber that late in the game,” Hoiberg said.

Verge, who has one season of eligibility, was a double-figure scorer and strong defender each of the past two seasons at Arizona State, and he was Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year in 2019-20.

Hoiberg’s system is heavily reliant on 3-point shooting, and Nebraska has ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten the last two years.

The Huskers expect immediate help from Tominaga, who made a combined 198 3s and shot 48% from behind the arc in two seasons at Ranger College in Texas. He also played for his native Japan in three-on-three basketball at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Huskers open with seven straight home games, starting with the Nov. 9 opener against Western Illinois. Their first road trip is to North Carolina State for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Dec. 1. They open Big Ten play at Indiana on Dec. 4, and defending regular-season champion Michigan visits Dec. 7.

By Eric Olsen - Associated PressLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Fred Hoiberg’s first Nebraska team won seven games with a roster he was forced to put together in haste.He turned over the roster before his second season, and the Cornhuskers again won just seven games.The roster was shuffled yet again this offseason, though not as dramatically. The difference this time is that key pieces of the 2020-21 team returned, and Hoiberg has put together the highest ranked recruiting class in program history.The way the nonconference schedule sets up, the Huskers just might have seven wins by the end of November.“We basically started from the ground up with our first two seasons,” Hoiberg said. “We took over a big rebuilding project in a league where we were the only team that was really going through a rebuild. That created some very difficult moments.”Trey McGowens, Kobe Webster, Lat Mayen and Derrick Walker have starting experience for the Huskers, and they’ll be joined by transfers Alonzo Verge Jr. (Arizona State), C.J. Wiltcher (Xavier), Keon Edwards (DePaul) and Keisei Tominaga (Ranger College).The Huskers also brought in guard Bryce McGowens of Pendleton, South Carolina, the first five-star recruit to sign with Nebraska, and four-star forward Wilhelm Breidenbach of Rancho Santa Margarita, California.Preseason practices have been extremely competitive, Hoiberg said.“It is going to be my single most difficult part of the job this year, figuring out a rotation, who starts, and more importantly who finishes games, who we can trust in those late-game situations,” he said.BRYCE’S RISING STARNebraska had an advantage when it came to recruiting McGowens with his older brother on the roster.Bryce was a top-25 national recruit by ESPN and 247Sports after averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a senior at Legacy Early College in South Carolina. He picked Nebraska over Georgia, Michigan, Oregon and Florida State.“Bryce is as talented a kid as I’ve had an opportunity to coach,” Hoiberg said. “He is so gifted athletically. He’s smooth, shoots it effortlessly, but he’s a freshman. As talented as Bryce is, we have to have a level of patience as well just because of the learning curve that he has. But as far as an excitement level and a talent, I haven’t been around many that that have the physical gifts that he has now.”100% VACCINATION RATEThe Huskers say they are fully vaccinated following a rough 2020-21 season in which 10 players and four coaches came down with COVID-19 and the program was shut down between Jan. 11 and Feb. 5.Combined with regularly scheduled games and makeups, the Huskers closed the season with 14 games in 29 days.“I did appreciate everything about that group and the way we finished that season,” Hoiberg said. “I think it was great for the returning core that we had some success in the system and in a couple of those games at the end of the year.”ON THE VERGEArizona State’s Verge picked the Huskers on July 8, a stroke of luck for Hoiberg given that Delano Banton decided six days earlier to remain in the NBA draft rather than return to Nebraska.“It was imperative that we added depth to our backcourt and to get a player of Alonzo’s caliber that late in the game,” Hoiberg said.Verge, who has one season of eligibility, was a double-figure scorer and strong defender each of the past two seasons at Arizona State, and he was Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year in 2019-20.POLISHING THE PERIMETERHoiberg’s system is heavily reliant on 3-point shooting, and Nebraska has ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten the last two years.The Huskers expect immediate help from Tominaga, who made a combined 198 3s and shot 48% from behind the arc in two seasons at Ranger College in Texas. He also played for his native Japan in three-on-three basketball at the Tokyo Olympics.LOOKING AHEADThe Huskers open with seven straight home games, starting with the Nov. 9 opener against Western Illinois. Their first road trip is to North Carolina State for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Dec. 1. They open Big Ten play at Indiana on Dec. 4, and defending regular-season champion Michigan visits Dec. 7.

Hoiberg believes this is season Nebraska will show progress

North Platte Community College Head Volleyball Coach Alexa McCall has reached a significant milestone by earning her 100th career win.

The accomplishment came during the match against Northeast Community College Aug. 28 at the Northeast Volleyball Tournament in Norfolk, but McCall wasn’t officially recognized until Tuesday night.

She was presented with a commemorative volleyball following the Knights’ home game against Hastings JV. The volleyball was signed by current team members who helped her achieve the 100th win.

“I try really hard to surround myself with good people,” McCall said. “I also have had some great mentors. Mostly, the players that have been a part of this program make this job so rewarding and mean more than the wins.”

McCall is in her seventh season as NPCC head volleyball coach. Originally from Sutherland, she played for the NPCC volleyball team from 2008-09.

McCall led the team to a Region IX Division II Championship and ninth place finish at the Division II National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament her sophomore year. She was named both All-NCCAC and All-Region IX Division II.

The Knights finished with 62 wins during McCall’s time at NPCC. That included a 32-11 record her freshman year and a 30-15 record when she was a sophomore.

McCall’s skills at NPCC placed her name in the record books. She is sitting 11th all-time with 1,332 career assists. She is also 15th all-time with 4.4 career assists per set and is 17th all-time for season assists with 884 assists her sophomore season.

After NPCC, McCall transferred to Concordia University in Seward where she continued her volleyball career – playing from 2010-11 then serving as a student assistant in 2012.

McCall graduated from Concordia in May of 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and an emphasis in mathematics.

She served as the assistant coach for the NPCC volleyball team in 2013 and 2014 prior to taking on her current roles as head coach and math instructor for the college.

In March of 2021, she was named Region IX Division II Coach of the Year by the NJCAA - her third time receiving the recognition.

McCall also earned the Northwest Plains District Coach of the Year award for 2020-21.

Her team is currently 16-12 on the season.

By Heather Johnson - Public Information SpecialistNorth Platte Community College Head Volleyball Coach Alexa McCall has reached a significant milestone by earning her 100th career win.The accomplishment came during the match against Northeast Community College Aug. 28 at the Northeast Volleyball Tournament in Norfolk, but McCall wasn’t officially recognized until Tuesday night.She was presented with a commemorative volleyball following the Knights’ home game against Hastings JV. The volleyball was signed by current team members who helped her achieve the 100th win.“I try really hard to surround myself with good people,” McCall said. “I also have had some great mentors. Mostly, the players that have been a part of this program make this job so rewarding and mean more than the wins.”McCall is in her seventh season as NPCC head volleyball coach. Originally from Sutherland, she played for the NPCC volleyball team from 2008-09.McCall led the team to a Region IX Division II Championship and ninth place finish at the Division II National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament her sophomore year. She was named both All-NCCAC and All-Region IX Division II.The Knights finished with 62 wins during McCall’s time at NPCC. That included a 32-11 record her freshman year and a 30-15 record when she was a sophomore.McCall’s skills at NPCC placed her name in the record books. She is sitting 11th all-time with 1,332 career assists. She is also 15th all-time with 4.4 career assists per set and is 17th all-time for season assists with 884 assists her sophomore season.After NPCC, McCall transferred to Concordia University in Seward where she continued her volleyball career – playing from 2010-11 then serving as a student assistant in 2012.McCall graduated from Concordia in May of 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and an emphasis in mathematics.She served as the assistant coach for the NPCC volleyball team in 2013 and 2014 prior to taking on her current roles as head coach and math instructor for the college.In March of 2021, she was named Region IX Division II Coach of the Year by the NJCAA - her third time receiving the recognition.McCall also earned the Northwest Plains District Coach of the Year award for 2020-21.Her team is currently 16-12 on the season.

NPCC head volleyball coach earns 100th career win