Sports – Page 655 – North Platte Post Archive

Huskers Topple Hoosiers in 3-0 Sweep

Posted on November 23, 2013

Bloomington, Ind.- The No. 6 Nebraska volleyball team (22-5, 15-3) made quick work of the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday night, sweeping IU 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-11).

Kelsey Robinson led Nebraska offensively with 15 kills on 29 swings for a hitting clip of .448. Kadie Rolfzen notched seven kills, while Amber Rolfzen and Melanie Keil both had five kills. Mary Pollmiller handed out 31 assists on the night, Meghan Haggerty posted seven blocks and Justine Wong-Orantes posted a match-high 12 digs.

Nebraska hit a season-high .418 for the match, while Indiana was held to a .111 hitting clip. The Huskers only recorded six hitting errors in the match, with zero coming in the final set. Nebraska out-dug the Hoosiers 37-32 and out-blocked IU 15-4.

The Huskers and Hoosiers came out fighting point-for-point in the first set as the two teams tied at 12-12 and forced Nebraska to use a timeout. A double-block from Robinson and Keil distanced the Huskers at 15-12, while a kill from Robinson and an error by IU put NU up 22-20. Indiana pushed Nebraska to three set points, but the Huskers closed out the Hoosiers in the first set, winning 25-22.

Robinson notched five kills in the first set, while Kadie Rolfzen had four. Pollmiller handed out 11 assists as the Huskers hit .414 as a team. Indiana hit .176 and NU out-blocked the Hoosiers 5-2.

The scrappy play continued in the second set as the Hoosiers went up 10-6 and Nebraska called a timeout. Indiana stretched its lead to 16-11, but the Huskers clawed back at 18-17, IU, as a result of an Indiana error. A double-block from Keil and Morgan Broekhuis gave the Huskers their first lead of the set at 20-19, as NU completed the second-set comeback with a 25-21 win.

Robinson notched five kills in the second set, while Keil had two kills of her own. Nebraska hit .233 for the set, as Indiana hit .136. Both teams had 16 digs, while NU out-blocked IU 5-2.

Nebraska jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the third set as Robinson and Amber Rolfzen both recorded kills. A kill from Kadie Rolfzen, followed by an ace from Robinson put NU up 14-7. A 3-0 run gave Nebraska an 18-9 advantage and NU did not look back as the Huskers won the third set 25-11.

Robinson posted five kills in the final set. Nebraska hit .700 and didn’t have a hitting error in the set. Indiana hit .000.

Nebraska hits the road again this week as the Huskers will travel to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday, Nov. 27.

Michigan State and Ohio State to Meet in Big Ten Football Championship Game

Posted on November 23, 2013

Rosemont, Ill. – With victories on Saturday, Michigan State and Ohio State secured berths in the third annual Big Ten Football Championship Game to be played on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Spartans will make their second title game appearance in three years while the Buckeyes will play in the championship game for the first time. The winner of the 2013 Big Ten Football Championship Game will earn the Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy and a chance to play in one of two historic games in Pasadena, Calif. – the 100th Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1 or the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game on Jan. 6.

Michigan State collected a road victory at Northwestern today to earn the outright Legends Division title, the program’s second outright division crown in three seasons after finishing first in 2011. The Spartans improved to 7-0 in the Big Ten and 10-1 overall and host Minnesota in their regular season finale on Nov. 30.

Ohio State defeated Indiana today to secure at least a share of a second straight Leaders Division title. The Buckeyes set a school record with their 23^rd straight victory, the fifth-longest winning streak in Big Ten history, and improved to 7-0 in conference and 11-0 overall. Wisconsin earned a road win at Minnesota today to improve to 6-1 in the Big Ten and 9-2 overall and still maintains hopes for a share of the division title. But Ohio State clinched a berth in the championship game based on its victory over the Badgers on Sept. 28. Both teams wrap up the regular season on Nov. 30, with Ohio State at Michigan and Wisconsin hosting Penn State.

The Spartans and Buckeyes will meet for the first time since the 2012 Big Ten opener, when Ohio State edged Michigan State, 17-16, in East Lansing, Mich. In a back-and-forth game, Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller connected on a 63-yard scoring strike to Devin Smith to take a 17-13 lead in the third quarter. The Spartans added a fourth-quarter field goal, but Ohio State held on for the one-point victory in Urban Meyer’s first Big Ten game as a head coach.

Ticket blocks for the 2013 Big Ten Football Championship Game are being held for Michigan State and Ohio State and will be sold through university ticket offices. Tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster atwww.ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000. Every Big Ten Football Championship Game ticket will allow complimentary admission to the Big Ten Fan Fest presented by Dr Pepper, to be held at the Indiana Convention Center on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7. For more information on Big Ten Football Championship Game tickets, go to www.bigten.org.

Huskers Battle Bulldogs Sunday Afternoon

Posted on November 23, 2013

It is a Big Ten versus SEC battle on Sunday afternoon, as Nebraska takes on Georgia at the Charleston Classic Presented by Gildan. The Huskers will take on the Bulldogs at 1:30 p.m. (central) in the seventh-place game.

The game will be online on ESPN3.com and on the WatchESPN app with Bob Picozzi and Tim Welsh on the call. There is no television for Sunday’s game against Georgia.

The matchup with the Bulldogs will be carried on the radio across Nebraska on the 27-station Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Matt Davison calling all of the action. The game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and is available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices.

Nebraska (3-2) looks to snap a two-game losing streak, as the Huskers fell to UMass (96-90) and UAB (87-74) during the first two days of tournament action. The Huskers have averaged 82 points per game in Charleston, but have struggled on the defensive end, allowing both UMass and UAB to shoot over 50 percent from the field.

In Friday’s loss, Nebraska was unable to stop UAB point guard Chad Frazier, who finished with 32 point and seven assists, as the Blazers made 19-of-23 second-half shots to overcome a six-point second-half deficit.

Sophomore Terran Petteway continued his solid play in Friday’s loss, as he totaled a team-high 21 points and five rebounds. Pettway, who had a career-high 30 points in Nebraska’s loss to UMass on Thursday, is averaging 25.5 points per game in Nebraska’s two games Charleston and is among the Big Ten scoring leaders at 17 points per game.

While Petteway has paced the Husker attack, Nebraska’s bench has been vital during tournament play. The Huskers are getting 29 points per game off the bench this week, including 10.0 points per game from junior

college transfer Deverell Biggs.

Georgia (1-3) suffered a tough loss of its own on Friday night, falling to Temple, 83-81, as Temple guard Will Cummings hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left. The Bulldogs had fought back from 13 points down to take an 81-80 lead from a basket from Charles Mann. The 6-5 sophomore guard leads Georgia in scoring at 17.0 points per game and is shooting 54 percent from the field and 86 percent from the foul line.

After this weekend, the Huskers will not leave the state until after Christmas, as Nebraska will play its next five games inside the state with only the Dec. 8 contest with nationally ranked Creighton away from Pinnacle Bank Arena.

No. 25 NPCC Knights Start Region IX Play 2-0

Posted on November 23, 2013

North Platte – The No. 25 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team (9-0, 2-0 South Sub-Region) knocked off the Trinidad State Junior College Trojans (5-5, 0-2 South Sub-Region) Saturday afternoon in McDonald-Belton Gymnasium behind 27 points and 10 rebounds from freshman Marco Pascolo.

“It was good to make some shots,” said Pascolo. “My teammates did a good job screening for me and getting me open.”

The Knights picked up where they left off last night as they raced out to an early lead that would balloon to 25 points at halftime at a score of 54-29 behind 16 points from Pascolo and 15 from Ethan Montalvo as the Knights shot 52 percent from the field.

In the second half 31 fouls were called as the Knights shot 22 free throws and the Trojans shot 27. The Knights were able to secure the final margin by only turning the ball over 12 times and out-rebounding the Trojans 41-28. The Knights shot 55 percent from the field for the game.

Pascolo led the Knights in points and rebounds while Montalvo also chipped in 26 points. Cameron Williams scored in double figures for the second straight game as he finished with 20 points. Tim Simmons finished with 13 points and Aireon Porter scored 11 and had nine rebounds.

“A good way to start Region IX play with two wins,” said head coach Kevin O’Connor. “It was good to see some guys step up and make some plays for us.”

The Knights are now off until after the Thanksgiving break when they travel to face Hastings College JV on Tuesday Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The Knights host Region IX opponents Lamar Community College on Dec. 7 and Northeastern Junior College on Dec. 11 before Christmas break.

Morris Shuts Out Storm In Hulton Debut

Posted on November 23, 2013

BENSENVILLE, Ill. – Chicago Steel (6-12-0) goaltender Cale Morris held the Tri-City Storm (4-10-2) at bay on Friday night at The Edge, shutting them out in a 2-0 win for the Steel.

Storm goaltender Jacob Johansson also put on a show at the other end of the ice in the loss, making 35 saves on 36 shots.

The shutout spoiled the debut of new Storm head coach Jim Hulton, who was introduced on Tuesday.

A defensive battle that didn’t see either team score in the first 40 minutes, the Storm only managed 21 shots on Morris, who posted his first USHL shutout.

The Steel finally broke through at 3:10 of the third, when forward Artem Artemov took a pass from linemate CJ Smith and beat Johansson with a shot over the left shoulder.

Smith added an empty net goal in the final minute for Chicago to seal the win with 25 seconds to play.

Earlier in the contest, Johansson stopped Chicago forward John Ernsting on a penalty shot at 7:11 of the second period.

Tri-City will head on to Ann Arbor, Mich. for two battles with the USA 17-and-under squad on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. CST and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CST.

The Storm will return home on Nov. 29-30 for a weekend series with the Omaha Lancers at the Viaero Event Center.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Joey DiBenedetto, Nick Hutchison, Steven Haydon and defensemen Sean Lang.…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

(no scoring)

2nd Period

(no scoring)

3rd Period

Chicago – Artem Artemov (CJ Smith) 3:10
Chicago – CJ Smith (empty net) (Robbie Payne, Robby Jackson) 19:35

PENALTIES

1st Period
Tri-City – Drew Mayer – (Holding), 2 min, 6:34

2nd Period

Tri-City – Drew Mayer – (Hooking), 2 min, 3:22
Chicago – Nathan Kwiecinski – (Interference), 2 min, 6:41
Chicago – Victor Bjorkung – (Hooking), 2 min, 9:35
Tri-City – Kevin Kerr – (Holding), 2 min, 9:50
Tri-City – Cutler Martin – (Slashing), 2 min, 13:41
Chicago – Brady Jones – (Too Many Men) (Bench Minor), 2 min, 16:27

3rd Period

Chicago – Danny Fetzer – (Head Contact), 2 min, 4:50
Tri-City – Daniel Labosky – (High Sticking), 2 min, 17:26
Chicago – Connor McDonald – (Holding), 2 min, 19:52

Power Play

Tri-City – 0/5

Chicago – 0/5

Shots

Tri-City: 9, 5, 7 = Total: 21

Chicago: 6, 15, 16 = Total: 37

Saves

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 35/36

Chicago – Cale Morris – 21/21

No. 25 NPCC Knights Defeat Region IX Opponent Otero

Posted on November 22, 2013

North Platte – The #25 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team (8-0) opened up Region IX play on Friday night as they held home court against the Otero Junior College Rattlers (6-3) in a 93-67 victory.

The Knights started the game out strong behind sophomore Ethan Montalvo‘s quick 13 points. The Knights defense played well in the first half as well limiting the Rattlers to 26 first half points. The second half both teams found more of a rhythm offensive as the Knights scored 50 points to Otero’s 41. The Knights shot 58 percent from the field and held Otero to 37 percent shooting.

The Knights were led by career-highs by Cameron Williams and Jacob Maslo who finished with 26 points and 20 points respectively. Maslo finished with a double-double grabbing 10 rebounds. Montalvo finished with 16 points and Tim Simmons also finished in double figures with 11 points. The Rattlers were led by Nick Ongarato who finished with 14 points.

“It was a good to hold our home court,” said assistant coach Nathan Wieseler. “Now we have to turn around and play a talented Trinidad State team and do it again tomorrow.”

The Knights return to action at 2 p.m. tomorrow against Trinidad State Junior College at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium. The Trojans are led by freshman Joe Smith with 18.1 points per game and brothers Richard (12.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Keouvion McCalop (11.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg).

The Knights are then off until after the Thanksgiving break when they travel to face Hastings College JV on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The Knights host Region IX opponents Lamar Community College on Dec. 7 and Northeastern Junior College on Dec. 11 before Christmas break.

No. 16 NPCC Lady Knights Knock Off Lady Mavericks

Posted on November 22, 2013

North Platte – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (3-4) started off hot and road the momentum to a hard fought 92-76 victory over the Northwest Kansas Technical College Lady Mavericks (1-7) Friday night.

The Lady Knights got off to a fast start Friday night as they took an early lead 11-5 on the Lady Mavericks that forced a timeout. The Lady Knights would extend their lead to 21-9 and then to their largest lead of the game at 41-21 behind 12 first half points from DaVontaye Merritt and 11 from April Stull. The half ended with a 51-36 margin for the Lady Knights after each team shot several free throws at the end of the half.

The second half was a little more back and forth as Northwest Kansas would go on a run only to be answered every time by the Lady Knights. The second half was neck and neck as the Knights would win the second half 41-40.

North Platte was led by post players April Stull who finished with 28 points and 9 rebounds and DaVontaye Merritt‘s double-double of 26 points and 13 rebounds. Rayven Thomas led the Lady Mavericks with 21 points.

“It was a hard fought game,” said head coach Richard Thurin. “We had some players come through at the end when it counted.”

The Lady Knights are off until after Thanksgiving break when they welcome the Colby Community College Lady Trojans (1-7) to McDonald-Belton Gymnasium on Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. The Lady Knights travelled to Colby earlier this year and emerged victorious 55-43. The Lady Knights then travel to York to face the York College JV on Dec.6 and host Lamar Community College Dec.6 and Northeastern Junior College Dec. 11 to finish out the fall semester.

Huskers Suffer 3-0 Defeat at Purdue

Posted on November 22, 2013

West Lafayette, Ind. – The No. 6 Nebraska volleyball team (21-5, 14-3) dropped a 3-0 (24-26, 21-25, 16-25) decision to the No. 25 Purdue Boilermakers on Friday night at Holloway Gymnasium.

The Boilermakers handed the Huskers their third conference defeat of the season and the second in the 2013 series with NU. The last time the Huskers were swept on the road was at Purdue on Nov. 12, 2011.

Kadie Rolfzen tallied 12 kills on the night, while Kelsey Robinson had 11 kills and a team-high 10 digs. Nebraska hit .136 for the match and tallied only six team blocks. Purdue hit .302 on the night and notched 11 blocks. The Boilermakers out-dug NU 44-32.

Amber Rolfzen put the Huskers up 7-5 early in the first set, while back-to-back errors by the Boilermakers put NU ahead 13-10. Two kills from Kadie Rolfzen made it 20-16, Nebraska, but Purdue went on a 5-0 run to take a 21-20 lead. Kadie Rolfzen gave NU the lead again at 23-22, but the Boilermakers would not let up and went on to win the first set 26-24.

Kadie Rolfzen notched eight kills in the first set, while the Huskers hit .333 as a team. Purdue hit .400 and out-blocked NU 4-1.

The two teams came out battling in the second set as Kelly Hunter came in to serve an ace and tie the set at 7-7. Two consecutive kills from Robinson made it 16-14, Nebraska, and forced Purdue to use a timeout. The Boilermakers strung together another 3-0 run to go up 20-17, as the Huskers went on a 3-0 run of their own to cut into the Boilermaker lead at 23-21. Purdue responded out of a timeout and won the set 25-21.

Kadie Rolfzen had four kills in the second set, while Robinson notched three kills. Nebraska hit .100, while Purdue hit .375. Both teams notched two blocks each.

Melanie Keil saw some action early in the third set and notched two double-stuff blocks to help Nebraska to a 6-4 lead. Purdue strung together a 4-0 run to go up 16-10 and then stretched its lead to 19-11 as the Huskers called a timeout. Nebraska would be unable to build any momentum as the Huskers dropped the third set 25-16.

Robinson posted four kills in the final set, but the Huskers hit -.047. Purdue hit .152 and out-blocked NU 5-3.

Nebraska returns to action tomorrow evening as the Huskers travel to take on the Indiana Hoosiers at 6 p.m. CT.

Huskers’ Historic Season Ends in NCAA Second Round

Posted on November 22, 2013

Lincoln – The most successful season for the Nebraska soccer program in over a decade came to an end on Friday as the No. 10 Huskers were eliminated in the NCAA Tournament Second Round by Boston College, 4-1, at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

NU finishes the 2013 campaign with a 19-4-1 mark, its highest win total since 2000. Seniors Jordan Jackson, Ari Romero, Emma Stevens, Kylie Greischar, Stacy Bartels and Maritza Hayes all completed their Nebraska playing careers on Friday and will leave Head Coach John Walker’s program as two-time Big Ten Champions after a season that put Nebraska back on the national radar.

Junior Mayme Conroy notched the lone score for the Big Red in the 85th minute as sophomore Jaylyn Odermann set her up from 30-yards out for a header in the box that found the back of the net. Conroy’s tally was her 11th of the year and 26th career.

Boston College (12-9-1) forced Nebraska into allowing 30 shot attempts, including 11 on net both of which are season highs for an NU opponent. Sophomore Katie Kraeutner led the Huskers with three shots on the left side as the team amassed 12 for the match with six coming on target.

Seven Nebraska outfield players worked at least 80 minutes in the contest, while Ari Romero worked every second for the 15th consecutive match as she finished her successful NU career.

The contest was fairly even with both sides controlling possession throughout the first 20 minutes of action. In the 25th minute, a dribble down the right end line for BC freshman Hayley Dowd resulted in a shot from a tough angle that found the top far corner of the goal for the early 1-0 lead.

An early second-half chance for the Huskers came from Jaycie Johnson whose shot was stopped by the opposing keeper Alex Johnson to keep momentum on Boston College’s end. Johnson recorded two of NU’s six shots on goal in the match.

Scores in the 74th, 82nd and 87th minutes guided the Eagles to victory as they will take on Illinois who stunned Portland by a 4-3 decision in overtime after a late penalty kick forced extra time.

Stevens wraps up her Nebraska career as the program leader in saves with 278, while tying for most starts in goal with 69. The Corona, Calif. native is also second in games played in net (72) and minutes (6,221), while ranking third in wins (37) and sixth in shutouts. Jackson sits fourth in shots (271) and fifth in shots on goal (136) as well as tied for eighth in points (101) and 10th in game-winning goals (9) all-time at NU.

Huskers Face SWAC Preseason Favorite Southern Sunday

Posted on November 22, 2013

The Nebraska women’s basketball team continues its four-game home stand by playing host to Southern University on Sunday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Tip-off between the Huskers (4-0) and the Jaguars (2-2) is set for 2 p.m. (CT), with tickets available now at Huskers.com. Fans can also order game tickets in advance by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office during regular business hours, Monday-Friday, at 1-800-8-BIG-RED.

A live radio broadcast will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, including flagships B107.3 FM in Lincoln, The Wolf 93.3 FM in Omaha and 880 AM KRVN in Lexington. Free live audio is available at Huskers.com. A live video stream will be provided to premium subscribers of BTN.com All-Access.

Nebraska improved to 4-0 on the young season with a 78-55 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday night. All-American Jordan Hooper scored the game’s first 12 points in just over three minutes and finished with 23 points on the night. The 6-2 senior from Alliance, Neb., is averaging 17.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Hooper needs 22 points and 21 rebounds to catch Nebraska great Kathy Hagerstrom on a pair of career charts.

Hagerstrom (1980-83) ranks No. 9 at NU in career points (1,778) and No. 4 in career rebounds (874). Hooper enters Sunday’s game at No. 10 in points (1,756) and No. 5 in rebounds (853). Hooper has achieved her totals in 102 career games, while Hagerstrom reached her marks in 130.

Hooper is surrounded by a strong starting front line of juniors Emily Cady (13.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Hailie Sample (5.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg). NU’s three returning starters inside have started 71 consecutive games together and are combining to average 37.3 points and 25.0 rebounds per game.

Southern comes to Lincoln for the first-ever meeting between the Huskers and Jaguars as the preseason pick to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Senior post player Jasmine Jefferson leads the Jags with 16.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while junior guard Kendra Coleman has contributed 13.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (#11 AP/#10 USA Today) (4-0 Overall, 0-0 Big Ten)
vs. Southern University (2-2 Overall, 0-0 SWAC)
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2 p.m. (Central)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Neb.)
Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Radio: 25-Station IMG College Husker Sports Network
(PBP-Matt Coatney; Analyst-Jeff Griesch)
107.3 FM-KBBK, Lincoln; 93.3 FM-KFFF, Omaha; 880 AM-KRVN, Lexington
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com
Premium Video: BTN.com All-Access