Box Score Kearney, Neb. – Junior Keller Carver had another big match and sophomore Katie Weber hit .360 to help 6th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney survive Colorado-State Pueblo in four sets (-15, 29-31, -27, -13) Friday afternoon in Pueblo.
 
The match was part of the Steel & Silver Classic. UNK (5-0) takes on Adams State tonight in Pueblo at 6:00 p.m. Central. Go HERE for the tourney web page.
 
From the right side, Carver (Shawnee Mission, Kans.) finished the day with team-highs in kills (19), attack percentage (.485) and blocks (five). In the middle, Weber (Greeley, Colo.) supplied 12 kills in 25 swings and also had six digs and two block assists.
 
UNK came in hitting .350 but was held to a .206 effort by the ThunderWolves (3-3), who managed 9.0 team blocks.
 
After an easy first set win, the Lopers built a 5-0 in the next set, only to trail 24-22. Back-to-back kills by sophomore outside Kinslie TeKolste (Lincoln SE) tied things up and then a Weber kill gave UNK set point.
 
Pueblo fought off three set points and then the Lopers stayed alive thanks to kills by Carver and sophomore middle Bailey Sokolowski (Kearney Catholic). However, Pueblo closed things out with back-to-back kills.
 
Iowa Western transfer Mariangel Perez, a 5-10 outside from Venezuela, powered Pueblo with 22 kills and a .283 attack percentage with junior middle Morgan Wilkening at 12 kills and a .296 hitting efficiency. The remaining CSUP players combined for 17 kills.
 
The T-Wolves were poised to take a 2-1 match lead as they used a Loper service error to lead 24-23 in the third set. TeKolste, however, came up with another kill and then the teams battled back and forth until a kill by Sokolowski and an ace from junior Annie Wolfe (Omaha Marian) made it 29-27.
 
Kearney then controlled the fourth set, getting out to leads of 6-1 and 16-9.
 
Besides Carver and Weber, TeKolste came off the bench to have 14 kills with senior outside Liz McGowan (G.I. Central Catholic) at 11 kills and a match-high 20 digs.