Kearney, Neb. - The Nebraska-Kearney volleyball team got 21 kills from senior middle Nikki Scott, and junior right side Kelsey Werner provided 18 kills, to help the 6th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney volleyball team sweep Bemidji State (-15, -18, -15) and Rockhurst (-14, -19-17) Friday at the Health & Sports Center.

The matches were part of the Best Western/Runza Fall Classic. These were the Lopers first matches of the 2009 season.

In the morning against the Beavers from Bemidji, Minn., Scott (Broken Bow) had 11 kills and hit .364 while Werner (Grand Island) supplied 10 kills and hit .333.

UNK finished the match hitting .226 while holding BSU to just a .067 mark. Defensively, senior libero Kelli Wemhoff had a team-high 18 digs with junior setter Cola Svec getting to 10 alls.

Against a Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) team that won 22 matches a year ago, the Lopers came out on fire and recorded 15 first set kills.

Werner and sophomore outside Shelby Workman (Loveland, Colo.) each had four kills in the set as UNK hit .275 with RU having just eight kills and seven errors.

The Hawks bounced back and jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set. UNK broke a 13 all tie with a decisive 8-3 run that featured two kills from Scott and three unforced Rockhurst errors.

UNK then found its offensive groove in the third set, recording another 15 kills and hitting at a .324 clip. For the night, both Scott and Workman tied for the lead in kills (10) with three others have at least five.

On defense, Wemhoff had 15 digs with Workman recording 11 to become the first Loper to have a double double this fall.

UNK plays Newman Saturday at 12:15 p.m. and then finishes off the weekend with a 7:00 p.m. match vs. Fort Hays State. Pictured below are Scott-Werner-Workman

Other Friday Scores

Rockhurst 3, Fort Hays State 0 (-19, -20, -23)

Bemidji State 3, Newman 0 (-23, -17, -17)

Newman 3, Fort Hays State 1 (23-25, -21, -15, -23)