Huskers Win Fifth Straight

Columbia, Mo. ? Sydney Anderson tied her career high with 57 assists, while No. 7 Nebraska hit over .300 for the third straight match in defeating Missouri, 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 21-25, 25-13) Saturday night.

With the win, the Huskers (14-4, 7-2 Big 12) became the first team to win in Columbia this season, snapping Missouri’s eight-match home win streak, and moved into a tie with Iowa State for second in the Big 12 standings.

Anderson’s 57 assists tied a career high set against Washington in last year’s NCAA Regional final, as she helped three Huskers finish in double figures. Outside hitter Hannah Werth tied a career high with a team-best 17 kills and added 15 digs, while right side hitter Lindsey Licht added 13 kill on .367 hitting and two solo blocks. All-American Tara Mueller was the third Husker to finish in double figures with 10 kills and 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the year.

Nebraska held Missouri (12-8, 4-5 Big 12) to just .155 hitting as Kayla Banwarth totaled a match-high 25 digs ? her third straight  match with at least 20 digs and the seventh time this year Banwarth has eclipsed the 20-dig mark.

Nebraska used an 8-1 spurt midway through the first set to break open a close set and take a 25-17 victory on the Tigers. The Huskers hit .375 in the opening set, as Werth had six kills while Cooper added five more on .500 hitting. The Huskers held Missouri to .125 hitting and had three blocks, including two solos by Lindsey Licht.  With the score tied at eight, Werth tooled the block and slammed home an overpass to spark a run of three straight points, as Nebraska built an 11-8 lead and forced a Tiger timeout. Missouri pulled to within 11-8, but Nebraska came back with five straight points, building a 16-9 lead after Licht’s solo block and eventually built a 21-12 lead before cruising to an eight-point win.

Nebraska continued to roll offensively in the second set, hitting .371 as a team in posting a 25-15 victory. Mueller led the Huskers with five kills on .555 hitting, while Licht added four kills, as Anderson continued to run a balanced attack for the Huskers. Nebraska got off to a quick start, winning five of the first six rallies to take a 5-1 lead after two kills from Licht. The Tigers chipped away, getting to within 10-7 on a Ampudia kill, but kills from Cooper and Licht made it a five-point lead and forced MU to take a timeout. Missouri got within 12-8, but a Mueller kill and a Banwarth ace sparked a 4-0 Husker run that helped NU double the score at 16-8.  Trailing 19-11 after an Anderson kill, Missouri won three of the next four rallies to get within 20-14 on an Ampudia kill, but would get no closer, as the Huskers ran off the next four points to take a 10-point lead, at 24-14, on a Jordan Wilberger kill and closed out the set moments later on a Tiger service error.

In the third set, the Tigers relied on the attack of Ampudia, who totaled nine kills in the set to carry the Tigers to a 25-21 victory. Missouri out-hit Nebraska, .256-.156 in the set. The Huskers got off to a slow start, allowing the Tigers to run off the first four points to force Nebraska to take a timeout. Nebraska started to regroup, as Licht ignited an 8-3 spurt with a pair of kills before Werth’s solo block gave the Huskers a one-point lead, at 8-7. Nebraska eventually built a 9-7 lead on a Delano kill, but Missouri would run off two quick points to make it nine apiece.  With the score tied at 12, Missouri scored three straight points to take a 15-12 lead after a Husker attack error, a advantage the Tigers would hold the rest of the set. Nebraska got to within 18-16 after a Werth kill, but Missouri scored two points to make it 20-16 after a Weiwin Wang kill. The Huskers eventually fought off two set points, but Ampudia’s ninth kill of the set gave the Tigers the third set.

In the finale, the Huskers turned it on, hitting .414 and held Missouri to .062 hitting. Werth had six kills in the set, while Wilberger and Licht combined for six kills on nine swings. Leading 6-5, the Huskers turned Werth loose, as the freshman came up with three kills in a 4-1 spurt, including back-to-back kills to give NU a 10-6 lead and force Missouri to take timeout. Missouri got to within 10-7, but a Wilberger kill and three kills from Licht keyed a run of seven unanswered points to put NU up 17-7 on Licht’s third kill of the run, essentially putting the Tigers away.

Ampudia finished with a match-high 23 kills and 13 digs, but was the only Tiger to finish in double figures in kills.

The Huskers will return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 21, as Nebraska takes on Iowa State at the NU Coliseum. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on selected Husker Sports Network Stations and on Huskers.com. Wednesday is also the Power of Pink match, as fans are encouraged to wear pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink t-shirts will also be sold at the Match Club booth in the NU Coliseum.