No. 4 Nebraska sweeps No. 23 Notre Dame

South Bend, Ind. -- The fourth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team opened play at the Notre Dame adidas Invitational with a 15-3, 15-9, 15-12 win over the No. 23 Fighting Irish (3-1) before 3,102 fans at the Edmund P. Joyce Center. The Huskers improved to 5-0 with the victory and will continue tournament competition Saturday when they face No. 16 Michigan State at 4:30 p.m.

NU will finish the weekend Sunday in a 12:30 p.m. match against third-ranked UCLA.

Senior outside hiter Kim Behrends led the Huskers against Notre Dame with a match-high 10 kills, a season-best, on .304 hitting. Sophomore outside hitter Laura Pilakowski produced nine kills on .421 hitting. Senior right side hitter Angie Oxley posted 10 digs, four service aces and seven kills on .500 hitting.

Sophomore setter Greichaly Cepero totaled 32 assists, a season-best six kills and a career-high .857 hitting percentage. Cepero directed the Husker offense to a .333 overall mark, the fourth time this season that Nebraska has hit .300 or higher.

The Huskers were also impressive defensively, as they held Notre Dame to .075 hitting. Four Notre Dame players posted negative hitting percentages. NU also out-blocked the Irish 13-3. Marcie Bomhack led Notre Dame with seven kills.

Notre Dame served Nebraska its biggest challenge in the third game. The Irish held a 12-9 lead when Oxley and junior middle blocker Jenny Kropp blocked Notre Dame's Christi Girton to give NU possession. The Huskers scored on kills by Kropp, Oxley and Behrends to tie the score at 12.

Back-to-back kills by Holmquist and Cepero brought Nebraska to game point, but the Huskers lost control on a hitting error. A strike by Behrends on the ensuing Notre Dame possession gave NU a side out. Behrends served for game point, and Pilakowski and Holmquist sealed the 15-12 game-three victory and the match with a block of Notre Dame's Kristy Kreher.