Nebraska Weekly Wrapup, 10/11/98

Lincoln -- The University of Nebraska volleyball team will look to extend its perfect 13-0 record and 4-0 Big 12 mark this week against Texas Tech and Baylor.

The Huskers, ranked No. 3 in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll, are off to their best start since 1994, fifth-best overall. The Huskers have swept 12 of 13 opponents this fall, sporting a 39-1 game record. Two-time defending national champion Stanford is the only team to win a game from Nebraska this year.

Texas Tech looks to be the featured match of the weekend, sporting a 13-4 overall record. The Red Raiders are looking to make some strides in the Big 12 standings after a 2-2 conference start. Tech suffered losses to Texas and Texas A&M before rebounding with victories over Missouri and Iowa State.

Baylor (7-8, 1-3) is also looking to return to its winning ways after dropping five of its last six contests. The Bears have had a grueling schedule, playing just one home match this season. Four of BU's last five losses are to ranked opponents.

Huskers win 61st straight over Jayhawks
The Husker offense proved to be too powerful for the Kansas Jayhawks, Friday, as Nebraska downed KU, 15-8, 15-5, 15-5. Nebraska hit .500 in the match and used a 52 to 35 advantage in kills to dismantle the Jayhawks.

Sophomore Angie Oxley (Ogallala, Neb.) used a career night to lead the Huskers. She finished with a personal-best .778 hitting percentage with 14 kills on 18 attacks. She also had a match-high 14 digs. Sophomore Nancy Meendering (Hull, Iowa) also dominated the net for the Huskers. She finished with 13 kills and hit .476 from the floor.

The Huskers got off to a sluggish start in the match, despite jumping out to a 4-0 start. Kansas tied the first game at 5-5 before the Huskers made an 8-2 run to take control.

Oxley stole the spotlight in the second game, dropping seven of her match-high 14 kills. The Huskers hit .581 in game two and held KU to just four points.

Game three was a carbon copy performance for Nebraska. Oxley had four kills on four attacks, while Meendering and freshman Jenny Kropp (Grand Island, Neb.) also added four kills. Kansas hit .202 for the match, snapping the Huskers' mark of holding six straight opponents to under .117 hitting.

Nebraska, Nepo set school marks against Sooners
Senior Fiona Nepo (Honolulu, Hawaii) dished out a match-high 42 assists to become the Cornhuskers' all-time career leader with 3,794 assists, in a 3-0 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday. Nepo broke the record of 3,786 held by assistant coach Nikki (Stricker) Best (1990-93).

Nebraska used a 48 to 26 advantage in kills to down the Sooners. The Huskers hit .500 for the second straight night, marking the best-ever back-to-back offensive showing for a Husker team. NU's .506 hitting percentage was the school's best since Sept. 16, 1994 when Nebraska hit .526 against Texas Tech.

Megan Korver toyed with her own single-match school record, downing 14 kills on 17 attacks with no hitting errors. She was 13-for-13 on plays run out of the Husker offense. Against Iowa State last week, Korver hit a school record 1.000 with 10 kills on 10 swings. Korver also finished with a match-high five blocks against OU.

Meendering added 12 kills for Nebraska. Oxley and junior Mandy Monson finished with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.

Offense records record replay
The Huskers recorded their best back-to-back performance in school history, posting three-game sweeps overs Kansas and Oklahoma. The Huskers combined to hit .503 for the weekend (100k-13e-173ta), hitting .500 against the Jayhawks and .506 against the Sooners.

Nebraska entered the weekend with only three .500-plus performances during the 90's, before posting its back-to-back .500 matches. NU's .506 average against the Sooners was the best Husker performance since Sept. 16, 1994 when the Huskers hit .526 against Texas Tech (45-5-76).