Huskers Ace Aggies, 3-0

College Station, Texas ? Jordan Larson had four of the Huskers’ season-high nine service aces, leading second-ranked Nebraska to a 30-26, 30-23, 30-22 sweep at Texas A&M Wednesday evening at G. Rollie White Coliseum.

Larson matched her season best with four aces, as the Huskers improved to 24-1 on the season and 16-1 in the Big 12. Sarah Pavan and Christina Houghtelling also added two aces, as NU tied its season high in aces for the third time this year.

"Jordan set the tone for us with her serving," Nebraska Coach John Cook said. "She was serving rockets all night and they really struggled passing their serve."

Pavan led the Huskers with her third double-double in four matches, leading NU with 20 kills on .350 hitting, 10 digs and a pair of blocks. Jordan Larson totaled 11 kills and a pair of stuffs, as Nebraska held the Aggies (18-10, 7-10 Big 12) to .099 hitting and totaled 10.5 blocks, including for Tracy Stalls and three by both Houghtelling and Kori Cooper.

"It’s a great road win again against a team that has been playing well in recent weeks," Cook said. "To go on the road and win 3-0 against a team that is fighting for its NCAA life is a very good win for us. This is never an easy place to win, and Texas A&M is an NCAA caliber team, especially with the way that have played over the few matches."

The Huskers fought back from an early deficit in the opener to post a 30-26 victory. Pavan and Larson combined for 12 kills and nine digs for the Big Red, who out-hit the Aggies .261-.196. Larson had six kills on 10 swings, while Pavan chipped in six kills and five digs. The teams traded points early on before Texas A&M used a 4-1 spurt to turn a 12-11 lead into a 16-12 lead after a Husker hitting error. Pavan started the comeback with a tip before Kayla Banwarth ran off two straight points to pull NU within 16-15. The Huskers stayed within striking distance and regained the lead at 21-20 after an Aggie hitting error before taking control with a decisive 4-1 spurt. The run was sparked by a Larson ace before consecutive kills from Pavan and Houghtelling pushed the margin to 26-22 and forced an Aggie timeout. Trailing 28-24, the Aggies ran off two straight points to get within two, but could get no closer, as a Pavan kill and a Houghtelling ace closed out the opener.

The second game followed a similar pattern to the opener, as the Aggies got out to an early lead before the Huskers regrouped and pulled away late for a win, this one by a count of 30-23. Nebraska’s blocking was the key, as NU totaled 5.5 blocks and held the Aggies to .000 hitting. The Huskers ran off six of the first nine points, but could keep the momentum, as the Aggies used an 11-2 run to take its largest lead of the game at 14-9. Nebraska fought back, running off the next three points to pull within 14-12 after a Houghtelling solo stuff and capped a 7-2 run with a Pavan ace to tie the game at 16. The teams traded points until Pavan’s kill gave the Huskers the lead for good at 20-19. Leading 21-20, Nebraska took control by running off four of the next five points, as Stalls slammed home a kill to make it 25-21. The Aggies pulled to within 25-23, but kills by Pavan and Larson began a 5-0 Husker spurt to send NU to the locker room up 2-0.

In the finale, the Huskers jumped out early and never trailed in completing its 21st sweep in 25 matches. Pavan led the way with seven kills, while Houghtelling had four crucial kills on just five swings, including two big swings after Texas A&M got with two points. The Huskers used an early 5-1 run, turning an 7-5 lead into a six-point cushion after a Pavan kill, but the Aggies roared back with five unanswered points of their own to pull with 12-11 after a Kelsey Bryant kill. With the Huskers up 15-13, Houghtelling sparked the Huskers on a 4-1 spurt with two straight kills before combining with Stalls on a block to make it 19-14. The Aggies pulled to within 21-17, but NU ran four straight points, as Cooper’s solo block made it 25-17 lead. Texas A&M had one more run in them, running off four straight points to pull within 25-21, but kills from Pavan and Houghtelling pushed the lead to six and squelched the Aggies’ final spurt.

Mary Batis led the Aggies with 13 kills and nine digs, while Sarah Ammerman finished with eight kills and eight digs in a losing effort.

The Huskers return to action Saturday night, as they take on No. 22 Oklahoma at the NU Coliseum. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried across the state on the Husker Sports Network and on Huskers.com. Saturday’s match is also Toys for Tots Night and members of the U.S. Marine Corps will be on hand to collect toys and cash donations.