Box Score Kearney, Neb. – The 16th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney volleyball team used a balanced attack, strong serving and stirring rally in the third set to sweep 12th-ranked Washburn (-23, -19, -23) Friday night at the Health & Sports Center.
 
This was a key win for UNK's NCAA Tournament hopes; they came in 0-4 vs. Top 25 teams this year, including a close sweep at Washburn (-23, -24, -19) on September 26th.
 
A boisterous crowd of 1,203 saw the Lopers (15-4, 5-2) score first five points of the match. However, WU (17-2, 5-2) scored six of the next seven points to tie things up.
 
This set featured 10 ties and four lead changes with Kearney moving ahead 23-22 thanks to a block by sophomore middle Tara Ziegelbein (Lincoln Lutheran H.S.) and freshman setter Lindsey Smith (Dakota Dunes, S.D.).
 
A Washburn kill tied things up again but they then served one long; the 'Bods had 11 service miscues on the night while UNK had none. For the sesaon, Kearney is plus 96 in the serve game.
 
"I'm sure Washburn is looking at the stat sheet and counting how many free ones that gave us from the service line. Some of that was them struggling but we're so good (in the backrow) that we wear on people. They start to press, wanting to get us out of system," said UNK head coach Rick Squiers.
 
It still wasn't easy to close out the set as a long rally was finally capped by a kill from Yutan sophomore outside Kaitlynn Thomas.
 
Washburn had four service errors in the second set with UNK grabbing a 12-5 lead after three straight blocks. The Lopers finished the night with 8.0 team stuffs, four coming from the 5-8 Smith. Never trailing, a Ziegelbein kill made it 2-0 Lopers.
 
Entering the third set, Washburn had more kills, 32-26, and more digs, 32-30, than UNK. The Lopers had 11 attack errors, eight of the unforced variety, in this set, helping WU build leads of 10-6, 19-13 and 21-16.
 
A kill from freshman reserve outside Connar Newberry (McKinney, Texas) started the comeback with the 'Bods calling timeout after an unforced error made it 21-19.
 
Two Loper kills, a service error and an attack error suddenly tied things up at 23. With the crowd on its feet, UNK closed things out on the strength of back-to-back kills by junior middle Bailey Sokolowski (Kearney Catholic H.S.).
 
"The rally was one for the ages and is kinda of indicative of the team we are. It's not always pretty, some nights we have to hit below .200 to win but we scrap and we fight," said Squiers.
 
Five Lopers were between four and 10 kills, led by Thomas (10), Sokolowski (eight) and junior right side Annie Wolfe (eight). UNK ended the night hitting seven points higher, .172-.165, and was plus 10 in the serve game.
 
Hitting .389, Sokolowski also had three blocks with Smith having 31 assists, eight digs and three kills in seven swings to go along with her work at the net. Finally, freshman libero Ellie McDonnell (Papillion) had a team-high 15 digs.
 
Washburn was led by Elkhorn native Leanna Willer (13 kills and 13 digs) and right side Taylor Selk (11 kills, .360 pct.).
 
"The fact we were able to pull out the first set put us in a great spot. Both teams had expended so much by the third set," said Rick Squiers. "For a young team like us, winning that first set was big. We've beaten some good teams this year but hadn't beaten a nationally-ranked one."
 
Emporia State visits Saturday at 7:00 p.m.