Huskers Sweep No. 12 Purdue on the Road

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 3 Nebraska volleyball team picked up another sweep on the road with a 25-21, 25-20, 25-18 win at No. 12 Purdue on Wednesday night at Holloway Gymnasium.
Bekka Allick had a career-high 12 kills with four blocks and hit .611 to lead the Huskers (17-1, 9-0 Big Ten) to their 10th straight win and fifth in a row by sweep.
Madi Kubik had nine kills and nine digs and hit .304, and Ally Batenhorst posted seven kills.
The Huskers hit .295 for the match and held the Boilermakers to .140. NU had the advantage in kills (41-36) and digs (38-34), while Purdue had a slight edge in blocks (8-6). NU sided out at 68.9 percent, while Purdue sided out 54.8 percent of the time.
Whitney Lauenstein added five kills, while Kaitlyn Hord had five and Lindsay Krause had three. Lauenstein also had four blocks and two aces.
Nicklin Hames and Anni Evans had 21 and 16 assists, respectively. Lexi Rodriguez and Kenzie Knuckles had nine and seven digs, respectively.
Purdue (15-4, 6-3 Big Ten) got nine kills from Emma Ellis and eight kills from Madeline Koch. Eva Hudson entered the match averaging more than 17 kills per match, but NU held her to a season low in kills (seven) and hitting percentage (-.086).
Set 1: The beginning of the match was tightly contested with the Huskers attacking better than the Boilermakers, but four early service errors aided the Boilermakers taking a 12-11 lead. Krause killed a ball to spark a 4-0 Husker run. Allick had a kill and Kubik's service run had the Huskers ahead 15-12 at the media timeout. Purdue pulled within 18-17, but Lauenstein and Kubik answered with kills to keep NU on top, 21-17. Allick connected for three kills to earn set point for NU at 24-19, and Batenhorst put the set away at 25-21. NU hit .364 and held Purdue to .167. Allick had five kills on seven swings.
Set 2: Purdue went out in front, 7-4, but two kills by Batenhorst and one by Hord were part of a 5-0 Husker run that made it 11-8 Huskers. After a Purdue sideout, Batenhorst and Kubik added two more kills for a 13-9 lead, and a kill by Allick was followed by a Purdue attacking error, and the Huskers held a 17-11 lead. Allick posted her eighth kill and then had a block with Krause before her ninth kill made it 20-12 Big Red. But the Boilermakers went on a 7-2 spurt to get within 22-19. A service error then gave the Huskers a key sideout, and Nebraska had set point at 24-20. A kill by Allick clinched the set, 25-20.
Set 3: The Huskers came out firing to a 3-0 lead after kills by Kubik and Lauenstein and a block by Allick and Lauenstein. Lauenstein added another kill and then served NU's first ace before a kill by Kubik and a Purdue error made it 7-1 Huskers. A block by Hames and Allick and another kill by Allick had NU up 9-2. The Huskers pushed the lead to eight, 15-7, after kills by Hord and Kubik and a block by Hord and Lauenstein. The Huskers took control with a 7-2 spurt that made it 22-12 Big Red. Lauenstein hand Kubik each had a kill and an ace in that stretch. The Huskers finished out the sweep, 25-18.
Up Next: The Huskers head to Champaign, Ill., for a 6 p.m. match on Saturday against Illinois.
Huskers Announce 2023 Women’s Gymnastics Schedule
The Nebraska women's gymnastics team announced the 2023 regular season schedule on Thursday, Oct. 20, which features four home meets at the Bob Devaney Sports Center among its 15 competitions.
Nebraska is scheduled to make its first home appearance to open its season on Saturday, Jan. 7. The Huskers will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 3 p.m.
The Big Red will hit the road for the first time the following week, traveling to Washington D.C. to face George Washington on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 12 p.m.
The Huskers are back home to open Big Ten competition against Maryland on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m.
After battling the Terrapins, Nebraska will head to Champaign, Ill. on Saturday, Jan. 28, to face Illinois at 6 p.m.
The Big Red hosts Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Devaney Center. The meet is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and will be a double dual as the NU men's gymnastics team will be competing against Michigan simultaneously.
Nebraska will travel to University Park, Penn., for a Big Ten matchup with Penn State on Friday, Feb. 10, at 5 p.m.
The following week, NU will face the defending Big Ten Champions, Michigan, in Ann Arbor, Mich., Friday, Feb. 17, at 6 p.m.
The Huskers will then head to the Big Five meet for one of the premier competitions of the season. Nebraska will go head-to-head with Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Rutgers on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 12 p.m.
NU will travel to Logan, Utah for its final road meet of the regular season to take on Utah State at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 3.
The last home meet will be Saturday, March 11 at 6 p.m. as Nebraska hosts the Master's Classic. NU will face Denver and Air Force for senior night.
Postseason begins at the Big Ten Championships in Iowa City, Iowa on Saturday, March 18.
NCAA Regionals are set to take place at four different locations (Denver, UCLA, Oklahoma and Pittsburgh) March 30-April 1.
The NCAA Championships will be held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, April 15-16.
2023 Nebraska Women's Gymnastics Schedule
Jan. 7 - Arkansas (Devaney Center) - 3 p.m.
Jan. 15 - at George Washington (Washington, DC) - 12 p.m.
Jan. 21 - Maryland (Devaney Center) - 6 p.m.
Jan. 28 - at Illinois (Champaign, IL) - 2 p.m.
Feb. 4 - Iowa (Devaney Center) - 6 p.m.
Feb. 10 - at Penn State (State College, PA) - 5 p.m.
Feb. 17 - at Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) - 6 p.m.
Feb. 25 - at Big Five Meet (Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers) - 1 p.m.
March 3 - at Utah State (Logan, Utah) - 6 p.m.
March 11 - Master's Classic vs. Denver, Air Force (Devaney Center) - 6 p.m.
March 18 - Big Ten Championships (Iowa City, Iowa) - TBA
March 30-April 1 - NCAA Regionals (Denver, UCLA, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh) - TBA
April 13 & 15 - NCAA Championships (Fort Worth, Texas) - TBA
*All times are listed in central time zone.
Huskers Slip on Final Day in Kansas
The Nebraska women's golf team struggled through its roughest day of the fall campaign, slipping to an eighth-place finish at the 15-team Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational in Lawrence, Kan., on Tuesday.
The Huskers were challenged by cool and windy conditions that forced slow play and a second round suspended by darkness on Monday, before waiting through a frost delay to complete the second round on Tuesday. After closing the second round, Nebraska was one of the last teams off the tees to start the third round, as teams with scheduled flights began their final rounds, which were cut short to just nine holes because of travel considerations.
Nebraska, which entered Tuesday in fourth place, slipped to eighth in the final standings. The Huskers completed the second round at 307, but the nine-hole third round on the par-72, 6,125-yard layout at the Lawrence Country Club sent the Huskers down the team leader board. NU finished the final nine holes in 165 and no Husker broke 40.
"We played a bit uncharacteristically today for us," Nebraska Head Coach Jeanne Sutherland said. "It was a day of adversity and instead of playing to position we multiplied our errors. We will take a lot from today and bounce back in Miami in two weeks."
Graduate student Megan Whittaker (Elkhorn, Neb.), who entered Tuesday in a tie for second, closed out a 74 (+2) in the second round but settled for a 42 (+6) over the final nine holes to slip into a tie for 15th as Nebraska's top individual finisher at 190 (+10) over 27 holes.
Junior Lindsey Thiele (Wahoo, Neb.) and freshman Kelli Ann Strand (Challis, Idaho) added ties for 26th at 195 (+15), while sophomore Miu Takahashi (Japan) was Nebraska's No. 4 finisher in a tie for 47th at 199 (+19) over 27 holes.
Sophomore Andrea Velez (Colombia) rounded out Nebraska's lineup in a tie for 56th at 200 (+20), while junior Michaela Vavrova finished just one shot back of Velez at 201 (+21) in a tie for 60th while competing as an individual outside NU's lineup.
Kent State claimed the team title with a 27-hole score of 741 (+21), eight strokes better than runner-up Sam Houston at 749 (+29). Arizona took third at 758 (+38), while the hosts from Kansas claimed fourth at 761 (+41). Big Ten foes Wisconsin (765) and Minnesota (769) took the No. 5 and 6 spots ahead of Tulane (775) in seventh. Nebraska finished just one stroke back of the Green Wave at 776 (+56).
Kent State's Mayka Hoogeboom (71-72-39=182, +2) and Jennifer Gu (71-75-37=183, +3) took the top two spots on the individual leader board, while Wisconsin's Emily Lauterbach and Sam Houston's Jenn David tied for third at 184 (+4) over 27 holes.
Nebraska will close its fall campaign by traveling to the Hurricane Invitational (Oct. 31-Nov. 1) at the Biltmore Golf Club in Miami, Fla.
Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational
Lawrence CC (Par 72, 6,125 Yards)
Lawrence, Kan.
Oct. 17-18, 2022
Final Team Results (27 Holes)
1. Kent State - 289-298-154=741 (+21)
2. Sam Houston - 300-296-153=749 (+29)
3. Arizona - 308-300-150=758 (+38)
4. Kansas - 304-309-148=761 (+41)
5. Wisconsin - 309-304-153=765 (+45)
6. Minnesota - 300-319-150=769 (+49)
7. Tulane - 320-303-152=775 (+55)
8. Nebraska - 304-307-165=776 (+56)
9. New Mexico State - 320-311-157=788 (+68)
T10. Washington State - 320-312-160=792 (+72)
T10. Boston College - 324-311-157=792 (+72)
T10. UTSA - 327-306-159=792 (+72)
13. Notre Dame - 317-308-169=794 (+74)
14. Brigham Young - 317-317-161=795 (+75)
15. Iowa - 328-319-158=805 (+85)
Final Individual Results (27 Holes)
1. Mayka Hoogeboom, Kent State - 71-72-39=182 (+2)
2. Jennifer Gu, Kent State - 71-75-37=183 (+3)
T3. Emily Lauterbach, Wisconsin - 73-75-36=184 (+4)
T3. Jenn David, Sam Houston - 71-74-39=184 (+4)
5. Johanna Ebner, Kansas - 76-73-36=185 (+5)
T6. Noramol Nuchsila, Kent State - 70-76-40=186 (+6)
T6. Isabella McCauley, Minnesota - 74-74-38=186 (+6)
T6. Gia Feliciano, Wisconsin - 73-74-40=186 (+6)
T9. Gile Bite Starkute, Arizona - 72-78-37=187 (+7)
T9. Jennifer Herbst, Sam Houston - 78-74-35=187 (+7)
T9. Carla Bernat, Tulane - 77-73-37=187 (+7)
Nebraska Individuals (27 Holes)
T15. Megan Whittaker - 74-74-42=190 (+10)
T26. Lindsey Thiele - 78-74-43=195 (+15)
T26. Kelli Ann Strand - 75-80-40=195 (+15)
T47. Miu Takahashi - 80-79-40=199 (+19)
T56. Andrea Velez - 77-80-43=200 (+20)
*T60. Michaela Vavrova - 83-78-40=201 (+21)
*competing as an individual outside Nebraska's lineup