Sports – Page 380 – North Platte Post Archive

Huskers Return Home With Purdue Wednesday

Posted on November 4, 2014

The 13th-ranked Nebraska volleyball team returns home for four straight matches, beginning Wednesday against No. 12 Purdue at 6:30 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The match will be televised on BTN. The first 5,000 fans through the doors will receive a Husker fortune cookie, as the Huskers will be highlighting their summer trip to China and Japan at Wednesday’s match.

The Huskers are 14-7 overall and 8-4 in the Big Ten, putting them fifth in the Big Ten standings. A win would put the Huskers in a tie for fourth with the Boilermakers. NU is coming off sweeps at Rutgers and at Maryland last weekend. It marked the first back-to-back weekend road sweeps in Big Ten play since joining the league in 2011. John Cook is in his 15th season as head coach at Nebraska and is 427-55 leading the Huskers.

Purdue (19-5, 9-3 Big Ten) is in third place in the Big Ten standings. The Boilermakers fell at home to Wisconsin, 3-0, last week before sweeping Minnesota and now stand at 19-5 overall and 9-3 in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers are 9-2 away from home this season. Dave Shondell (Ball State, 1981) is in his 12th year as head coach at Purdue.

Media Information
Wednesday’s match against Purdue will air on BTN and stream live on BTN2GO.com. 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 leads the all-time series with the Boilermakers, 12-7. Purdue beat the Huskers both times last year, however. The Boilermakers won 25-20, 25-22, 19-25, 25-20 in Lincoln on Oct. 18. Amber Rolfzen had 13 kills for the Huskers, while Kadie Rolfzen had 10. Purdue swept 26-24, 25-21, 25-16 on Nov. 22 in West Lafayette, Ind. Kadie Rolfzen had 12 kills in the match, while Amber Rolfzen had eight. Purdue is 3-2 against the Huskers since NU joined the Big Ten in 2011.

Up Next
The Huskers host Indiana on Saturday at 7 p.m. on NET. Following Wednesday’s match, the Huskers have seven remaining regular-season matches with four at home.

Nov. 8 Indiana Match Picked Up By NET
Saturday’s 7 p.m. match against Indiana has been picked up by NET. The match was not originally scheduled for any TV coverage, but BTN did not select the match for its wildcard pick, so NET was granted the rights to the match. It marks the 13th live regular-season appearance for the Huskers on TV this year.

Noting the Huskers
• Kadie Rolfzen leads the Huskers with 3.60 kills per set and ranks fifth in the Big Ten. The 2013 third-team AVCA All-American has 15 or more kills nine times this season. Rolfzen is also second on the team in digs with 2.64 per set.
• Kelsey Fien is third on the team in kills per set with 2.89. Over her last four matches, Fien is averaging 3.38 kills per set and hitting .340.
• Amber Rolfzen adds 2.18 kills per set with 1.86 digs per set and is second on the team in blocks with 58.
• Justine Wong-Orantes leads the Huskers in digs with 3.99 per set and ranks eighth in the Big Ten.
• Mary Pollmiller, the Huskers’ lone senior, has 775 set assists for 10.33 per set to rank fifth in the conference. She also adds a defensive presence at the net with 52 blocks to rank third on the team.
• The Huskers are fourth in the Big Ten in digs with 14.61 per set. The Huskers are 14-1 when outdigging their opponents and 0-4 when getting outdug.
• Nebraska ranks second in the Big Ten and 18th nationally with 2.79 blocks per set. Meghan Haggerty is third in the Big Ten with 1.26 blocks per set.
• The Huskers are 9-1 in matches played on Monday through Friday this season, while they are 5-6 in matches played on Saturday and Sunday.
• The Huskers are 230-0 when hitting .300 or better under John Cook.
• Nebraska is 375-16 when winning the first set under Cook.
• John Cook is 140-42 (.769) against ranked opponents at Nebraska. Just under one-third of Cook’s total victories at Nebraska (427) have come against ranked teams.
• Nebraska volleyball leads the nation with 212 consecutive sellouts, the longest sellout streak in the history of NCAA women’s athletics. NU owns a 194-18 record during the streak.

Scouting Purdue
Purdue (19-5, 9-3 Big Ten) has eight players, including four starters, back from its 2013 Elite Eight team, which finished 23-12 overall. The Boilermakers are third in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.270) and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.173). They are fifth in blocks (2.51 per set). Annie Drews is the Big Ten kills leader with 354 and an average of 4.07 per set. Sam Epenesa adds 2.39 kills per set. Val Nichol is fourth in assists at 10.64 per set, and Kierra Jones is fifth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.365).

Pollmiller Named B1G Co-Setter of the Week
Senior setter Mary Pollmiller was named Big Ten Co-Setter of the Week on Nov. 3. The award is the fifth career weekly Big Ten honor for Pollmiller and the first of this season for her or any Husker. Pollmiller led the Huskers to a pair of road sweeps at Rutgers and Maryland over the weekend. The Littleton, Colo., native averaged 11.67 assists per set and tallied seven kills, eight digs and two blocks. Pollmiller had 42 assists in the win against Rutgers, and she added 28 at Maryland with five kills on nine attacks for a .556 attacking percentage, helping the team hit .329 for the match. Pollmiller shared the honor with Wisconsin’s Lauren Carlini.

Miller Knows Just what Smith is Going Through

Posted on November 4, 2014November 4, 2014

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith has another game left on his nine-game suspension for violations of the NFL’s substance abuse and personal conduct policies, and Von Miller can’t wait to see his buddy back on the football field.

Miller knows exactly what Smith is going through.

Denver’s pass-rushing linebacker missed the first six games last year while serving a drug suspension and then collected just five sacks in nine games before blowing out his right knee last December and missing the Super Bowl.

Miller is back this year and hit the halfway point with nine sacks, on pace to challenge his club record of 18 1-2 he set in 2012. He was named the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Month in October.

Miller and Smith became friends in 2011 as part of the draft class that came into the league as the NFL and players were hashing out a new labor deal. He said Smith helped him through his suspension last year, so he’s returned the favor, texting, calling and encouraging his friend over the last two months.

“Yeah, he helped me through mine. And we were going through stuff at the same time, too. So, we were talking together about what I was going through, what he was going through: ‘We’re going to get through this.’ We were there for each other,” Miller said. “It was like I know how it is when you get suspended, it just feels like nobody (has your back). So, I just wanted to be the guy that would just keep reaching out to him, like, ‘I haven’t forgotten about you. And I’m not even on your team.’

“It’s bigger than that. He’s my friend. I care about him. I’m happy that he’s doing a whole lot better,” Miller added. “I’m excited for him to come back and have all that stuff out the way. It’s a different feeling when you have all that stuff out the way and can just focus on football.”

Miller said he’s tried to tell Smith about what to expect in returning to action at midseason.

“It’s like the start of the season, everything’s new, everything’s fresh. So, like coming back is easy, really. And like you get sore. I had that first Wednesday practice in pads and I was sore,” Miller said.

The danger, Miller said, is that you want to make up for all the games you missed.

“You want to come back and you want to have four sacks in the first game, another four sacks in the next game and catch up to everybody,” Miller said. “Like when I came back and I got my first sack, it was like, ‘OK I’ve got one. So, I’ve got 10 games left. If I can get three sacks this game, four sacks this game, I can catch up to everybody.’

“But that’s not my game. I just like to go out there and just play. But I feel like Aldon can come back and get 10-plus sacks, 12 sacks. Especially with the type of schedule they got and they’ll get Patrick Willis back. They’ll get Navarro Bowman back later in the year. They’ll be ready to roll.”

Miller said he had a clear conscience after serving his suspension and never even considers the possibility that if he slips up again he could face a year’s suspension.

“That’s part of maturity. You don’t even worry about getting in trouble any more,” Miller said.

He said he suspects Smith’s play will reflect the load that’s been taken off his shoulders, too.

“It’s a huge burden lifted. Just to be back on the field with the guys is the biggest part. Being back on the field is huge. It’s great. Just lifting weights and watching film and going home. You’re back with the guys,” Miller said. “So, I know how he feels. I know he’s working hard. I know he’s training, conditioning and all that. I wanted to change my body. I know he wanted to stay exactly where he is.”

Miller bulked up by 25 pounds heading into last season. The extra weight made him top heavy and might even have contributed to his torn right ACL in December. He’s back down to 245 and said in retrospect he wouldn’t have packed on the pounds during his banishment.

“I probably would have lost a little weight,” Miller said.

Students Disqualified for Helping Girl Finish Race

Posted on November 4, 2014

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (AP) — Two Minnesota high school runners have been disqualified in the state girls cross country meet for helping an opponent who fell.

Kailee Kiminski, a senior from Esko, and Tierney Winter, a junior in Janesville, forfeited the race last weekend to help Jackson County Central freshman Jessica Christoffer cross the finish line. All three were disqualified because of a high school league rule against aiding another runner.

Christoffer tells KSTP-TV she is “really thankful” for her peers. She says she got tired and fell, and it was nice of them to help her finish the race.

Winter says she couldn’t leave Christoffer 50 meters from the finish line. She says she wouldn’t want to be left there if she had fallen and she was just being “a friend of a runner.”

Collison Helps Kings Hold Off Nuggets 110-105

Posted on November 4, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Darren Collison scored 21 points, including three free throws in the final 16.2 seconds, and the Sacramento Kings held off the Denver Nuggets 110-105 on Monday night.

DeMarcus Cousins added 19 points and Reggie Evans grabbed 14 rebounds as the Kings started the season 3-1 for the first time since 2010-11. Sacramento showed no signs of fatigue after beating the Clippers the day before in Los Angeles.

Collison secured the win by hitting two free throws with 8.7 seconds remaining.

The Nuggets had seven players in double figures, led by Arron Afflalo and JaVale McGee with 16 points apiece. Wilson Chandler scored 12 of his 14 in the fourth quarter.

Kershaw Voted Top Player by Major Leaguers

Posted on November 3, 2014

Clayton Kershaw (Photo courtesy of ESPN.com)

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has been voted the player of the year in balloting by his fellow major leaguers.

The players’ union said Monday that Kershaw also won the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award.

Kershaw was 21-3 with a major league-best 1.77 ERA. He was voted the NL’s outstanding pitcher and became the first player to win three Players Choice awards in one season since voting began in 1992.

Voting was conducted Sept. 16. That was before Kershaw went 0-2 with a 7.82 ERA in a pair of postseason starts against St. Louis.

The Miller award is for a player who most inspires others through his efforts on and off the field. Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, funded construction of homes for homeless children in Lusaka, Zambia.

Rockies Extend Qualifying Offer to Michael Cuddyer

Posted on November 3, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies extended a $15.3 million qualifying offer to outfielder Michael Cuddyer on Monday.

The 2013 NL batting champion has until Nov. 10 to accept. Should Cuddyer decline and be signed by another major league team before June 8, the Rockies would receive a compensatory draft pick at the end of the first round of next year’s amateur draft.

Cuddyer is coming off a frustrating season in which he was limited to 49 games because of a strained left hamstring and fractured left shoulder. He hit .332 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs.

The 35-year-old Cuddyer was signed by the Rockies as a free agent on Dec. 20, 2011, after 11 seasons with Minnesota. He’s hit .307 with 46 homers in three seasons in Denver.

More than 200 Opt Out of NFL Concussion Settlement

Posted on November 3, 2014

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — More than 200 former players or their families have opted out of the proposed settlement of NFL concussion claims, a small fraction of the retirees who are covered by the deal.

That’s according to court documents filed Monday.

Retired players who opted out of the proposed class-action settlement may pursue individual lawsuits against the NFL, but they presumably will have to show their brain injuries resulted from concussions suffered while they were playing for the league.

The NFL has agreed to pay at least $765 million over 65 years, and more if needed, to address claims the league failed to properly treat on-field concussions.

More than 99 percent of those who would be covered by the deal have agreed to take part.

NPCC Knights Start Season 2-0

Posted on November 3, 2014

McCook – The North Platte Community College Knights (2-0) men’s basketball team started out the season with two neutral site victories. The Knights traveled to McCook to compete in the McCook Community College Classic to face Clarendon College and the Doane College JV. On Friday evening, the Knights defeated Clarendon College 102-59. On Saturday the Knights returned to action and defeated the Doane College JV 91-80.

In the first game of the season, the Knights were led by sophomore Cameron Williams who scored 22 points. Sophomore Marco Pascolo and freshman Tyree Peter each scored 15 points while Peter led the way with seven rebounds. Sophomore Xavier Hall led the way in assists and steals as he recorded six assists and four steals. Freshman Matt Thomas was the fourth Knight in double-figures as he scored 11.

Against the Doane College JV, Cameron Williams again paced the Knights as he scored 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting. Marco Pascolo led the way on the boards, recording nine and chipping in eight points. Freshman Shyquinn Dix had five assists while Xavier Hall again had four steals. The Knights had four other players in double-figure scoring led by Tyree Peter who scored 16, Matt Thomas with 15, Dix with 13 and Hall with 10. The Knights shot 53% from the field and 53% from the 3-point line.

The Knights play their first home game of the year on Thursday, November 6 at 6 p.m. as they host the Hastings College JV in McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.

Saturday’s NU-Indiana Match To Air on NET

Posted on November 3, 2014

The Nebraska-Indiana volleyball match this Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. will air on NET.

The match was not originally scheduled for TV, but the Big Ten Network reserved the right to select it. Instead, BTN will allow NET to broadcast Saturday’s match at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Huskers are at home twice this week, beginning with Purdue at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. That match will air on BTN.

Gray Earns Big Ten Honor

Posted on November 3, 2014

Senior midfielder Caroline Gray collected Big Ten Offensive Player-of-the-Week accolades when the conference announced its weekly award winners on Monday.

Gray, a Kansas City, Mo., native, scored the game winning goal for the Huskers in the 76th minute on Friday against Iowa. She took three shots in 90 minutes of action during the 2-1 triumph over the Hawkeyes.

For the season, Gray started all 19 games and scored three goals, while adding three assists. She took 36 shots, 16 of which were on goal. Two of her goals were game winners, with the first coming on Aug. 22 against SMU.

The Huskers finished the season with an 8-9-2 record, and went 4-7-2 in the Big Ten. With its tied for ninth place finish in the conference, NU fell short of qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament.