No. 12 Nebraska Picks Up 3-1 Victory over Colorado in Lincoln

Lincoln -- The No. 12 Nebraska volleyball team picked up it's second victory of the week with a 15-4, 15-5, 7-15, 15-7 win over 20th-ranked Colorado before 3,812 fans at the NU Coliseum Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Huskers improved their all-time series record against the Buffaloes to 28-5.

Nebraska Coach Terry Pettit praised the play of junior right side hitter Nancy Meendering. The All-American led both teams with 19 kills on 51 attempts for a .294 hitting percentage. Meendering also added 11 digs and six blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Jenny Kropp and freshman outside hitter Greichaly Cepero each added 10 for NU. Sonja Nielsen led Colorado with 15 kills, and Kelly Campbell posted 44 assists and 19 digs, both match-high totals.

For the match, Nebraska recorded a .241 hitting percentage while holding the Buffaloes to .093.

Nebraska led 9-1 in the fourth before Colorado responded with a 3-0 run to pull within five. But kills by Kropp, Meendering and junior outside hitter Angie Oxley helped the Huskers increase their advantage to 12-5. Nebraska picked up the 15-7 fourth-game win by scoring its final three points of the contest on attack errors by Colorado.

"Really, it was a game of errors," Pettit said. "We had 24 hitting errors, and they had 36. That makes a difference. I think our serving and passing was similar, but we have the advantage when we get out of system because we can have Meendering attack from the back row. And although they might be able to dig it, they end up out of system. That's what Meendering gives us."

After dominating the first two games, the Huskers couldn't get going in the third game. Colorado jumped to an 8-1 lead -- its largest of the match -- while hitting .260, its largest hitting percentage of the match. Nebraska slowly chipped away at CU's lead, pulling within four points with the help of an effective series at the net by Meendering. But the Buffaloes' offensive attack, led by Nielsen's six third-game kills, proved to be to much for the Huskers. Nebraska ended the game on a hitting error as Colorado picked up the 15-7 win.

"Our passing wasn't on in the first two games," Campbell said. "But in the third game, we passed very well. We were able to run the offense better and create holes in their block. In the first two games, we didn't get a chance to go to our middles very much."

The Huskers didn't waste any time taking care of Colorado in the second game. Nebraska never trailed in the 15-5 win. NU held its largest lead when freshman setter Lindsay Wischmeier served NU's 13th point of the game after a Monson kill for a 13-3 advantage. Colorado mustered two more points in the game with freshman middle blocker Meghan Barkman at the service line. But Nebraska regained possession after a CU net violation. NU senior defensive specialist Nikki Henk served the Huskers final two points of the game.

Nebraska, which owned a .500 hitting percentage at the midpoint of the first game, rushed to a fast start. The Huskers held a 10-2 lead early and held their momentum the rest of the way, allowing the Buffaloes to score just two more points in the first game. NU closed the game 15-4 when Kropp and Cepero combined to block a kill attempt by Nielsen. Cepero and Meendering each posted four kills as the Huskers recorded a .406 hitting percentage. NU held Colorado to .057 at the net.

NU now owns a 341-31-1 all-time record against Big 12 schools, including a 301-14-1 mark against former Big Eight schools. Nebraska returns to action Wednesday when it plays host to Big 12 Conference opponent Oklahoma at the Coliseum.