Kearney, Neb. – It'll be some uncharted waters for the fifth-ranked Nebraska-Kearney volleyball team this weekend as they venture to New England for six matches in three days.
The Lopers (8-0) are at Southern New Hampshire on Thursday night and then take part in the Merrimack College Invitational in suburban Boston on Friday and Saturday.
This is believed to be the first time a UNK athletic team has been to New Hampshire; several Lopers were in Boston for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships several years ago.
The SNHU Penmen (2-9) will be playing their third match in three days on Thursday. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m. Central with
live stats and
live video available. Note the video stream is not through Stretch Internet.
Led by a first-year head coach, Southern N.H. has a 12-player roster that is led by in-state product Marisa Coronis (2.88 kills per set). The Penmen were 12-15 a year ago.
UNK then heads down the road to North Andover, Mass., to face four different schools as part of a tournament. Merrimack has setup a
web site with the complete tourney schedule and live links; again, the video stream is not through Stretch.
The Lopers play two matches on Friday and three on Saturday, including one at 7:00 a.m. Central.
The American International College Yellow Jackets (9-1), from Springfield, Mass., fittingly feature a diverse roster. Besides three Serbians and a Spaniard, AIC has players hailing from six different U.S. states.
Five 'Jackets average at least 2.00 kills per set, led by 5-10 sophomore outside Diva Rivas-Reyes (3.92). Last season, AIC went 14-13.
The host Merrimack Warriors (1-7) have a non-conference match Thursday in New Hampshire. Another diverse roster includes players from eight U.S. states. Having already played tournaments in South Carolina and Pennsylvania, they are led by 5-8 senior outside Jennifer Cain (2.65 kills and 2.41 digs per set).
UNK will face another team from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the Bentley University Falcons (1-7). BU began the year in Florida where they faced Rockhurst (Mo.) and Saint Leo (Fla.), teams currently just outside the Top 25.
Another roster with players from all over the country, BU's is led by Dani Milner (2.61 kills and 3.10 digs per set). She is a six-foot freshman outside/right side from Texas.
UNK's other tourney foe is the East Stroudsburg University Warriors (6-3) from Northeast Pennsylvania. ESU is a member of the PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conf.), which also includes Edinboro University. The Lopers swept EU, the 2015 PSAC West Division champions, to start the season.
The Warriors have yet to leave their home court this fall and are led by freshman outside hitter Sarah Smith (3.39 kills per set). A 20-person ESU roster features players from four U.S. states.
UNK has yet to play a road match this season but is 170-39 away from home in the
Rick Squiers era (1999-present). The Lopers also have a healthy 71-22 neutral site mark since 1999.
Kearney will flash its typical solid defense in New England, currently led by Papillion sophomore libero
Ellie McDonnell (4.32 digs per set) and sophomore DS
Morgan Stute (2.84 dps). With Minden DS Ali Rowse currently sidelined, freshman outside hitter
Allison Kuenle (North Platte) has stepped into a DS role and is averaging 2.54 digs per set.
At the net, Kearney registers just over 2.0 team blocks per set. The leaders are freshman middle Mackenize Puckett (1.24), senior right side
Annie Wolfe (0.84) and junior middle
Tara Ziegelbein (0.64).
UNK will catch the red eye out of Boston on Sunday morning and then has a quick turnaround as Fort Hays State come to town Tuesday night. The Tigers are currently 8-0 heading Colorado tourney this weekend.
