Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney Blue squad got a combined 46 kills from sophomores outsides Sami Mauch and Kamryn Schuler and redshirt freshman middle Fallon Stutheit to win all four sets from the White team (-14, -22, -24, -22) Saturday morning at the Health & Sports Center.

This was the second of three planned scrimmages for the Lopers this fall. The next date is planned for Saturday, Nov. 21, but that might change due to home basketball.

"The tough part about it is when you try and put these groups together you want to see a good competitive match," UNK head coach Rick Squiers said. "Even with a big roster (25 players) we're not able to put the same amount of depth on both sides. Once we got to the 20's the Blue team had some more experience."

The Blue team hit .469 (16-1-32) to roll in the first set but a younger White squad hung around in each of the final three stanzas. Overall, the match featured 24 ties and 12 lead changes. Stutheit (Johnson) had a match-best 17 kills while hitting .419 and providing three blocks on defense. From the outside Mauch (North Platte) managed 14 kills and 12 digs with Schuler (Gretna) at 15 kills, six blocks and four digs. 

"Fallon was really good again …. Bailee Sterling does some things. Which ever middles are on the side with the veteran setting benefit a little bit," Squiers said. "Anytime we get the ball to our middles we felt good about it."

The White saw junior libero Breanna Jones (Littleton, Colo.) have 18 digs in the third set alone with junior Gracie Stienike (Gothenburg) at team-best 12 kills. In the middle Kearney senior Anna Squiers provided 10 kills, four blocks, three digs and an ace. Finally, Kearney sophomore middle Bailee Sterling had six blocks with Lincoln freshman outside Lauren Taubenheim at five stuffs.

"We feel good about those three outsides (Mach, Schuler and Steinike). They are veterans and have been around a little bit and are all capable of scoring," Squiers said. "Today we had two of them on one side and that's kind of where the difference was in a lot of ways."

Finally, Kearney senior setter Madison Squiers had 59 assists, 13 digs, and eight blocks with Henderson freshman setter Rhianna Wilhelm at 19 assists in three sets of work.

"There was a lot of good defense out there and we see that everyday in the gym. It's hard to get a kill in practice, it's hard to get a kill when we Scrimmage each other," Squiers said.