Skip To Main Content

University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

Aleena Peterson
Todd Gottula
1
Central Missouri UCM 7-3, 0-1 MIAA
3
Winner Neb.-Kearney UNK 14-0, 1-0 MIAA
Central Missouri UCM
7-3, 0-1 MIAA
1
Final
3
Neb.-Kearney UNK
14-0, 1-0 MIAA
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Central Missouri UCM 18 19 25 20 (1)
Neb.-Kearney UNK 25 25 21 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

#4 Lopers Beat the Jennies in Four to Win MIAA Opener

Kearney, Neb. – The fourth-ranked Nebraska Kearney volleyball team got a combined 25 kills from outsides Emilee Lane and Carly Purdy and had 80 digs to beat 36th-ranked Central Missouri in four sets (-18, -19, 21-25, -20) Friday night at the Health & Sports Center.

This was the MIAA opener for both and the only meeting between the Lopers (14-0) and Jennies (7-3) this season.

"Toward the end, we played more clean volleyball and found another gear. Hopefully it's one of those things you get a little better playing a match like this," said UNK head coach Rick Squiers.

Lane (Hays, Kan.) had a team-best 14 kills and with Purdy (North Platte) having four of her 11 kills in the fourth set. Sophomore right side Brynn Stowell (Olathe, Kan.) added nine more kills with middles Mia Berg (Eureka, Mo.) and Abby Rose (Lindsborg, Kan.) combining for 17. The match featured 24 ties and 10 lead changes with UNK benefitting from 12 UCM service errors and five of their own aces.

The Jens scored seven of the night's first 10 points, but graduate setter Peyton Neff (North Platte) got the Lopers back into things with three consecutive aces. Senior DS Aleena Peterson (Kansas City) then went back to the service line and started a four-point run that included a UCM timeout. That made it 17-14 and UNK didn't trail again. In set two, another back-and-forth battle saw the Lopers lead most of the way and closed on a 10-4 run. The stretch included two Lane kills, one by Neff and five unforced UCM errors.

"Part of the reason we won the first two (sets) was because they made a bunch of errors," said Squiers.

UNK dropped its first set of the year as UCM hit .281 in the third (13-4-32) to hold off a late charge. They quickly jetted out to a 6-3 lead in the fourth and then moved ahead 17-15 on a kill from outside Emma Siron (match-high 17 kills & 14 digs). However, the Lopers closed the match on a 10-3 run with a Rose kill tying things at 20 and then Neff serving up five straight. That tally included a Lane solo block and three Stowell kills.

"I thought it took us eight, 10 points (in the fourth) to kind of deal with it (a set loss). I don't know if everyone was consciously aware of it (13 straight sweeps) but you're going through an experience you haven't had to deal with yet this year," said Squiers. "Yes, you can actually be behind on the scoreboard when the set ends. We deserved to be … we kicked it around a little bit, let balls drop, had trouble in serve receive, made some errors."

Peterson (16), Indiana junior libero Ellie Spang (15) and Kansas sophomore DS Rhyan Mock (13) each had double digit dig totals with three others between seven and nine. Next, both Berg and Neff had four blocks with Neff (three) and Peterson (two) recording the team's five aces.

"The fourth set was more of both teams playing better and we just kind of gutted it out and outlasted them. They got stuck in a rotation at the end," said Squiers. "Aleena was fantastic tonight especially down the stretch. Served tough and made several crosscourt digs."

Besides Siron, UCM got 21 digs from libero Grace Winkelmann and six blocks and eight kills from right side Rachel Ziesman.

UNK hosts Missouri Southern Saturday at 3 p.m. The Lions (6-6) fell tonight at Fort Hays in five sets.
 
 
Print Friendly Version