Box Score Kearney, Neb. – The 2nd-ranked Nebraska-Kearney volleyball kept up its dominant play by sweeping 8th-ranked Central Missouri (-23, -18, -9) to win the 2012 MIAA Tournament Saturday night in the Health & Sports Center.
 
The Lopers (33-2) already won the MIAA regular season title thanks to a 16-1 league mark. UNK has now won 15 in a row, 14 coming in three sets.
 
Also, by winning the league tournament, UNK earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. That 64-team field will be announced Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. on www.ncaa.com. Note the NCAA's start in two weeks.
 
To sweep the Jennies (26-6) for the second time in the last 10 days, the Lopers hit a solid .258 and survived a valiant UCM come back in the first set.
 
UNK started the night on a 7-2 run that featured five kills. However, UCM scored the next five points and, while they never took the lead, kept things extremely close the rest of the way.
 
A block by Bradye Peniston and Julia Bates cut the Loper lead to one, 22-21, and forced UNK head coach Rick Squiers to call a timeout. Turnabout is fair play as junior middle Katie Sokolowski (Kearney Catholic) followed with her fifth kill of the set to force UCM to call for a break in the action.
 
Junior outside Ashley Leitner (Lincoln SW) eventually got UNK to set point with a kill but the Jennies followed with of their won. But, Bates then served one into the net to give Kearney a 1-0 match lead.
 
UNK rolled through the final two sets, thanks to 29 kills and some crafty defensive work. Meanwhile, UCM ended the match with just a .096 attack percentage (34-21-135).
This marks the Lopers ninth conference tournament title since 1995 and third in three years. Next, Squiers is now an impressive 450-60  as leader of the Kearney program with senior outside Ariel Krolikowski (Grand Island) also reaching a milestone.
 
After recording five digs tonight, she becomes only the 13th Loper to have 1,000 kills and digs in a career. In three seasons at UNK, her totals are now 1,001 digs and 1,080 kills.
 
A balanced Loper attack featured 12 kills by Sokolowski and 10 from Leitner with junior middle Ellie Pesavento (Omaha Marian) having seven and hitting .412.
 
Sophomore libero Liz McGowan (GI Central Catholic) dug up a match-high 23 balls with senior setter Jenna Rouzee (GI Northwest) at 35 assists, 11 digs, four kills and a solo stuff.
 
UCM was paced by freshman outside Carly Sojka, who had 13 kills and 10 digs.