Nebraska

Texas Dominates Serve and Pass Game to Sweep Nebraska in Title Match | Hurrdat Sports

Published

7 months ago

December 17, 2023

Texas Dominates Serve and Pass Game to Sweep Nebraska in Title Match | Hurrdat Sports

TAMPA, Fla. — “Serve and pass.”

Ask John Cook the key to victory for any match and that will be the first thing he says. It was the first thing Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said on Friday as well. It’s a bit of a coaching cliché.

There’s a reason clichés become so over-used, though. There’s usually a lot of truth in them. On Sunday afternoon, the final match of the 2023 season truly did come down to Texas’s serving and Nebraska’s passing, and nothing else really mattered.

The Longhorns served the Huskers off the court and rolled to a 25-22, 25-14, 25-11 sweep at Amalie Arena to claim their second straight NCAA Volleyball Championship and fourth overall.

Texas finished with 12 aces, a Nebraska opponent record during the rally-scoring era, and that figure doesn’t even come close to describing the difference between the two teams in terms of serving and serve receive. Nebraska only mustered two aces. Five different Huskers had reception errors, including one of the best passers in the country in Lexi Rodriguez. Nothing Nebraska tried seemed to work.

“Texas played great,” Cook said. “They had a level of serving we haven’t seen all year, and it really impacted us and our momentum and our confidence. And then everything just started going their way. They got all the momentum and we could never get it back. So great job by them, great job by their players.”

The first-contact struggles prevented Nebraska from getting into any kind of rhythm offensively. The Huskers hit .013, totaling just 20 kills and 19 errors. Harper Murray led the way with seven kills. The middle blockers combined for seven kills but also four errors, and the other pins (Merritt Beason, Ally Batenhorst and a brief appearance from Hayden Kubik) combined for five kills and 10 errors.

“Volleyball is a hard game when you don’t have any rhythm,” Cook said. “And we had no rhythm passing. Then you lose your confidence, setters lose their confidence, everybody is pressing, you try to hit the ball harder. We were out of system the whole time. It’s a downward spiral from there. It’s really hard to get it back once you lose it.”

Texas hit .264 and nearly doubled Nebraska in kills. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Madisen Skinner put on a show with 16 kills on .273 hitting and two aces, routinely hitting over the top of Nebraska’s block and finding the floor.

The Longhorns finished 28-4, though they nearly didn’t make it out of the Madison Regional. Texas faced match point against Tennessee in the regional semifinals but rallied to win in five, taking the last two sets 26-24 and 16-14. Cook compared that to similar comebacks Nebraska made in two national championship seasons, 2000 and 2017.

“You think you’re invincible,” Cook said. “You think it’s destiny, it’s ours, and I think Texas experienced that. And I watched that match, they shouldn’t have won it. Tennessee should have won that match … Sometimes you go through those matches that give you that whatever extra thing is, like, ‘Hey, doesn’t matter what happened, we’re not losing.’ And we’ve had some of those.

“But we’ve been playing really well. We played one of our best matches of the year in the semis, which is great for this group on this big of a stage, but I think that was the difference-maker for Texas.”

Texas jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the match with a pair of kills from Skinner and a pair of errors from Beason, but the Cornhuskers settled into tie it at 6-6. Nebraska took its first lead at 10-9 as Murray ended an extended rally with a tip, then Murray took a big rip on the next point to put the Huskers up by two.

Texas responded with a 3-0 run to jump back in front, then later used a 5-1 spurt to open up a 19-15 lead. Texas led 22-19 when things started to unravel a bit as Bekka Allick and Murray teamed up to block Asjia O’Neal. Elliott unloaded on an official after previously receiving a yellow card, leading to a red and a free point for Nebraska. Murray followed with an ace to tie it up at 22-22.

However, Texas regrouped with a timeout and stuffed Batenhorst for a sideout, then Skinner terminated for set point. Finally, former Husker Keonilei Akana served an ace to take the set.

Skinner had six kills on .364 hitting herself while Nebraska’s three pins combined for four kills and five errors. Nebraska hit .065 to Texas’ .176, and the 3-2 edge in aces doesn’t tell the story of how lopsided the serve and pass battle was.

“I would say the toughest thing was they were just able to mix up depths,” Rodriguez said. “They were hitting us deep and dropping some short, and they just had lots of movement on it, which made it tough for us passers. I think when they’re going on a run, we’re just trying to get one side out, just trying to get a ball high in the middle and run our offense from there. But with tough serves like that, it can be tough sometimes.”

The Huskers got off to a better start in set two, building up a three-point lead at 10-7. Texas responded with an 11-0 run including four straight aces from O’Neal as the Husker passing woes resurfaced in a big way. Cook said he felt “helpless” watching that run from the bench.

“You’re hoping they’ll miss one,” Cook said. “But it just really takes away all of our rhythm and confidence when somebody can do that. I’ve seen it when we’ve done it to other teams. It’s tough. There’s not much you can do. I’ll give you a football analogy, since you like those: it’s like fourth quarter and they’re just running the ball. You know they’re going to run it and you can’t stop them. That’s what it feels like. They just go down the field, and that’s what Texas did.”

An attack error finally ended the run, but the damage was done and Nebraska never got back into it as the Longhorns cruised to an 11-point victory and a 2-0 lead. Texas only hit .167 but held Nebraska to minus-.036 and served seven aces.

Texas continued to roll in the third, winning seven of the first 10 rallies including another ace. The Huskers cut the deficit down to two at 9-7, but a 3-0 run stretched it back out to five and the Longhorns delivered the knockout blow soon after, closing the match on an 11-1. O’Neal put the exclamation point on the championship with a match-point ace.

Texas nearly matched Nebraska’s kills total for the match in the third set, terminating 17 times at a .481 clip. Nebraska hit .000 with five kills.

The 2023 Huskers, consisting entirely of freshmen, sophomores and juniors, finished 33-2 and as the national runner-up.

“I’m very proud of our team for getting here; no seniors and we’ve had a heck of a year, one of the greatest seasons we have ever had at Nebraska this year,” Cook said. “So this match isn’t going to define that and what we’ve accomplished this year, but hopefully it will motivate us for a another run and get back here in 2024.”

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Nebraska

Top 40 Huskers for 2024: 36-40

Published

36 mins ago

July 4, 2024

Press Room

Huskeronline On Recent Nebraska Football Commitments, In-state Recruiting & Trev Alberts Parallels

With Nebraska’s 2024 season around the corner, the HuskerOnline team voted on the Top 40 Husker players going into Matt Rhule‘s second season in Lincoln.

The voting criteria were to rank the players based on their importance to the team, overall talent, and future potential for the upcoming season. Our voters focused specifically on the 2024 season, not future seasons, a player’s long-term importance, or future talent.

The voting panel consisted of HuskerOnline publisher Sean Callahan, columnist Steven Sipple, senior writer Robin Washut, and staff writer Abby Barmore. Each voter submitted their own Top 40 list from which the votes were tallied.

We kick off our annual Top 40 Huskers for 2024 with players 36-40, which features a mix of returning veterans and promising underclassmen.

Join HuskerOnline today and get your first two months of a premium subscription for just $1!

Nebraska receiver Alex Bullock (Photo: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports)

40. Alex Bullock, WR, Jr.

In many ways, Alex Bullock was Nebraska’s most consistent wide receiver in 2023. While his role catapulted after a handful of key injuries in the room, the former walk-on made the most of his opportunity.

Bullock appeared in every game for the Huskers last season, including making eight starts. He ranked third on the team with 15 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown.

NU has significantly upgraded the depth and talent in its wideout room this offseason, which explains Bullock’s ranking in this year’s Top 40. But you know what you’re going to get from the former Omaha Creighton Prep standout on every play.

Sean	Sipple	Robin	Abby
NR	26th	NR	NR

Nebraska defensive back Jeremiah Charles (Photo: Casey Fritton/HuskerOnline)

39. Jeremiah Charles, DB, RFr.

Jeremiah Charles’ stock has risen exponentially over this offseason. He stole the show during Nebraska’s Football Dunk Contest at a Husker basketball game in February, and his momentum hasn’t slowed down since.

On the football field, Charles found his footing in the defensive back group. He came to NU in 2022 as a wide receiver but switched to DB early on.

He’s now become one of the top options at cornerback. One year after his position change and getting to digest the defensive scheme, Charles could have a big 2024 season.

Sean	Sipple	Robin	Abby
NR	36th	38th	33rd

Nebraska defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel (Photo: Ken Juszyk/HuskerOnline)

38. Riley Van Poppel, DL, So.

While some of Nebraska’s true freshmen defensive linemen eased into last season, Riley Van Poppel jumped right into the fire. The former four-star recruit out of Argyle, Texas, played in 11 games and finished with five tackles, a TFL, a half sack, and one quarterback hurry.

He’ll once again be a depth piece in 2024 after the returns of seniors Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher. But that hasn’t stopped Van Poppel from preparing to be the Huskers’ next anchor on the d-line.

He’s put on 10-15 pounds this offseason and is up to around 290. With NU limiting Robinson and Hutmacher all spring, Van Poppel also took full advantage of a significant practice workload. The sophomore should be a fixture in the d-line rotation and ready to take the baton in 2025.

Sean	Sipple	Robin	Abby
34th	33rd	37th	NR

37. Janiran Bonner, WR, So.

One of the bigger surprises of the spring was Janiran Bonner‘s quiet switch from a tight end/fullback to a wide receiver.

The move raised eyebrows after the sophomore showcased his skills during Nebraska’s spring game. Bonner had four catches for 58 yards, highlighted by an impressive touchdown grab in the scrimmage.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder came into the Huskers as a wide receiver and caught 50 balls for 816 yards as a high school senior. He’ll still be used as a Swiss Army knife in NU’s offense, as he took his first snap of the spring game at fullback.

Sean	Sipple	Robin	Abby
36th	31st	NR	35th

Nebraska offensive lineman Henry Lutovsky (Photo: HuskerOnline)

36. Henry Lutovsky, OL, Jr.

Injuries decimated Nebraska’s offensive line last season, and Henry Lutovsky was a key reserve who helped keep the unit together.

The junior guard played in all 12 games and made two starts at right guard against Purdue and Iowa. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound native of Crawfordsville, Iowa, has made 26 appearances and four starts over his first three seasons as a Husker.

It remains to be seen where Lutovsky will end up in NU’s offensive line pecking order in 2024. However, his experience should give him every opportunity to remain a fixture in the rotation up front.

Sean	Sipple	Robin	Abby
37th	NR	NR	22nd

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Nebraska

Giltner girl wins National American Miss Nebraska pageant

Published

8 hours ago

July 4, 2024

Press Room

Giltner girl wins National American Miss Nebraska pageant

GILTNER, Neb. (KSNB) – The Olympic trials aren’t the only place you will see central Nebraska represented. Makeena Huhman will be representing Nebraska in the National American Miss pageant after being crowned Miss Nebraska Junior Pre-Teen at its pageant in Omaha. The 9-year-old says preparing for a pageant is a process; you have to pick outfits, do your hair, and maybe some nail polish and sometimes the process can be boring or frustrating, but it’s pretty easy work for Huhman.

Huhman said they wore long dresses for the formal portion and her dress was a corset back. In casual wear a jump suit or tank top and shorts are allowed, but a tank top and shorts look can go either way with the judges. Huhman said the goal is to find a happy medium because you don’t want to look perfect or sloppy.

Huhman has been attending pageants since she was six-weeks-old because of her older sister, Taylor is also in pageants. Participating in pageants helps Makenna make new friends, but even she was surprised by her victory.

“At first I was like shocked and my coach and my mom they were both crying, it was really funny,” said Huhman. “I was about to cry honestly, and I thought the girl that won two years ago was gonna win but as soon as they called her name as first runner-up or second she thought it’s gonna be Makenna.”

Huhman said overall, they’re judged on their personality and smile. Her mother, Stephanie Barthel also took a different approach with her pageantry.

“Both Taylor and Makenna have always scored pretty well in everything, but this year the thing that we did different was we hired a pageant coach,” said Barthel. “We met with her on Zoom calls once a week, and she gave us a lot of little insights that I wouldn’t have thought of and those definitely helped Makenna win the crown this year.”

Barthel said Makenna’s pageant coach worked on several things with her including her formal wear walk, casual wear modeling and interviewing skills. Huhman also has a passion for volunteering.

“That would be because my uncle and aunt are volunteer firefighters in Trumball and they don’t get paid for what they do,” said Huhman. “So they do fundraisers, and I absolutely love helping them with that because it’s making new friends and it’s also having fun.”

Huhman said the best part is seeing the firefighters show their personality. Barthel said it’s nice to see someone from central Nebraska represent the state.

“I think that it is really awesome to have a state pageant queen from the small town of Giltner, even just the Tri-Cities area,” said Barthel. “Many of the queens seem to come from like Lincoln and Omaha area; that’s where they get the most contestants from. And just having one from a small town that’s going to show those small town values is going to be really amazing.”

They’re still excited about winning the state title.

“It has been like exciting and fun so far, and I bet it’s going to be even better in Orlando because my mom said we’d be there for like eight days, and I’m like eight days in a really hot place, yay!” said Makenna.

They’re still looking for sponsors to help fund the trip, travel and stay will cost them approximately $4,000. Huhman has racked up a number of trophies during the state competition, but over the Thanksgiving weekend she hopes to add the National trophy to her collection.

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Nebraska

Nebraska petitions on abortion, sick leave, medical marijuana initiatives submitted on deadline

Published

15 hours ago

July 3, 2024

Press Room

Nebraska petitions on abortion, sick leave, medical marijuana initiatives submitted on deadline

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Several petitions were submitted to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday.

Signatures for nearly all petitions active in the state were due at 3 p.m.; the latest “school choice” referendum petition is due at 5 p.m. July 17.

Now in the hands of the state, officials will work to verify that all submitted signatures are valid. Those that aren’t will be tossed, with the remaining total dictating whether enough signatures were collected to earn the initiative a place on Nebraska ballots in November.

Organizers confirmed with 6 News that not enough signatures were collected to put forward a proposed amendment on excise taxes or a grocery exemption from consumption tax.

A petition looking to add a succinct statement about cannabis to the state constitution also failed; “All persons have the right to use all plants in the genus Cannabis,” won’t be appearing in that document.

Two medical marijuana petitions — with 114,367 signatures collected for the one to allow purchasing by patients and 114,596 on the one seeking to allow businesses to sell such products — were turned in on Wednesday. The138,000 signatures on the petition to require paid sick leave for employees of all businesses in the state was submitted on June 27.

There were also two conflicting abortion petitions turned in: Anti-abortion petitioners told 6 News they collected 205,344 signatures, while pro-choice petitioners said they had submitted 207,608 signatures. Should both be verified to appear on the ballot, the one receiving the most “yes” votes in the election will become law.

“Today is a historic day. Our initiative has submitted more signatures than any ballot measure in Nebraska’s history. It’s clear that Nebraskans believe that patients, families, and doctors should be in charge of making their most personal healthcare decisions when pregnant about abortion, not politicians. Hundreds of people volunteered, and the enthusiasm was palpable. I know Nebraskans are ready to vote to protect their rights in November.”

A related petition to grant personhood to a fetus did not receive enough signatures to appear on the ballot. There was also a petition circulated that would allow for a ban on surgical and pharmaceutical abortions with an exception for those instances when the pregnancy poses a risk to the life of the mother, but not enough signatures were collected for it to move forward.

REQUIREMENTS

In order to appear on state ballots, initiative petitions must have signatures from at least 7% of registered Nebraska voters — according to the total pulled by the state on Friday — at the time of the filing deadline. Petitions seeking to add an amendment to the state constitution must collect signatures from at least 10% of registered voters; referendum petitions aiming to repeal a law require 5%.

All petitions must contain signatures from voters in at least 5% of registered Nebraska voters in 38 of the state’s 93 counties.

VERIFICATION

County election offices will have 40 days to verify signatures collected from their counties, checking that those who signed are a registered voter, and that they provided their correct address, date of birth, and signature. They will also invalidate any duplicate signatures.

“It will take several weeks to verify signatures,” Wednesda’s release from the Secretary of State’s office says.

Nebraska’s November ballot must be certified by Sept. 13.

NEBRASKA PETITIONS

Read the petitions

—

News Director Cassie Crowe, Assistant News Director Katherine Bjoraas, Digital Director Gina Dvorak, and Reporter Johan Marin contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this story contained an inaccurate submission date for one of the petitions. 6 News regrets the error.

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