Huskers – Page 163 – North Platte Post Archive

No. 22 Nebraska Defense Looks to Rebound against S Miss

Posted on September 6, 2013

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — If Bo Pelini is worried about his defense, he isn’t showing it.

While fans of No. 22 Nebraska spent the week stressing over how easily Wyoming moved the ball in the opener, the Cornhuskers’ coach stayed positive. He said he expects the defense to be “significantly better” Saturday against Southern Mississippi (0-1).

The No. 22 Huskers (1-0) need to improve if they hope to hang with No. 18 UCLA next week in what should be their toughest game before November.

The Huskers defeated Wyoming 37-34 last week, but the Cowboys amassed 602 yards.

No one expected the defense to be dominant early this season. The unit is young, with a redshirt freshman and sophomore among the starting front four and four true freshmen playing a significant amount against Wyoming.

Pelini Pleased with “Best Practice of the Week”

Posted on September 5, 2013September 5, 2013

Lincoln – The Nebraska football team continued preparations for Southern Miss by practicing for two hours on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields outside of the Hawks Championship Center on Thursday.

Head Coach Bo Pelini talked to the media afterwards and expressed pleasure in his team’s efforts, saying the game plan has come together well.

“I thought we finished up the week well,” Pelini said. “I thought that was the best practice of the week today. It was a little bit back and forth throughout the week but we’ll kind of put it to the test on Saturday.”

Pelini also talked about Saturday’s opponent, Southern Miss, and was impressed with the Golden Eagles on film.

“They are a much better football team than they were a year ago,” Pelini said. “I don’t know about the result or anything else and I know they turned the ball over six times last week but you put on the film and they’ll get your attention. They have very good skill on the offensive side, they are fast on defense and aggressive.”

Pelini added that he thinks the young players are making progress although they aren’t where they need to be yet.

“I think their understanding grows by the day, by the practice, by the period, by the rep,” Pelini said. “That’s what it has to be. Going out there and understanding the defense is one thing but having to make adjustments within a game plan and according to your opponent is part of the process.”

Pelini also named some specific young linebackers he was pleased with throughout the week.

“Michael Rose had an excellent week of practice,” Pelini said. “As did Josh Banderas. Zaire Anderson worked his tail off this week. That’s one thing about what we have going right now. We have some really good competition going on in practice and that’s going to make you better as the season goes on.”

Nebraska and Southern Miss will kick off at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Memorial Stadium with TV coverage provided by Big Ten Network.

NU BSB: Huskers Open Fall Practice

Posted on September 5, 2013September 5, 2013

Lincoln – The Nebraska baseball team opened fall practice on Thursday afternoon with a three-hour workout at Hawks Field.

Head Coach Darin Erstad met with the media before the start of today’s practice and discussed what he wants to see this fall.

“Our older guys know what we expect out of them, the pace we want to play at,” Erstad said. “We have a lot of versatile pieces. We want everyone to complete and we’ll see how things fall into place.”

The Huskers will practice over the next six weeks, before ending the fall season with their annual Red-White Series. The three-game series is set for Oct. 15-17, with game times yet to be announced.

The Huskers return a solid nucleus from a team that was one win away from winning the Big Ten Tournament last season. The Huskers fell to Indiana in the bottom of the ninth of the Big Ten title game to end the season, while the Hoosiers went on to play in the College World Series.

Competition should be high during the fall, as 18 new players are on the fall roster.

Huskers to Hold Meet and Greet; Scrimmage on Sept. 27th

Posted on September 5, 2013

Lincoln – The University of Nebraska Athletic Department invites fans to get their first look at the 2013-14 Huskers onFriday, Sept. 27, as the Nebraska men’s basketball program will hold an open scrimmage for the public inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Sept. 27 marks the first day programs around the country can practice for the upcoming season, and the Huskers will scrimmage from 7-8 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The event is free and open to all fans, as the 2013-14 team will be introduced prior to the scrimmage, while Head Coach Tim Miles will provide live commentary throughout the event. All seating for the scrimmage is on a first-come, first-seated basis, and gates will open at 6 p.m. that evening.

In addition, Sports Nightly will broadcast live from Pinnacle Bank Arena during the event, while fans will be able to check out the new facility and concessions stands will be open throughout the evening. Following the event, the Huskers will hold a team autograph session.

The event will provide a chance to see Nebraska’s nine returning letterwinners, including starters Ray Gallegos, Shavon Shields and David Rivers, but it marks the Husker debut for a host of newcomers, including sophomores Terran Petteway and Walter Pitchford, who sat out last year because of transfer rules. In addition, fans can see Nebraska’s 2013 recruiting class, including junior college transfer Leslee Smith and freshmen Nick Fuller, Nathan Hawkins, Tai Webster and Tim Wagner. Nebraska’s other newcomer is junior college transfer Deverell Biggs, who redshirted during the 2012-13 campaign.

UNL Officials Urge Fans to Protect Against Extreme Heat again this Saturday

Posted on September 5, 2013

Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 5, 2013 — With extreme heat expected on game day again this week, University of Nebraska-Lincoln officials are again encouraging fans planning to attend Saturday’s football game at Memorial Stadium to be aware of the dangers of extreme heat and to take steps to protect themselves. Like last week, fans will be permitted to bring up to two of their own 20-oz. water bottles into the stadium.

The Huskers will face the University of Southern Mississippi in the heat of the day — in expected 100-degree temperatures and a heat index likely to top 104. Stadium gates open at 3:30 p.m. and kickoff is at 5 p.m. Many fans will be seated in direct sunshine, which can raise the heat index by an additional 15 degrees. Close contact with other fans raises it further.

To prevent heat illness, fans attending Saturday’s game should:

> Drink lots of water. Avoid drinking liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar, which cause the loss of more body fluid. Avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.

> Minimize direct contact with the sun. Try to rest often in shady areas.

> Snack regularly, rather than eating heavy meals. Consider eating light, cool, easy-to-digest foods such as fruit or salads.

> Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.

Fans will again be allowed to bring up to two of their own 20-oz. clear commercial water bottles into the stadium with them. Typically, stadium policy only allows fans to bring in empty plastic water bottles, but an exception is being made this week. Fans can purchase more water or refill at water fountains on the main concourses of Memorial Stadium. Four large, portable water fountains, one on each side of the stadium, also will be available.

The Red Cross will be on hand to provide emergency medical services. First Aid stations are in the southeast corner of field level, East Stadium upper concourse, East Stadium club level, northwest concourse and West Stadium club level. An emergency heart unit is in the northwest concourse; Advanced Cardiac Life Support is in the southeast corner of field level. Contact Red Cross volunteers, Boy Scout volunteers or stadium security personnel for assistance.

NU VB: Huskers Host Southern Mississippi, Villanova, Georgia

Posted on September 5, 2013

The No. 13 Nebraska volleyball team hosts Southern Mississippi, Villanova and Georgia this weekend at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers will take on the Villanova Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m., and will face the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. Southern Mississippi will take on Georgia on Friday at 4:30 p.m., and will face Villanova on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Friday’s meeting will be the first between the Huskers and Villanova.

The Huskers hold a 4-0 record over Georgia, last meeting in 2000. The last time the Huskers faced the Bulldogs, the Huskers won in three sets (15-4, 15-2, 15-4).

The Nebraska Athletic Department will honor former Nebraska coach Terry Pettit on Friday, Sept. 6 by naming the court at the Bob Devaney Sports Center “Terry Pettit Court.” The naming is the result of a generous gift given by Bill and Ruth Scott in honor of the former Nebraska head coach.

Pettit was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2009 and was a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, a seven-time Big Eight Coach of the Year and a two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year. In his 23 years at Nebraska, he guided the Huskers to a national championship in 1995, six Final Four appearances and 21 conference titles.

Fans can listen to all of 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 outside the state will also be able to catch the live audio feed for free on Huskers.com. Saturday’s match will only be available on Huskers.com.

Nebraska’s match on Friday against Villanova will be streamed on the Big Ten Digital Network (BTN.com) and will be available with a subscription. Saturday’s match with Georgia will be streamed on Huskers.com and will be available with a HuskersNside subscription.

VILLANOVA vs. NEBRASKA

Date: Sept. 6

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Lincoln, Neb.

Arena: Bob Devaney Sports Center

Live Stats: Huskers.com

Live Video: BTN.com (subscription)

Live Radio: Husker Sports Network,

Huskers.com

GEORGIA vs. NEBRASKA

Date: Sept. 7

Time: 1 p.m.

Location: Lincoln, Neb.

Arena: Bob Devaney Sports Center

Live Stats: Huskers.com

Live Video: Huskers.com (subscription)

Live Radio: Huskers.com

Scouting the Villanova Wildcats

• Villanova is 1-2 on the season. The Wildcats started the opening weekend of play with a 3-1 loss to Oregon State, a 3-1 win over Oakland and a 3-2 loss to Central Michigan.

• Freshman Claire Crutchfield led the Wildcats last weekend with 32 total kills and an average of 2.46 kills per set. Freshman Michaela Berendt posted 28 kills on the weekend and a .426 attack percentage.

• Sophomore Emma Pettit, daughter of former Nebraska coach Terry Pettit, paces the offense for the Wildcats at setter. She recorded 145 assists over the weekend and has an average of 11.15 assists per set. She tallied 52 assists in Villanova’s win over Oakland.

• Senior Carly Edwards and freshman Michaela Berendt both recorded 10 total blocks on the weekend, with an average of 0.77 blocks per set.

• Josh Steinbach is in his seventh season at the helm of the Wildcats. He is the longest-tenured coach in the program’s 40 years as a varsity sport. He has a career record 99-82 and was the BIG EAST Coach of the Year in his first season at Villanova.

Scouting the Georgia Bulldogs

• Georgia is 3-0 on the year after beating Lipscomb, TCU and Furman in 3-0 sweeps at the Georgia Bulldog Invitational last weekend.

• Sophomore Jasmine Eatmon was named MVP of the Bulldog Invitational after finishing the weekend with 20 kills, three service aces and nine blocks. She hit a team-best .548 clip and averaged one block per set.

• Senior Stacey Smith leads the Bulldogs offensively as she has a total of 24 kills on the year and an average of 2.67 kills per set.

• Junior Kaylee Kehoe paced the Georgia offense over the weekend with a total of 60 assists and an average of 6.67 assists per set.

• Junior Lauren Teknipp and senior Allison Summers were also named to the Georgia Bulldog Invitational all-tournament team for their efforts over the weekend. Teknipp led all players with 10 kills, going 10-for-21 for an attack percentage of .336 against TCU. Summers posted a team-high 34 digs over the weekend, averaging 3.78 digs per set.

• Georgia is coached by former Nebraska assistant coach Lizzy Stemke. She spent four seasons at Nebraska before being hired by Georgia and is in her third season.

Noting the Nebraska Cornhuskers

The information below provides a quick glimpse of a few statistics and brief notes heading into this weekend.

•Nebraska enters this weekend’s matches with a 2-1 record and No. 13 national ranking.

•The Huskers return AVCA Honorable-Mention All-Americans Morgan Broekhuis and Meghan Haggerty in 2013. They also welcomed 2011 AVCA Second-Team All-American Kelsey Robinson and 2011 AVCA Honorable-Mention All-American Mary Pollmiller to the 2013 roster after both transferred from Tennessee.

• Nebraska begins the 2013 season as the second-winningest program in Division I history with 1,168 wins and trails only UCLA (1,184) on the all-time list.

• The Huskers finished tied for second in the Big Ten in 2012. They were picked to finish fourth in the league in the Big Ten Coaches’ preseason poll in 2013.

• Nebraska carries a streak of 181 consecutive sellouts into the 2013 season, the longest sellout streak across all NCAA women’s athletics. The Huskers averaged 4,287 fans per home contest last season at the NU Coliseum.

• Nebraska has seven players on its 2013 roster who were Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selections, representing the top-50 players in that year’s recruiting class. Six of the Huskers’ last nine recruiting classes have ranked in the top five nationally, including the 2009 class that was ranked second and the 2013 class that was ranked first by Prepvolleyball.com

• Nebraska continued its string of All-America success in 2012, as Lauren Cook was named an AVCA All-American. Cook upped Nebraska’s NCAA-leading totals to 36 players and 74 certificates. Nebraska has had at least one All-American every season since 1983, a total of 31 straight seasons, including 39 All-America awards in Cook’s 13 years at Nebraska.

Blackshirts Amped for Bridgford, Golden Eagles

Posted on September 3, 2013

Lincoln – The Nebraska football team continued its week of preparation for Saturday’s game against Southern Misson Tuesday 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.

Defensive Coordinator John Papuchis addressed the media after practice, initially focusing on the similarities between Southern Miss quarterback Allen Bridgford and Wyoming quarterback Brett Smith.

“Allen Bridgford and Brett Smith are both big, strong-armed guys,” Papuchis said. “I’ve been impressed with the way Bridgford throws the ball, and I walked away very impressed with Smith as well. We’re still doing some research on Bridgford from his time back at Cal, but I’d say he’s somewhat similar to Smith.”

Papuchis was pleased with the way that some of his younger players played, such as freshman linebacker Josh Banderas, in their first action at Nebraska.

“Last week, the plan was to get Josh Banderas in a little bit more than we did,” Papuchis said. “The game wasn’t ever comfortable enough to make us that eager to put in a freshman, but we kind of bit the bullet in the fourth quarter and said it was time to get him out there. He played well, and we have a lot of confidence in him, whether we’re up 16 or up three like we were at the end.”

Although the impact of freshmen like Banderas was noticeable, Papuchis also mentioned his desire to get junior linebacker Zaire Anderson more reps against Southern Miss on Saturday.

“With Wyoming being a four-wide personnel team, the initial thought was that we were going to play a lot more dime, which made Mo Seisay a lot more involved,” Papuchis said. “I’d like to see Zaire Anderson play a bigger role this week, but that’s going to be dictated by what kind of personnel groupings we see from Southern Miss.”

Finally, Papuchis noted the difficulties of scouting opponents in openers and his belief that the defense is more prepared for Saturday’s game against Southern Miss.

“Openers are always somewhat tricky in college football,” Papuchis said. “You run the fine line between preparing too much and overwhelming your guys with information and not preparing enough, leaving a lot of guesswork. We did some things on defense that they had never seen before, and they did some things on offense we had never seen before. We have a little bit more film on Southern Miss, and we have a better base idea of who they are.”

Nebraska will hit the practice field again on Wednesday as the team moves closer to its second game of the season. NU will face Southern Mississippi on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network.

Huskers Move on to Southern Miss

Posted on September 2, 2013

Lincoln, Neb.- The Nebraska football team started its game two preparations for Southern Mississippi during a two-hour practice held inside the Hawks Center and outside at the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields in shorts and helmets Monday afternoon.

Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck met with media after practice, noting that the team had a good practiceMonday after beating Wyoming 37-34 Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

“It was good, starting to introduce the prep for Sothern Miss, so it is a lot more teaching and listening and learning day today. You could see, I think they were eager to get out there and play.”

Beck added that it was nice to move on to week two of the season, after a close win against the Cowboys Saturdaynight.

“It was week one, for lack of a better term. We did some good things out there, just didn’t finish the game real well. We had some individual players break down, and it showed up and kind of hurt us later in the game.” Beck said, “We just didn’t focus at the end, and weren’t able to convert and finish the game the way I was hoping to finish.”

The high-powered Nebraska offense relied on its power running attack was more conservative in its play-calling on Saturday night. In hindsight, Beck wishes that he would have taken more chances during the season opener.

“Yeah there is no doubt, there is opportunities to be able to do it, but once again I kind of feel like we were running the ball pretty affectively. We were going to run it until they (Wyoming) stopped us, and I didn’t think there was any need to risk—and then that one pass at the end of the quarter got intercepted.” Beck said, “If you look back there were opportunities we could have took, probably should have took them in hindsight, but we didn’t.”

Nebraska boasted a four-man running combo Saturday night, which led the Huskers to 375 yards rushing against the Cowboys. Beck noted that he trusts running backs coach Ron Brown to continue to help the stable of running backs produce amazing stats.

“I trust Ron (Brown) to be able to know what they need to do.” Beck said, “It is not a sprint it is a marathon, we have a long season ahead of us, and we are going to need them all. It is good to get them touches and experience.”

True freshman running back Terrell Newby of West Hills, Calif., was one of those backs that helped NU record 375 on the ground. Beck said that he was really impressed with Newby’s play and to expect more carries to go his way.

“I was very pleased with what he did, again just kind of trust and rely on our coaches that is why they are here.” Beck said, “I wanted Terrell in the game because of his speed, and I wanted some fresh legs in the game, and he brought us that.”

Nebraska will continue preparations Tuesday as the team moves closer to its second game of the year. NU will face Southern Mississippi on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network.

NU VB: Huskers Sweep Billikens in Marcia E. Hamilton Classic Finale

Posted on August 31, 2013August 31, 2013

St. Louis, Mo. – The No. 10 Nebraska volleyball team (2-1) made quick work of Saint Louis on Saturday night, sweeping the Billikens 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-16) in front of 3,759 fans at Chaifetz Arena. Kelsey Robinson and Justine Wong-Orantes were named to the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic All-Tournament Team for their efforts over the weekend.

Amber Rolfzen and Kelsey Fien each had 10 kills for the Huskers, Fien recording just two errors for a .421 hitting percentage. Robinson had nine kills, while Cecilia Hall punched in seven hills and zero errors. Alicia Ostrander posted four kills, zero errors, a hitting percentage of .571 and six blocks to lead NU at the net.

Nebraska recorded a hitting percentage of .300 or better for the first time this season, chipping in a clip of .366. The Huskers held Saint Louis to a .139 hitting percentage. NU out-blocked the Billikens 7-5 and out-dug SLU 43-38.

The Huskers opened the first set with a 5-3 lead, aided by two quick kills from Amber Rolfzen. The two teams exchanged leads and posted 13 ties until a kill from Morgan Broekhuis gave NU a little separation at 22-20. Ostrander and Broekhuis teamed up for a block to give NU a 24-20 lead as the Huskers went on to take the first set 25-20.

Fien led NU in the first set with five kills, while Amber Rolfzen and Broekhuis all had three kills. Nebraska hit .371 for the set, while Saint Louis hit .273. Both teams had 12 blocks.

Hall and Broekhuis aided the Huskers early with two kills in the second set to give the Huskers a 9-5 lead. Hall continued to work for the Huskers, using two kills to bring Nebraska’s lead to 13-8. Hunter connected with Ostrander for a kill, making it 16-10, NU, pushing the Huskers to eventually take a 20-14 lead.

Amber Rolfzen, Hall and Ostrander each tallied four kills in the second set. Nebraska hit .452 for the set and held the Billikens to a hitting clip of .154.

The Huskers came out to a 5-4 lead in the third set with the help of a block from Ostrander. Robinson tallied back-to-back kills to spark NU and Amber Rolfzen punched in a kill to make it 12-8, Huskers. Ostrander kept coming with the block, giving Nebraska a 16-9 lead. The Huskers gained all the momentum and went ahead 20-13, going on to finish the third set with a 25-16 third-set win.

Nebraska returns home next weekend and will host Villanova on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. and Georgia on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 1 p.m.

NU VB: Huskers Drop 3-1 Decision to Auburn

Posted on August 31, 2013August 31, 2013

St. Louis, Mo. – The No. 10 Nebraska volleyball team (1-1) dropped a 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 23-25) decision to the Auburn Tigers on Saturday morning. One day after a dominating performance over Louisiana-Monroe, the Huskers faced a challenge in a feisty Tiger squad.

Kelsey Robinson led Nebraska on the day with a double-double, including 18 kills and 18 digs. Kelsey Fien recorded 13 kills, while Justine Wong-Orantes also chipped in 18 digs. Mary Pollmiller paced the offense with 27 assists, while Kelly Hunter added 19 assists.

Nebraska hit .218 as a team in the match, as the Tigers hit .208. The Huskers were out-blocked 9-7 and out-dug 86-71. NU recorded six service aces, but could not overcome the errors from the service line as NU tallied 14 by the end of the match. Auburn had just two service errors.

The Huskers started the match with a 5-3 lead after a long rally and a kill by Robinson. The two teams exchanged leads, with nine ties until the Tigers went up 18-15. Freshman Melanie Keil came in for NU at middle blocker and the Huskers capitalized on a kill by Robinson as Nebraska strung together a 3-0 run to cut Auburn’s lead to 20-19. The Tigers responded, but a block by Hall and Robinson pushed Nebraska to a 3-0 run, tying the match at 22-22. Auburn would roll off three more points on the Huskers to close out the set 25-23.

The two teams hit an identical .213 clip for the first set and each had two team blocks. Nebraska was out-dug 28-19 as four Auburn players had at least five digs in the set. Robinson led the Huskers with seven kills.

The Huskers found their rhythm and responded in the second set, taking a 5-1 lead with the help of two kills from Fien. The lead was stretched to 9-3 as Auburn called a timeout. The Huskers came out of the timeout to take a 15-5 lead, aided by a kill from Broekhuis and a double-block from Hall and Robinson. Back-to-back kills from Fien made it 20-6, Huskers, but the Tigers strung together a run of their own to make it 20-10, NU, and force Nebraska to use a timeout. Haggerty ended an 11-1 run for the Tigers with a kill to make it 22-18, but Auburn would not back down until Nebraska finished off the second set with a 25-22 win.

Fien led NU in the second set with six kills on 13 attacks, while the Huskers hit at a clip of .220. Wong-Orantes guided the Huskers defensively with seven digs, as NU out-dug the Tigers 16-12. Auburn was held to a hitting percentage of .091.

Back-to-back aces from Kelly Hunter helped the Huskers to an 8-6 lead early in the third set. Hall made her presence known with two kills to make it 14-10, NU. Auburn came back to take the lead at 17-16, as a kill from Robinson would tie the set at 21-21. A double-block by Hall and Robinson would bring the Huskers within 24-23, but Auburn held on to take the third set 25-23.

Fien once again led NU in the set with four kills, while Hall and Broekhuis each had three. Nebraska hit .178 for the set, while Auburn hit at a clip of .257. Both teams recorded three team blocks, while NU was out-dug 23-13.

The intensity did not let up in the fourth set as the Tigers and Huskers battled point-for-point. Nebraska went up 7-6 on a kill by Amber Rolfzen, but Auburn responded to take the lead, eventually taking a 12-9 advantage and forcing NU to call a timeout. Haggerty and Broekhuis connected for a double-block to tie the set at 15-15, as Nebraska then used a spirited rally to tie the set again at 17-17. Auburn took a 20-19 lead late in the set, but the Huskers would not be able to gain enough momentum and dropped the set 25-23.

Robinson had five kills in the fourth set, while Amber Rolfzen posted four kills. The Huskers hit .261 and Auburn hit .250. Both teams tallied 23 digs.

Nebraska returns to action this evening as the Huskers will take on Saint Louis at 7 p.m.