Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney volleyball team hit .337 and senior middle
Tara Ziegelbein reached 1,000 career kills as seventh-ranked Nebraska Kearney swept a game Missouri Southern State squad (-22, -19, -20) Saturday morning in Joplin, Mo.
The Lopers (23-2, 10-1) have won eight straight with the Lions falling to 10-14 (3-8).
UNK hadn't hit over .300 since early September but changed that today as the Lopers managed 48 kills in 104 swings with only 13 errors. Six of those miscues were the result of Lions blocks. The .337 effort is UNK's third highest effort of the year, trailing only .418 (Hawaii Pacific) and .404 (Chaminade).
Junior setter
Lindsey Smith (Dakota Dunes, SD) had the hottest hand, having four kills in six attempts (.667). Next, Ziegelbein (Lincoln Lutheran) came in at .529 as she recorded 10 kills in 17 swings with only one error. Finally, from the outside, junior
Kendall Schroer (Ogallala) and sophomore
Julianne Jackson (Bonner Springs, Kan.) combined for 23 kills and both hit over .370.
Ziegelbein, after 10 kills Friday night at Southwest Baptist, becomes the 27th Loper to reach four figures in kills. In the
Rick Squiers era (1999-present), she is the eighth middle to reach this milestone. Finally, the 2016 All-American is the first Loper to join this club since outside Ashley Leitner and middle Katie Sokolowski in 2013.
MSSU, hitting .214 and getting 17 kills from Janelle Brehm, hung around in each set. The match featured 19 ties and five lead changes with the Lions leading 17-15 in the first set after an ace. However, UNK closed on a 10-5 run that featured five kills.
The second set was tied at 17 before a kill from Schroer and solo block from freshman right side
Anna Squiers (Kearney Catholic). UNK went on to score six of the next eight points to grab a 2-0 match lead.
UNK had a little more breathing room in the third set as they held leads of 16-14, 20-16 and 23-20. A Smith kill and Brehm hitting error ended the scoring. Defensively for the Lopers on the day, Smith and Papillion both had 10 digs with sophomore middle
Josie Cox (North Platte) at a team-best four blocks.
UNK hosts Fort Hays State Tuesday.
