The Big Ten Conference announced its fall Academic All-Big Ten honorees on Wednesday morning, including nine members of the Nebraska volleyball program.
Junior Cecilia Hall earned her second career honor. Hall is a biochemistry major. Eight Huskers were honored for the first time: Alexa Ethridge (speech-language pathology), Kelly Hunter (marketing), Melanie Keil (dietetics), Kira Larson (marketing), Mary Pollmiller (nutrition science), Amber Rolfzen (business administration), Kadie Rolfzen (advertising & public relations) and Justine Wong-Orantes (child, youth & family studies).
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Tag: Huskers
No. 12 Huskers Look to Rebound in Annual Battle with Bluejays
The No. 12 Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to road action Thursday when the Huskers head to Omaha for their annual clash with Creighton.
Tip-off between the Huskers (7-1) and Bluejays (4-4) in the 40th meeting between the two teams is set for 8 p.m. (central) at D.J. Sokol Arena with live national television coverage from Fox Sports 1. Eric Collins and LaChina Robinson will be on the call for Nebraska’s first-ever appearance on Fox Sports 1.
Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call on stations across the network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and 93.3 FM in Omaha. Free live audio also will be available on Huskers.com.
Nebraska will try to bounce back from its first loss of the season, a 53-51 setback to Alabama at Tuscaloosa on Sunday. Senior guard Tear’a Laudermill led the Big Red with 25 points on a school-record-tying seven three-pointers. Her final three came with 18.1 seconds left to tie the game at 51, after the Huskers battled back from a 50-42 deficit with four minutes left. However, Alabama’s Nikki Hegstetter hit a putback with 2.5 seconds left to seal the win for the Crimson Tide, who improved to 8-3.
Laudermill (12.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) is one of three Huskers who enter the game averaging in double figures. Wade Trophy and Wooden Award candidate Rachel Theriot leads the Big Red with 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The 6-0 junior point guard has produced double figures in seven of NU’s first eight games, including three 20-point performances. Senior Emily Cady has added 13.4 points and a team-best 8.4 rebounds per game. Cady, a 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., is the Big Ten’s active rebound leader and owns 25 career double-doubles, including three this season.
Creighton heads into Thursday’s game with a 4-4 record after rallying from a 16-point halftime deficit to win 58-56 at Northern Iowa on Monday night. Nebraska will be the third top-15 foe on Creighton’s schedule so far this season, joining road losses at UConn and California.
#12 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 6.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 13.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 12.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 17.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Off the Bench
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 3.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 1.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg
30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.2 ppg, 0.4 rpg
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – 0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg
50 – Darrien Washington – 6-2 – Fr. – F – High School
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (248-143); 25th Season Overall (443-283)
Creighton Bluejays (4-4, 0-1 BIG EAST)
11 – Bailey Norby – 6-2 – Fr. – F – 2.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg
23 – Marissa Janning – 6-2 – Jr. – F – 16.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg
45 – Alexis Akin-Otiko – 6-0 – So. – F – 10.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg
3 – MC McGrory – 5-8 – So. – G – 8.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg
14 – Sydney Lamberty – 5-10 – Fr. – G – 7.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Off the Bench
50 – Brianna Rollerson – 6-0 – So. – F – 6.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg
22 – Taylor Johnson – 5-11 – Jr. – G/F – 5.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg
5 – Sammy Jensen – 5-5 – Sr. – G – 4.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg
12 – Lauren Works – 5-7 – So. – G – 4.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg
1 – Jade Owens – 5-6 – Fr. – G – 2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg
2 – Myah Mellman – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 1.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg
20 – Tessa Leytem – 5-11 – Jr. – G – 0.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
33 – Kylie Brown – 6-3 – Fr. – F – 0.3 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Head Coach: Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987)
13th Season at Creighton (239-155); 13th Season Overall (239-155)
Huskers Announce Roster Change
Nebraska women’s basketball coach Connie Yori announced Tuesday that freshman Kaylee Page has left the program.
Page, who averaged 5.6 minutes in five games for the Huskers, played four first-half minutes at Alabama Sunday. She scored the only two points of her career in 11 minutes in Nebraska’s win over Alcorn State on Nov. 16.
“We understand that young people will go through some tough times in their growth toward maturity,” Yori said. “The transition into college is often difficult for student-athletes and their parents. In our program, we encourage our student-athletes to trust the process and work hard to improve each day, and good things will happen.”
Yori said Nebraska has released Kaylee Page from her scholarship and also released her younger sister, Lanie, from her National Letter of Intent, at the Pages’ request.
Three Huskers Named to AVCA All-North Region Team
Kelsey Fien, Mary Pollmiller and Kadie Rolfzen were named to the AVCA All-North Region Team on Tuesday.
Pollmiller, a senior setter and captain from Littleton, Colo., is a three-time AVCA All-Region honoree, earning spots in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Pollmiller leads the Huskers with 10.10 assists per set and ranks fourth among active NCAA Division I players in career assists with 5,140. Pollmiller also adds 81 blocks (0.73 per set) to rank fourth on the team.
Rolfzen, a sophomore outside hitter from Papillion, Neb., earns her second career all-region honor after earning both all-region and all-America selections last year as a freshman. She leads Nebraska in kills with 381 (3.56 per set), and averaged 3.62 in Big Ten play. Rolfzen also tallies 2.66 digs per set to rank second on the team and establish herself as one of the top all-around players in the region for the second straight season.
Fien earns her first career AVCA All-Region honor after a breakout season. The junior outside hitter from Bakersfield, Calif., is second on the team in kills with 265 (3.23 per set) and was particularly strong in conference play, posting 3.39 kills per set while hitting .303, the best mark by an NU player and third among all B1G outside hitters.
All three players are now eligible for All-America honors. The Huskers hit the road this week for the NCAA Tournament Regional in Seattle, Wash. Nebraska will play the No. 3 seed Washington at 8:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday on ESPNU.
Kokesh Ascends to No. 1 at 174 Pounds
Senior All-American Robert Kokesh moved up to No. 1 at 174 pounds in every major NCAA wrestling poll this week following his first-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational over the weekend.
Kokesh, a Wagner, S.D., native, earned the top spot from InterMat, WIN Magazine, TheOpenMat.com and Asics Flo Rankings. He entered the weekend ranked second before reeling off five wins en route to the 174-pound title in Las Vegas, Nev. Kokesh opened with a pair of major decisions before knocking off ranked wrestlers Mark Martin of Ohio State (No. 12), Tanner Weatherman of Iowa State (No. 6) and Blaise Butler of Virginia (No. 9).
Kokesh is 14-0 on the season with a 4-0 dual record, and claimed first place at the Cowboy Open on Nov. 8. Kokesh has four victories against ranked opponents to go along with three pins, two technical falls and two major decisions.
The two-time All-American ranks seventh in school history in career victories with 119. He finished fourth at the 2014 NCAA Championships after taking third in 2013. Kokesh is also the reigning Big Ten champion at 174 pounds.
The Huskers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) host Big Ten rival Wisconsin on Saturday at 6 p.m. (CT) at the Devaney Center. The dual will mark Nebraska’s final competition of 2014 before it opens 2015 at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 1-2.
Basketball Holiday Break Games on Sale Tomorrow
Lincoln – The University of Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office announced Tuesday that a limited number of tickets for the Huskers’ holiday break games against Indiana (Dec. 31) and Rutgers (Jan. 8) will go on sale tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.
Tickets can be purchased online at Huskers.com or by calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED and are available for $10 (300 Level) and $30 (100 Level) apiece and are available because of the UNL Holiday break between semesters.
UNL Students and Red Zone Members can still claim their free tickets for both holiday break games by logging into their student ticket accounts until 11 p.m. tonight.
Huskers Look to Bounce back against Incarnate Word
For the first time in two seasons, the Husker men’s basketball team will look to rebound from a home non-conference loss, as the Huskers host Incarnate Word at Pinnacle Bank Arena Wednesday evening.
A limited number of tickets for Wednesday’s contest are available, beginning at $7, by visiting Huskers.com, calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIG RED or at the Pinnacle Bank Arena box office beginning Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
Tipoff is set for 7:02 p.m. (central) and will be available on ESPN3 and on the WatchESPN app with Shawn Kenney and Mac McCausland on the call. For more information on WatchESPN and ESPN3, visit watchespn.com.
The game will be broadcast across the state of Nebraska on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, 1110 KFAB in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington with Kent Pavelka calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as on TuneIn Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio.
The Huskers are 5-2 on the season and are coming off a disappointing 65-55 loss to Creighton on Sunday. In that game, the Huskers let a 10-point first-half lead slip away, as the Bluejays shot 47 percent, including 44 percent from 3-point range, and held the Huskers to 38 percent shooting. It marked the first time in 2014-15 that NU had been outshot from the field and snapped the Huskers’ 12-game home win streak in the process.
While Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields have been among the Big Ten’s top scorers this season at 21.0 ppg and 18.1 ppg, respectively, Nebraska has been looking for a consistent third offensive option. In Sunday’s loss, senior forward David Rivers gave the Huskers a boost with nine points and season highs in both rebounds (eight) and assists (two). Rivers is averaging career bests in scoring (6.6 ppg), rebounding (5.1 rpg) and shooting percentage (.600), while he is third on the team in rebounding and fourth in scoring.
Incarnate Word is 5-1 on the season following an 81-65 loss at UTEP on Monday night. The Cardinals, who are in the second year as a Division I program, went 21-6 last year and finished fifth in the Southland Conference with a 9-5 record. The Cardinal are a high-scoring squad, averaging 86.2 points per game this season and have four players averaging double figures, including senior guard Denzel Livingston, who is averaging 20.7 points per game.
Nebraska-Indiana Men’s Basketball Time Set
Lincoln – The Big Ten Conference announced Monday afternoon that Nebraska’s game on New Year’s Eve against Indiana will tip off at 4:30 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena and will be televised nationally on BTN.
The game, which is the conference opener for both teams, was listed as TBA on tickets, schedule posters and schedule cards until the conference set the schedule for that day’s basketball games. The matchup between the Huskers and Hoosiers caps a tripleheader on BTN, as Wisconsin will host Penn State at Noon and Purdue will host Minnesota at 2:15 p.m.
The Huskers’ games on Feb. 22 (vs. Iowa) and March 8 (vs. Maryland) are Wildcard Weekend and will not be determined until later in the season.
Dec. 31 Big Ten Schedule
Noon: PENN STATE at WISCONSIN
2:15 p.m.: MINNESOTA at PURDUE
4:30 p.m.: INDIANA at NEBRASKA
Times listed are central
Don “Fox” Bryant Services
The celebration of life service for Don “Fox” Bryant will be Friday, Dec. 12 at 1:30 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church, 4530 A St., Lincoln, Nebraska.
(A private family interment will be held Friday morning at Lincoln Memorial Park).
Visitation will be Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home, 4040 A St., Lincoln, Nebraska.
Visitation will continue Thursday evening at Christ United Methodist Church Gymnasium (4530 A St.) with the family present from 5-8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to University of Nebraska College of Journalism to establish a scholarship in his name, Christ United Methodist Church or Lincoln Municipal Band.
The family welcomes condolences, stories and recollections of Fox at www.bmlfh.com.
If anyone would like to send written condolences to either Don’s wife, Pedie Bryant, or his son, Bill Bryant, I will be happy to provide their addresses via email to you.
Osborne Wishes Riley ‘The Very Best’ with Huskers
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Tom Osborne echoed much of the Nebraska fan base with his reaction to the hiring of Mike Riley as the Cornhuskers’ new football coach.
In an email to The Associated Press on Monday, the coach who led Nebraska to three national titles wrote, “I don’t know Mike Riley. I wish him the very best.”
Riley, who comes from Oregon State, will be the fourth Huskers coach since Osborne ended his coaching career in 1997. Osborne, as athletic director, hired Riley’s predecessor, Bo Pelini.
Riley said at his introductory news conference Friday that he keeps one of Osborne’s books on his shelf. He said when he was coaching in the Canadian Football League, Osborne called him to recommend a player. Riley said that’s the only time he talked to Osborne.