LINCOLN – A tree stand is a basic tool of many deer hunters. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission urges hunters to use the stands safely in order to have a memorable and successful hunt.
Most tree stand accidents are caused by carelessness and can be avoided by following these tips:
— Wear a full-body harness and attach yourself to the tree from the time you are on the ground before climbing into the stand, until you are back on the ground after climbing down.
— Use equipment that is in good condition. Follow the instructions provided with your tree stand. Check your equipment regularly.
— Avoid hunting from heights above 15 feet.
— Maintain a short tether between yourself and the tree. Allow only enough slack for you to turn and shoot. The tether should be tight when seated in your stand.
— Use a haul line to raise and lower your equipment. Wait until you are in the stand and safely secured before loading a firearm or drawing an arrow from the quiver.
— Never use a homemade tree stand.
Category: Sports
Huskers Welcome Illinois for Top-15 Battle
The No. 13 Nebraska volleyball team hosts No. 15 Illinois on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Both teams enter the match with 5-2 conference records and are tied for third place in the Big Ten standings. The Huskers will be playing their 11th home match of the season, and seven of those have been against teams ranked or receiving votes. Saturday’s match is the American Red Cross’s “Pass the Bucket” match. An autograph session with Husker players will take place after the match on the northwest concourse at Devaney.
Media Information
Saturday’s match will be streamed live on the Internet at ESPN3.com. It will air tape-delayed on TV on Sunday at Noon on ESPN2. Fans can also listen to the action with John Baylor and Lindsay Peterson 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
The Huskers are 19-5-1 all-time against Illinois and have won eight in a row in the series dating back to 1993. Illinois last defeated the Huskers on Dec. 10, 1992, 3-0 in Champaign. Nebraska has swept three matches in a row, including two last season. NU beat Illinois 25-20, 25-14, 25-22 on Sept. 28 in Champaign. Kadie Rolfzen had 14 kills, and Cecilia Hall had four kills and eight blocks. The Huskers then defeated the Illini 25-21, 26-24, 25-12 in Lincoln on Oct. 30. Kadie Rolfzen had 13 kills and 11 digs. Hall had another big match with five kills and a career-high 11 blocks.
Last Time Out
The No. 13 Nebraska volleyball team made quick work of Northwestern on “Pink Night,” sweeping the Wildcats 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-13) on Wednesday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers improved to 11-5 overall and 5-2 in Big Ten action, while Northwestern dropped to 13-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten. The Huskers outhit Northwestern .290 to .000, the lowest a Husker opponent has hit this season. Alicia Ostrander led a balanced Husker attack with 12 kills, her third straight match with double-digit kills and seventh in eight matches. Ostrander hit a career-best .440 on the night. Kadie Rolfzen had nine kills and 13 digs while hitting .500. Meghan Haggerty had five kills and six blocks, while Cecilia Hall had five kills and four blocks. Mary Pollmiller had 28 assists.
Scouting the Illinois Fighting Illini
No. 15 Illinois is 13-5 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten after scratching out a 3-2 win at Iowa on Wednesday night, 27-29, 25-12, 25-23, 19-25, 15-11. The Fighting Illini have won nine of their last 11 matches, including a 3-1 upset at Penn State last weekend. Jocelynn Birks averages 4.08 kills per set on the season to rank third in the Big Ten, but she leads the league in conference matches only with 4.52 kills per set. Liz McMahon adds 3.27 kills per set this season. Brandi Donnelly is sixth in the conference in digs (4.32 per set), and Katie Stadick is third in blocks overall (1.37 per set) and first in blocks in conference play (1.58 per set). The Illini are second in the conference in assists (13.38 per set) and third in blocks (2.65 per set).
Up Next
Nebraska is on the road next week for a pair of matches against ranked opponents. The Huskers visit No. 23 Minnesota on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 6:30 p.m., then travel to No. 5 Wisconsin for a 4 p.m. match on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Noting the Huskers
• Nebraska held Northwestern to a .000 hitting percentage on Wednesday. It marks the lowest a Husker opponent has hit since the Huskers held Fairfield to a .000 hitting percentage on Dec. 6, 2013 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Nebraska ranks second in the Big Ten with 2.84 blocks per set. The Huskers had a season-high 18 against Ohio State on Oct. 4, matching the most since Sept. 11, 2010 when NU had 19 blocks against Illinois. Meghan Haggerty is fifth in the Big Ten with 1.29 blocks per set. The Huskers have outblocked or matched their opponent in blocks in eight straight matches.
• Kadie Rolfzen leads the Huskers with 3.53 kills per set and ranks fifth in the Big Ten. The 2013 third-team AVCA All-American has four of Nebraska’s six double-doubles this year and has 15 or more kills seven times this season.
• Alicia Ostrander is second on the team with 2.95 kills per set and is averaging 3.09 kills per set in Big Ten play. Ostrander has double-digit kills in seven of the last eight matches dating back to the Texas match on Sept. 20. She has 12 kills in each of the last three matches and has increased her hitting percentage each time, culminating with a career-best .440 performance on Wednesday against Northwestern.
• Amber Rolfzen is second on the team with 116 total kills, averaging 2.11 kills per set.
• Justine Wong-Orantes leads the Big Red in digs with 3.81 per set and ranks ninth in the conference. She had a career-high 29 digs against No. 2 Texas on Sept. 20, the most by a Husker since Kayla Banwarth’s 32 against Baylor on Nov. 18, 2009.
• Mary Pollmiller, the Huskers’ lone senior, has 578 set assists for 10.14 per set. She also adds a defensive presence at the net with 41 blocks to rank second on the team.
• The Huskers are 229-0 when hitting .300 or better under John Cook.
• Nebraska is 373-16 when winning the first set under Cook.
• John Cook is 139-40 (.777) against ranked opponents at Nebraska. Just under one-third of Cook’s total victories at Nebraska (424) have come against ranked teams.
• Nebraska volleyball leads the nation with 211 consecutive sellouts, the longest sellout streak in the history of NCAA women’s athletics. NU owns a 194-17 record during the streak.
Three Former Huskers Capture Gold With Team USA
Team USA – with former Huskers Kayla Banwarth, Jordan Larson-Burbach and Kelsey Robinson – beat China 3-1 (27-25, 25-20, 16-25, 26-24) on Oct. 12 to win the FIVB World Championship in Italy. The U.S. Women had never before won gold at any of the three major international volleyball events: World Championship, World Cup or Olympic Games. Larson-Burbach was one of the team’s top hitters throughout the tournament, while Banwarth captured the starting libero role and never relinquished it. Robinson, one of the team’s youngest players, was a key contributor in the early rounds of the tournament.
Huskers Extend Record Poll Streak to 470 Weeks
Nebraska has appeared in every one of the AVCA’s 470 all-time weekly polls. NU and Stanford are the only two programs to appear in every AVCA poll, dating back to its inception in 1982. Nebraska has spent a nation-leading 422 weeks in the top 10.
Huskers’ Lone Senior Among the Nation’s Best
Tri-captain Mary Pollmiller is Nebraska’s lone senior in 2014. The Huskers may only have one senior, but Pollmiller is one of the nation’s top setters. She is in her second season at Nebraska after spending her first two years at Tennessee in 2011 and 2012. Pollmiller was the 2011 SEC Freshman of the Year, and she has earned honorable-mention AVCA All-America accolades twice in her career, including last season (also in 2011). Pollmiller owns 4,597 career assists, a total that ranks fourth nationally. Three of the nation’s top-four active players in career assists are Big Ten Conference setters.
MacArthur gets Winner as Senators Beat Avalanche
OTTAWA (AP) — Clarke MacArthur had the go-ahead score during Ottawa’s three-goal third period to give the Senators a 5-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.
Bobby Ryan, Zack Smith and David Legwand also scored to help the Senators win their home opener. Craig Anderson stopped 31 shots and Chris Neil had an empty-net goal with 1:22 to go.
Alex Tanguay, John Mitchell and Gabriel Landeskog scored for the Avalanche. Calvin Pickard stopped 23 shots in his NHL debut after replacing Reto Berra at 2:46 of the first period.
Berra left the game after he was knocked over by Ottawa’s Kyle Turris, who was pushed by Mitchell. Pickard was called up earlier in the day from Lake Erie of the AHL after the Avalanche placed Semyon Varlamov on injured reserve.
NBA Approves Modifications for Instant Replay
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved several modifications to the league’s instant replay system.
The most notable change announced Thursday night allows officials to use replay only in the last two minutes of overtime. Last year, instant replay was available for use in the entire overtime period.
Referees can also now review plays to determine if a clear-path foul is warranted even if they did not initially call a clear-path foul. Previously a clear-path foul had to be called for the play to be eligible for review.
Referees also will be able to use replay to determine if a foul merits being upgraded to a flagrant foul. Last season, they could only use replay if a flagrant foul was called on the floor.
NPCC Lady Knights Split Road Swing
Columbus – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights (18-15) took to the road on Tuesday and Wednesday for a road swing against a pair of fellow Nebraska Community College foes. The first opponent for the Lady Knights was the Northeast Community College Lady Hawks (14-13) in Norfolk. North Platte went into the Lady Hawk’s gym and defeated them in four sets 25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 25-16. In the second game of the road swing, North Platte faced the newly ranked No. 2 team in the nation, the Central Community College Lady Raiders (27-5) in Columbus. Central knocked off the Lady Knights in straight sets for the second time this season 19-25, 23-25, 20-25.
Against Northeast, the Lady Knights were led Samantha Kennedy who finished with 17 kills and three blocks. Samantha Byrn and Valerie Most were also both in double-figures with 14 and 10 kills respectively. Joli Hopping recorded all but two of the assists for North Platte, finishing with 48. Erica Goodwin led the way in digs with 33 while Kennedy (19), Kylie Wroot (15), Aryn Mesinger (14) and Hopping (12) also recorded double-figures.
In the second game against Central, Samantha Kennedy again led the way with 13 kills. Samantha Byrn finished with eight. Kennedy and Samantha Morgan led the way at the net each finishing with two blocks. Joli Hopping recorded 27 assists for North Platte.
The Lady Knights have two games remaining before they return to Columbus for the Region IX Division II tournament at the end of October. North Platte first travels to rival and fellow member of the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference McCook Community College Lady Indians (9-22) on Tuesday, October 21 at 7 p.m. The Lady Knights then return home on Thursday, October 23 for a match against Eastern Wyoming College at 7 p.m. for the home and season finale, along with Sophomore Night.
Huskers Ready to Roll After Bye Week
Lincoln, Neb. – The Nebraska football team went through a 45-minute walkthrough inside the Hawks Championship Center on Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s game against Northwestern. Head Coach Bo Pelini spoke to the media after practice.
“We just finished up,” Pelini said. “I think we had a good week. The kids are anxious to play. I know I am.”
Pelini added that sophomore tight end Cethan Carter is out for a couple weeks, but linebacker David Santos “is good to go.” Pelini also said that wide receiver Brandon Reilly is “ready to go” and talked about the other receivers as well.
“Taariq (Allen) gets a lot of reps and has been around a little bit,” Pelini said. “Alonzo (Moore) is still coming. He’s getting better. It comes with time and it comes with reps, and getting out there and getting a chance to do it for real. There’s only so many reps to go around. They’ve gotten more opportunities and I think they are getting better.”
The last three meetings between Northwestern and Nebraska have been decided by seven total points, including last season’s Hail Mary win at Memorial Stadium. Pelini said that history suggests this one will be close.
“I’m always hoping for the best,” Pelini said. “(I’m hoping) that it’s not so close, but I told our guys. We have a lot of respect for this team. We better be ready for a dogfight.”
Pelini added that he’s “not a big fan” of bye weeks, but thought this season’s came at a good time after a 5-1 start.
“Health-wise it came at a good time for us,” Pelini said. “It really did.”
The Huskers and Northwestern square off on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Avalanche Place Varlamov on Injured Reserve
DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche have placed goaltender Semyon Varlamov on injured reserve with a groin ailment.
The move is retroactive to Tuesday, when the Russian goalie possibly tweaked his groin in a 3-2 overtime loss in Toronto.
Varlamov is 0-2-1 with a 3.80 goals-against average so far this season.
He shined last season with Patrick Roy behind the bench, leading the NHL with 41 wins. That mark also broke Roy’s franchise record for most victories in a single season.
Reto Berra will fill in until Varlamov returns to the net. The Avalanche play Thursday night at Ottawa and then finish up a four-game road swing Saturday in Montreal.
Big Ten’s Delany Praises Retiring SEC Counterpart
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany doesn’t always agree with Mike Slive. He certainly respects him.
Slive announced this week he is retiring next summer after 13 years as SEC commissioner and plans to begin treatment for a recurrence of prostate cancer.
“Mike had a great run,” Delany said Thursday. “They dominated college football for a period of time in a way that no one else has done in the modern era. Two, I think he’s had a really good effect and impact not only on the SEC but the college community generally.”
Under Slive’s leadership, the SEC won seven consecutive BCS titles in football and 67 national championships in 15 of its 21 sponsored sports. He also helped the conference land huge television deals with CBS and ESPN and launch its own network, something the Big Ten did under Delany.
Slive and Delany also helped push for massive NCAA reforms that led to the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Atlantic Coast Conference being able to pass legislation without the approval of other conferences.
“(The SEC and Big Ten) are two important conferences, and when they agree on things, you’re able to actually move the agenda forward,” Delany said. “A lot of the things that we’ve been able to do in the restructuring of the NCAA, the college football playoffs, are things we found common ground on which to move forward.”
Huskers Ranked 21st in Preseason Coaches Poll
The Nebraska men’s basketball team broke into the USA Today preseason coaches’ poll released Thursday, as the Huskers were ranked 21st with a total of 153 points.
Nebraska, which is coming off a 19-13 season capped by an NCAA Tournament appearance, returns all five starters, including All-Big Ten selections Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields, heading into its season opener against Northern Kentucky on Nov. 16.
The Huskers are ranked in the preseason poll for only the second time since USA Today took over the poll in 1991, and the first since being ranked 22nd at the start of the 1992-93 season. It also marks the first time the Huskers have been ranked in the coaches’ poll since December of 1994.
The Big Ten is well represented with six schools featured in the preseason rankings by 32 Division I head coaches. The group is headed by Wisconsin, which was chosen as the Big Ten preseason favorite by the media on Thursday, as the Badgers are ranked fourth. Other ranked teams include Michigan State (18th), Ohio State (20th), Michigan (23rd) and Iowa (25th), while Minnesota and Illinois are also receiving votes.
Fans can get their first opportunity to see the Huskers on Wednesday, Oct. 29, as the Huskers host the Big Red Tip-Off at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The event is open to the public and begins at 6:30 p.m.
Vision of Royals GM Dayton Moore Comes to Fruition
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore grew up as a Royals fan and was a teenager when he watched Game 7 of the 1985 World Series from a hillside outside the ballpark.
He’s now built a team going to the World Series.
With the same patience in his young players that Kansas City management has shown in Moore during an eight-year rebuilding process, the Royals are back on baseball’s grandest stage.
Now, he may find himself with other suitors, too. Moore began his career with the Braves, and the GM job there is still open. But Royals owner David Glass says he will do everything in his power to keep the architect of his team in Kansas City.