September 22, 2007
No. 1-ranked Nebraska posted its nation-leading 20th consecutive victory by topping A&M, 30-14, 30-20, 30-25, in front of 4,113 at Nebraska Coliseum.
The defending national champion Huskers, who boast five All-Americans in their starting lineup, improve to 10-0 overall, including 3-0 in the Big 12. A&M drops to 11-3, 1-3 in Big 12, and remains winless in 15 trips to Lincoln.
Nebraska jumped out to a quick lead to begin the match, scoring the first six points before a kill by A&M?â„¢s Jillian Phillips put the Aggies on the board. The Huskers hit .424 and held A&M to a .029 hitting efficiency in the game as they continued to extend their lead. Ahead 26-13, Nebraska scored three consecutive points to be serving for the game. A&M setter Kristen Schevikhoven ended the run with a dump for a kill, but then A&M served wide to give the Huskers the game-winning point.
A&M stayed within seven points at 21-14 in Game 2 when the Aggies went on a four-point run to cut the gap to 21-18. Jordan Larson answered with back-to-back kills for the Huskers, marking the start of a 6-1 run for Nebraska. A Husker service error made the score, 27-20, but then Nebraska closed out the game with a three-point burst, with Rachel Schwartz serving an ace to cap the game.
The Huskers hit .400 in the stanza, while A&M upped its hitting percentage to .219 in the game.
?After a slow start I thought we made some significant progress in Game 2, just making some adjustments that we needed to do against their pretty dynamic attack,? A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. ?Once we settled down and did that, Game 3 was more the kind of volleyball that we can really play, so we felt better about Game 3 than any others; just from an execution standpoint and being more intense.?
Darla Donaldson sparked the Aggies in Game 3, starting the game as a right-side hitter rather than coming off the bench to substitute for a middle blocker. The junior transfer had five kills in a game that saw the Aggies build a 17-11 lead. The Huskers cut away at the lead and tied the score at 22 after 2005 AVCA Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling put down an A&M overpass for a kill. Donaldson posted a kill to keep the Aggies in the lead, but A&M then served into the net and had an attack sail long to give the Huskers their first lead since scoring the first point of the game.
Sarah Ammerman posted her A&M-leading eighth kill of the game to tie the score for the final time. The Huskers, who outhit A&M .255 to .130 in the frame, used a 6-1 run to close out the game and the match.
?Darla provided a nice spark and had some big swings,? Corbelli said. ?She is a very aggressive attacker. We?â„¢ve been looking for the right spot for her, and I think she is versatile enough to be used in the middle at times. We are excited that we have her and we?â„¢ve decided that we need to start using her a lot more. She also is one of our better blockers, so she?â„¢ll definitely be seeing the court a whole lot more.?
Jordan Larson led the Huskers with 15 kills, and Sarah Pavan and Houghtelling added 12 and 11 kills, respectively, as Nebraska posted 56 total kills to A&M?â„¢s 56 and outhit the Aggies, .350 to .124.
Schwartz led Nebraska in digs with 16, while Ammerman led A&M with 10.
?We have to take the things that we did well against a top-ranked team and use it to our advantage, for our confidence and to propel us into next week,? Corbelli said. ?We?â„¢re not down at all. We are excited about our progress of our young players especially, and we are ready to get back into the gym.?
The Aggies conclude a two-match road swing Wednesday as they take on the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at the Ferrell Center.