Kearney, Neb – Freshman right side Anna Squiers had a season-high 14 kills to help seventh-ranked Nebraska Kearney defeat Emporia State in four sets (-19, 22-25, -20, -21) Saturday night in Kansas.

The Lopers (26-2, 13-1) win for the 11th straight time while the Hornets (13-14, 5-9) drop a fifth straight match.

For a second straight night, UNK had fewer kills than its opponent, 58-53, but overcame that by hitting 55 points higher, .237-.182. The Lopers also served up five aces and saw ESU have eight service errors.

UNK went on a 12-5 run early in the third set to grab a 16-9 lead. The key run featured aces by juniors Lindsey Smith (Dakota Dunes, SD) and Morgan Stute (Kearney Catholic) and two blocks by sophomore outside Julianne Jackson (Bonner Springs, Kan.).

In the fourth set, the Lopers again grabbed an early cushion, moving ahead 15-11 thanks to a block by Smith and senior middle Tara Ziegelbegin (Lincoln Lutheran). The Hornets did cut the deficit to two, 22-20, but a Squeirs kill swung the momentum back. A service error and another combination block by Smith and Ziegelbein ended the match.

Squiers reached her team-high kill total in 31 swings (.355 pct.) while also supplying six block assists. UNK ended the match with 14.0 team blocks. Squiers previous season-best kill total of 10 came in a win over Lindenwood. 

Next, Jackson (12) and Ziegelbein (10) had double digit kill totals and combined for 11 blocks with Stute having two aces. Finally, junior libero Ellie McDonnell (Papillion) had a team-high 17 digs.

Emporia was led by Jamie Hauptman with 17 kills and a .298 percentage.

UNK has three home matches next weekend.