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Huskers Drop 3-1 Decision to No. 2 Penn State

Nebraska-Volleyball-HuskersLincoln, Neb. – The No. 10 Nebraska volleyball team (23-6, 16-4) fell to the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 24-26, 24-26) on Saturday evening at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. In front of a season-high 8,561 fans, the Huskers honored seniors Morgan Broekhuis, Kelsey Robinson and Hayley Thramer in the regular-season finale.

Amber Rolfzen produced a career-high-tying 16 kills for the Huskers, adding 15 digs and hitting at a clip of .389. Kadie Rolfzen notched 12 kills and a match-high 18 digs, while Kelsey Robinson had 14 kills and five blocks. Mary Pollmiller dished out 46 assists on the night, while Cecilia Hall posted seven blocks.

Nebraska hit .246 for the match, while Penn State hit .255. Nebraska out-blocked the Nittany Lions 12.5-11 and out-dug PSU 55-53.

The Huskers took a 5-1 lead to start the first set, while a kill from Meghan Haggerty put NU up 10-6. PSU tied the set at 12-12, but NU took a 15-13 lead at the first media timeout. Robinson came through with two huge kills to help the Huskers to a 20-15 advantage and force Penn State to call a timeout. The Nittany Lions responded with three straight points, cutting into NU’s lead at 20-18. Nebraska held on as a kill from Robinson sealed the 25-22 first-set win.

Robinson tallied five kills in the first set, while Kadie Rolfzen had three kills. Pollmiller dished out 10 assists as the Huskers hit .241. Penn State hit .235 for the set, while NU out-blocked PSU 4.5-2.

Penn State took a 3-0 lead early in the second set, but the Huskers came back to tie the set with a double-block from Hall and Amber Rolfzen. The Nittany Lions used a 4-0 run to take a 7-4 lead and then stretched their advantage to 16-13. Nebraska clawed back, as Amber Rolfzen and Hall teamed up for a block to tie the set at 19-19 and force Penn State to call a timeout. The Huskers forced Penn State to three set points, but PSU held on to win the second set 25-23.

Robinson notched five kills in the second set, while Amber Rolfzen had four kills. Nebraska hit .333 for the set, while Penn State hit .370.

Two big plays from Pollmiller opened the third set as the Huskers took a 10-6 lead following an ace. Hall and Robinson propelled the Huskers to a 14-8 lead, but Penn State surged ahead to cut into NU’s lead at 16-13.  A double-block from Melanie Keil and Robinson made it 23-20, NU, while Nebraska then came back to tie the set at 24-24 on a kill from Keil. Penn State came out on top in the third set, winning 26-24.

Amber Rolfzen notched five kills in the third set, while Kadie Rolfzen had four kills. Nebraska hit .286 in the set as Penn State hit .275. PSU out-blocked NU 3-2.

Penn State came out hot in the fourth set, but the Huskers inched back on a 3-0 run to tie the set at 5-5. Penn State responded with a 3-0 run to go up 10-7 and force Nebraska to call a timeout. A kill from Amber Rolfzen tied the set at 12-12, as she then gave NU its first lead of the set at 14-13. The Huskers and Nittany Lions traded points as a kill from Pollmiller tied the set at 16-16, while Kadie Rolfzen put NU up 20-19. Back-to-back double-blocks from Keil and Amber Rolfzen put NU up 23-20, but Penn State fought back to win the final set 26-24.

Amber Rolfzen had five kills in the fourth set, while Kadie Rolfzen notched three kills. Nebraska hit .135 for the set, as Penn State hit .175.

The Huskers will now wait until Sunday at 8:30 p.m. when the 2013 NCAA Tournament field is announced live on ESPNU.

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