Sports – Page 688 – North Platte Post Archive

Huskers Overcome Saint Mary’s in 3-1 Victory

Posted on September 12, 2013September 12, 2013

Lincoln, Neb. – The No. 12 Nebraska volleyball team (5-1) overcame a slow start on Thursday night to prevail over the Saint Mary’s Gaels 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-18). Two players had double-doubles for the Huskers on the night as Amber Rolfzen posted a career-high 16 kills and added 11 digs, while Kelsey Robinson had a season-high 19 kills and chipped in a match-high 17 digs.

The Huskers hit .243 as a team, while Saint Mary’s hit .182. Nebraska was paced offensively by Mary Pollmiller as she recorded a season-high 46 assists. Justine Wong-Orantes followed Robinson’s lead defensive with 16 digs. Cecilia Hall led NU at the net with five blocks, as the Huskers went on to out-blocked Saint Mary’s 11-9.

The Gaels opened the match on fire taking an 8-4 lead. Nebraska came back to make it 15-8, Saint Mary’s, on a kill by Kadie Rolfzen, however the Gaels would continue to fight as they went up 19-13. A dump from Pollmiller made it 20-15, Gaels, but the Huskers could not gain the lead and lost the first set 25-18.

Robinson led NU in the first set with six kills, but the Huskers hit just .088 as a team. Saint Mary’s hit .219 as a team and out-blocked NU 4-1.

Robinson helped the Huskers tie Saint Mary’s at 6-6 in the second set, while Amber Rolfzen and Hall teamed up for a block to give NU an 11-8 lead. A kill by Haggerty put the Huskers ahead 19-14, while Nebraska took a 22-18 lead on another kill by Amber Rolfzen. Saint Mary’s held on for two set points, but the Huskers prevailed with a 25-21 second-set win.

Amber Rolfzen and Robinson both had five kills in the second set, while Pollmiller paced the offense with 14 assists. Nebraska hit .214 in the set, while Saint Mary’s hit .171. NU had 19 team digs, while the Gaels had 20.

The Huskers and Gaels traded leads early in the third set, as NU eventually took a 15-12 advantage on a kill by Robinson. The Huskers maintained their lead, going up 22-18 after Kadie Rolfzen notched a kill of her own and Saint Mary’s was forced to call a timeout. A service error on set point gave the Huskers the third set 25-21.

Both Amber Rolfzen and Robinson recorded five kills in the set, while Pollmiller dished out 12 assists. Nebraska hit at a clip of .351 and out-blocked Saint Mary’s 3-2.

Alicia Ostrander came in to lead the Husker charge in the fourth set, posting three kills and helping NU to a 10-4 lead. Aided by a kill and solo block from Amber Rolfzen, the Huskers went up 16-11, but Saint Mary’s came back to make it 19-16, NU. The Huskers held on the win the fourth set 25-18 and take the match 3-1.

Amber Rolfzen guided NU in the final set with five kills on eight attacks for a .625 hitting clip. Ostrander had four kills on four attacks, and both Kadie Rolfzen and Robinson recorded three kills. Pollmiller had 12 assists for NU, while Nebraska hit .314 and had four team blocks.

The Huskers return to action tomorrow night as they face the Dayton Flyers at the Devaney Center at 7 p.m. The match will air on NET in Nebraska and will be streamed on the Big Ten Digital Network.

Huskers Ready to Take on Bruins

Posted on September 12, 2013September 12, 2013

Lincoln – The Nebraska football team wrapped up preparations for UCLA on Thursday by holding a 90-minute practice on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields outside of the Hawks Championship Center.

Head Coach Bo Pelini talked to the media afterwards and expressed pleasure with his team’s performance this week.

“We had a good practice to finish up our week,” Pelini said. “We still have some things to clean up tomorrow and the mental part of it comes into play.”

Pelini added that it was “business as usual” and said the defense is continuing to progress.

“I think all the guys are getting better,” Pelini said. “They are understanding. They are learning a new opponent and the challenges that come with a game plan. It’s going to be fun to see how our guys react. It will be a heckuva challenge for us.”

Pelini also talked about junior linebacker Zaire Anderson’s play last weekend against Southern Miss.

“I thought Zaire played pretty (well) in the game,” Pelini said. “He had a couple good series. With Zaire, it’s going to come down to if he is prepared enough to understand what we are trying to do defensively. I think he’s working hard at it. I think he’s improving. He can be a factor for us.”

The Huskers and Bruins kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday and will be televised to a national audience on ABC.

College rodeo teams prepare for ‘2013 Railtown U.S.A. Collegiate Rodeo’

Posted on September 12, 2013

MPCC Rodeo Team-2013: Members of the 2013 Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team are (back row, l-r) Clay Chittick, Dakota Rice, Eric Rasmussen, Nic Tenbrink, Cody Fritz. In front are Faculty Advisor Mike Janecek, Sage Faust, Julie Timmerman, Tyler Viers, Logan Lewis and Coach Dustin Elliott.

As the “2013 Railtown U.S.A. Collegiate Rodeo” presented by First National Bank draws near between 250-300 college cowboys and cowgirls representing 13 colleges in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Great Plains Region are preparing for the competition.

The NIRA Great Plains Region awarded the collegiate rodeo competition to Mid-Plains Community College earlier this summer. Members of MPCC’s 2013 Rodeo Team are Clay Chittick of Maywood, Sage Faust of Plattsmouth, Cody Fritz of Meriden, Matisyn Humphrey of Ogallala, Logan Lewis of Sutherland, Eric Rasmussen of Riverdale, Dakota Rice of Kellogg, Nic Tenbrink of North Platte, Julie Timmerman of Burwell and Tyler Viers of Comstock. Mike Janecek is their Faculty Advisor and they are coached by World Champion bull rider Dustin Elliott. For more information about the team, visit the “Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team” page on Facebook.

Other colleges in the Great Plains Region include Black Hills State University, Dickinson State University, Hastings College, Iowa Central Community College, Iowa State University, Mitchell Technical Institute, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, North Dakota State University, Northeast Iowa Community College, South Dakota State University, University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The “2013 Railtown U.S.A. Collegiate Rodeo” will take place during Rail Fest, Sept. 20-21, at the Nebraskaland Days Wild West Arena in North Platte. It will begin at 7 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights.

General admission tickets for each night are $10 for adults and $7 for children. Tickets are available at the Nebraskaland Days office, 509 E. 4th St. in North Platte, or online at https://www.elevate.com/boxoffice/?cref=bd322850-b5ac-4bc3-b8cd-406ccad7fbac. They may also be purchased through the MPCC website at www.mpcc.edu.

Public Walking Tour of East Memorial Stadium Expansion Available Sept. 18

Posted on September 12, 2013

Lincoln, Neb. – The University of Nebraska Athletic Department is opening its doors on the east side for self-guided tours of the new East Memorial Stadium Expansion. The public tour will be given one day only, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, from5 to 7 p.m.

The self-guided walking tour will include access to the following areas in the East Stadium:

· Level 600 general public seating
· Level 400 Club Seating
· The Nebraska Athletic Performance Lab (NAPL)

All fans are asked to enter through Gate 18 and to take the north escalator all the way to the top to begin the walking tour. Elevator access will be available for those needing accommodations. Fans will be able to go down to the Club Level and the NAPL via stairs or elevator at their own pace. Tour route information will be distributed at Gate 18. Suite and field levels will not be available.

Nebraska Hunters Can Donate Deer Carcasses

Posted on September 12, 2013

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Hunters may begin donating their deer to the Hunters Helping the Hungry program on Sunday.

Nebraska Game and Parks has contracted with meat processors.

They are:

Amherst – Belschner Custom Meats; Bayard – Bayard Processing; Bridgeport – KDK Meats; Broken Bow – Broken Bow Pack; Diller – C & C Processing; Elwood – SteakMaster; Humphrey – Country Butcher; Johnson – Pelican’s Meat Processing; Lindsay – Melcher’s Locker; North Bend – Bob’s Custom Meats; North Platte – Kelley’s Custom Pack; Oakland – Oakland Processing; Omaha – B. I. G. Meats, Stoysich House of Sausage; Orleans – Harlan County Meat Processors; Oxford – Oxford Locker; Panama – Panama Locker; Ralston – Van Fleet Meats; Table Rock – Den’s Country Meats; Ulysses – Butchery; Wahoo – Wahoo Locker.

The program combines cash donations and donated deer to produce ground venison distributed to Nebraskans in need.

Learn more about the program at OutdoorNebraska.org/HHH.

No. 11 NPCC Lady Knights Drop McCook Lady Indians

Posted on September 11, 2013

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights (9-1) volleyball team found out Wednesdaymorning they were ranked #11 in the NJCAA Division II poll and then took care of business on the court that night. The Lady Knights defeated the McCook Lady Indians in three sets (25-21, 25-12, 25-20).

The start of the first set was tightly contested as the Lady Knights and Lady Indians battled back and forth before the Lady Knights won 25-21. Libero Shannon Liewer served five straight points to give the Lady Knights a 15-7 lead and forced the Lady Indians to call a timeout.

In the second set the Lady Knights held on to the momentum as they raced out to an early 8-1 lead. The Lady Knights continued their strong play behind seven straight points served by sophomore Jacee Kershaw to gain a 16-2 advantage. The rest of the set was back forth before the Knights gained a two set to none advantage with a 25-12 victory.

The third set was a game of runs. The Lady Indians battled back as they took a 16-11 lead. The Lady Knights answered with a 5-0 run to knot the game at 16 points apiece. The Lady Indians then went on a 3-0 run. The Lady Knights once again answered back with a 8-0 run of their own to take control of the third set before winning 25-20.

“I thought we really pushed hard and had good communication,” said sophomore Sandrina Hallahan. “We didn’t let anything rattle us and played out game.”

The Lady Knights were led in kills by Samantha Kennedy and Samantha Byrn who each finished with seven. Kylie Wroot and Sandrina Hallahan weren’t far behind with six apiece and Wroot led the team with four blocks. Joli Hopping paced with Lady Knights with 23 assists. Jacee Kershaw led the team with four “ace” serves.

“We did a lot of good things tonight,” said head coach Sally Thalken. “However we need to be more consistent. Give McCook credit, they played scrappy defense and it was hard to get a ball down.”

The #11 Lady Knights travel to Sterling, Colo. this weekend for the Pizza Hut Invitation where they will face Trinidad State Junior College (4-8), Barton County Community College (2-6), Otero Junior College (10-0) and Seward County Community College (6-4). The Lady Knights then return home for a three game home stand as they face Eastern Wyoming College (5-8) September 17, Central Community College (11-3)September 19 and Hastings College JV September 24.

Memorial Stadium “No Outside Food and Drink Policy” Back in Effect

Posted on September 11, 2013September 11, 2013

Husker fans will not be allowed to bring in bottled water to Memorial Stadium for Saturday’s game against UCLA with temperatures returning to near normal. With heat warnings and excessive temperatures at game time the past two weeks, Nebraska Athletics, stadium officials, and the local Pepsi distributor, LinPepCo, agreed to allow fans to bring in their own unopened bottles of water but the “No Outside Food and Drink Policy” is back in effect for the remainder of home games. Fans are allowed to bring in an empty plastic bottle to refill inside the stadium or to purchase water from authorized vendors.

Memorial Stadium/Nebraska Athletics Facilities Food and Beverage Policy

Food and beverages from approved game-day vendors selling on University grounds are allowed inside the stadium. Personal empty water bottles (plastic only) are allowed into the stadium for fans to be able to refill at the fountains inside. All other outside food and beverage is prohibited.

On-Field Football Helmet Assault is Probed in Pa. (Video)

Posted on September 11, 2013September 11, 2013

ANNVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Police have opened a criminal investigation after a high school football player ripped the helmet off an opposing player and beat him over the head with it during a game in central Pennsylvania.

Video aired by WGAL-TV shows Hamburg quarterback Joey Cominsky tearing the helmet off Annville-Cleona lineman Josh Hartman, then hitting him with it at least twice, after a play in the third quarter of Friday night’s game at Annville-Cleona Secondary School near Lebanon.

Several other players pushed and shoved each other, and Annville-Cleona player Taylor Prentice jumped in and threw several punches, the video shows.

Cominsky and Prentice were ejected from the game. Hartman suffered a cut on top of his head but was otherwise OK. Order was restored and Hamburg won the game 25-22.

The police investigation “will be a very lengthy process, I can tell you that,” South Annville Township police chief Ben Sutcliffe told PennLive.com. “It is premature at this point to say anything about charges being filed or not being filed.”

Sutcliffe did not immediately return a message left Wednesday.

Hamburg Principal Christopher J. Spohn declined to say whether any disciplinary action will be taken against Cominsky.

“We followed our board-approved policies and procedures dealing with this situation,” Spohn told the Reading Eagle.

Under PIAA rules, Cominsky and Prentice will miss the next game.

PIAA District 3 officials said in a statement that they are content for now to allow the schools to handle the matter internally.

Denver’s Pepsi Center Installing Metal Detectors

Posted on September 11, 2013

DENVER (AP) — The managers of the Pepsi Center in Denver are installing permanent metal detectors to boost security at major sports and entertainment events.

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment says all patrons entering the multipurpose arena will be required to undergo a security check beginning later this month.

The facility is home to the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche, and often serves as a concert venue.

Company president Jim Martin says the permanent magnetometers will improve safety and increase efficiency.

During the 2012-13 pro basketball season, the league required all patrons to go through bag checks and get checked with hand-held metal detectors.

Hunter Says He Used Poisoned Arrows for Years

Posted on September 11, 2013

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say one of four South Carolina men who used poison arrows to hunt deer, elk and bears told them he has been using the illegal equipment in Colorado for at least 20 years.

George Plummer and Joseph Nevling, both of Timmonsville, S.C., Michael Courtney, of Florence, S.C., and James Cole, of Sumter, S.C., all pleaded guilty Tuesday to a variety of wildlife charges, including illegal taking of wildlife and illegal use of toxins in hunting. They were arrested Saturday.

According to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (http://tinyurl.com/oxgtfqa ), authorities said Plummer admitted using toxic arrows for years.

All four were ordered to pay several thousands of dollars in fines and court costs. The men also agreed not to hunt in Colorado over the next four years.