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Nebraska Volleyball Welcomes USC’s Ally Batenhorst Home in Emotional Return

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Nebraska Volleyball Welcomes USC’s Ally Batenhorst Home in Emotional Return


The tears streamed down Ally Batenhorst’s face minutes before the No. 20 USC Trojans squared off against her former teammates of the No. 2 Nebraska Huskers on Sunday night at the Devaney Sports Center.

Batenhorst, originally from Omaha and a former Husker, received a thunderous ovation during the starting lineups. As the applause continued, she covered her mouth in disbelief at the heartfelt welcome.

She began fanning the tears when Lexi Rodriguez, Kennedi Orr, and Harper Murray gave Batenhorst their starting lineup ball with handwritten messages from the team.

Several fans waved homemade signs for the outside hitter who transferred to USC for her final collegiate season after graduating from NU in the spring.

“I graduated from here so I’m still always going to be a Husker. It feels like home here and it’s something that’s really special and I just love the people here.”

Batenhorst finished with a match-high 13 kills with a .242 hitting percentage.

“They always say there’s no place like Nebraska. Everyone is just beyond supportive. … You don’t see that at other schools. When I transferred, I was wondering about those things but I never really realized how much support I was actually going to get. It was overwhelming.”

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Batenhorst never felt uncomfortable or unwelcome. In fact, when the team’s charter flight landed in town on Saturday, the digital display at Duncan Aviation had a message to welcome Batenhorst back to Lincoln.

USC associate head coach Tyler Hildebrand joined Batenhorst in a return home. The whole match felt “weird” for Husker head coach John Cook but he was glad his team pulled away with another top-25 win.

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“First of all, this was kind of a weird match to play with Tyler over there and Ally,” Cook said afterward. “You see how close Ally still is with these guys. I don’t know, it was weird.”

Batenhorst trained with the Huskers all spring despite announcing her intent to transfer to USC before the end of the school year.

That doesn’t happen at most programs, Nebraska is family.

“She’s a Husker,” said Cook. “I think people love watching her play. She did a great job on social media and you can see how tight she still is with our players. There’s an emotional connection there. She trained with us all spring. She’s part of our family. I think our fans know that. … She played great. Good for her.”

MORE: Nebraska Volleyball Reunion Ends with Sweep of USC

MORE: Nebraska Football Recruiting: Top Remaining 2025 Targets

MORE: Nebraska, Rutgers Receive Top 25 Votes in Latest Polls

MORE: Huskers Coach Matt Rhule Reveals Reason for Penalty: ‘I’m Here to Fight for Nebraska’

MORE: Nebraska Volleyball’s Taylor Landfair Posts Breakout Performance Against UCLA Bruins





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Mental health by the numbers in Nebraska

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Mental health by the numbers in Nebraska


OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A deeper look tonight as First Alert 6 continues to dig deeper into the state of mental health care in Nebraska and possible solutions, ever since last week’s two instances involving law enforcement.

A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy was shot responding to a domestic call. Investigators said the suspect, Brian Huggins, had a history of behavioral health issues. Huggins died by suicide.

And then Noemi Guzman, who police say kidnapped a 3-year-old from inside an Omaha Walmart and cut him in the arm and face with a stolen kitchen knife. Omaha police officers shot and killed her before she could strike again.

Guzman had been on a court-ordered mental health treatment plan since last summer for her schizophrenia. According to court records, psychiatrists determined she could live in the community. Remember, this was after she was arrested for setting her father’s house on fire and threatening a priest with a knife.

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Monitoring system

We wanted to know who is part of the system monitoring those who may not be following their mental health treatment plan and are a risk to others or themselves. When that happens, the Board of Mental Health will often notify the local sheriff so a warrant can be issued and deputies can track the individual down.

Here are the numbers since 2023:

In 2023, 842 warrants were issued for those not following their treatment plans according to the Board of Mental Health. In 2024, 756. In 2025, 690. So far in 2026, 190.

But out of these 2,500 warrants, 85% of them didn’t have a second warrant, meaning deputies picked them up, got them back into treatment and the individuals continued to thrive after the one hiccup.

But in 15% of these cases, the individuals messed up again and had another warrant issued by the Board of Mental Health. Twenty-five individuals had five or more issued in Douglas County.

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Sheriff Hanson said there has to be a better way, a more team approach for this.

One model to explore is the way Nebraska’s problem-solving courts work like drug court and veterans’ treatment court where experts from a variety of stakeholders help individuals who are on the fringes to do everything to make them productive citizens.

Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.



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‘Nothing can hold me back’: Nebraska teen scores on first play after open heart surgery

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‘Nothing can hold me back’: Nebraska teen scores on first play after open heart surgery


(InvestigateTV) — Sometimes sports are about more than the final score.

For Jack Burke, a high school football player in Nebraska, a medical diagnosis at birth has never stopped him from competing — and a touchdown catch in his first play back from open heart surgery proved it.

Born with a rare heart defect

Burke was born with Scimitar syndrome, a rare heart defect in which babies are born with an underdeveloped right lung and pulmonary artery. The condition also affects blood flow to the right lung. Treatment often includes surgery, and many adults with the condition go on to live healthy lives.

“As a kid, I never really understood,” Burke said. “It was always natural for me that I had to push myself harder to keep up.”

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His mother, Bridget Burke, says the condition was not initially considered dangerous for sports participation.

“His Scimitar Syndrome never really came into play as being dangerous for him to play sports,” she said.

The decision to operate

That changed in the spring of 2025, when Burke’s family and doctors decided it was time for a surgery that had been anticipated for years.

“I’ve kind of known I’ve had to get surgery my whole life,” Burke said. “Once I knew I could get the surgery sooner, I was all in. I wanted to get it so I could get back to sports.”

His father, Ryan Burke, says the timing was deliberate.

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“This will be done before school gets started, and still have a chance to do almost everything you want to do,” Ryan Burke said.

Jack Burke underwent open-heart surgery, leaving a visible reminder of what he went through.

“There’s a six-inch scar in the middle of his chest that represents a pretty big thing that happened,” Ryan Burke said.

For Bridget Burke, the moment her son was taken to the operating room was difficult.

“When the rubber hits the road and your kid is being wheeled back to the OR, it is scary and emotional,” she said.

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The comeback

Burke eased back into football following his cardiologist’s recommended recovery timeline. His return came in week three of the season.

“Before the Schuyler game I talked to his dad and he’s like, ‘I think we might be ready,’” said coach Jay Landstrom.

Bridget Burke says the family approached the return with caution.

“I mean, I was nervous. We didn’t really know how much he would play. It was going to be some cautious situations,” she said.

Those concerns were set aside — at least for a moment — when Burke caught a touchdown pass on his very first play back.

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“All the parents were high-fiving everybody and they were like, ‘Was that really Jack?’” Bridget Burke said.

Landstrom called it a special moment.

“It was just meant to be and that was really special,” he said.

For Burke, the touchdown meant something beyond the scoreboard.

“I just remember one of my teammates came up to me and said, ‘He’s back. He’s back,’” Burke said. “It kind of shows something that tried to stop me — I hurdled that obstacle.”

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Burke says the surgery has given him a new sense of freedom.

“Now I can do whatever I want. Nothing can hold me back,” he said.

Copyright 2026 Gray Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



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Nebraska Lottery results: See winning numbers for Pick 3, Pick 5 on April 19, 2026

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The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on April 19.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 19 drawing

4-3-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 5 numbers from April 19 drawing

14-19-24-30-34

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from April 19 drawing

Red Balls: 01-02, White Balls: 09-26

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning MyDay numbers from April 19 drawing

Month: 08, Day: 16, Year: 61

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Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 19 drawing

32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Nebraska Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3, 5: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lucky For Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
  • 2 By 2: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • MyDaY: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9:15 p.m CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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