Husker volleyball gains three more wins

The Huskers were one of four teams to compete in the weekend tournament in Baton Rouge, La. for the Tiger Classic.

The Huskers first match of tournament came against the Ragin' Cajuns of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Using a young lineup, the Huskers won the match in three straight sets.

The weekend-opening sweep featured dominating performances from a young Husker team. Thirty of the team's 42 kills were credited to NU freshmen. Of those, 23 kills were the works of freshmen Hannah Werth and Gina Mancuso.

In the opening set, the Huskers came alive midway through, assembling a 13-2 rally to finish out a 25-14 victory. Mancuso led the squad with six kills. Werth was right behind with five, aiding the team to a .500 hitting percentage.

Nebraska showed no let-up in the second set.

The Huskers jumped on top early, taking nine of the set's first 12 points. With Werth leading the team with six kills, Nebraska took set two 25-15.

In the third and final set, NU once again used an early rally to claim the set victory 25-10. The Huskers jumped out to a 6-1 lead early on and then let their defense take it from there. Nebraska combined for 23 digs and allowed only two UL-Lafayette kills in the third frame, taking the set and match victory. 

Nebraska's next test would prove to be the toughest, facing the host-team the Louisiana State University Tigers. Using a knockout final set, the Huskers defeated the Tigers in five.

The match featured a career night for NU junior Lindsey Licht. Licht tied career highs in both kills, with 15 and blocks with six. Werth also recorded her first double-double as a Husker.

In the first set, the Nebraska offense was just not good enough to overcome the Tigers .323 hitting percentage in a 25-22 NU loss. Nebraska was unable to hold on to an early 7-3 lead. Mueller led the team with four kills in a team hitting effort at just .133.
The second stanza played out much differently.

Nebraska found themselves trailing 6-0 early, only to mount a comeback to win set two 25-16. Licht led the comeback with five kills and .500 hitting. The Husker defense came up with 21 digs and out-blocked LSU 4-1.

Licht and Mueller led the squad again in the third set. Mueller had six kills as the Huskers out-hit the Tigers .158 -.071. In a back-and-forth contest, a late LSU rally was too much for NU as they dropped set three 25-21.

Werth came alive in set four with five kills to give Nebraska the 25-15 win and force a fifth and final set. Nebraska also capitalized on impressive serving from freshman Megan Pendergast, who ended the set with a pair of service aces.

In the fifth-set finale, big performances from Mueller and Brooke Delano notched the Huskers their fourth victory of the season. Mueller had three kills on only six swings and Delano came up big down the stretch with two kills and a vital block in a 15-8 Husker win. 

Nebraska showed why they are the fifth-ranked team in the nation in the final match of the trip. On Saturday afternoon, the team swept Tulane in three straight sets.

The Nebraska offense was in tip-top shape against the Green Wave. The Huskers hit a season best .360. Licht had another career day as she tallied a match-high 11 kills and hit for .409.

The NU defense looked equally as good. The Huskers held Tulane to -.036 hitting, the first time Nebraska has held an opponent to a hitting percentage under .000 since the NCAA tournament in 2007.

The opening set turned out to be the best set for Nebraska this season. Hitting .480, the Huskers toppled Tulane 25-9. NU had three different players with three kills in the set.

Licht led the way for Nebraska in set two with five kills and a .600 hitting percentage.

The Huskers fell behind early in the set and did not lead until halfway through. At the end of the set, NU rallied for a 8-2 run to grab the set victory.

The Nebraska defense captured the final set win. The Huskers blocked Tulane seven times. Delano and Licht led the defensive charge, both recording four blocks. The team held Tulane to  -.054 hitting for the match victory.