Kearney, Neb. – Junior outside hitter Kendall Schroer had 14 kills and sophomore outside hitter Julianne Jackson added 10 kills and nine digs to help seventh-ranked Nebraska Kearney sweep Fort Hays State (-18, -21, -15) Tuesday night at the Health & Sports Center.

UNK (24-2, 11-1) wins a ninth straight match and remains in sole possession of first place in the MIAA. Thirteenth-ranked Central Oklahoma lost a four setter last Saturday at No. 16 Central Missouri; both of those clubs are 10-2 in league action.

The Lopers hit a solid .272 (48-14-125) on the night, the third time this fall UNK has had back-to-back matches of hitting .270 or better. In Saturday's win at Missouri Southern, Kearney hit .337.

"We settled into our offense and decided to just let our offense get the job done tonight. It was a little disappointing we didn't stop them at times. They do the same things you expect them to do," said UNK head coach Rick Squiers.

Schroer (Ogallala) reached her kill total in 31 swings and hit a sparkling .355. Playing six rotations, Jackson (Bonner Springs, Kan.) came in at an efficient .206 and was one of five Lopers between nine and 14 digs. UNK won the dig game, 62-53, but the Tigers won the battle at the net, 8-2.

There were 12 ties and five lead changes with the Tigers hitting .353 (16-4-34) in the second set to hang around. A 4-0 Tiger run, featuring two kills from Columbus senior southpaw Kylie Rollman, made it 24-21 Lopers. UNK finally made it 2-0 in the match thanks to a Jackson kill.

"Rollman kind of had her way with us. That part was a bit discouraging because we spent some time on that yesterday," said Squiers. "I thought our side out offense was really good and efficient. We didn't make a lot of unforced errors. There was some positives but hopefully we'll be a little more spirited as we go forward."

Also for UNK, South Dakota junior setter Lindsey Smith had 36 assists, 10 digs, one ace, one block and five kills in 11 attempts (.455). She's now hitting .318 on the season. Finally, Papillion libero Ellie McDonnell had a team-high 14 digs.

Rollman had 15 kills and hit .481 to pace the Tigers.

UNK heads to Washburn and Emporia State this weekend.