Sports – Page 402 – North Platte Post Archive

Huskers Focus in on Northwestern

Posted on October 14, 2014

Lincoln, Neb.- The Nebraska football team continued its preparations for its Saturday night Big Ten West Division showdown with the Northwestern Wildcatson Tuesday afternoon, as the Huskers completed a 90-minute practice inside of the Hawks Championship Center and outside on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields.

Offensive coordinator Tim Beck addressed the media following practice, mentioning that the Huskers have been working on the little things since the Huskers’ last game Oct. 4 at Michigan State.

“Just improving and working on little things like pad level, trying not over coach our guys too much. I thought we thought a little too much against Michigan State,” he said. “Trying to be perfect all the time, you have to play fast and hard. If you play trying not to make a mistake, you usually do.”

This was the first time Beck met with media members since after the McNeese State victory. Beck said that he decided to speak after the loss against the Spartans.

“I felt like after the loss, we needed to have somebody speak on behalf of the offense,” Beck said. “I know Coach Bo (Pelini) speaks for our team, but I didn’t want our players coming up here without having a guy that is in the ‘war-room’ so to speak.”

According to Beck, Northwestern has a very well-coached defense led by their head coach, Pat Fitzgerald, a former All-American linebacker at the school.

“They are another well-coached good defensive team, they are going to stop the run and load the box up,” Beck said. “Good red-zone defense, trying to keep you out of the end zone. It is one of the top scoring defenses.”

Beck added that the Huskers need to not give any possessions away to Northwestern if NU wants to win.

“First of all, we have to take care of the football, we have had 10 turnovers in three games against them, that’s big,” he said. “It has hurt us over the years, a lot of those have been in the red zone. we have to be better in that area and just more consistent in the game finishing drives.”

The Nebraska football team will continue its preparations for its Saturday night game Wednesday afternoon. The Huskers Big Ten West Division road showdown against Northwestern will be nationally televised on BTN at 6:30 pm (Central).

Royals’ Vargas, Orioles’ Gonzalez to Start Game 4

Posted on October 14, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals are sticking with left-hander Jason Vargas and the Orioles with right-hander Miguel Gonzalez for Game 4 of their AL Championship Series on Wednesday.

Rain on Monday night pushed each game in Kansas City back one day, creating a dilemma for Royals manager Ned Yost and Baltimore counterpart Buck Showalter.

Game 1 starters James Shields of the Royals and Chris Tillman of the Orioles would be on regular rest if they pitched on Wednesday.

Instead, the two managers decided to stick with their original Game 4 plans.

Vargas will be pitching for the first time since the Royals beat the Angels in the AL Division Series on Oct. 2, while Gonzalez will start for Baltimore for the first time since Sept. 28, his final outing of the regular season.

Forest-Thinning Projects to Begin at Chadron SP, Keller Park SRA

Posted on October 14, 2014

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will soon begin forest-thinning projects at Chadron State Park and Keller Park State Recreation Area. The projects are set to begin sometime in October, depending upon weather conditions, and may continue through the end of 2014.

The Chadron project is designed to remove dead and dying ponderosa pine trees that were killed by wildfire in 2012. Thinning will take place on 106 acres near park cabins along the scenic loop road. The cut trees will be chipped by a contractor or burned at a later date.

The Keller project will remove excess red cedar – potential fuel for wildfire – in the understory of native bur oak and ponderosa pine woodlands. The project, on 10.9 acres south of the park entrance road, also will improve aesthetics and access for park visitors. Approximately 75 percent of the thinned material will be chipped during the project and the remainder will be burned later.

The Nebraska Forest Service has endorsed both projects as fire-wise forest wildfire prevention projects and will pay approximately 50 percent of the costs with funds from the United States Forest Service.

Contact Mike Groenewold at 402-471-5498 or mike.groenewold@nebraska.govfor more information.

Trevathan Placed on IR, Out until Dec. 14

Posted on October 14, 2014

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan’s broken leg will keep him out longer than expected.

The Broncos placed Trevathan on recallable injured reserve Tuesday.

That means the team’s top tackler from last year can’t practice until Nov. 26 and isn’t eligible to play in a game until Denver visits San Diego on Dec. 14.

Trevathan reinjured his left leg Sunday in his second game back from a broken bone under his kneecap. On Monday, coach John Fox said this latest injury was to the top and side of his knee.

Trevathan’s teammates were told Monday he’d be out six weeks, about the same timeline for his first injury. Now, it’ll be eight weeks.

NFL, Union Discuss Personal Conduct Policy

Posted on October 14, 2014

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and players’ union chief DeMaurice Smith have agreed to continue discussing changes to the league’s personal conduct policy following a four-hour session in New York on Tuesday.

In an email to player representatives afterward, Smith says he made it clear to the league that the union wants due process.

“While the league currently has great concern for its brand, fairness and justice for our members is more important,” Smith said.

“For us, the starting point for these discussions must be the desire to agree upon a fair personal conduct policy and domestic violence rules from a standpoint of prevention and education. We will not accept a world where all players are viewed as perpetrators first and husbands, fathers, sons and brothers second.”

Commissioners to Consider Fishing Regulations

Posted on October 14, 2014

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Board of Commissioners will consider changes to 2015 fishing regulations when they meet Oct. 23 in Scottsbluff.

The meeting is at 8 a.m. at the Hampton Inn and Suites, 301 W. U.S. Highway 26.

Game and Parks staff will present the commissioners fishing recommendations that include sport fishing, bait collecting and dealers, and aquatic invasive species regulations. Public hearings will be held at 8:45 a.m., 9 a.m. and 9:15 a.m., respectively.

Other public hearings will be held at 8:15 a.m. to consider amendments to bighorn sheep regulations and 8:30 a.m. to consider amendments to area-specific wildlife regulations.

The commissioners also will consider recommendations to acquire a tract of land in Banner County and another in Knox County and designate them as wildlife management areas. Updates will be presented on mountain lions, elk hunting season and the Niobrara River Instream Flow Analysis.

Visit OutdoorNebraska.org to view a full agenda.

Critics: NFL Concussion Deal Leaves too Many Out

Posted on October 14, 2014

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — More concerns are being raised about the proposed settlement of thousands of NFL concussion lawsuits.

Yet only a fraction of the nearly 20,000 ex-players are expected to opt out of the class-action settlement by Tuesday’s deadline. They would be left to sue the NFL individually over claims the league hid known concussion risks for many years.

Critics can instead raise objections at a Nov. 19 court hearing in Philadelphia.

The settlement would pay millions to young ex-players battling neurological disease, and an average $190,000 to older men with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

But ex-players exhibiting rage, depression or mood disorders would get nothing. Some brain researchers link those problems to multiple concussions.

The advocacy group Public Citizen weighed in Tuesday. Their lawyers say the deal leaves too many former players on the sidelines.

NBA to Test 44-Minute Game, 4 Shorter than Normal

Posted on October 14, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics will play a 44-minute preseason game on Sunday as the NBA experiments with a shorter game.

The contest will be four minutes shorter than the NBA’s standard 48-minute game. The league says Monday that the teams will play four 11-minute quarters, one minute shorter than normal.

There also will be only two mandatory timeouts per quarter. There are three mandatory timeouts in the second and fourth quarters of the 48-minute game.

North Platte High School Named October School Spirit Award Winner

Posted on October 14, 2014

LINCOLN – The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) is proud to announce North Platte High School as the Pump & Pantry School Spirit Award recipient for the month of October.

The School Spirit Award Program features NSAA member schools sharing photos of their students and fans emphasizing positive support and excitement at NSAA events via social media. Winning photos are selected monthly and may be featured throughout the year on the NSAA website, additional publications and at NSAA State Championships. As the October honoree, North Platte High School will also receive a $250 gas card provided by Pump & Pantry to support team and fan travel.

North Platte High School has lead the charge with submitting photos from seven separate school competitions. Activities Director Marc Mroczek said, “Our students have instituted a Sportsmanship Council that focuses on good sportsmanship, cheering for our teams and looking to support North Platte activities across the board. The students come up with themes and unique ways to show their school spirit.”

The School Spirit Award program has kicked off with a bang with almost fifty NSAA member schools participating to date. Follow @nsaahome #schoolspirit, to see the excitement and spirit across Nebraska.

Huskers Host Northwestern on “Pink Night”

Posted on October 14, 2014

The No. 13 Nebraska volleyball team returns to the Bob Devaney Sports Center this week for a pair of Big Ten matches, beginning with a Wednesday match against Northwestern at 7 p.m. Wednesday’s match will be the Huskers’ annual breast cancer awareness “Pink Night.”

Media Information
Wednesday’s match will air live on NET and will stream online with a BTN Plus subscription. Fans can 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
The Huskers own a 7-1 lead in the all-time series with Northwestern. Nebraska has won three straight matches against the Wildcats after dropping the first meeting between the schools as Big Ten foes on Nov. 26, 2011, 3-1 in Evanston, Ill. Nebraska has never lost to Northwestern at home. As a head coach, John Cook is 18-1 all-time against Northwestern and is 4-1 as the Nebraska head coach. The Huskers won both matches last season, 3-1 in Evanston (25-16, 20-25, 25-21, 25-20) on Sept. 27 and 3-2 (21-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-17, 15-13) in Lincoln on Nov. 2.

Last Time Out
The Husker volleyball team fell 3-0 at Michigan on Sunday, 19-25, 30-32, 21-25. The Huskers dropped to 10-5 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten, while Michigan improved to 8-8 with a 3-3 Big Ten record. Alicia Ostrander had a team-high 12 kills. Mary Pollmiller had 35 assists, and Annika Albrecht had a team-best 12 digs. Michigan’s Abby Cole had 19 kills, and Adeja Lambert had 13 and Caroline Knop 12. Lexi Dannemiller had 46 set assists, and Tiffany Morales had 17 digs. Michigan outhit the Huskers .331 to 222 and outdug them 57-46. Nebraska had an 8-3 edge in blocks.

The Michigan loss came after a hard-fought victory at Michigan State on Friday in East Lansing, the first Husker victory at MSU since 2011. The Huskers tallied the 3-1 (25-20, 25-18, 22-25, 25-23) win over the Spartans, the 1,200th win in school history, which ranks second all-time in the NCAA. Kadie Rolfzen had her fourth double-double of the season with 16 kills and 12 digs. Alicia Ostrander added 12 kills, and Amber Rolfzen had 10 kills. Meghan Haggerty had five kills and four blocks, and Kira Larson had a career-high four kills and three blocks in her first career start. Mary Pollmiller had 43 assists, her most since Sept. 6 against Bakersfield, and Justine Wong-Orantes led four Huskers in double-digit digs with 19. Nebraska hit .190 for the match but held Michigan State to a .152 clip. The Huskers outblocked the Spartans 8-6 and outdug them 66-61. The Huskers had eight service aces, their second-best output this season.

Up Next
Nebraska hosts No. 15 Illinois on Saturday at 3 p.m. That match will stream live on ESPN3 and will be delayed on ESPN2 on Sunday, Oct. 19 at Noon (CT).

Noting the Huskers
• Kadie Rolfzen leads the Huskers with 3.56 kills per set and ranks fifth in the Big Ten. In conference play, she is producing 3.71 kills per set. The 2013 third-team AVCA All-American has four of Nebraska’s six double-doubles this year and has led Nebraska in kills in eight of the past 13 matches.
• Alicia Ostrander is second on the team with 2.86 kills per set and is averaging 2.95 kills per set in Big Ten play. Ostrander has double-digit kills in six of the last seven matches dating back to the Texas match on Sept. 20.
• Nebraska ranks second in the Big Ten with 2.80 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 1.25 blocks per set.
• Amber Rolfzen is second on the team with 112 total kills per set and is averaging 2.38 kills per set in Big Ten play with a .304 hitting percentage.
• Justine Wong-Orantes leads the Big Red in digs with 3.93 per set and ranks eighth 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 550 set assists for 10.19 per set. She also adds a defensive presence at the net with 39 blocks to rank second on the team.
• The Huskers are 229-0 when hitting .300 or better under John Cook.
• Nebraska is 372-16 when winning the first set under Cook.
• John Cook is 139-40 (.777) against ranked opponents at Nebraska. Just over one-third of Cook’s total victories at Nebraska (423) have come against ranked teams.
• Nebraska volleyball leads the nation with 210 consecutive sellouts, the longest sellout streak in the history of NCAA women’s athletics. NU owns a 193-17 record during the streak.

Scouting the Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern is 13-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats started the year 12-1 but have lost three of their last four, including to Penn State (3-0) and Ohio State (3-1) on the road last week. The Wildcats were ranked 24th in last week’s AVCA Top 25 Poll before dropping out this week after their two losses. Northwestern is in the midst of a four-match road swing, as they also visit Iowa on Saturday. Symone Abbott leads the team with 3.48 kills per set. Taylor Tashima has 10.73 assists per set to rank fifth in the Big Ten, while Caroline Niedospial is averaging 5.19 digs per set in conference play to lead the Big Ten. In conference matches only, Maddie Slater has the league’s best hitting percentage at .456 with 32 kills on 57 swings.

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 4,569 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.