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NPCC Knights Split, Advance to Championship Round as No. 2 Seed

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NPCC-Knights-LogoThe North Platte Community College Lady Knights volleyball team (22-14) won one and lost one Friday in the Region IX Division II Tournament to advance to the championship round on Saturday against the #1 seed Central Community College. The Lady Knights opened the day by falling at the hands to the No. 14 Central Community College Lady Raiders in three sets (11-25, 14-25, 20-25) before bouncing back to defeat the Dawson Community College Lady Buccaneers in straight sets (25-12, 25-19, 25-16).

The round robin portion of the tournament ended with Central at 3-0, North Platte at 2-1, Southeast Community College at 1-2 and Dawson Community College at 0-3.

The Lady Knights compete for the Region IX Division Championship tomorrow at 1 p.m. against No. 14 Central Community College. By virtue of being the No. 1 seed, the Lady Raiders will have to be beaten by the Lady Knights twice tomorrow for the Lady Knights to emerge as champions. The winner will advance to the District G Playoff to compete for a berth in the National Division II Tournament.

In the night cap the Lady Knights started out strong and finished strong as they won the first set 25-12, the second set 25-19 and third set 25-16.

The Lady Knights were led by Sandrina Hallahan who finished with 13 kills while Sabrina Hallahan and Samantha Kennedy each finished with 10. Laura Beckman led the Lady Knights with both 21 assists and 13 digs.

“We needed to win in three!” said coach Thalken. “We needed to be confident and play aggressive. We needed to control the ball and not have the ball control us. We needed to control the net. We did. A big game tomorrow against Central!”

In the opening game of the day at 11 a.m. the Lady Knights started off slowly and dropped the first set to the Lady Raiders 11-25. Central capitalized on their momentum to take the second set as well 14-25. The Lady Knights led most of the third set before falling in the set and game to the Lady Raiders 20-25.

The Lady Knights were led by Sandrina Hallahan and Samantha Byrn who each finished with five kills. Shannon Liewer led the way in digs with 17 and Laura Beckman led the way in assists with 12. Joli Hopping finished with 11 digs and nine assists.

The Region IX Division II Championship game can be heard on ESPN Radio 1410 with the pregame show starting at 12:45.

Huskers Claim First Big Ten Soccer Championship

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huskersoccerLincoln – “Big Ten Champs!” – A preseason goal that evolved into a rallying cry for the Nebraska soccer team became a reality on Friday as the Huskers claimed the 2013 Big Ten Conference title, their first regular-season championship since 2000. The Huskers defeated Indiana by a 3-1 decision to cap off Senior Day at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

Finishing with a 10-1 record in league play, NU notches its fourth regular-season title in program history and ninth combined championship, which includes five conference tournament titles. Nebraska’s 15-3-1 regular-season record marks the highest win total since 2000 when the Huskers also compiled 15 victories prior to postseason play. Nebraska extends its current win streak to six games and improves its record to 11-0-1 this season when scoring first.

The Huskers jumped on the scoreboard first at the 33:29 mark when Mayme Conroy struck from 12-yard out for her eighth goal of the year as Nebraska took the 1-0 edge. Jordan Jackson brought the ball down the whole length of the field, crossing the ball toward Conroy who ended up with the ball and shot the ball far side for the goal.

The one-goal advantage stood for the remainder of the first half before the Hoosiers (13-5-1, 6-5 Big Ten) notched the equalizer less than two minutes into the second half. Lisa Nouanesengsy’s penalty beat the NU keeper through the left side and knotted up the match at 1-1.

In a strange moment, with the fans trying to find cover from the intense wind and rain, Nebraska brought the ball down, Courtney Claassen crossed the ball from the near to the far side, and from five feet out, Jaycie Johnson tapped it into the back of the net for the 2-1 lead and momentum. The freshman’s 10th goal of the year leads the Huskers.

A historic moment occurred in a big moment for the Huskers as the blustery conditions worsened. Emma Stevens, after corralling a loose ball, sent a kick down the field and carried the wind just outside the opposite 18-yard box. The high bouncer evaded the Indiana goalkeeper and found the back of the net for the first score by a goalkeeper in Nebraska soccer history as NU finished off the Hoosiers for a 3-1 final score and conference championship.

The match was very-evenly contested on the stat line as both squads posted 10 shots and four on target. Conroy led NU with three shots, while Katie Kraeutner, Caroline Gray and Johnson each recorded two attempts. Conroy and Jackson along with senior defenders Ari Romero and Maritza Hayes played all 90 minutes for the lockdown Nebraska defense.

Nebraska will make its second Big Ten Tournament appearance starting Wednesday, Nov. 6 as the No. 1 seeded Huskers will take on the to-be-determined No. 8 seed at 10:30 a.m. All games will be contested at the Illinois Soccer Stadium in Champaign, Ill. First round matches will be streamed on the Big Ten’s Digital Network, while the semifinals and championship matches will be shown live on the Big Ten Network and BTN2Go.com.

Big Red Has Never Been So Green

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UNLThe University of Nebraska Athletic Department has continued to make great strides becoming greener and more sustainable. In fact, through the first five home football games this fall, efforts have diverted an average of 75% of Stadium waste from the landfill to recycling efforts.  This pace is 15% higher than last year’s 60% average a credit to the mixed solid waste permit and fans using the recycling containers during games. In addition, Nebraska Athletics is proud to announce an agreement with Pinnacle Bank Arena for recycling plans in that venue this winter.

Athletics works closely with Recycling Enterprises, the service that collects the athletics department’s recyclables at Husker home events and year round from offices.  Since teaming up with Recycling Enterprises in 2009, the average recycling rate has steadily increased each year.  UNL Campus Landscaping leads the charge for recycling in parking lot areas with the help of student groups such as UNL Sustain.

The latest recycling initiatives allow the community to get involved. “Go Green for Big Red,” is a campaign where volunteers provide tailgaters recycling bags while student volunteers walk around parking lots to collect recyclables and provide additional recycling containers along walkways. “RecycleMania,” is a recycling competition between universities from across the US. In the recently completed 2013 contest, UNL recycled more than 294,000 pounds of paper, cardboard and plastic to place 3rd.

Husker Athletics facilities maintenance also takes part in the effort to make UNL a greener campus. Husker Athletics facilities have transitioned to all “green” cleaning products in sports centers.  Motion sensors on bathroom lights, energy saving toilet fixtures, and the installation of longer lasting, more efficient light bulbs have significantly increased energy savings.

Recycling Program Established at Pinnacle Bank Arena

Home to Nebraska Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Pinnacle Bank Arena was designed to meet strict energy efficiency and sustainability goals.  Through coordinated efforts with the Mayor’s Office, PBA staff and Athletics, the same recycling program used in Memorial Stadium will be implemented at the new arena. The building was built with high-efficiency systems, recycled building materials and incorporated features into the design that will reduce energy load.

A recycling program was established at PBA with a $150,000 recycling grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust.  Husker fans will be able to recycle glass, paper, cans and bottles at multi-container recycling stations.

Go Green for Big Red volunteers appreciates the assistance of students, faculty, staff and the public. For more information, or to volunteer, contact the UNL recycling coordinators at [email protected] or 402-472-9139.

Huskers Ready for Wildcats

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UNLLincoln, Neb. – The Nebraska football team practiced for two hours at the Hawks Championship Center on Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s matchup with Northwestern.

Head Coach Bo Pelini spoke to the media after practice.

“I think the guys are looking forward to coming out obviously and being back home,” Pelini said of the Huskers, who are playing at home for the first time since Oct. 5.

Pelini added that quarterback Taylor Martinez will sit out for the game. In addition, Pelini said tight end Jake Long is doubtful and wide receiver Jamal Turner is 50/50 for Saturday’s game.

Pelini was happy with quarterback Tommy Armstrong’s week or preparation.

“(Tommy) looked good,” Pelini said. “(He and Ron Kellogg III) had a good week, and I think they are ready to go.”

Pelini also expressed pleasure in the performances of MIKE linebackers Michael Rose and Josh Banderas during this week’s practice.

“I thought they took command,” Pelini said. “Now we have to put it on film on Saturday. I thought we had a good week. I like our week of preparation. I like our plan. Now it comes down to execution.”

Pelini talked about the defense as a whole, saying he wants them to play well.

“I want them to execute well and communicate,” Pelini said. “I want guys to play fast, hard, decisive and do their job. That’s what I’m looking for. That’s what equates to success. Nothing less will be accepted.”

The Huskers and Wildcats kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT at Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

 

Coach Thalken Earns Win 900, NPCC Lady Knights Open Region IX Division II with Win

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NPCC-Knights-LogoThe North Platte Community College Lady Knights volleyball team (21-13) helped head coach Sally Thalken earn the 900th win in her career at North Platte on Thursday night as the Lady Knights knocked off host Southeast Community College (12-18) in four sets (20-25, 28-26, 25-14, 26-24) to open up the Region IX Division II Tournament. Central Community College defeated Dawson Community College in other Region IX Division II action.

The Lady Knights started off slow as they would drop the first set 20-25 to the Lady Storm. In the second set the Lady Storm continued their momentum from the opening set victory to an early lead before the Lady Knights stormed back to claim the second set and even the match. The Lady Knights would hold on to the momentum for the entire third set as they would cruise to a 25-14 victory. The fourth set was a hard fought battle before the Lady Knights were able to close the door on the Lady Storm and win the match 26.-24 after squandering a 24-21 lead.

The Lady Knights were led by Sandrina Hallahan who finished with 13 kills and four blocks. Samantha Kennedy also chipped in double figure kills, finishing with 11. Shannon Liewer and Sabrina Hallahan paced the Lady Knights in digs with 27 and 22 respectively. Joli Hopping led the way in assists with 21 while Laura Beckman was right behind with 17.

“That was a key game to win,” said head coach Sally Thalken. “Southeast is a good team and it was a great win for us. We played pretty flat in the first set then came from behind to save ourselves in the second. A big, big win in the second for us. We played with a ton of aggression and confidence in the third and almost let the fourth slip through our fingers.”

North Platte and Central end the day 1-0 while Southeast and Dawson end 0-1. The four teams play a round-robin with the top two teams advancing to a Championship game. Whoever emerges from the round-robin with the #1 seed will need to be beaten twice by the #2 seed to earn the Region IX Division II Tournament Title.

The Lady Knights return to action Friday morning as they play No. 14 Central Community College (25-10) at 11 a.m. The Lady Knights will conclude the round-robin portion of the tournament against Dawson Community College (6-25) at 7 p.m. Friday evening. Both games can be heard on ESPN Radio 1410 with Robert Lovell on the call.

Should the Lady Knights finish in the top two teams after the round-robin they will play on Saturday October 2 at 1 p.m. for the Region IX Championship with the No. 2 seed needing to win two games to capture the title. The winner will advance to the District G Playoff to compete for a berth in the National Division II Tournament.

Northwestern-Nebraska Preview Capsule

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nebraska_helmetNorthwestern (4-4, 0-4) at Nebraska (5-2, 2-1), 2:30 p.m. CT (Big Ten Network)

Line: Nebraska by 7.

Series Record: Nebraska leads 4-2.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Four straight losses have turned a promising season for Northwestern into one in which bowl eligibility is in doubt for the Wildcats. Nebraska will continue to control its destiny in the Legends Division if it can protect its home field.

KEY MATCHUP

Northwestern RB Stephen Buckley vs. Nebraska defense: The sophomore is listed third on the Wildcats’ depth chart, but that means nothing. He’s emerged as the best running back in Venric Mark’s absence. Buckley had a career-high 99 yards against Iowa last week, and he’ll be the go-to guy as the Wildcats attack Nebraska’sstruggling run defense.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northwestern: QB Kain Colter, who missed the Minnesota game two weeks ago because of an ankle problem, was sharp in his return against Iowa and will need to be again. The mobile Colter gives the Wildcats their best chance to win.

Nebraska: LB Michael Rose, who has bumped David Santos out of the middle linebacker’s spot. The 5-foot-11, 230-pound Rose’s strength is supposed to be his run-stopping ability. We’ll find out.

FACTS & FIGURES:

Northwestern and Nebraska split meetings in 2011 and 2012, with the games decided by a combined four points … The Wildcats are 12-6 in November since 2008, with five victories over top-20 opponents … Northwestern leads the Big Ten in red-zone efficiency, coming away with points on 30 of 31 trips inside the 20 … Nebraska hasn’t entered a November out of the Top 25 since 2009 … QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. will make his fourth start of the season in place of the injured Taylor Martinez … Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah needs 19 yards for his second straight 1,000-yard season.

Storm Score Four, End Losing Skid

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tcstormKEARNEY, Neb. – Christian Horn tallied four points, while his center Joel L’Esperance scored his third and fourth goals of the season as the Tri-City Storm (3-5-2) ended their six-game losing streak, defeating the Waterloo Black Hawks (7-3-0) 4-2 on Wednesday night at the Viaero Event Center.

Storm goaltender Jacob Johansson was magnificent once again for the Storm, making 34 saves on a Waterloo team that continued to throw the puck that the net.

Forwards Drew Mayer and Joel L’Esperance put the Storm on the board in the opening period and allowed their team to take control of the game. For Mayer, it was his first goal of the season in his tenth game wearing a Storm sweater.

The Troy, Mich. native took a pass from Horn just over the opposing blue line and wristed the puck over the left shoulder of Waterloo goaltender Mathias Israelsson and into the net to give Tri-City a 1-0 lead.

L’Esperance added to the lead later in the frame on another play started by Horn, who sprung linemate Dan Labosky free in front of the Waterloo net. Labosky then set up L’Esperance, who was all alone and made it count, extending the Storm lead to 2-0.

Midway through the second, Christian Horn joined in on the Storm offensive attack, scoring his first goal of the season to make it 3-0. Horn finished his first game in front of the Kearney faithful with one goal and three assists. Assists on the play were given to Cecere and Labosky.

But the Black Hawks bounced back, scoring two straight goals of their own to make it 3-2. Within two minutes of one another, Alec McCrea and Brandon Salerno each slipped the puck past Johansson and tightened the game up going into third period.

In danger of extending the losing streak, the Storm entered the third period determined to pick up win number three of the season by playing hard nose defense against the Black Hawks.

Waterloo kept it interesting, as they put 16 shots on net, but Johansson came through when his team needed him most.

After a slow beginning to the period, L’Esperance scored his second goal of the night and the Storm never looked back. Once again with assists from Labosky and Horn, the Brighton, Mich. native found the net for the fourth time this season to put the Storm up 4-2 with 8:26 left in the game.

With only minutes remaining, Waterloo pulled goalie Mathias Israelsson and sent six players on the ice in hopes of a comeback. Johansson proved to be too much as he picked up his third win on the young season.

Tri-City will stay at home in Kearney to face the Lincoln Stars on Friday night at the Viaero Event Center. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Austin Poganski, Joey DiBenedetto, Chase McMurphy and Steven Haydon. Forward Ross Olsson was also scratched, serving a four-game suspension.…

 

 SCORING SUMMARY

 1st Period

Tri-City – Drew Mayer (power play) (Christian Horn, Garrett Cecere) 7:59

Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance (Dan Labosky, Christian Horn) 14:34

2nd Period

Tri-City – Christian Horn (Garrett Cecere, Dan Labosky) 9:42
Waterloo – Alec McCrea (power play) (Ryan Cloonan, Nick Olczyk) 16:07

Waterloo – Brandon Salerno (Nick Olczyk, Ryan Cloonan) 17:28

3rd Period

Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance (Dan Labosky, Christian Horn) 11:34

 

PENALTIES

 1st Period

Tri-City – Christian Horn – (Tripping), 2 min, 4:54

Waterloo – Mark Friedman – (Interference), 2 min, 6:20

Tri-City – Drew Mayer – (Elbowing), 2 min, 11:28

Waterloo – Brandon Montour – (Slashing), 2 min, 15:40

2nd Period

Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Interference), 2 min, 2:12

Waterloo – Derek Pratt – (Interference), 2 min, 4:58

Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance – (High Sticking), 2 min, 10:38

Waterloo – Blake Winiecki – (Charging), 2 min, 11:59
Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Tripping), 2 min, 15:40

3rd Period
Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance – (Tripping), 2 min, 6:32

Tri-City – Sean Lang – (Holding), 2 min, 15:40

Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski – (Roughing), 2 min, 19:54

Waterloo – Zach Sanford – (Roughing), 2 min, 19:54

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – (Roughing), 2 min, 19:54

Power Play

Tri-City – 1/4

Waterloo – 1/8

 

Shots

Tri-City: 11, 10, 9 = Total: 30

Waterloo: 8, 12, 16 = Total: 36

 

Saves

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 34/36

Waterloo – Mathias Israellsson – 26/30

NU Defense Ready for Colter, Wildcats

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UNLLincoln, Neb.-  The Nebraska football team continued its week of preparation for Saturday’s Big Ten conference home showdown with Northwestern on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. The team practiced in full pads for just over two hours inside the Hawks Center and outside at the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields.

Nebraska Defensive Coordinator John Papuchis met with the media after practice, noting that it was good for both the Husker coaches and players to get back on the practice field this week.

“I think the best thing is sometimes just getting back out there and start going again,” Papuchis said, “There is not a lot of time to waste licking your wounds and feeling sorry for yourself. You got to learn from your mistakes, but you’ve got to move on, because the reality is we play again on Saturday.”

After last Saturday’s loss at Minnesota, the Nebraska football coaching staff decided that it was time to take away the coveted Blackshirts from the players who wore them during practice so far this season. Papuchis noted that it was the coaches’ decision, and that the defense knows they need to play at a higher standard to wear the Blackshirts.

“I think if you ask them man for man, we have a standard that we want to live up to here. Certainly what we put on the fieldSaturday wasn’t up to that Blackshirt standard,” Papuchis said. “I don’t wear a Blackshirt, but if I wore a Blackshirt I would take mine off too. We didn’t play good enough and we didn’t do anything well enough to warrant them.”

With Saturday’s matchup between the Huskers and the Wildcats being the third in three years, the NU coaching staff is now starting to know going into game week what to expect from a Big Ten opponent on offense.

“Being the third time we have played them, we have a pretty good feel for who they are and how they try impact us with the pass,” Papuchis said. “I don’t see them changing a whole lot from what they have done and who they have been.”

A Northwestern player to watch Saturday is senior quarterback Kain Colter. Colter, a Colorado native has been lighting up stat sheets throughout the season, even though Colter has fought the injury bug some of this season. Colter has thrown for 500 yards, competing almost 82 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Not only is he a threat to pass, Colter also is a dynamic runner, accounting for 323 yards with four touchdowns this season.

“Obviously Kain Colter is a vital part of their offense. He is a dynamic playmaker and him coming back into the game vs. Iowa you could see that,” Papuchis said. “They looked revitalized a little bit and a little bit more of a big play threat with him in there.”

Nebraska will continue practice on Thursday as the team moves closer to its fourth conference game of the season. The Huskers will face the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast regionally on BTN/BTN2Go.com.

No. 25 NPCC Knights Open Season Friday in McCook

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npcc-knightsThe No. 25 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team opens up the season this Friday as they travel to McCook to compete in the McCook Community College Fall Classic.

The Knights are ranked 25th in the NJCAA pre-season rankings. The ranking marks the second time the Knights have been ranked in the pre-season joining the No. 16 ranking before the 2009-10 season.

The Knights open on Friday November 1 as they take on the Northeast Community College Hawks at 6 p.m. in McCook. The Knights return to actionon Saturday as they take on Doane College JV at 2 p.m. also in McCook.

The Knights are coming off a school-record 30 win season and Region IX Championship. The Knights return leading scorer and rebounder Ethan Montalvo (15.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg) who was named to the All-Region IX Second-Team, the All-Region IX Tournament Team and the All-NCCAA First-Team.

Tim Simmons (10.4 ppg), Jake Maslo (4.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Jimma Lew (1.2 ppg), Tre’Vaun Hymer (transfer from New Mexico Junior College at Christmas) and Marcus Linson (Redshirt) also return as sophomores for the Knights. Ten new freshmen join the Knights program for the 2013-14 season.

The Knights remain on the road the following week as they travel to Garden City, Kan. to compete in the Garden City Classic on November 8 and 9. The Knights will take on Seward County Community College on Friday and the hosts Garden City Community College on Saturday.

The Knights begin a home stand of five games on Tuesday November 12 as they take on the York College JV at 7 p.m. before hosting Midland University JV and Doane College JV on November 15 and 16.

More Study Urged on Concussions in Young Athletes

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ConcussionWASHINGTON (AP) — It’s not just football.

A new report says too little is known about concussion risks for young athletes, and it’s not clear whether better headgear is an answer.

Reports of sports-related concussions have been rising. The Institute of Medicine has taken a closer look, and finds that rates are higher for some sports.

In high school and college, football, ice hockey and lacrosse top the list for male athletes. For females, it’s soccer, lacrosse and basketball.

The report cites a gap in information about concussion rates in younger players before high school, and recommends a national system to better track sports-related concussions.

The report stresses wearing proper safety equipment. But it finds little evidence that current helmet designs, face masks and other gear really prevent concussions, as ads often claim.

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