Nebraska Weekly Wrapup, 11/2/98

The third-ranked Huskers will look to reach the 20-win plateau for the 24th straight season as Nebraska takes on Missouri and Iowa State in a pair of Big 12 road contests. The last time these two teams met, the Huskers were near perfect winning both matches in three games, while hitting a combined .420 in the two matches.

Nebraska enters the weekend winning 32 of its last 33 matches dating back to last season. NU's last loss came at the hands of Long Beach State in the NCAA Pacific Regional Final on Dec. 13, 1997. Nebraska has swept 14 opponents this season, posting a 57-3 game record - the best in Division I.

Six Huskers nominated for GTE Academic honors

The University of Nebraska has nominated six Husker volleyball players for GTE Academic All-District and All-America honors. Sophomore Nancy Meendering leads the list with a 3.839 grade point average (General Studes major). Other nominees include Tonia Tauke (3.707 - Broadcasting), Angie Oxley (3.629 - Biological Sciences), Megan Korver (3.22 - Electrical Engineering), Mandy Monson (3.754 - Business Administration) and Denise Koziol (3.718 - Accounting).

Huskers sweep Sooners

Nebraska used a balanced attack as five players finished with five or more kills to lead the Huskers to a three-game sweep over Oklahoma, 15-6, 15-6, 15-12, in front of a crowd of 3,502 in the Nebraska Coliseum on Friday.

Sophomore Nancy Meendering and junior Tonia Tauke led the charge, finishing with 13 and 12 kills, respectively.

Despite the win, NU Head Coach Terry Pettit said his team was less than sharp.

"I thought Oklahoma played hard and well," Pettit said. "On the whole, I thought we were flat. Tonia attacked well and Tonia and Jenny (Kropp) were effective at the net."

Kropp came off the bench to record all of her six kills in game two. Tauke added five block assists on the night. Two-time All-American setter Fiona Nepo dispatched 52 set assists, while chipping in 11 digs and seven blocks.

After two meetings this season, Oklahoma Coach Miles Pabst said this year's Nebraska team is as strong as ever.

"I think this is as strong of a team as Terry has ever had, including the (1995) national championship team because of their depth. They have all the pieces of the puzzle and they are capable of winning the whole thing."

The Huskers hit .267 as a team, but held OU to .117 from the floor as 14 Husker blocks accounted for half of the Sooners' hitting errors.

Nebraska rejects upset-minded Jayhawks

Nebraska survived one of its biggest scares of the season as the Huskers held off a relentless Kansas squad, 15-4, 15-11, 11-15, 16-14, in front of a raucous capacity crowd of 4,288 in the Nebraska Coliseum on Saturday.

The Jayhawks challenged the Huskers by claiming game three and appeared to be on their way to a fifth and deciding game after taking a 14-10 lead in game four. But Nebraska turned up the heat, running off six straight points to turn away the Jayhawks for the win. Neither team led by more than two points in the fourth game that featured six ties.

Nebraska was not able to get its offense on track as the Huskers hit .141 on the night -- NU's lowest output in 35 matches since hitting .106 at Texas last year. Defensively, the Huskers pounded out a season-high 19 blocks to hold Kansas to .097 hitting. KU's 17 total blocks was the most any team has recorded against the Huskers this season.

Meendering and senior Jaime Krondak stepped in for injured senior Megan Korver, who missed the match with an aggravated achilles tendon. They finished with 19 kills apiece while combining for 25 digs. Meendering finished with a career-high 54 attacks while chipping in six blocks. Tauke added 11 kills and nine blocks.

"We just did not play well offensively," Pettit said. "We were out of rhythm without Megan. Kansas played hard and well. You are going to have some matches like this. The crowd really helped us in the fourth game."

Amanda Reves had an outstanding night for Kansas. She finished with 16 kills, nine blocks and a .448 hitting percentage. Teammates Mary Beth Albrecht and Moira Donovan had 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Kansas became just the third team to steal a game from the Huskers this season. NU's game record now stands at 57-3 this season.

KU coach Ray Bechard was pleased with his team's performance.

"I've seen a lot of matches in this place where teams just go away," Bechard said. "We believed that we could hang in and make this game last. I think we took a step forward tonight despite the loss."

Nebraska dominated KU in game one by holding the Jayhawks to four kills, while forcing eight KU hitting errors. Nebraska took care of business on its side of the net with 13 kills and four blocks in the first frame.

Kansas led through the first part of game two and held a 9-5 advantage after a kill by Moria Donovan. Senior Jaime Krondak and the Huskers would answer, however, as Krondak posted five kills to lead NU to a 7-0 run and a 12-9 advantage. Kansas fought off six game points before the Huskers closed out the game, 15-11.

Kansas made another charge at the Huskers in game three by racing to a 9-3 lead. Nebraska returned with its own 7-1 run to tie the game at 10 after a tandem block from Meendering and Tauke. However, KU used three Albrecht kills to key a 3-1 run to close out the game, 15-11.