Sports – Page 363 – North Platte Post Archive

Huskers To Honor Pollmiller on Senior Night

Posted on November 21, 2014

Mary Pollmiller (Photo courtesy of Hail Varsity)

The No. 11 Nebraska volleyball team brings a seven-match win streak into Saturday’s Senior Night match against Michigan at 7 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers will honor their lone senior, setter Mary Pollmiller, at the match. Nebraska will be looking to even the season series against Michigan after the Wolverines swept the Huskers in Ann Arbor on Oct. 12, 25-19, 32-30, 25-21.

The Huskers are 19-7 overall and 13-4 in the Big Ten after defeating Indiana 3-0 Wednesday for their seventh straight win and second sweep of Indiana this season. Over their seven-match win streak, the Huskers are hitting .291 while holding their opponents to .128 hitting. Nebraska is 10-5 at home this season and has won four straight at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. John Cook is in his 15th season as head coach at Nebraska and is 432-55 leading the Huskers. The two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year is 593-128 in his 22nd overall season as a head coach.

Michigan enters Saturday’s match with a 12-15 overall record and 7-10 mark in Big Ten play. The Wolverines are coming off a three-set loss at home to Penn State on Wednesday. Mark Rosen is 318-206 in his 16th season as head coach at Michigan. Rosen has an overall DI record of 527-243 in his 22nd year as a head coach.

Media Information
Saturday’s match will be streamed online with a BTN Plus subscription. Fans can also listen to the action with John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and The Wolf 93.3 FM in Omaha. Fans inside and outside the state of Nebraska will also be able to catch the live audio feed on Huskers.com for free. Live stats will be available at Huskers.com as well.

Series History
Nebraska is 8-3 against Michigan and 5-2 since joining the Big Ten. Michigan swept the Huskers in Ann Arbor on Oct. 12. Abby Cole had 19 kills, while Adeja Lambert had 13 and Caroline Knop had 12. Alicia Ostrander (12) was the only Husker with more than six kills.

Scouting Michigan
Abby Cole leads the team with 3.66 kills per set and 0.93 blocks per set. She is hitting .372 on the season. Adeja Lambert adds 2.72 kills per set, and Caroline Knop is at 2.70 kills per set. Setter Lexi Dannemiller provides 11.38 assists per set – third-most in the Big Ten – while Tiffany Morales averages 3.83 digs per set.

Up Next
Nebraska is on the road the last week of the regular season with two top-10 challenges. The Huskers will play at No. 10 Illinois next Wednesday night at 7 p.m. on BTN Plus. NU will then head from Illinois to Penn State and play the No. 4 Nittany Lions next Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. (CT) on BTN in the regular-season finale.

Noting the Huskers
• The Huskers have held seven straight opponents under .200 hitting for the first time since 2011. NU will seek to make it eight straight on Saturday for the first time since 2008, when NU went 13 straight matches holding opponents under .200.
• Nebraska ranks first in the Big Ten and 18th nationally with 2.88 blocks per set. Meghan Haggerty is third in the Big Ten with 1.32 blocks per set and tied her career high with 11 against Purdue on Nov. 5.
• In conference play only, the Huskers rank third in hitting percentage (.253) and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.174).
• Kadie Rolfzen leads the Huskers with 3.57 kills per set and ranks seventh in the Big Ten. The 2013 third-team AVCA All-American has 15 or more kills 11 times this season. Rolfzen is also second on the team in digs with 2.66 per set. She has two straight double-doubles.
• Kelsey Fien is second on the team in kills per set with 3.27. Fien had a career-high 18 kills against Maryland last Sunday. Over her last five matches, Fien is averaging 4.29 kills per set and hitting .362. Fien’s .333 hitting percentage in league play puts her sixth among all B1G players and second among outside hitters.
• Amber Rolfzen adds 2.16 kills per set with 1.62 digs per set and is second on the team in blocks with 73. She had 10 kills and hit .562 at Indiana.
• Justine Wong-Orantes leads the Huskers in digs with 3.82 per set and ranks ninth in the league.
• Mary Pollmiller, the Huskers’ lone senior, has 951 set assists for 10.34 per set to rank fourth in the conference. She also adds a defensive presence at the net with 68 blocks to rank third on the team.
• The Huskers are 12-1 in matches played on Monday through Friday this season, while they are 7-6 in matches played on Saturday and Sunday.
• The Huskers are 232-0 when hitting .300 or better under John Cook.
• Nebraska is 379-16 when winning the first set under Cook.
• Cook is 141-42 (.770) against ranked opponents at Nebraska. Just under one-third of Cook’s total victories at Nebraska (432) have come against ranked teams.
• Nebraska volleyball leads the nation with 216 consecutive sellouts, the longest sellout streak in the history of NCAA women’s athletics. NU owns a 198-18 record during the streak.

Pollmiller’s Terrific Husker Career Comes to a Close
Senior setter Mary Pollmiller will play her last regular-season match at the Devaney Center on Saturday. The Husker captain enters Saturday’s match fourth among active Division I setters in career assists. The Littleton, Colo., native transfered to Nebraska after two successful seasons at Tennessee and has been a five-time Big Ten Setter of the Week and two-time All-America honorable mention selection. “She’s the best servant leader I’ve ever coached,” said Head Coach John Cook. “She’s all about the team, she’ll do anything for them. She’s one of the hardest working players we’ve ever had here. She’s a great young woman who has worked really hard and given her heart and soul to this team.”

Nebraska Athletics to Host a Toys for Tots Drive

Posted on November 21, 2014November 21, 2014

As a reminder the Nebraska Athletic Department will join the annual U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Drive on Saturday at home football and volleyball contests.

Husker fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys to the game, and cash donations for the cause will also be accepted. The Marines will be stationed outside entrances to Memorial Stadium and the Bob Devaney Sports Center during both games to accept donations that will brighten the holiday season for needy children. The Husker football team will take on Minnesota at 11 a.m., with the volleyball team scheduled to play host to Michigan at 7 p.m.

Nebraska Athletics co-sponsored a Toys for Tots collection earlier this month at men’s and women’s basketball games.

Gophers Go to No. 21 Nebraska in Control of Fate

Posted on November 21, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Both teams are coming off losses, but the vibes around Nebraska and Minnesota couldn’t be more different.

The 21st-ranked Cornhuskers (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten) spent the week trying to come to grips with having allowed an FBS-record 408 yards rushing to Melvin Gordon in last week’s 59-24 meltdown at Wisconsin. The Gophers (7-3, 4-2) hung with Ohio State in a 31-24 loss in the snow and are excited about controlling their destiny in the Big Ten West.

Even if Nebraska beats Minnesota on Saturday, the Huskers would be out of the division race if Wisconsin wins at Iowa. The Gophers have a direct, albeit difficult, path to the Big Ten championship game. They must win their final two games, on the road against both Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Raiders Snap 16-Game Skid with 24-20 Win vs. KC

Posted on November 20, 2014

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Derek Carr threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to James Jones with 1:42 remaining and the Oakland Raiders snapped a 16-game losing streak with a 24-20 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.

Oakland’s Latavius Murray ran for two touchdowns on four carries before leaving the game with a concussion.

The Raiders (1-10) built a 14-point lead, but needed a 17-play, 80-yard drive led by Carr to secure its first win since beating Houston on Nov. 17, 2013.

Alex Smith threw two TD passes for the Chiefs (7-4), who had won five in a row. They fell a half-game behind Denver in the AFC West.

Ovechkin’s Late Goal lifts Capitals over Avalanche

Posted on November 20, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored late in the third period, Braden Holtby stopped 27 shots and the Washington Capitals beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Thursday night.

Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and an assist, Jason Chimera also scored and Ovechkin added an assist for the Capitals. Washington won the last two games of its three-game trip.

Ovechkin broke a 2-all when he skated past defenseman Jan Hejda and put a shot on Reto Berra. The goaltender didn’t cover up the loose puck and Ovechkin poked it just over the goal line with 5:56 left. It was his ninth of the season and first in four games.

Forsberg Proud, Humbled by Hall of Fame Induction

Posted on November 20, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Peter Forsberg spent his playing days thinking about winning, not about the Hall of Fame.

On Thursday, the former Colorado Avalanche star reflected on the honor he received earlier this week when he was inducted into the exclusive hockey club.

Forsberg is the sixth Avalanche player to go into hockey’s Hall of Fame. He joined Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque, Jari Kurri and Rob Blake, who was also inducted Monday night in Toronto.

He is the third Swedish player to become a member, joining Anders Borje Salming — inducted in 1996 after 17 NHL seasons — and childhood friend, Mats Sundin, who entered the Hall in 2012.

Royals get OF Fuentes from Padres for LHP Bartsch

Posted on November 20, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have acquired outfielder Reymond Fuentes from the San Diego Padres for left-hander Kyle Bartsch.

The trade was announced Thursday.

The 23-year-old Fuentes hit a combined .294 with five home runs, 33 RBIs and 25 steals in Triple-A and Double-A last season. He made his major league debut in 2013, hitting .152 in 23 games with the Padres.

The 23-year-old Bartsch went 5-5 with seven saves and a 2.29 ERA in 41 relief appearance at the advanced Class A level.

Huskers Focused on Senior Day Battle with Gophers

Posted on November 20, 2014

Lincoln, Neb. – The Nebraska football team held its weekly walkthrough on Thursday for 45 minutes inside the Hawks Championship Center. Head Coach Bo Pelini spoke to the media afterwards.

“We finished it up,” Pelini said. “I think our guys are anxious to play. I know I’m anxious to get back out there. We had a good week of practice. Good attention to detail. I think our kids are anxious to play.”

Pelini also talked about Senior Day, and handling the emotions that surround it.

“I think it’s a mature group of guys,” Pelini said. “I’ve been there. I understand that it’s an emotional day for them. It’s the last time in the stadium for them in front of the fans knowing that your career is kind of wrapping up. It’s always emotional, but once you get into the game, usually you are able to get it under control and just are able to play ball.”

He added that he has the “utmost respect” for those seniors who haven’t played in a game, but continue to practice with the team.

“That’s what makes this program special,” Pelini said. “You don’t get that across the country. You just don’t. You don’t get guys that are willing to do what (they) did. We get a lot of guys who do that and really don’t blink an eye. They come out here every day and bust their butts and understand what their role is. And you have to give those guys a lot of credit.”

Pelini also said that he would bring those players into Saturday’s game “if the situation calls for it.” He added that quarterback Tommy Armstrong had a good week of practice.

“I told him the other day to go have fun,” Pelini said. “Relax and play. Just go out there and play. Hopefully that’s what he’s going to do. I think we will like the result.”

The No. 21 (AP) Huskers battle Minnesota in their final home game of the season on Saturday at 11 a.m. Senior Day ceremonies will be before the game, which will be televised on ESPN.

Storm To Host Team Jack Night Jan. 24

Posted on November 20, 2014

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm announced a new partnership with the Team Jack Foundation, and will host Team Jack Night when they battle the Sioux Falls Stampede on Saturday, January 24.

The Team Jack Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to fund pediatric cancer research at the world’s best research institutions. As of January 2013, the Team Jack Foundation has committed more than $1.1 million and counting to pediatric brain cancer research.

Starting today, fans can go to Team Jack’s website and either make a one-time donation or pledge a donation to the Foundation for each goal recorded by the Storm score for the remainder of the season (45 games).

“We are very excited for the opportunity to partner with the Tri-City Storm and are so grateful for their support,” said Andy Hoffman, Chair of the Team Jack Foundation. “By pledging per goal recorded by the Storm, individuals will have a chance to make a direct impact on pediatric brain cancer, the leading cancer cause of death in children.”

The Storm are also working to provide other donation options, including adopting individual players. For example, fans could adopt one or multiple players and donate based on their success for the remainder of the season.

The game promotion will also include Star Wars Night, featuring themes from a galaxy far, far away.

In addition, the Storm have designated the Team Jack Foundation as a recipient for the month of January in the annual Jerseys For A Cause program, presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to work with the Team Jack Foundation in an effort to build a memorable game night theme and ultimately generate dollars for pediatric brain cancer research,” said Tri-City Storm President Greg Shea.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011 or visit www.stormhockey.com.

Howard Voted US Player of Year for 2nd Time

Posted on November 20, 2014

CHICAGO (AP) — Goalkeeper Tim Howard has been voted the U.S. Soccer Federation’s Male Athlete of the Year for the second time.

Howard, who had 15 saves in the Americans’ 2-1 overtime loss to Brazil in the second round of the World Cup, also won the award in 2008. He is the fifth multiple winner, joining Landon Donovan (’03-’04, ’09-’10), Kasey Keller (’97, ’99, ’05), Clint Dempsey (’07, ’11-’12) and Marcelo Balboa (1992, ’94).

Howard increased his career total to 55 international wins, two more than Keller’s previous American record.

Votes were cast by the 50 players who appeared for the U.S. this year, select former players, senior and youth U.S. national team coaches, Major League Soccer and North American Soccer League head coaches, administrators and media. The result was announced on Thursday.