A prolific offensive attack has been responsible for much of the Nebraska volleyball team's success this season, but NU used a different approach on Sunday at the Qwest Center.
The Huskers used a strong defensive performance to sweep in-state rival Creighton 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-19) and improve to 15-0 on the season.
NU was able to tally 12 blocks and Jordan Larson and Kayla Banwarth combined for 39 digs in the three-set match to make up for a lackluster offensive showing where Nebraska only hit .217.
"We were a little ragged tonight," said Nebraska coach John Cook. "But I thought our players did a nice job, and we finished every game really strong. That was the highlight of this match for us. Creighton pushed us and pushed us, but when we got to 20 or 19, we took over the match."
Nebraska's defense held Creighton to a meager .091 attack percentage, but the Jays were able to keep it close because they also played well defensively.
Creighton coach Kirsten Booth was pleased with how her team matched up with the Huskers.
"I told our team that I thought we did a lot of good things today. I didn't feel like we were out of our league," Booth said. "I thought the points were long and I felt like we made Nebraska earn points today, but what they do so well, is they do earn points."
Cook compared Creighton to Iowa State because both teams use good defense to create long rallies and force their opponents into errors.
"A lot of balls are coming back over the net and we're getting better (against) those long rally teams," Cook said. "We're probably more comfortable playing teams like Stanford, Texas - (who has) these big bangers and there's not a lot of rallies (because) somebody's going to put it away.
"This is good for us to be in these type of matches. I thought as the match went on we got better and better and handling those long rallies and staying organized."
The Huskers set the tone early by jumping out to a 10-2 lead in the first set. The Jays gradually worked their way back into it, narrowing the score to 22-19, but sophomore Lindsey Licht ripped off four of her nine total kills at the end of the set to put it away.
In the second set, Nebraska put the pressure on Creighton again by jumping out to a 9-4 lead. The Jays hung around, but never posed much of a threat as the Huskers took the set easily 25-18.
The third set was a back and forth battle for much of the match. Clinging to an 18-17 lead, the Huskers would go on a 5-1 run to make it 23-18 and would coast from there to complete the sweep.
NU sophomore libero Kayla Banwarth led the team with 20 digs against Creighton and said she takes a lot of pride in winning long rallies.
"As a rally gets longer, it just (adds) excitement and more energy to keep the ball off the court," Banwarth said. "So as the rally goes on and on and on, you have an extra fire when you're playing defense. And when someone gets that big kill at the end of a rally, it's always exciting."
Sophomore Tara Mueller led the Huskers with 15 kills on 40 swings. Larson added nine kills on 31 attempts while Licht and Kori Cooper combined for 15 more kills.
Banwarth's 20 digs and Larson's 19 digs were season highs for both and the team's 65 digs was the highest three-set performance of the season.
Cooper was in on six of NU's 12 blocks and Licht also added four stuffs.
Cook said Sunday's inter-state match - which drew 8,037 people - was a great night for both teams.
"It's just great for the state of Nebraska," Cook said. "I thought both teams played really hard. There were a lot of great rallies. This was a tough match for us, and I thought our team responded really well. It was just a fun match to watch and appreciate the great support we have here in Nebraska."
lukenichols@dailynebraskan.com
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