Lincoln&nbsp;- Junior Alexis Markowski scored a game-high 21 points and joined Nebraska's 1,000-point club as the Huskers cruised to a 76-51 victory over 2023 SWAC Champion Southern on Sunday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Graduate guard Jaz Shelley contributed 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, while freshman Logan Nissley put up 14 points, including a game-high four three-pointers, as Nebraska improved to 9-2 on the year. Markowski and Shelley each scored 11 points in the first half, while Nissley contributed eight off the bench in the first 20 minutes as Nebraska surged to a 43-17 halftime lead.&nbsp;

The Big Red knocked down 9-of-14 three-pointers in the opening half, including seven in the second quarter alone, on its way to 12 three-pointers for the game. It marked the fifth consecutive game that the Huskers had hit 10 or more threes and sixth time in 11 games this season. Southern, which slipped to 1-8 on the year, hit just 1-of-11 threes on the afternoon.

Nebraska also produced a decisive 44-26 edge on the glass, led by nine rebounds from freshman&nbsp;Natalie Potts. Graduate guard Darian White added eight points, five rebounds and five assists in a solid effort, while Callin Hake also contributed eight points, three rebounds and three assists.

The Huskers opened the game with back-to-back 6-0 runs to take an early 12-2 lead, then pushed the margin to 19-6 at the end of the first quarter. Markowski scored all 11 of her first-half points in the opening quarter, including both of Nebraska's three-pointers in the period.&nbsp;

Nissley got Nebraska got in the second quarter with a three-pointer to open the period before Shelley hit a pair of threes around a Kendall Coley three from the corner to push the Huskers to a 31-9 lead with 5:07 left in the half. Hake and Shelley then hit two more threes to extend the margin to 37-14 before Nissley got NU's only two-point field goal of the quarter. She then closed the half with NU's seventh three of the quarter to send the Big Red to halftime with a 43-17 edge.

Nebraska bolted out of the locker room on an 8-2 surge to extend the margin to 32 points at 51-19, before taking a 60-35 lead to the fourth. Markowski opened the final period with five straight points, including a reverse layup with 9:18 left to reach 1,000 career points. She was fouled and completed the three-point play to put the Huskers back up by 30 at 65-35.&nbsp;

For the game, Nebraska hit 44 percent (22-50) of its shots from the field, including 12-of-27 threes (.444), while connecting on 74.1 percent (20-27) of its free throws. The Huskers held Southern to just 33.3 percent (18-54) shooting, including 9.1 percent (1-11) from long range. The Jaguars did hit 14-of-21 (.667) free throws, and won the turnover battle 23-19.

Tionna Lidge, who scored six consecutive points in the final five minutes for Southern, led the Jaguars with 10 points. Taylor Williams and Chloe Fleming each added eight points. All-SWAC guard Genovea Johnson made her first appearance of the season for the Jaguars, adding four points, while Aniya Gourdine made her Southern debut. Gourdine was an All-AAC Freshman Team selection in 2021-22 at Temple before transferring to Southern mid-season in 2022-23. She managed five points and three rebounds.

The Huskers hit the road to take on Kansas on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) in Lawrence, Kan. with streaming available on ESPN+ and radio coverage provided by Huskers Radio Network.

By NU AthleticsLincoln&nbsp;- Junior Alexis Markowski scored a game-high 21 points and joined Nebraska's 1,000-point club as the Huskers cruised to a 76-51 victory over 2023 SWAC Champion Southern on Sunday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.Graduate guard Jaz Shelley contributed 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, while freshman Logan Nissley put up 14 points, including a game-high four three-pointers, as Nebraska improved to 9-2 on the year. Markowski and Shelley each scored 11 points in the first half, while Nissley contributed eight off the bench in the first 20 minutes as Nebraska surged to a 43-17 halftime lead.&nbsp;The Big Red knocked down 9-of-14 three-pointers in the opening half, including seven in the second quarter alone, on its way to 12 three-pointers for the game. It marked the fifth consecutive game that the Huskers had hit 10 or more threes and sixth time in 11 games this season. Southern, which slipped to 1-8 on the year, hit just 1-of-11 threes on the afternoon.Nebraska also produced a decisive 44-26 edge on the glass, led by nine rebounds from freshman&nbsp;Natalie Potts. Graduate guard Darian White added eight points, five rebounds and five assists in a solid effort, while Callin Hake also contributed eight points, three rebounds and three assists.The Huskers opened the game with back-to-back 6-0 runs to take an early 12-2 lead, then pushed the margin to 19-6 at the end of the first quarter. Markowski scored all 11 of her first-half points in the opening quarter, including both of Nebraska's three-pointers in the period.&nbsp;Nissley got Nebraska got in the second quarter with a three-pointer to open the period before Shelley hit a pair of threes around a Kendall Coley three from the corner to push the Huskers to a 31-9 lead with 5:07 left in the half. Hake and Shelley then hit two more threes to extend the margin to 37-14 before Nissley got NU's only two-point field goal of the quarter. She then closed the half with NU's seventh three of the quarter to send the Big Red to halftime with a 43-17 edge.Nebraska bolted out of the locker room on an 8-2 surge to extend the margin to 32 points at 51-19, before taking a 60-35 lead to the fourth. Markowski opened the final period with five straight points, including a reverse layup with 9:18 left to reach 1,000 career points. She was fouled and completed the three-point play to put the Huskers back up by 30 at 65-35.&nbsp;For the game, Nebraska hit 44 percent (22-50) of its shots from the field, including 12-of-27 threes (.444), while connecting on 74.1 percent (20-27) of its free throws. The Huskers held Southern to just 33.3 percent (18-54) shooting, including 9.1 percent (1-11) from long range. The Jaguars did hit 14-of-21 (.667) free throws, and won the turnover battle 23-19.Tionna Lidge, who scored six consecutive points in the final five minutes for Southern, led the Jaguars with 10 points. Taylor Williams and Chloe Fleming each added eight points. All-SWAC guard Genovea Johnson made her first appearance of the season for the Jaguars, adding four points, while Aniya Gourdine made her Southern debut. Gourdine was an All-AAC Freshman Team selection in 2021-22 at Temple before transferring to Southern mid-season in 2022-23. She managed five points and three rebounds.The Huskers hit the road to take on Kansas on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) in Lawrence, Kan. with streaming available on ESPN+ and radio coverage provided by Huskers Radio Network.

 Markowski joins 1,00 point club in Husker victory

Girls results for Alliance (placed 7th)

115: Jayla Grant: 4th 120: Madyson DeHart-Harris: 6th 130: Aiva Raymer:&nbsp; 3rd 135: Pearl Mayhew: CHAMP 140: Hailey Rodman 3rd 235: Surenity Lewis 3rd 235: Aubree Splattstoesser 6th

Boys'&nbsp;results Alliance (Placed 3rd)

120: Trini Trejo 5th 126: Jackson Bailey (CHAMP) 132: Ben Cassett-Reina 3rd 132: Antonio Valdovinos 6th 138: Ryan Swanson 4th 144: Brendan Watt 6th 150: Tate Thompson 2nd 175: Matt Moomey 2nd 190: Lucas Weber: 4th

Saturday, 12/16/2023Girls results for Alliance (placed 7th)115: Jayla Grant: 4th 120: Madyson DeHart-Harris: 6th 130: Aiva Raymer:&nbsp; 3rd 135: Pearl Mayhew: CHAMP 140: Hailey Rodman 3rd 235: Surenity Lewis 3rd 235: Aubree Splattstoesser 6thBoys'&nbsp;results Alliance (Placed 3rd)120: Trini Trejo 5th 126: Jackson Bailey (CHAMP) 132: Ben Cassett-Reina 3rd 132: Antonio Valdovinos 6th 138: Ryan Swanson 4th 144: Brendan Watt 6th 150: Tate Thompson 2nd 175: Matt Moomey 2nd 190: Lucas Weber: 4th

Alliance has strong outing in girls and boys wrestling at Bridgeport

TAMPA, Fla.&nbsp;- The Nebraska volleyball team's quest for a sixth national championship came up short Sunday afternoon, as strong serving powered Texas to a 3-0 sweep in the NCAA Final at Amalie Arena in Tampa.

Texas had 12 aces in the match, the most by a Husker opponent in the rally-scoring era, which dates back to 2001. Nebraska struggled to pass against the Longhorns, which resulted in the Huskers recording season lows in kills (20) and hitting percentage (.013). Texas hit .264 in the match and had a 38-20 advantage in kills.&nbsp;

The Huskers (33-2) finished as the NCAA runner-up for the sixth time in program history, while Texas (28-4) won its second straight national championship and fourth overall.

Harper Murray led the Huskers with seven kills on 23 swings. Bekka Allick added three kills on seven attempts and led Nebraska with a .286 attack percentage and four blocks. Andi Jackson added four kills and three blocks. Lexi Rodriguez and Bergen Reilly had six digs apiece, while Reilly added 17 assists.

Madisen Skinner led Texas with 16 kills on 33 swings, while Asjia O'Neal had five service aces.

Set 1:&nbsp;The Longhorns jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but an ace by Murray and kill by Batenhorst helped the Huskers climb back to tie the score at 6-6. Jackson produced a pair of kills, and a tip by Murray gave the Huskers their first lead at 10-9. Allick set Murray for another kill to make it 11-9, but Texas answered with a 3-0 run to go back up 12-11. The Longhorns separated from a 14-14 tie with a 3-0 run to take a 17-14 lead. Texas pushed the lead to four, 20-16, but Reilly placed a kill to the back corner and Texas committed an attacking error to make it 20-18. The Longhorns led 22-19 before a block by Allick and Murray. A red card was then assessed to the Texas bench to give Nebraska a free point, and Murray served an ace to tie the score at 22-22. But the Longhorns scored the final three points with a block, a kill and an ace to win 25-22.&nbsp;

Set 2:&nbsp;Nebraska went ahead 10-7 after a 6-1 run. Jackson had a kill and two blocks in that stretch to spark the Big Red. But Texas took control of the set with an 11-0 run - including four straight aces by O'Neal - to grab an 18-10 lead. The Longhorns went on to win the set, 25-14.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Set 3:&nbsp;Texas bolted to a 7-3 lead, but a kill by Jackson and a block by Jackson and Reilly cut it to 7-5. But the Longhorns increased their lead to 15-10 at the media timeout. After the break, the Longhorns pulled away with three kills and a block to make it 19-10. Texas finished out the match, 25-11.&nbsp;

By NU AthleticsTAMPA, Fla.&nbsp;- The Nebraska volleyball team's quest for a sixth national championship came up short Sunday afternoon, as strong serving powered Texas to a 3-0 sweep in the NCAA Final at Amalie Arena in Tampa.Texas had 12 aces in the match, the most by a Husker opponent in the rally-scoring era, which dates back to 2001. Nebraska struggled to pass against the Longhorns, which resulted in the Huskers recording season lows in kills (20) and hitting percentage (.013). Texas hit .264 in the match and had a 38-20 advantage in kills.&nbsp;The Huskers (33-2) finished as the NCAA runner-up for the sixth time in program history, while Texas (28-4) won its second straight national championship and fourth overall.Harper Murray led the Huskers with seven kills on 23 swings. Bekka Allick added three kills on seven attempts and led Nebraska with a .286 attack percentage and four blocks. Andi Jackson added four kills and three blocks. Lexi Rodriguez and Bergen Reilly had six digs apiece, while Reilly added 17 assists.Madisen Skinner led Texas with 16 kills on 33 swings, while Asjia O'Neal had five service aces.Set 1:&nbsp;The Longhorns jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but an ace by Murray and kill by Batenhorst helped the Huskers climb back to tie the score at 6-6. Jackson produced a pair of kills, and a tip by Murray gave the Huskers their first lead at 10-9. Allick set Murray for another kill to make it 11-9, but Texas answered with a 3-0 run to go back up 12-11. The Longhorns separated from a 14-14 tie with a 3-0 run to take a 17-14 lead. Texas pushed the lead to four, 20-16, but Reilly placed a kill to the back corner and Texas committed an attacking error to make it 20-18. The Longhorns led 22-19 before a block by Allick and Murray. A red card was then assessed to the Texas bench to give Nebraska a free point, and Murray served an ace to tie the score at 22-22. But the Longhorns scored the final three points with a block, a kill and an ace to win 25-22.&nbsp;Set 2:&nbsp;Nebraska went ahead 10-7 after a 6-1 run. Jackson had a kill and two blocks in that stretch to spark the Big Red. But Texas took control of the set with an 11-0 run - including four straight aces by O'Neal - to grab an 18-10 lead. The Longhorns went on to win the set, 25-14.&nbsp;&nbsp;Set 3:&nbsp;Texas bolted to a 7-3 lead, but a kill by Jackson and a block by Jackson and Reilly cut it to 7-5. But the Longhorns increased their lead to 15-10 at the media timeout. After the break, the Longhorns pulled away with three kills and a block to make it 19-10. Texas finished out the match, 25-11.&nbsp;Nebraska Post-Match Notes<ul>
 <li>Nebraska finished as the NCAA runner-up for the sixth time in program history. The Huskers have a 5-6 record in the national championship match.</li><li>The Huskers lost to Texas in an NCAA Final for the first time. Nebraska had won the previous two national championship matches between the programs in 1995 and 2015.</li><li>NU ended its season with a 33-2 record. The Huskers’ .943 winning percentage ranked fourth in school history and was the highest since the 2006 season.</li><li>Nebraska fell to 130-37 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.778).</li><li>John Cook fell to 89-20 in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach. He dropped to 97-25 in his NCAA Tournament career. Cook ranks second all-time in career NCAA Tournament victories and NCAA Tournament wins at one school.</li><li>Texas had 12 service aces in the match, the most by any Husker opponent in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) and the first time a Nebraska opponent has had more than 10 aces in the rally-scoring era.</li><li>UT had seven aces in set two, which one shy of the most aces Nebraska had allowed in an entire match.</li><li>Nebraska hit .013 in the match, the lowest mark of the season for the Huskers. The previous low was a .130 attack percentage in a win against No. 1 Wisconsin on Oct. 21.</li><li>The Huskers’ 20 kills were a season low, nine fewer than Nebraska had against Omaha in the outdoor match at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30.</li><li>Merritt Beason finished with 455 kills this season. That total ranked ninth at Nebraska in the rally-scoring era (since 2001). Beason is just the sixth Husker to have 450 kills in a season during the rally-scoring era.</li><li>Beason finished with 455 kills, 248 digs and 106 blocks. She is just the fourth Huskers in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) to have 400 kills, 200 digs and 100 blocks in a season and the first since Kadie Rolfzen in 2015.</li><li>Andi Jackson finished with a .399 attack percentage in her freshman season. That is the highest mark by a freshman in school history, eclipsing the previous record of .388 by Karen Dahlgren in 1983.</li><li>Jackson’s .399 attack percentage is the 10th-best all-time single-season mark at Nebraska and the seventh-best during the rally-scoring era (since 2001).</li>
 </ul>

Huskers finish as NCAA runner-up after loss to Texas

🏀 Friday's Prep Basketball Scoreboard

Crawford 49, Niobrara County (Lusk), WY 47

Gordon-Rushville 64, Bennett County, SD 27

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607523775411.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>🏀 Friday's Prep Basketball ScoreboardBOYSGarden County 53, Bayard 17Hershey 54, Kimball 46Mitchell 51, Alliance 49Morrill 61, Edgemont, SD 18Ogallala 89, Gering 80Potter-Dix 55, Banner County 46South Platte 44, Wauneta-Palisade 40GIRLSAlliance 46, Mitchell 14Arthur County 55, Minatare 8Bayard 63, Garden County 16Crawford 49, Niobrara County (Lusk), WY 47Gordon-Rushville 64, Bennett County, SD 27Hershey 58, Kimball 27Morrill 53, Edgemont, SD 37Ogallala 50, Gering 39Potter-Dix 58, Banner County 20Sidney 55, Torrington, WY 39South Platte 59, Wauneta-Palisade 54

🏀 Friday's Prep Basketball Scoreboard

🏀 Thursday's Prep Basketball Scoreboard

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629461621684.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>🏀 Thursday's Prep Basketball ScoreboardGIRLSCaliche, CO 56, Potter-Dix 35Hay Springs 60, Creek Valley 12Mitchell 45, Hemingford 22BOYSCaliche, CO 40, Potter-Dix 35Hay Springs 76, Creek Valley 41Mitchell 53, Hemingford 31

🏀 Thursday's Prep Basketball Scoreboard

TAMPA, Fla. -&nbsp;The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team advanced to the program's 11th NCAA Final with an impressive sweep of fellow No. 1 seed Pittsburgh in an NCAA Semifinal match Thursday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa.

The Huskers trailed for only four rallies in the entire match. Nebraska lost four of the first seven rallies then won three straight points and never trailed again in a 25-20 win in the opening set. The Huskers did not trail in either set two or three, leading by as many as six in a 25-23 set two victory and by as many as 10 in a 25-17 win in set three to close out the match.

With the win, Nebraska (33-1) advanced to Sunday's NCAA Final where the Huskers will take on either Wisconsin or Texas in the 11th NCAA Final in program history. First serve is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, and the match will be televised on ABC.

Nebraska hit .245 against Pitt on Thursday, which entered the match with the second-best opponent hitting percentage in the country behind NU. The Huskers limited the Panthers to a .137 attack percentage, which marked Pitt's second-lowest mark of the season and lowest since its season opener against BYU.&nbsp;

The Husker block was dominant, recording 15 stuffs. Bekka Allick had 10 blocks, her second straight match with double-digit blocks. Merritt Beason added five stuffs while Ally Batenhorst and Andi Jackson each had a hand in four blocks. Lexi Rodriguez led the floor defense with a match-high 10 digs.

Harper Murray shined in her NCAA Semifinal debut as the freshman had a match-high 13 kills on 33 swings. She hit .273 and had five digs and two blocks. Allick and Jackson combined for nine kills on 16 error-free swings out of the middle, while Beason and Batenhorst had eight kills apiece.&nbsp;

National Freshman of the Year Oliva Babcock led Pitt (29-5) with 12 kills and eight blocks while fellow freshman Torrey Stafford had 10 kills.

Set 1:&nbsp;Murray had two early kills as the Huskers claimed an 11-9 lead with suffocating defense, holding Pitt to -.056 at that point. Beason had a kill and a block with Allick to make the lead three, 13-10. After Pitt got within one, Beason tipped a kill and Batenhorst and Jackson posted NU's fifth block of the set for a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. The Panthers scored the next two points to cut it to one again, but a service error followed by a Batenhorst/Jackson block put the lead back at three, 17-14. A kill by Batenhorst and a Pittsburgh hitting error made it 19-15 Huskers. Murray tallied her fourth kill, and Allick sent a Pitt attack back to the floor for a 22-17 Husker advantage. Beason terminated for a fourth time, and Pitt hit wide for set point, 24-18. Pitt fought off two set points before the Huskers' eighth block ended the set, 25-20. Nebraska held Pitt to .000 hitting in the first set.&nbsp;

Set 2:&nbsp;Allick started the set for the Big Red with a kill and a block, and Batenhorst added a kill before another block by Beason and Allick made it 4-1. Pitt answered with a 3-0 run, but Beason and Batenhorst produced back-to-back kills for a 6-4 advantage. An ace by Beason and two kills by Jackson extended the lead to 11-6, and Allick's seventh block made it 13-7. NU remained up by six, 15-9, after a Murray kill, but Pitt scored the next three to get within 15-12. Murray, Batenhorst and Reilly put down kills to keep the Huskers in front, 20-15. Batenhorst fired her sixth kill to make it 21-16, but the Panthers got two kills and a Husker hitting error to cut it to 21-19. Murray then put the Huskers on her back with three kills to take NU to set point, 24-20. The Panthers answered with two kills and a block to cut it to 24-23, but a service error ended the set in NU's favor, 25-23.&nbsp;

Set 3:&nbsp;Allick was involved in two more blocks and had a kill as well as the Huskers went up 8-6. Back-to-back kills by Batenhorst started a 5-0 Husker run that made it 15-9. Batenhorst and Jackson also had a block in that stretch, and Beason tallied a kill that forced a Pittsburgh timeout. The timeout didn't slow the Huskers, as Rodriguez came out of it with an ace. After Pittsburgh sided out, Jackson came right back with a kill and Pittsburgh was out of rotation to give the Huskers a 17-10 advantage. Pittsburgh used its final timeout, but Beason served back-to-back aces to make it 19-10 Huskers. Kills by Jackson and Murray and a block by Murray and Allick before another kill by Murray had it at 23-13 Huskers. Murray's 13th kill earned match point, and after Pitt fended off three match points, the Big Red clinched the match when the Panthers were called for being int he net on the Huskers' fourth match point.

By NU AthleticsTAMPA, Fla. -&nbsp;The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team advanced to the program's 11th NCAA Final with an impressive sweep of fellow No. 1 seed Pittsburgh in an NCAA Semifinal match Thursday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa.The Huskers trailed for only four rallies in the entire match. Nebraska lost four of the first seven rallies then won three straight points and never trailed again in a 25-20 win in the opening set. The Huskers did not trail in either set two or three, leading by as many as six in a 25-23 set two victory and by as many as 10 in a 25-17 win in set three to close out the match.With the win, Nebraska (33-1) advanced to Sunday's NCAA Final where the Huskers will take on either Wisconsin or Texas in the 11th NCAA Final in program history. First serve is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, and the match will be televised on ABC.Nebraska hit .245 against Pitt on Thursday, which entered the match with the second-best opponent hitting percentage in the country behind NU. The Huskers limited the Panthers to a .137 attack percentage, which marked Pitt's second-lowest mark of the season and lowest since its season opener against BYU.&nbsp;The Husker block was dominant, recording 15 stuffs. Bekka Allick had 10 blocks, her second straight match with double-digit blocks. Merritt Beason added five stuffs while Ally Batenhorst and Andi Jackson each had a hand in four blocks. Lexi Rodriguez led the floor defense with a match-high 10 digs.Harper Murray shined in her NCAA Semifinal debut as the freshman had a match-high 13 kills on 33 swings. She hit .273 and had five digs and two blocks. Allick and Jackson combined for nine kills on 16 error-free swings out of the middle, while Beason and Batenhorst had eight kills apiece.&nbsp;National Freshman of the Year Oliva Babcock led Pitt (29-5) with 12 kills and eight blocks while fellow freshman Torrey Stafford had 10 kills.Set 1:&nbsp;Murray had two early kills as the Huskers claimed an 11-9 lead with suffocating defense, holding Pitt to -.056 at that point. Beason had a kill and a block with Allick to make the lead three, 13-10. After Pitt got within one, Beason tipped a kill and Batenhorst and Jackson posted NU's fifth block of the set for a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. The Panthers scored the next two points to cut it to one again, but a service error followed by a Batenhorst/Jackson block put the lead back at three, 17-14. A kill by Batenhorst and a Pittsburgh hitting error made it 19-15 Huskers. Murray tallied her fourth kill, and Allick sent a Pitt attack back to the floor for a 22-17 Husker advantage. Beason terminated for a fourth time, and Pitt hit wide for set point, 24-18. Pitt fought off two set points before the Huskers' eighth block ended the set, 25-20. Nebraska held Pitt to .000 hitting in the first set.&nbsp;Set 2:&nbsp;Allick started the set for the Big Red with a kill and a block, and Batenhorst added a kill before another block by Beason and Allick made it 4-1. Pitt answered with a 3-0 run, but Beason and Batenhorst produced back-to-back kills for a 6-4 advantage. An ace by Beason and two kills by Jackson extended the lead to 11-6, and Allick's seventh block made it 13-7. NU remained up by six, 15-9, after a Murray kill, but Pitt scored the next three to get within 15-12. Murray, Batenhorst and Reilly put down kills to keep the Huskers in front, 20-15. Batenhorst fired her sixth kill to make it 21-16, but the Panthers got two kills and a Husker hitting error to cut it to 21-19. Murray then put the Huskers on her back with three kills to take NU to set point, 24-20. The Panthers answered with two kills and a block to cut it to 24-23, but a service error ended the set in NU's favor, 25-23.&nbsp;Set 3:&nbsp;Allick was involved in two more blocks and had a kill as well as the Huskers went up 8-6. Back-to-back kills by Batenhorst started a 5-0 Husker run that made it 15-9. Batenhorst and Jackson also had a block in that stretch, and Beason tallied a kill that forced a Pittsburgh timeout. The timeout didn't slow the Huskers, as Rodriguez came out of it with an ace. After Pittsburgh sided out, Jackson came right back with a kill and Pittsburgh was out of rotation to give the Huskers a 17-10 advantage. Pittsburgh used its final timeout, but Beason served back-to-back aces to make it 19-10 Huskers. Kills by Jackson and Murray and a block by Murray and Allick before another kill by Murray had it at 23-13 Huskers. Murray's 13th kill earned match point, and after Pitt fended off three match points, the Big Red clinched the match when the Panthers were called for being int he net on the Huskers' fourth match point.Nebraska Post-Match Notes<ul>
 <li>With the win, Nebraska advanced to an NCAA Final for the 11th time in program history and for the fifth time in the past nine seasons. NU improved to 11-6 all-time in NCAA Semifinal matches, with the 11 trips to the NCAA Final ranking second in NCAA Division I history.</li><li>The Huskers have won their last four NCAA Semifinal matchups and five of their last six.</li><li>John Cook has led Nebraska to an NCAA Final for the eighth time in his 24 seasons. Cook is the third Division I coach to take one school to eight NCAA Finals, joining Russ Rose (10 at Penn State) and Don Shaw (8 at Stanford). Overall, Cook’s eight trips to the NCAA Final are tied with Shaw for third all-time among Division I coaches.</li><li>With the win, Nebraska improved to 33-1 on the season. The 33 wins tie for the second-most victories for Nebraska during the NCAA era (1981-present), one shy of the 34 wins by the 2000 Huskers.</li><li>Nebraska improved to 130-36 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers joined Stanford (138 wins) as the only two Division I programs with 130 NCAA Tournament wins.</li><li>NU improved to 14-0 all-time against Pittsburgh, including a 5-0 mark in the NCAA Tournament.</li><li>The Huskers moved to 11-0 all-time against ACC teams in the NCAA Tournament.</li><li>John Cook improved to 89-19 in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach. He moved to 97-24 in his NCAA Tournament career. Cook ranks second all-time in career NCAA Tournament victories and NCAA Tournament wins at one school.</li><li>Tonight marked John Cook’s 850th career victory (including his seven seasons at Wisconsin). Cook is just the 14th coach in NCAA Division I history to win 850 matches. He joins Florida’s Mary Wise (1,045) and Florida State’s Chris Poole (918) as the only active Division I head coach with 850 career wins.</li><li>The Huskers won the first two sets against Pittsburgh and improved to 101-1 in the NCAA Tournament when taking a 2-0 lead. Nebraska has won 100 consecutive postseason matches when winning the first two sets.</li><li>Nebraska had eight blocks in set one. That was a higher total than the Huskers had in 11 matches this season.</li><li>The Huskers recorded their 10th block on the 50th rally of the match. NU finished with 15 blocks, its fourth straight match with double-digit kills and 14th on the season.</li><li>In addition to the 15 blocks against Pitt, Nebraska had 17 blocks in its last match against Arkansas. The Huskers have recorded 15 blocks in consecutive matches for the first time since back-to-back matches against Michigan (15) and Illinois (16) in November of 2014.</li><li>Nebraska held Pittsburgh to a .137 attack percentage, which marked the Panthers' second-lowest percentage of the season and lowest since their season opener against BYU.</li><li>Bekka Allick had 10 blocks in the match, which tied the Nebraska all-time record for blocks in a three-set NCAA Tournament match. Only three times prior to tonight had a Husker had 10 stuffs in a three-set NCAA Tournament match: Melissa Elmer twice during the 2005 NCAA Tournament (Duke and Florida) and Amber Rolfzen in a 2014 first-round match against Hofstra.</li><li>Allick now has 22 blocks in her last two matches, averaging 3.1 blocks per set.</li><li>Allick and fellow middle Andi Jackson combined to hit .563 in the match with nine kills on 16 error-free swings.</li><li>Merritt Beason had four service aces in the match. The four aces were her most as a Husker and tied her career high.</li><li>Lexi Rodriguez had 14 digs in the match to increase her career total to 1,418. Rodriguez passed Kenzie Maloney (1,406) and Jordan Larson (1,410) to move into fifth place on Nebraska’s all-time digs list.</li>
 </ul>

Huskers sweep Pitt to advance to NCAA final

Story by NU Athletic Communications&nbsp;

Four Nebraska volleyball players were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Teams on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Merritt Beason and Lexi Rodriguez were selected to the AVCA All-America First Team. Setter Bergen Reilly was chosen to the AVCA All-America Second Team. Outside hitter Harper Murray was named to the AVCA All-America Third Team.&nbsp;

The Huskers' four All-America selections brings their nation-leading total to 103 all-time, and it's the most All-Americans Nebraska has had in a season since 2016.&nbsp;

Rodriguez is now a three-time All-American after earning first-team honors in 2021 and second-team honors in 2022. Beason, Reilly and Murray are all first timers.&nbsp;

Merritt Beason, Jr., Opposite Hitter Merritt Beason, a junior opposite hitter who transferred to NU from Florida, was named the AVCA Region Player of the Year, as well as All-Big Ten First Team and All-Region Team. Beason has stepped in as a team captain and is contributing a team-leading 3.86 kills per set this season with 2.09 digs per set and a .293 hitting percentage. A native of Gardendale, Ala., Beason earned four Big Ten Player of the Week honors this season and was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 24 following 21 kills in a 3-2 win over then-No. 1 Wisconsin. Beason had a career-high 27 kills on .426 hitting in a 3-2 reverse sweep at then-No. 16 Penn State on Nov. 3. As a sophomore at Florida in 2022, Beason was an All-SEC and AVCA All-Region selection.

Lexi Rodriguez, Jr., Libero Junior libero Lexi Rodriguez was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career, becoming the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive that honor twice in a career. She also earned AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten First Team honors for the third time. Rodriguez, who averages 3.62 digs and 1.26 assists per set, leads a Husker defense that ranks first nationally in opponent hitting percentage. The junior from Sterling, Ill., was twice named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week this season despite opponents frequently tailoring their game plans to avoid Rodriguez on the court. Rodriguez was a first-team AVCA All-American in 2021 and a second-team AVCA All-American in 2022.&nbsp;

Bergen Reilly, Fr., Setter Freshman setter Bergen Reilly was chosen Big Ten Setter of the Year, becoming the first ever freshman to earn the award since it originated in 2012. She also earned All-Big Ten First Team, All-Freshman Team, and AVCA All-Region Team accolades. Reilly, just the second true freshman setter to be the starter at Nebraska under head coach John Cook, is putting up 10.64 assists and 2.70 digs per set and has 15 double-doubles this season. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native ranks 17th nationally in assists per set. Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Week four times this year and Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice. She paces a Husker offense that ranks in the top 20 nationally in hitting percentage (.279) and kills per set (14.06).

Harper Murray, Fr., Outside Hitter Freshman outside hitter Harper Murray was voted the AVCA Region Freshman of the Year and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, making her the second ever Husker (Madi Kubik, 2019) to earn that distinction. Murray also earned All-Big Ten First Team and unanimous All-Freshman Team accolades. Murray ranks second on the Huskers in kills with 3.23 per set and adds 2.10 digs per set with a team-high 34 service aces. Murray was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times this season.

Story by NU Athletic Communications&nbsp;Four Nebraska volleyball players were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Teams on Wednesday.&nbsp;Merritt Beason and Lexi Rodriguez were selected to the AVCA All-America First Team. Setter Bergen Reilly was chosen to the AVCA All-America Second Team. Outside hitter Harper Murray was named to the AVCA All-America Third Team.&nbsp;The Huskers' four All-America selections brings their nation-leading total to 103 all-time, and it's the most All-Americans Nebraska has had in a season since 2016.&nbsp;Rodriguez is now a three-time All-American after earning first-team honors in 2021 and second-team honors in 2022. Beason, Reilly and Murray are all first timers.&nbsp;Merritt Beason, Jr., Opposite Hitter Merritt Beason, a junior opposite hitter who transferred to NU from Florida, was named the AVCA Region Player of the Year, as well as All-Big Ten First Team and All-Region Team. Beason has stepped in as a team captain and is contributing a team-leading 3.86 kills per set this season with 2.09 digs per set and a .293 hitting percentage. A native of Gardendale, Ala., Beason earned four Big Ten Player of the Week honors this season and was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 24 following 21 kills in a 3-2 win over then-No. 1 Wisconsin. Beason had a career-high 27 kills on .426 hitting in a 3-2 reverse sweep at then-No. 16 Penn State on Nov. 3. As a sophomore at Florida in 2022, Beason was an All-SEC and AVCA All-Region selection.Lexi Rodriguez, Jr., Libero Junior libero Lexi Rodriguez was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career, becoming the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive that honor twice in a career. She also earned AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten First Team honors for the third time. Rodriguez, who averages 3.62 digs and 1.26 assists per set, leads a Husker defense that ranks first nationally in opponent hitting percentage. The junior from Sterling, Ill., was twice named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week this season despite opponents frequently tailoring their game plans to avoid Rodriguez on the court. Rodriguez was a first-team AVCA All-American in 2021 and a second-team AVCA All-American in 2022.&nbsp;Bergen Reilly, Fr., Setter Freshman setter Bergen Reilly was chosen Big Ten Setter of the Year, becoming the first ever freshman to earn the award since it originated in 2012. She also earned All-Big Ten First Team, All-Freshman Team, and AVCA All-Region Team accolades. Reilly, just the second true freshman setter to be the starter at Nebraska under head coach John Cook, is putting up 10.64 assists and 2.70 digs per set and has 15 double-doubles this season. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native ranks 17th nationally in assists per set. Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Week four times this year and Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice. She paces a Husker offense that ranks in the top 20 nationally in hitting percentage (.279) and kills per set (14.06).Harper Murray, Fr., Outside Hitter Freshman outside hitter Harper Murray was voted the AVCA Region Freshman of the Year and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, making her the second ever Husker (Madi Kubik, 2019) to earn that distinction. Murray also earned All-Big Ten First Team and unanimous All-Freshman Team accolades. Murray ranks second on the Huskers in kills with 3.23 per set and adds 2.10 digs per set with a team-high 34 service aces. Murray was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times this season.

Four Huskers earn AVCA All-America Honors

MATCH PREVIEW• The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team squares off against No. 4 Pittsburgh on Thursday in the NCAA Semifinals at 6 p.m. (CT) at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. The winner will advance to Sunday’s NCAA Championship at 2 p.m. (CT) on ABC against either No. 3 Wisconsin or No. 5 Texas.&nbsp;• Thursday’s match will be televised on ESPN and streamed on WatchESPN. Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak and Katie George will be on the call.&nbsp;• The Huskers Radio Network will broadcast all the action on their radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha. A live audio stream will be provided at Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.&nbsp;• John Baylor is in his 30th season doing play-by-play for the Husker volleyball program. Lauren (Cook) West, a former All-American setter for the Huskers, will provide color commentary.

ABOUT THE HUSKERS• Nebraska (32-1) is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in program history. The other years were 2000 (NCAA Champion), 2004 (NCAA Regional Finalist), 2005 (NCAA Runner-Up), 2006 (NCAA Champion) and 2016 (NCAA Semifinalist).• The Huskers won the outright Big Ten title this season with a 19-1 league record, earning their first Big Ten title since 2017. Nebraska has now won four Big Ten titles since joining the conference in 2011. The years were 2011, 2016, 2017 (co-champions) and 2023. All-time, Nebraska volleyball has won 35 conference titles. John Cook has been head coach for 13 of them.&nbsp;• Nebraska’s 32 wins are tied for the most by a Nebraska team since the 2006 team won 33 matches (33-1).• Nebraska won 27 matches in a row to begin the season and finished 28-1, its best regular-season record since going 28-1 in 2005.&nbsp;• The Huskers, who led the nation in defense in 2022, have held their opponents this season to a combined .134 hitting percentage, which ranks first nationally.&nbsp;• Nebraska has been sharp offensively this season, hitting .279 to rank 18th nationally. The Huskers rank 10th nationally with 14.06 kills per set and 15th in assists per set at 13.02.&nbsp;• Nebraska had four All-Big Ten First Team selections and two All-Big Ten Second Team selections for a total of six all-conference players this season, the most in program history.• The Huskers had six AVCA All-Region honorees, tied for the most in program history.&nbsp;• Thursday’s semifinals pits the nation’s top two defenses against each other. Nebraska is No. 1 nationally at .134, while Pittsburgh is No. 2 at .138.&nbsp;• Nebraska and Pittsburgh are the only two teams who are holding their opponents under .100 hitting in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers are No. 1 with a .090 opponent hitting percentage in the NCAA Tournament while the Panthers rank second with an .095 opponent hitting percentage.• Nebraska has lost only one set in the NCAA Tournament, the only team in the tournament with fewer than two set losses.• Nebraska enters the NCAA Semifinals with 32 wins. That ties for the most wins by a team entering the NCAA Semifinals since 2014, when Penn State entered the semifinals with a 34-3 record.• Bekka Allick is averaging 2.4 blocks per set during the NCAA Tournament and is the nation’s leading blocker during the postseason.• Bergen Reilly is looking to become just the fourth freshman setter to lead her team to a national championship. Bryn Keho set Stanford to a national title as a true freshman in 2004 as did Jenna Gray for the Cardinal in 2016. In addition to the two Stanford setters, Nebraska’s Rachel Holloway set the Huskers to a national championship in 2006, when she was a redshirt freshman.• Merritt Beason has 444 kills in her first season as a Husker. With six more kills, Beason would join an accomplished group of four Huskers who totaled 450 kills in a season during the rally-scoring era (2001-present). That group includes Sarah Pavan, Kelsey Robinson, Mikaela Foecke and Jordan Larson. Pavan and Foecke were each named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player in their careers, while Robinson and Larson both won gold medals with Team USA at the 2020 Olympics, with Larson being the Olympics’ Most Outstanding Player.• Andi Jackson is hitting .402 this season, as she attempts to become the first freshman in program history to hit .400. The current record for freshman hitting percentage is .388 by Karen Dahlgren in 1983.&nbsp;

NEBRASKA’S NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES• Nebraska advanced to an NCAA Semifinal for the 17th time in program history and for the sixth time in the past nine seasons. The Huskers’ 17 NCAA Semifinals rank second in NCAA history, and Nebraska’s six semifinal appearances since 2015 lead the nation.• John Cook has led Nebraska to an NCAA Semifinal for the 11th time in his 24 seasons. Cook is the fourth Division I coach to take one school to 10 or more NCAA Semifinals, joining Russ Rose (Penn State), Andy Banachowski (UCLA) and Jerritt Elliott (Texas).• Nebraska is 129-36 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.782).• Cook is 88-19 in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach. He is 96-24 in his NCAA Tournament career. Cook ranks second all-time in career NCAA Tournament victories and NCAA Tournament wins at one school.• Bekka Allick had a career-high 12 blocks in the regional final (her previous career high was 10 at Minnesota on Nov. 25, 2023). Allick’s 12 blocks were the most by a Husker in an NCAA Tournament match during the rally-scoring era (since 2001), breaking the record of 10, which was accomplished seven times by five Huskers.&nbsp;• Merritt Beason had 19 kills in the Arkansas match. She has produced double-digit kills in 17 of her last 18 matches, including all four matches of the NCAA Tournament. Beason has 444 kills this season. She moved into the top 10 on Nebraska’s single-season kills list, passing Mikaela Foecke (441 in 2017) and Sarah Pavan (443 in 2005) for the ninth-most single-season kills by a Husker in the rally-scoring era (since 2001).• Lexi Rodriguez had 20 digs in the regional final to increase her career total to 1,404. Rodriguez became the seventh player in school history to total 1,400 career digs.

HUSKERS RACK UP POSTSEASON AWARDS• Merritt Beason, a junior opposite hitter who transfered to NU from Florida, was named the AVCA Region Player of the Year, as well as All-Big Ten First Team and All-Region Team. Beason has stepped in as a team captain and is contributing a team-leading 3.86 kills per set this season with 2.09 digs per set and a .293 hitting percentage. A native of Gardendale, Ala., Beason earned four Big Ten Player of the Week honors this season and was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 24 following 21 kills in a 3-2 win over then-No. 1 Wisconsin. Beason had a career-high 27 kills on .426 hitting in a 3-2 reverse sweep at then-No. 16 Penn State on Nov. 3. As a sophomore at Florida in 2022, Beason was an All-SEC and AVCA All-Region selection.• Junior libero Lexi Rodriguez was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career, becoming the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive that honor twice in a career. She also earned AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten First Team honors for the third time. Rodriguez, who averages 3.62 digs and 1.26 assists per set, leads a Husker defense that ranks first nationally in opponent hitting percentage. The junior from Sterling, Ill., was twice named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week this season despite opponents frequently tailoring their game plans to avoid Rodriguez on the court. Rodriguez was a first-team AVCA All-American in 2021 and a second-team AVCA All-American in 2022.&nbsp;• Freshman outside hitter Harper Murray was voted the AVCA Region Freshman of the Year and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, making her the second ever Husker (Madi Kubik, 2019) to earn that distinction. Murray also earned All-Big Ten First Team and unanimous All-Freshman Team accolades. Murray ranks second on the Huskers in kills with 3.23 per set and adds 2.10 digs per set with a team-high 34 service aces. Murray was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times this season.• Freshman setter Bergen Reilly was chosen Big Ten Setter of the Year, becoming the first ever freshman to earn the award since it originated in 2012. She also earned All-Big Ten First Team, All-Freshman Team, and AVCA All-Region Team accolades. Reilly, just the second true freshman setter to be the starter at Nebraska under head coach John Cook, is putting up 10.64 assists and 2.70 digs per set and has 15 double-doubles this season. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native ranks 17th nationally in assists per set. Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Week four times this year and Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice. She paces a Husker offense that ranks in the top 20 nationally in hitting percentage (.279) and kills per set (14.06).&nbsp;• Bekka Allick, a sophomore middle blocker from Lincoln, Neb., has been Nebraska’s top defensive presence at the net with a team-best 1.45 blocks per set this season. Offensively, Allick adds 1.80 kills per set on .325 hitting. Allick had a career-high 12 blocks in the NCAA regional final win over Arkansas, the most by a Husker in an NCAA Tournament match during the rally-scoring era. Allick received AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten Second Team honors for the second year in a row.&nbsp;• Andi Jackson, a freshman middle blocker from Brighton, Colo., averages 2.04 kills per set and 1.09 blocks per set and has a team-high .402 hitting percentage, which ranks 18th nationally. Jackson was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in November and has hit .500 or better in 13 matches this season. She was selected to the AVCA All-Region Team, All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team. &nbsp;

SCOUTING REPORT: PITTSBURGH• Pittsburgh (29-4, 16-2 ACC) earned a third straight trip to the NCAA Semifinals with a 3-2 reverse sweep of Louisville in the regional finals, its second time in four weeks reverse sweeping the Cardinals.&nbsp;• The Panthers rank second nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.138) and third in hitting percentage (.308). Pitt is No. 2 in the nation in blocks at 2.97 per set. &nbsp;• Outside hitter Olivia Babcock was the ACC Freshman of the Year. Babcock leads the attack with 3.61 kills per set and has served a team-high 50 aces.&nbsp;• Setter Rachel Fairbanks was the ACC Setter of the Year. Fairbanks averages 9.32 assists per set.&nbsp;

SERIES HISTORY• Nebraska is 13-0 all-time against Pittsburgh. The teams met in the NCAA Semifinals in Columbus, Ohio on Dec. 16, 2021. The Huskers won that match, 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22) to advance to the NCAA Championship match, which Wisconsin won 3-2.&nbsp;

HUSKERS RANKED NO. 1 IN AVCA COACHES POLL• Nebraska is ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week.• Nebraska has been ranked No. 1 in 108 all-time polls, the most in NCAA history.&nbsp;• The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 557 times, which is also the most in NCAA history.• Nebraska has appeared in all 618 AVCA Coaches Polls it has been eligible for since it was established in 1982. Nebraska is the only program to be ranked in every eligible poll all-time.• Nebraska’s 618 consecutive weeks of being ranked is the longest active streak in Division I for any sport, leading Connecticut women’s basketball and North Carolina women’s soccer.

AVCA HALL OF FAMER JOHN COOK IN 24TH SEASON AT NEBRASKA• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 24th season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2023. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, 11 final fours, 13 conference championships and 21 top-10 final rankings since 2000.&nbsp;• Cook has 849 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .874 win percentage (688-99).&nbsp;• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 64 AVCA All-Americans and 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000 and 2005, and an eight-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2023.• Cook was voted AVCA North Region Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading a young Nebraska team with no seniors to its first Big Ten title since 2017. The Huskers finished the regular season 28-1 overall, their best regular season record since going 28-1 in 2005. After going 26-6 last year and missing the NCAA Regional Finals for the first time since 2011, the Huskers started over with a starting lineup featuring four true freshmen and a junior transfer (Beason). Cook’s Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season. Despite having no seniors on the roster for just the second time in Cook’s 24 years at Nebraska - as well as starting a true freshman at setter for only the second time in Cook’s tenure - the Huskers earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and the sixth time overall under Cook.• Cook is one of only two active coaches - and one of six all-time - to be a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year and was honored in 2008 by USA Volleyball, receiving its All-Time Great Coach Award.• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall.&nbsp;

HUSKER VOLLEYBALL SETS ATTENDANCE RECORDS• It was a record-breaking night at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30 when Nebraska hosted Omaha in an outdoor volleyball match. The attendance of 92,003 set a record for the largest crowd to watch a women’s sporting event in the United States. The crowd of more than 92,000 also surpassed what is widely regarded as the world-record attendance for any women’s sporting event.• The previously recognized world record was 91,648 fans in an UEFA Champions League match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg on April 22, 2022, at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. The previous record for an American women’s sporting event was 90,185 in USA’s FIFA World Cup Final against China on July 10, 1999, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.• Along with the two records mentioned above, the Huskers shattered a pair of NCAA records, exceeding the previous records for any NCAA volleyball match and an NCAA volleyball regular-season match.&nbsp;• Entering the match, the largest-ever crowd for any NCAA volleyball match was 18,755 when Nebraska played Wisconsin in the NCAA Final at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 18, 2021. The largest NCAA volleyball regular-season attendance was 16,833 when Wisconsin hosted Florida at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., on Sept 16, 2022.• The Husker volleyball program has sold out 319 consecutive regular-season matches. Nebraska’s sellout streak is an NCAA women’s record. The Huskers have led the nation in attendance every season since moving into the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2013.• Nine of the top 11 crowds in NCAA volleyball history are matches that have involved the Huskers.&nbsp;• Of the 16 largest NCAA volleyball regular-season crowds, 14 have been Nebraska matches.• On Oct. 21, Nebraska broke its Devaney Center attendance record since the arena was reconfigured for volleyball in 2013. A crowd of 9,198 turned out to see a five-set thriller between undefeated No. 1 Wisconsin and undefeated No. 2 Nebraska. Over the summer, 402 seats were added to the Devaney Center, increasing the seating capacity to 8,309.&nbsp;• Nebraska’s total attendance for the 2023 season was 264,665 (including the 92,003 for the outdoor match). Nebraska volleyball became the first female sport in NCAA history to draw 250,000 home fans in a single season.&nbsp;

By NU AthleticsMATCH PREVIEW• The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team squares off against No. 4 Pittsburgh on Thursday in the NCAA Semifinals at 6 p.m. (CT) at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. The winner will advance to Sunday’s NCAA Championship at 2 p.m. (CT) on ABC against either No. 3 Wisconsin or No. 5 Texas.&nbsp;• Thursday’s match will be televised on ESPN and streamed on WatchESPN. Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak and Katie George will be on the call.&nbsp;• The Huskers Radio Network will broadcast all the action on their radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha. A live audio stream will be provided at Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.&nbsp;• John Baylor is in his 30th season doing play-by-play for the Husker volleyball program. Lauren (Cook) West, a former All-American setter for the Huskers, will provide color commentary.ABOUT THE HUSKERS• Nebraska (32-1) is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in program history. The other years were 2000 (NCAA Champion), 2004 (NCAA Regional Finalist), 2005 (NCAA Runner-Up), 2006 (NCAA Champion) and 2016 (NCAA Semifinalist).• The Huskers won the outright Big Ten title this season with a 19-1 league record, earning their first Big Ten title since 2017. Nebraska has now won four Big Ten titles since joining the conference in 2011. The years were 2011, 2016, 2017 (co-champions) and 2023. All-time, Nebraska volleyball has won 35 conference titles. John Cook has been head coach for 13 of them.&nbsp;• Nebraska’s 32 wins are tied for the most by a Nebraska team since the 2006 team won 33 matches (33-1).• Nebraska won 27 matches in a row to begin the season and finished 28-1, its best regular-season record since going 28-1 in 2005.&nbsp;• The Huskers, who led the nation in defense in 2022, have held their opponents this season to a combined .134 hitting percentage, which ranks first nationally.&nbsp;• Nebraska has been sharp offensively this season, hitting .279 to rank 18th nationally. The Huskers rank 10th nationally with 14.06 kills per set and 15th in assists per set at 13.02.&nbsp;• Nebraska had four All-Big Ten First Team selections and two All-Big Ten Second Team selections for a total of six all-conference players this season, the most in program history.• The Huskers had six AVCA All-Region honorees, tied for the most in program history.&nbsp;• Thursday’s semifinals pits the nation’s top two defenses against each other. Nebraska is No. 1 nationally at .134, while Pittsburgh is No. 2 at .138.&nbsp;• Nebraska and Pittsburgh are the only two teams who are holding their opponents under .100 hitting in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers are No. 1 with a .090 opponent hitting percentage in the NCAA Tournament while the Panthers rank second with an .095 opponent hitting percentage.• Nebraska has lost only one set in the NCAA Tournament, the only team in the tournament with fewer than two set losses.• Nebraska enters the NCAA Semifinals with 32 wins. That ties for the most wins by a team entering the NCAA Semifinals since 2014, when Penn State entered the semifinals with a 34-3 record.• Bekka Allick is averaging 2.4 blocks per set during the NCAA Tournament and is the nation’s leading blocker during the postseason.• Bergen Reilly is looking to become just the fourth freshman setter to lead her team to a national championship. Bryn Keho set Stanford to a national title as a true freshman in 2004 as did Jenna Gray for the Cardinal in 2016. In addition to the two Stanford setters, Nebraska’s Rachel Holloway set the Huskers to a national championship in 2006, when she was a redshirt freshman.• Merritt Beason has 444 kills in her first season as a Husker. With six more kills, Beason would join an accomplished group of four Huskers who totaled 450 kills in a season during the rally-scoring era (2001-present). That group includes Sarah Pavan, Kelsey Robinson, Mikaela Foecke and Jordan Larson. Pavan and Foecke were each named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player in their careers, while Robinson and Larson both won gold medals with Team USA at the 2020 Olympics, with Larson being the Olympics’ Most Outstanding Player.• Andi Jackson is hitting .402 this season, as she attempts to become the first freshman in program history to hit .400. The current record for freshman hitting percentage is .388 by Karen Dahlgren in 1983.&nbsp;NEBRASKA’S NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES• Nebraska advanced to an NCAA Semifinal for the 17th time in program history and for the sixth time in the past nine seasons. The Huskers’ 17 NCAA Semifinals rank second in NCAA history, and Nebraska’s six semifinal appearances since 2015 lead the nation.• John Cook has led Nebraska to an NCAA Semifinal for the 11th time in his 24 seasons. Cook is the fourth Division I coach to take one school to 10 or more NCAA Semifinals, joining Russ Rose (Penn State), Andy Banachowski (UCLA) and Jerritt Elliott (Texas).• Nebraska is 129-36 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.782).• Cook is 88-19 in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach. He is 96-24 in his NCAA Tournament career. Cook ranks second all-time in career NCAA Tournament victories and NCAA Tournament wins at one school.• Bekka Allick had a career-high 12 blocks in the regional final (her previous career high was 10 at Minnesota on Nov. 25, 2023). Allick’s 12 blocks were the most by a Husker in an NCAA Tournament match during the rally-scoring era (since 2001), breaking the record of 10, which was accomplished seven times by five Huskers.&nbsp;• Merritt Beason had 19 kills in the Arkansas match. She has produced double-digit kills in 17 of her last 18 matches, including all four matches of the NCAA Tournament. Beason has 444 kills this season. She moved into the top 10 on Nebraska’s single-season kills list, passing Mikaela Foecke (441 in 2017) and Sarah Pavan (443 in 2005) for the ninth-most single-season kills by a Husker in the rally-scoring era (since 2001).• Lexi Rodriguez had 20 digs in the regional final to increase her career total to 1,404. Rodriguez became the seventh player in school history to total 1,400 career digs.HUSKERS RACK UP POSTSEASON AWARDS• Merritt Beason, a junior opposite hitter who transfered to NU from Florida, was named the AVCA Region Player of the Year, as well as All-Big Ten First Team and All-Region Team. Beason has stepped in as a team captain and is contributing a team-leading 3.86 kills per set this season with 2.09 digs per set and a .293 hitting percentage. A native of Gardendale, Ala., Beason earned four Big Ten Player of the Week honors this season and was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 24 following 21 kills in a 3-2 win over then-No. 1 Wisconsin. Beason had a career-high 27 kills on .426 hitting in a 3-2 reverse sweep at then-No. 16 Penn State on Nov. 3. As a sophomore at Florida in 2022, Beason was an All-SEC and AVCA All-Region selection.• Junior libero Lexi Rodriguez was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career, becoming the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive that honor twice in a career. She also earned AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten First Team honors for the third time. Rodriguez, who averages 3.62 digs and 1.26 assists per set, leads a Husker defense that ranks first nationally in opponent hitting percentage. The junior from Sterling, Ill., was twice named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week this season despite opponents frequently tailoring their game plans to avoid Rodriguez on the court. Rodriguez was a first-team AVCA All-American in 2021 and a second-team AVCA All-American in 2022.&nbsp;• Freshman outside hitter Harper Murray was voted the AVCA Region Freshman of the Year and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, making her the second ever Husker (Madi Kubik, 2019) to earn that distinction. Murray also earned All-Big Ten First Team and unanimous All-Freshman Team accolades. Murray ranks second on the Huskers in kills with 3.23 per set and adds 2.10 digs per set with a team-high 34 service aces. Murray was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times this season.• Freshman setter Bergen Reilly was chosen Big Ten Setter of the Year, becoming the first ever freshman to earn the award since it originated in 2012. She also earned All-Big Ten First Team, All-Freshman Team, and AVCA All-Region Team accolades. Reilly, just the second true freshman setter to be the starter at Nebraska under head coach John Cook, is putting up 10.64 assists and 2.70 digs per set and has 15 double-doubles this season. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native ranks 17th nationally in assists per set. Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Week four times this year and Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice. She paces a Husker offense that ranks in the top 20 nationally in hitting percentage (.279) and kills per set (14.06).&nbsp;• Bekka Allick, a sophomore middle blocker from Lincoln, Neb., has been Nebraska’s top defensive presence at the net with a team-best 1.45 blocks per set this season. Offensively, Allick adds 1.80 kills per set on .325 hitting. Allick had a career-high 12 blocks in the NCAA regional final win over Arkansas, the most by a Husker in an NCAA Tournament match during the rally-scoring era. Allick received AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten Second Team honors for the second year in a row.&nbsp;• Andi Jackson, a freshman middle blocker from Brighton, Colo., averages 2.04 kills per set and 1.09 blocks per set and has a team-high .402 hitting percentage, which ranks 18th nationally. Jackson was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in November and has hit .500 or better in 13 matches this season. She was selected to the AVCA All-Region Team, All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team. &nbsp;SCOUTING REPORT: PITTSBURGH• Pittsburgh (29-4, 16-2 ACC) earned a third straight trip to the NCAA Semifinals with a 3-2 reverse sweep of Louisville in the regional finals, its second time in four weeks reverse sweeping the Cardinals.&nbsp;• The Panthers rank second nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.138) and third in hitting percentage (.308). Pitt is No. 2 in the nation in blocks at 2.97 per set. &nbsp;• Outside hitter Olivia Babcock was the ACC Freshman of the Year. Babcock leads the attack with 3.61 kills per set and has served a team-high 50 aces.&nbsp;• Setter Rachel Fairbanks was the ACC Setter of the Year. Fairbanks averages 9.32 assists per set.&nbsp;SERIES HISTORY• Nebraska is 13-0 all-time against Pittsburgh. The teams met in the NCAA Semifinals in Columbus, Ohio on Dec. 16, 2021. The Huskers won that match, 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22) to advance to the NCAA Championship match, which Wisconsin won 3-2.&nbsp;HUSKERS RANKED NO. 1 IN AVCA COACHES POLL• Nebraska is ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week.• Nebraska has been ranked No. 1 in 108 all-time polls, the most in NCAA history.&nbsp;• The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 557 times, which is also the most in NCAA history.• Nebraska has appeared in all 618 AVCA Coaches Polls it has been eligible for since it was established in 1982. Nebraska is the only program to be ranked in every eligible poll all-time.• Nebraska’s 618 consecutive weeks of being ranked is the longest active streak in Division I for any sport, leading Connecticut women’s basketball and North Carolina women’s soccer.AVCA HALL OF FAMER JOHN COOK IN 24TH SEASON AT NEBRASKA• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 24th season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2023. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, 11 final fours, 13 conference championships and 21 top-10 final rankings since 2000.&nbsp;• Cook has 849 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .874 win percentage (688-99).&nbsp;• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 64 AVCA All-Americans and 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000 and 2005, and an eight-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2023.• Cook was voted AVCA North Region Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading a young Nebraska team with no seniors to its first Big Ten title since 2017. The Huskers finished the regular season 28-1 overall, their best regular season record since going 28-1 in 2005. After going 26-6 last year and missing the NCAA Regional Finals for the first time since 2011, the Huskers started over with a starting lineup featuring four true freshmen and a junior transfer (Beason). Cook’s Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season. Despite having no seniors on the roster for just the second time in Cook’s 24 years at Nebraska - as well as starting a true freshman at setter for only the second time in Cook’s tenure - the Huskers earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and the sixth time overall under Cook.• Cook is one of only two active coaches - and one of six all-time - to be a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year and was honored in 2008 by USA Volleyball, receiving its All-Time Great Coach Award.• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall.&nbsp;HUSKER VOLLEYBALL SETS ATTENDANCE RECORDS• It was a record-breaking night at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30 when Nebraska hosted Omaha in an outdoor volleyball match. The attendance of 92,003 set a record for the largest crowd to watch a women’s sporting event in the United States. The crowd of more than 92,000 also surpassed what is widely regarded as the world-record attendance for any women’s sporting event.• The previously recognized world record was 91,648 fans in an UEFA Champions League match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg on April 22, 2022, at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. The previous record for an American women’s sporting event was 90,185 in USA’s FIFA World Cup Final against China on July 10, 1999, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.• Along with the two records mentioned above, the Huskers shattered a pair of NCAA records, exceeding the previous records for any NCAA volleyball match and an NCAA volleyball regular-season match.&nbsp;• Entering the match, the largest-ever crowd for any NCAA volleyball match was 18,755 when Nebraska played Wisconsin in the NCAA Final at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 18, 2021. The largest NCAA volleyball regular-season attendance was 16,833 when Wisconsin hosted Florida at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., on Sept 16, 2022.• The Husker volleyball program has sold out 319 consecutive regular-season matches. Nebraska’s sellout streak is an NCAA women’s record. The Huskers have led the nation in attendance every season since moving into the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2013.• Nine of the top 11 crowds in NCAA volleyball history are matches that have involved the Huskers.&nbsp;• Of the 16 largest NCAA volleyball regular-season crowds, 14 have been Nebraska matches.• On Oct. 21, Nebraska broke its Devaney Center attendance record since the arena was reconfigured for volleyball in 2013. A crowd of 9,198 turned out to see a five-set thriller between undefeated No. 1 Wisconsin and undefeated No. 2 Nebraska. Over the summer, 402 seats were added to the Devaney Center, increasing the seating capacity to 8,309.&nbsp;• Nebraska’s total attendance for the 2023 season was 264,665 (including the 92,003 for the outdoor match). Nebraska volleyball became the first female sport in NCAA history to draw 250,000 home fans in a single season.&nbsp;

Huskers take on Pitt in Final Four 

Ten members of the Chadron Sharks Swim Team traveled to Rapid City December 13-14, 2023 to compete against 222 swimmers from 11 teams representing South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska. All of the Sharks are making massive improvements and continue to take significant time off their events.

The Sharks added two more swimmers to the team who will be competing at the State Championships in February 2024. Valeria Benitez-Socarrás, age 15, and Raylie Pourier, age 16, have both qualified to compete in the 50 Freestyle, and will join Carter Peters, age 14, who will be competing in the 50 and 100 Freestyle, and Bohdan Shevchenko, age 16, who will be competing in the 50 and 100 Freestyle, 100 and 200 Backstroke, 100 Breaststroke, and 200 Individual Medley.

The Christmas Classic started Saturday with 2 relay teams from the Sharks competing in the 400 Yard Medley Relay. In their first time competing as a relay team, CSST-A, which consisted

of Shevchenko (backstroke), Benitez-Socarrás (breaststroke), Pourier (butterfly) and Peters (freestyle) placed 8th out of the 14 teams that entered the competition with a time of 4:50.91. The CSST-B team, which was also competing for the first time as a relay team, disqualified. Sunday began with 2 more Sharks relay teams competing in the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay.

CSST-A, again consisting of Pourier, Benitez-Socarrás, Peters, and Shevchenko, had an exciting finish going to the wall, edging out a team from Sturgis, SD, and placed 5th out of 13 teams with a time of 4:16.12. CSST-B, competed for the first time together as a relay team on Sunday, and raced with Jessalinn Dieriex, Fabiola Benitez-Socarrás, Rex Ritterbush, and Kenzie Pourier, and placed 11th with a time of 6:35.72.

Fabiola Benitez-Socarrás (age 11): 50 Yard Back - 52.74 (-2.38), 22nd place; 50 Yard Free -1:00.76, 28th place; 50 Yard Breast - 1:00.41, 22nd place; 200 Yard Breast - 5:13.47, 5th place;

100 Yard Back - 2:05.54 (-2.11), 16th place; 100 Yard Free - 2:12.18, 20th place; 100 Yard Breast - 2:29.14, 20th place

Madeline Bower (age 11): 100 Yard Individual Medley - 1:37.17, 13th place; 50 Yard Back -45.82, 15th place; 50 Yard Free - 40.94 (-5.36), 21st place; 50 Yard Breast - 48.96 (-9.31), 11th

place Abigail Bower (age 14): 200 Yard Free - DQ; 100 Yard Butterfly - DQ; 50 Yard Free - 36.33(-3.89), 14th place

Rex Ritterbush (age 14): 200 Yard Free - 3:54.75, 9th place; 200 Yard Back - 4:12.08 (-20.00),6th place; 200 Yard Breast - 4:02.25 (-24.10), 12th place; 100 Yard Back - 1:49.85, 10th place;100 Yard Free - 1:38.42 (-20.41), 12th place; 100 Yard Breast - 1:50.01, 12th place

Carter Peters (age 14) - 200 Yard Free - DQ; 100 Yard Butterfly - 1:17.52 (-9.00), 5th place; 200

Yard Back - 2:49.88 (-28.81), 5th place; 50 Yard Free - 27.87 (-1.96), 5th place; 200 Yard Breast

- 3:06.67 (-28.50), 10th place; 200 Yard Individual Medley - 2:42.19 (-14.06), 5th place; 100

Yard Back - 1:16.66 (-6.06), 6th place; 100 Yard Free - 1:02.43 (-1.00), 3rd place; 100 Yard

Valeria Benitez-Socarrás (age 15): 200 Yard Free - 2:55.85 (-9.88), 6th place; 200 Yard Back -

3:12.43 (-14.16), 7th place; 50 Yard Free - 31.64 (-1.11), 9th place; 200 Yard Breast - DQ; 100

Yard Back - 1:29.03 (-2.13), 9th place; 100 Yard Free - 1:16.89 (-0.48), 10th place; 100 Yard

Raylie Pourier (age 16): 100 Yard Butterfly - 1:16.69 (-6.94), 6th place; 50 Yard Free - 29.79, 5th

place; 200 Yard Breast - 3:26.15, 5th place; 200 Yard Individual Medley - 2:59.45 (-3.81), 7th

place; 100 Yard Back - 1:18.22 (-3.83), 7th place; 100 Yard Free - 1:11.29, 8th place; 100 Yard

Bohdan Shevchenko (age 16): 50 Yard Free - 22.81 (-0.03), 2nd place; 200 Yard Individual

Medley - 2:15.42, 3rd place; 100 Yard Breast - 1:07.11, 3rd place

Jessalinn Dieriex (age 17): 200 Free - 3:38.45 (-38.96), 5th place; 50 Yard Free - 43.04 (-3.40),

10th place; 1000 Yard Free - 20:56.86, 3rd place; 100 Yard Back - 1:58.15, 5th place; 100 Yard

Free - 1:37.14 (-14.35), 9th place; 500 Yard Free - 9:40.46, 6th place

Kenzie Pourier (age 17): 200 Yard Individual Medley - 3:!7.24, 7th place; 100 Yard Back -

1:24.72, 4th place; 100 Yard Free - 1:24.87, 8th place; 100 Yard Breast - 1:46.22, 9th place; 500

The next meet for the Chadron Sharks will be the Black Hills Gold Pentathlon in Spearfish,

By Chadron SharksTen members of the Chadron Sharks Swim Team traveled to Rapid City December 13-14, 2023 to compete against 222 swimmers from 11 teams representing South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska. All of the Sharks are making massive improvements and continue to take significant time off their events.The Sharks added two more swimmers to the team who will be competing at the State Championships in February 2024. Valeria Benitez-Socarrás, age 15, and Raylie Pourier, age 16, have both qualified to compete in the 50 Freestyle, and will join Carter Peters, age 14, who will be competing in the 50 and 100 Freestyle, and Bohdan Shevchenko, age 16, who will be competing in the 50 and 100 Freestyle, 100 and 200 Backstroke, 100 Breaststroke, and 200 Individual Medley.The Christmas Classic started Saturday with 2 relay teams from the Sharks competing in the 400 Yard Medley Relay. In their first time competing as a relay team, CSST-A, which consistedof Shevchenko (backstroke), Benitez-Socarrás (breaststroke), Pourier (butterfly) and Peters (freestyle) placed 8th out of the 14 teams that entered the competition with a time of 4:50.91. The CSST-B team, which was also competing for the first time as a relay team, disqualified. Sunday began with 2 more Sharks relay teams competing in the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay.CSST-A, again consisting of Pourier, Benitez-Socarrás, Peters, and Shevchenko, had an exciting finish going to the wall, edging out a team from Sturgis, SD, and placed 5th out of 13 teams with a time of 4:16.12. CSST-B, competed for the first time together as a relay team on Sunday, and raced with Jessalinn Dieriex, Fabiola Benitez-Socarrás, Rex Ritterbush, and Kenzie Pourier, and placed 11th with a time of 6:35.72.Fabiola Benitez-Socarrás (age 11): 50 Yard Back - 52.74 (-2.38), 22nd place; 50 Yard Free -1:00.76, 28th place; 50 Yard Breast - 1:00.41, 22nd place; 200 Yard Breast - 5:13.47, 5th place;100 Yard Back - 2:05.54 (-2.11), 16th place; 100 Yard Free - 2:12.18, 20th place; 100 Yard Breast - 2:29.14, 20th placeMadeline Bower (age 11): 100 Yard Individual Medley - 1:37.17, 13th place; 50 Yard Back -45.82, 15th place; 50 Yard Free - 40.94 (-5.36), 21st place; 50 Yard Breast - 48.96 (-9.31), 11thplace Abigail Bower (age 14): 200 Yard Free - DQ; 100 Yard Butterfly - DQ; 50 Yard Free - 36.33(-3.89), 14th placeRex Ritterbush (age 14): 200 Yard Free - 3:54.75, 9th place; 200 Yard Back - 4:12.08 (-20.00),6th place; 200 Yard Breast - 4:02.25 (-24.10), 12th place; 100 Yard Back - 1:49.85, 10th place;100 Yard Free - 1:38.42 (-20.41), 12th place; 100 Yard Breast - 1:50.01, 12th placeCarter Peters (age 14) - 200 Yard Free - DQ; 100 Yard Butterfly - 1:17.52 (-9.00), 5th place; 200Yard Back - 2:49.88 (-28.81), 5th place; 50 Yard Free - 27.87 (-1.96), 5th place; 200 Yard Breast- 3:06.67 (-28.50), 10th place; 200 Yard Individual Medley - 2:42.19 (-14.06), 5th place; 100Yard Back - 1:16.66 (-6.06), 6th place; 100 Yard Free - 1:02.43 (-1.00), 3rd place; 100 YardBreast - 1:25.78 (-1.76), 8th placeValeria Benitez-Socarrás (age 15): 200 Yard Free - 2:55.85 (-9.88), 6th place; 200 Yard Back -3:12.43 (-14.16), 7th place; 50 Yard Free - 31.64 (-1.11), 9th place; 200 Yard Breast - DQ; 100Yard Back - 1:29.03 (-2.13), 9th place; 100 Yard Free - 1:16.89 (-0.48), 10th place; 100 YardBreast - 1:44.50, 9th placeRaylie Pourier (age 16): 100 Yard Butterfly - 1:16.69 (-6.94), 6th place; 50 Yard Free - 29.79, 5thplace; 200 Yard Breast - 3:26.15, 5th place; 200 Yard Individual Medley - 2:59.45 (-3.81), 7thplace; 100 Yard Back - 1:18.22 (-3.83), 7th place; 100 Yard Free - 1:11.29, 8th place; 100 YardBreast - 1:30.32 (-2.40), 5th placeBohdan Shevchenko (age 16): 50 Yard Free - 22.81 (-0.03), 2nd place; 200 Yard IndividualMedley - 2:15.42, 3rd place; 100 Yard Breast - 1:07.11, 3rd placeJessalinn Dieriex (age 17): 200 Free - 3:38.45 (-38.96), 5th place; 50 Yard Free - 43.04 (-3.40),10th place; 1000 Yard Free - 20:56.86, 3rd place; 100 Yard Back - 1:58.15, 5th place; 100 YardFree - 1:37.14 (-14.35), 9th place; 500 Yard Free - 9:40.46, 6th placeKenzie Pourier (age 17): 200 Yard Individual Medley - 3:!7.24, 7th place; 100 Yard Back -1:24.72, 4th place; 100 Yard Free - 1:24.87, 8th place; 100 Yard Breast - 1:46.22, 9th place; 500Yard Free - 7:54.44, 5th placeThe next meet for the Chadron Sharks will be the Black Hills Gold Pentathlon in Spearfish,December 16th.

Chadron Sharks Swim Team Compete at Rapid City Christmas Classic

It's a busy week of basketball for Chadron State with four games for both teams in an eight-day span.  We'll take a look at it and hear comments from women's head coach Travis Brewster, and examine a big scoring milestone that one lady Eagle should set this weekend!

<div><iframe title="CSC Sports Journal - 12/13/23" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=k6cfi-1524c9d-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=1b1b1b&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=c73a3a" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>It's a busy week of basketball for Chadron State with four games for both teams in an eight-day span. We'll take a look at it and hear comments from women's head coach Travis Brewster, and examine a big scoring milestone that one lady Eagle should set this weekend!<figure>
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🎙 CSC Sports Journal - 12/13/23

By: Con Marshall CSC Sports Information

CHADRON, Neb. -- Six of nine shooting from 3-point range by junior Dalton Peterson was one of the leading factors Tuesday night when the Chadron State men's basketball team won an 80-73 decision over Colorado Christian during a hard-fought, fast-paced Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game in Chadron.

Led by Peterson's long-range sharpshooting, the Eagles were 11 of 27 from behind the arc while the visiting Cougars were six of 20 on 3-point attempts, giving Chadron State a 15-point advantage in that comparison.

Altogether, the Eagles were 31-58 from the field for 53.4%, while the Cougars were 29-59 for 49.3%.  The entire 3-point difference took place in the first half.  That's when Chadron State was six of 16 and Colorado Christian just one of nine.  Both teams sank five of 11 shots from downtown in the second half.

The Eagles led 44-36 at halftime and were ahead for all but about two minutes in the second half. Christian never led by more than a single point.  One of Peterson's treys with 9:25 to play gave Chadron State the lead for good at 61-59. The spread varied from five to eight points during the game's final 3 ½ minutes, when the teams traded baskets and the onlookers were on the edge of their seats.

Peterson, a 6-foot-3 native of Encampment, Wyo., and a transfer from Casper College, was the Eagles' leading scorer with 20 points. Guard Jalen Patterson was next on the CSC score sheet with 13 points.  Seniors Bryce Latimer and Josh Robinson each added 11 points. Robinson also grabbed the most rebounds—eight--one more than teammate Porter Anderson and the Cougars' Bradley Land.

The game's high scorer was the Cougars' crafty 6-foot junior Noah Kon with 32 points. He was 13 of 19 from the field, while going three of six on 3-point shots and making three of five free throws.  Kon's backcourt mate, Nic Zeil, and 6-6 freshman Bradley Land each added 10 points.  

The Eagles are now 5-4 overall and 3-1 in the RMAC.  Christian is 4-6 and 1-3. 

Chadron State will wrap up its pre-Christmas schedule by hosting Regis and Colorado-Colorado Springs on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Both double-headers will tip off at 2 o'clock with the women's contests.         

 Colorado Christian—Noah Kon 32, Nic Zeil 10, Bradley Land 10, Jacob Everson 6, Schafer Reichart 6, Brenden Patrick 4, Shay Woodberry 3, OgheneMaro Egedotaye 2. Totals 29-59 (6-20) 9-13 73 points, 28 rebounds, 7 turnovers.

Chadron State—Dalton Peterson 20, Jalen Patterson 13, Bryce Latimer 11, Josh Robinson 11, Martin Poznanovic 8, Porter Anderson 7, Raul Nunez 7, Jarrett Taylor 3. Totals: 31-58 (11-27) 7-13 80 points, 35 rebounds, 11 turnovers.

Colorado Christian         36           37        ----73

Chadron State                 44           36       ----80

3-pointers: CCU—Kon 3, Zeil 2, Woodberry 1.  CSC—Peterson 6, Patterson 3, Nunez 1, Taylor 1.  

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702485333248.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By: Con Marshall CSC Sports InformationCHADRON, Neb. -- Six of nine shooting from 3-point range by junior Dalton Peterson was one of the leading factors Tuesday night when the Chadron State men's basketball team won an 80-73 decision over Colorado Christian during a hard-fought, fast-paced Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game in Chadron.Led by Peterson's long-range sharpshooting, the Eagles were 11 of 27 from behind the arc while the visiting Cougars were six of 20 on 3-point attempts, giving Chadron State a 15-point advantage in that comparison.Altogether, the Eagles were 31-58 from the field for 53.4%, while the Cougars were 29-59 for 49.3%. The entire 3-point difference took place in the first half. That's when Chadron State was six of 16 and Colorado Christian just one of nine. Both teams sank five of 11 shots from downtown in the second half.The Eagles led 44-36 at halftime and were ahead for all but about two minutes in the second half. Christian never led by more than a single point. One of Peterson's treys with 9:25 to play gave Chadron State the lead for good at 61-59. The spread varied from five to eight points during the game's final 3 ½ minutes, when the teams traded baskets and the onlookers were on the edge of their seats.Peterson, a 6-foot-3 native of Encampment, Wyo., and a transfer from Casper College, was the Eagles' leading scorer with 20 points. Guard Jalen Patterson was next on the CSC score sheet with 13 points. Seniors Bryce Latimer and Josh Robinson each added 11 points. Robinson also grabbed the most rebounds—eight--one more than teammate Porter Anderson and the Cougars' Bradley Land.The game's high scorer was the Cougars' crafty 6-foot junior Noah Kon with 32 points. He was 13 of 19 from the field, while going three of six on 3-point shots and making three of five free throws. Kon's backcourt mate, Nic Zeil, and 6-6 freshman Bradley Land each added 10 points. The Eagles are now 5-4 overall and 3-1 in the RMAC. Christian is 4-6 and 1-3. Chadron State will wrap up its pre-Christmas schedule by hosting Regis and Colorado-Colorado Springs on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Both double-headers will tip off at 2 o'clock with the women's contests. Colorado Christian—Noah Kon 32, Nic Zeil 10, Bradley Land 10, Jacob Everson 6, Schafer Reichart 6, Brenden Patrick 4, Shay Woodberry 3, OgheneMaro Egedotaye 2. Totals 29-59 (6-20) 9-13 73 points, 28 rebounds, 7 turnovers.Chadron State—Dalton Peterson 20, Jalen Patterson 13, Bryce Latimer 11, Josh Robinson 11, Martin Poznanovic 8, Porter Anderson 7, Raul Nunez 7, Jarrett Taylor 3. Totals: 31-58 (11-27) 7-13 80 points, 35 rebounds, 11 turnovers.Colorado Christian 36 37 ----73Chadron State 44 36 ----803-pointers: CCU—Kon 3, Zeil 2, Woodberry 1. CSC—Peterson 6, Patterson 3, Nunez 1, Taylor 1.

Peterson rings six threes to push CSC past pesky Cougars, 80-73

🏀 Tuesday's Prep Basketball Scoreboard - 12/12/23

Ogallala 83, North Platte St. Patrick's 57

Ogallala 40, North Platte St. Patrick's 18

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607522801220.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>🏀 Tuesday's Prep Basketball Scoreboard - 12/12/23BOYSAlliance 67, Torrington, WY 47Bridgeport 59, Pine Bluffs, WY 40Crawford 58, Minatare 21Hay Springs 54, Hemingford 39Hyannis 45, Gordon-Rushville 25Ogallala 83, North Platte St. Patrick's 57Potter-Dix 50, Leyton 39GIRLSAlliance 37, Torrington, WY 23Bridgeport 73, Pine Bluffs, WY 42Crawford 66, Minatare 3Gordon-Rushville 63, Hyannis 5Hay Springs 45, Hemingford 34Leyton 64, Potter-Dix 27Ogallala 40, North Platte St. Patrick's 18

🏀 Tuesday's Prep Basketball Scoreboard

By: John Murphy CSC Sports Information

CHADRON, Neb. -- The Chadron State women's basketball team trailed by five at halftime but were outscored 45-26 by Colorado Christian in the second half to lose 70-46 Tuesday evening in the Chicoine Center.

Chadron State drops to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play. The Cougars improve to 7-3 overall and 3-1 in the RMAC.

The Eagles trailed 9-8 at the end of the first period and 25-20 at halftime.  Both teams were tied at 16 in the second period before the Cougars scored seven straight to gain the lead and eventually lead by five at half

A jumper by Allison Olsen lowered the deficit to three with 6:53 in the third period but Colorado Christian responded with a 19-6 scoring run to lead by 16 at the end of the period. The Cougars outscored the Eagles 24-16 in the final period.

Chadron State struggled from the field in the loss, making 16 of 41 attempts (39.0%). CSC only made two of 12 attempts (16.7%) from three but were 12 of 15 from the charity stripe.

The Cougars also struggled from the field, making 25 of 69 attempts for 36.2 percent, their second worst showing of the season. Despite struggling from the field, Colorado Christian shot 42.3 percent from three and 90 percent from the free throw line. They made 11 of 26 attempts behind the arc, included eight of 14 in the second half and were nine of ten from the free throw line.

For the second time this season, CSC committed 26 turnovers that amounted in 26 Cougar points. Chadron State scored 12 points off of 16 CCU turnovers. The Eagles were outrebounded 39 to 30.

Olsen, a sophomore from Douglas, Wyoming, led Chadron State with 11 points. Seven other players scored for CSC.

Ashayla Powers, a junior from Longmont, Colorado and Awoti Akoi, a junior from Sioux Falls, South Dakota each had six rebounds.

Dasiya Jones and Regan Loconte each had 13 points for the Cougars. Maggie Hutka and Victoria Perez each added eight points. Hutka had a game high nine rebounds and Perez dished out a game high eight assists.

Chadron State resumes RMAC play on Saturday at 2 p.m. on Saturday against Regis University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702485212355.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By: John Murphy CSC Sports InformationCHADRON, Neb. -- The Chadron State women's basketball team trailed by five at halftime but were outscored 45-26 by Colorado Christian in the second half to lose 70-46 Tuesday evening in the Chicoine Center.Chadron State drops to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play. The Cougars improve to 7-3 overall and 3-1 in the RMAC.The Eagles trailed 9-8 at the end of the first period and 25-20 at halftime. Both teams were tied at 16 in the second period before the Cougars scored seven straight to gain the lead and eventually lead by five at halfA jumper by Allison Olsen lowered the deficit to three with 6:53 in the third period but Colorado Christian responded with a 19-6 scoring run to lead by 16 at the end of the period. The Cougars outscored the Eagles 24-16 in the final period.Chadron State struggled from the field in the loss, making 16 of 41 attempts (39.0%). CSC only made two of 12 attempts (16.7%) from three but were 12 of 15 from the charity stripe.The Cougars also struggled from the field, making 25 of 69 attempts for 36.2 percent, their second worst showing of the season. Despite struggling from the field, Colorado Christian shot 42.3 percent from three and 90 percent from the free throw line. They made 11 of 26 attempts behind the arc, included eight of 14 in the second half and were nine of ten from the free throw line.For the second time this season, CSC committed 26 turnovers that amounted in 26 Cougar points. Chadron State scored 12 points off of 16 CCU turnovers. The Eagles were outrebounded 39 to 30.Olsen, a sophomore from Douglas, Wyoming, led Chadron State with 11 points. Seven other players scored for CSC.Ashayla Powers, a junior from Longmont, Colorado and Awoti Akoi, a junior from Sioux Falls, South Dakota each had six rebounds.Dasiya Jones and Regan Loconte each had 13 points for the Cougars. Maggie Hutka and Victoria Perez each added eight points. Hutka had a game high nine rebounds and Perez dished out a game high eight assists.Chadron State resumes RMAC play on Saturday at 2 p.m. on Saturday against Regis University.

Colorado Chrisitan pulls away from CSC in second half Tuesday

By Alex Benzegala Panhandle Post

Alliance boys and girls and basketball both were hoping to get big home wins on Tuesday night, and the Bulldogs did just that.

First in the girl's game, Alliance used their zone defense to shut down Torrington's offense to help get the Bulldogs get the 37-23 victory. The 23 points allowed by Alliance was the fewest since a 48-9 win over Arvada (CO) in the 2nd game of the season in 2022.

Macey Seebohm hit three 3-pointers in the win and finished with 14 points, while Jaelynne Clarke also had 14 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;

With an even record at 2-2 Alliance hosts Mitchell on Friday.

On the boy's side Alliance played a complete game both offensively and on defense, as they won big over the Trailblazers 67-47. 

Espen Lanik had arguably the best game of his young career, as the Sophomore scored 20 points and multiple 3-point baskets in the win. Tristen Timbers, Landen Crowe and Seth Meyring also carried a lot of the scoring punch with the trio all around 10 points each.&nbsp;

Alliance who is 1-3 overall, will try to build off of the victory as they host Mitchell on Fri.

By Alex Benzegala Panhandle PostAlliance boys and girls and basketball both were hoping to get big home wins on Tuesday night, and the Bulldogs did just that.First in the girl's game, Alliance used their zone defense to shut down Torrington's offense to help get the Bulldogs get the 37-23 victory. The 23 points allowed by Alliance was the fewest since a 48-9 win over Arvada (CO) in the 2nd game of the season in 2022.Macey Seebohm hit three 3-pointers in the win and finished with 14 points, while Jaelynne Clarke also had 14 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;With an even record at 2-2 Alliance hosts Mitchell on Friday.On the boy's side Alliance played a complete game both offensively and on defense, as they won big over the Trailblazers 67-47. Espen Lanik had arguably the best game of his young career, as the Sophomore scored 20 points and multiple 3-point baskets in the win. Tristen Timbers, Landen Crowe and Seth Meyring also carried a lot of the scoring punch with the trio all around 10 points each.&nbsp;Alliance who is 1-3 overall, will try to build off of the victory as they host Mitchell on Fri.

Alliance hoops sweeps Torrington at home

Wrestling Dual results, 12/12/2023 (trackwrestling.com)

138: Ryan Swanson (ALLI) over Luke Gamino (SCB) (Fall 2:56) 144: Anthony Morales (SCB) over Brendan Watt (ALLI) (Dec 6-4) 150: Tate Thompson (ALLI) over Touny Hrasky-Brown (SCB) (Fall 3:42) 157: Oscar Gonzalez (SCB) over Damian Lynn (ALLI) (Fall 3:32) 165: Micah Gomez (SCB) over (ALLI) (For.) 175: Matthew Moomey (ALLI) over (SCB) (For.) 190: Lucas Weber (ALLI) over (SCB) (For.) 215: Sebastien Boyle (SCB) over Luke Weems (ALLI) (Fall 0:51) 285: Matthias Benzel (ALLI) over Kevin Bernadec (SCB) (Fall 4:33) 106: Double Forfeit 113: Kegan Nelson (ALLI) over (SCB) (For.) 120: Trini Trejo (ALLI) over Oscar Felix (SCB) (Dec 4-3) 126: Chance Houser (SCB) over Jackson Bailey (ALLI) (Dec 8-3) 132: Benjamin Cassatt-Reina (ALLI) over Adrien Joey (SCB) (Fall 1:10)

Wrestling Dual results, 12/12/2023 (trackwrestling.com)Boys Alliance 45, Scottsbluff 24138: Ryan Swanson (ALLI) over Luke Gamino (SCB) (Fall 2:56) 144: Anthony Morales (SCB) over Brendan Watt (ALLI) (Dec 6-4) 150: Tate Thompson (ALLI) over Touny Hrasky-Brown (SCB) (Fall 3:42) 157: Oscar Gonzalez (SCB) over Damian Lynn (ALLI) (Fall 3:32) 165: Micah Gomez (SCB) over (ALLI) (For.) 175: Matthew Moomey (ALLI) over (SCB) (For.) 190: Lucas Weber (ALLI) over (SCB) (For.) 215: Sebastien Boyle (SCB) over Luke Weems (ALLI) (Fall 0:51) 285: Matthias Benzel (ALLI) over Kevin Bernadec (SCB) (Fall 4:33) 106: Double Forfeit 113: Kegan Nelson (ALLI) over (SCB) (For.) 120: Trini Trejo (ALLI) over Oscar Felix (SCB) (Dec 4-3) 126: Chance Houser (SCB) over Jackson Bailey (ALLI) (Dec 8-3) 132: Benjamin Cassatt-Reina (ALLI) over Adrien Joey (SCB) (Fall 1:10)

Alliance boys wrestling goes to Scottsbluff and beats Bearcats

Hemingford bobcat's girls basketball starting their game strong against Hay Springs on Tuesday, with the Bobcats and Hawks tied at 17 at halftime. 

However, it was Hay Springs who pulled away in the 2nd half with a big 4th quarter to win it 45-34. Gabby Twarling had 14 points in the Hay Springs win to improve to 4-2. Hemingford drops to 0-4.

On the boy's side, Hemingford was competitive but again Hay Springs used strong defense to win 54-39 to stay unbeaten at 4-0. The Bobcats have now dropped three straight games and they hope to end the losing skid when they host Mitchell on Thursday.

By Alex Benzegala Panhandle Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702483206247.jpeg" alt="hemingford basketball photo (courtesy of Hemingford Public Schools)." />
 <figcaption>hemingford basketball photo (courtesy of Hemingford Public Schools).</figcaption>
 </figure>Hemingford bobcat's girls basketball starting their game strong against Hay Springs on Tuesday, with the Bobcats and Hawks tied at 17 at halftime. However, it was Hay Springs who pulled away in the 2nd half with a big 4th quarter to win it 45-34. Gabby Twarling had 14 points in the Hay Springs win to improve to 4-2. Hemingford drops to 0-4.On the boy's side, Hemingford was competitive but again Hay Springs used strong defense to win 54-39 to stay unbeaten at 4-0. The Bobcats have now dropped three straight games and they hope to end the losing skid when they host Mitchell on Thursday.

Hemingford basketball falls in doubleheader to Hay Springs

The Hemingford Bobcats are hoping to get some big wins in their basketball doubleheader tonight, As Hemingford girls (0-3) hosts 3-2 Hay Springs.

&nbsp; On the boy's side, the Bobcats have lost two straight games to fall to 1-2 and hosts a Hot Springs team that is undefeated at 3-0 after a home win against Alliance on Saturday.

In other local doubleheaders Hyannis is at Gordon-Rushville, Crawford at Minatare, and Pinebluffs and Bridgeport.

In local high school wrestling, Alliance travels to Scottsbluff for a boys and girls dual at 5 pm.

By Alex Benzegala Panhandle PostThe Hemingford Bobcats are hoping to get some big wins in their basketball doubleheader tonight, As Hemingford girls (0-3) hosts 3-2 Hay Springs.&nbsp; On the boy's side, the Bobcats have lost two straight games to fall to 1-2 and hosts a Hot Springs team that is undefeated at 3-0 after a home win against Alliance on Saturday.In other local doubleheaders Hyannis is at Gordon-Rushville, Crawford at Minatare, and Pinebluffs and Bridgeport.In local high school wrestling, Alliance travels to Scottsbluff for a boys and girls dual at 5 pm.

Hemingford basketball hosts Hay Springs; Alliance wrestling at Scottsbluff

Story by NU Athletic Communications

Nebraska had a total of 103 student-athletes earn Fall Academic All-Big Ten recognition as announced by the Conference Office on Monday.

The group of Husker student-athletes includes 50 football players, 22 soccer student-athletes, 16 women’s cross country athletes, eight volleyball student-athletes and seven members of the men’s cross country team.

The Husker honorees included three student-athletes who earned a 4.0 grade-point average for the academic year, including&nbsp;Alea Hardie, a cross country runner from Sioux Falls, S.D.,&nbsp;McKenna Lovehaug, a cross country student-athlete from Fargo, N.D., and&nbsp;Abby Vacek, a soccer player from Lincoln.

The 50 football honorees were led by seven players who earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for a fourth time. That group includes offensive tackle&nbsp;Bryce Benhart, tight end&nbsp;John Goodwin, linebacker&nbsp;Nick Henrich, defensive lineman&nbsp;Jacob Herbek, offensive lineman&nbsp;Ethan Piper, linebacker&nbsp;Luke Reimer&nbsp;and linebacker&nbsp;Garrett Snodgrass.&nbsp;A total of 11 football student-athletes made the academic list for the third time in their career.

Soccer student-athlete&nbsp;Marissa Popoola&nbsp;earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition for the fourth year, while teammates&nbsp;Audra Clark, Eleanor Dale, Gwen Lane&nbsp;and&nbsp;Reagan Raabe&nbsp;were recognized for the third time.

Four volleyball student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition for a second time including&nbsp;Ally Batenhorst, Lindsay Krause, Kennedi Orr&nbsp;and&nbsp;Lexi Rodriguez.

Men’s cross country runner&nbsp;Jerry Jorgensen&nbsp;picked up his fourth honor, while&nbsp;Trevor Acton&nbsp;and&nbsp;Adam Christopher&nbsp;were honored for a third time. On the women’s side,&nbsp;Taya Skelton&nbsp;earned Academic All-Big Ten for a fourth time, while fellow runners&nbsp;Jacquelyn Abanes, Lindsey Blehm, Brynna McQuillen, Katelyn Mullinax&nbsp;and&nbsp;Emma Ralston&nbsp;each picked up a third award.

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be on a varsity team (as verified by being on the official squad list as of Nov. 1 for fall sports), have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsNebraska had a total of 103 student-athletes earn Fall Academic All-Big Ten recognition as announced by the Conference Office on Monday.The group of Husker student-athletes includes 50 football players, 22 soccer student-athletes, 16 women’s cross country athletes, eight volleyball student-athletes and seven members of the men’s cross country team.The Husker honorees included three student-athletes who earned a 4.0 grade-point average for the academic year, including&nbsp;Alea Hardie, a cross country runner from Sioux Falls, S.D.,&nbsp;McKenna Lovehaug, a cross country student-athlete from Fargo, N.D., and&nbsp;Abby Vacek, a soccer player from Lincoln.The 50 football honorees were led by seven players who earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for a fourth time. That group includes offensive tackle&nbsp;Bryce Benhart, tight end&nbsp;John Goodwin, linebacker&nbsp;Nick Henrich, defensive lineman&nbsp;Jacob Herbek, offensive lineman&nbsp;Ethan Piper, linebacker&nbsp;Luke Reimer&nbsp;and linebacker&nbsp;Garrett Snodgrass.&nbsp;A total of 11 football student-athletes made the academic list for the third time in their career.Soccer student-athlete&nbsp;Marissa Popoola&nbsp;earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition for the fourth year, while teammates&nbsp;Audra Clark, Eleanor Dale, Gwen Lane&nbsp;and&nbsp;Reagan Raabe&nbsp;were recognized for the third time.Four volleyball student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition for a second time including&nbsp;Ally Batenhorst, Lindsay Krause, Kennedi Orr&nbsp;and&nbsp;Lexi Rodriguez.Men’s cross country runner&nbsp;Jerry Jorgensen&nbsp;picked up his fourth honor, while&nbsp;Trevor Acton&nbsp;and&nbsp;Adam Christopher&nbsp;were honored for a third time. On the women’s side,&nbsp;Taya Skelton&nbsp;earned Academic All-Big Ten for a fourth time, while fellow runners&nbsp;Jacquelyn Abanes, Lindsey Blehm, Brynna McQuillen, Katelyn Mullinax&nbsp;and&nbsp;Emma Ralston&nbsp;each picked up a third award.To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be on a varsity team (as verified by being on the official squad list as of Nov. 1 for fall sports), have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

More than 100 Nebraska Student-Athletes earn Academic All-Big Ten Honors

<figure>
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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702388698389.jpeg" alt="Class B" />
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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702388712827.jpeg" alt="Class C1" />
 <figcaption>Class C1</figcaption>
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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702388729628.jpeg" alt="Class C2" />
 <figcaption>Class C2</figcaption>
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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702388750552.jpeg" alt="Class D1" />
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NSAA 2024 & 2025 Football classifications

Team results from Saturday's Gordon-Rushville Invite, from trackwrestling.com

Team results from Saturday's Gordon-Rushville Invite, from trackwrestling.com1	Mitchell 	191.02	Gordon-Rushville 	185.03	Alliance 	180.54	Dayspring Christian Academy 	142.05	Bennett Co. 	131.56	Chadron 	99.57	Bridgeport 	91.08	Mullen 	89.59	Garden Co. 	84.010	Bayard 	75.011	Morrill 	71.012	Hemingford 	64.013	Crawford 	46.014	Lakota Tech 	42.015	Hay Springs 	25.016	Banner County 	18.016	South Platte 	18.018	Pine Ridge 	12.019	Red Cloud 	8.020	Little Wound 	5.021	Hill City 	3.0Girls Team Scores1	Lakota Tech-Girls 	165.52	Chadron Girls 	118.03	Mitchell Girls 	106.04	Hill City Girls 	64.05	Alliance Girls 	57.06	Bridgeport Girls 	52.07	Gordon-Rushville Girls 	48.08	Hay Springs Girls 	32.09	Hemingford Girls 	28.010	Bennett County Girls 	21.011	Red Cloud Girls 	20.012	Pine Ridge Girls 	13.013	Morrill Girls 	10.014	Little Wound Girls 	4.015	Leyton Girls 	0.015	South Platte Girls 	0.0

Alliance Boys wrestling places 3rd at Gordon-Rushville Invite, girls 5th

After dropping their first two games of the season, the Alliance girl's basketball team earned a big bounce back win on Saturday evening, using tough defense to win 53-26.

Alliance hopes to continue the defensive effort on Tuesday when they host 0-3 Torrington, with radio coverage on KCOW and kcowradio.com.

On the Boys side, Alliance had a tough weekend as they fell to both North Platte and Hot Springs, and are h0ping to snap their 0-3 start to the season as they host 0-3 Torrington WY.

Coverage begins at 5:30 with girls' game and boys to follow on KCOW.

By Alex Benzegala Panhandle PostAfter dropping their first two games of the season, the Alliance girl's basketball team earned a big bounce back win on Saturday evening, using tough defense to win 53-26.Alliance hopes to continue the defensive effort on Tuesday when they host 0-3 Torrington, with radio coverage on KCOW and kcowradio.com.On the Boys side, Alliance had a tough weekend as they fell to both North Platte and Hot Springs, and are h0ping to snap their 0-3 start to the season as they host 0-3 Torrington WY.Coverage begins at 5:30 with girls' game and boys to follow on KCOW.

Alliance girls basketball gets first win of season at Hot Springs

LINCOLN, Neb. -&nbsp;The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Semifinals with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over third-seeded Arkansas Saturday evening in front of 8,713 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska erased a late five-point deficit to rally and win set one, 26-24. The Huskers then cruised to a 25-14 victory in set two but Arkansas (28-6) battled over the next two sets. The Razorbacks won set three, 25-21, handing the Huskers their first set loss of the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas then led 19-17 in set four before NU rallied for a 25-23 victory.

Nebraska (32-1) will head to the NCAA Semifinals for the 17th time in program history and the sixth time in the last nine years. The Huskers will face No. 4 Pittsburgh on Thursday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. A match time has not yet been announced.

The Huskers, who finished 21-0 at home this season, hit just .194 in the match, but Nebraska held Arkansas to a .100 attack percentage. The Huskers had the advantage in kills (57-47), blocks (17-9) and digs (78-62), but the Razorbacks served up eight aces while Nebraska's lone ace came on the first point of the match.

Merritt Beason, the NCAA Lincoln Regional Most Outstanding Player, finished with a match-high 19 kills. She recorded a double-double by adding 11 digs and nearly posted a triple-double after finishing with eight blocks, tying her career high. Harper Murray had 15 kills and 12 digs for the Big Red. Bergen Reilly also had a double-double with 40 assists and 16 digs.

Defensively, Bekka Allick had a career-high 12 blocks. Her 12 stuffs were the most ever by a Husker in an NCAA Tournament match during the rally-scoring era and were just one shy of the program record for any postseason match. Lexi Rodriguez had a match-high 20 digs to lead the Nebraska floor defense, as five Huskers finished with double-digit digs.

Reilly and Rodriguez joined Beason on the Lincoln Regional All-Tournament team.

Three Razorbacks finished with double-digit kills, led by 14 from Jillian Gillen.

Set 1:&nbsp;Arkansas went up 6-3 after three straight kills. The Razorbacks led 12-6 after a kill and ace by Gillen on back-to-back rallies. Murray and Beason posted back-to-back kills, and Beason and Allick combined for a block as the Huskers pulled within 12-10 after a 4-0 run. Arkansas answered with three points in a row and held a 16-11 lead before a kill by Batenhorst and Arkansas hitting error made it 16-13. However, the Razorbacks restored their five-point lead at 18-13. Back-to-back kills by Jackson brought NU back within three, 19-16, but once again Arkansas had an answer with a kill and block by Gillen to go up 21-16. Murray posted a sideout kill, which brought Kennedi Orr in to serve. From there, Murray terminated again and then added a block with Allick. A hitting error by Arkansas cut its lead to one, 21-20, after the Huskers' 4-0 run. The Razorbacks led 23-21 when a service error and block by Allick and Beason tied the score at 23-23. Beason terminated a kill for the Huskers' first lead since 2-1 and set point, 24-23. An Arkansas kill tied it 24-24, but Beason once again put down a kill to earn a second chance at set point. This time, a block by Beason and Jackson won the set, 26-24.&nbsp;

Set 2:&nbsp;Allick had a block and kill, and Beason, Batenhorst and Jackson combined for six kills as the Huskers went ahead 9-2. Back-to-back kills by Jackson and Reilly kept the lead at seven, 11-4. Arkansas cut it to 15-10, but a kill by Beason and block by Beason and Jackson made it 17-10 Huskers. Arkansas got within five again, 17-12, but Beason recorded a kill and Jackson terminated on the slide to make it 19-12 Huskers. Jackson and Murray had kills for a 23-13 lead, and a kill by Beason and block by Allick and Reilly closed the set out, 25-14.&nbsp;

Set 3:&nbsp;Arkansas held an 8-7 lead when kills by Allick and Beason put the Huskers on top, 10-8. Back-to-back aces by Gillen put Arkansas back in front, 13-12, but Batenhorst and Murray terminated two straight kills for a 15-14 NU lead at the media timeout. But the Razorbacks responded with a 4-0 run out of the break to claim an 18-15 advantage, and the Huskers used a timeout. A solo block by Murray ended the run, and a kill by Murray and block by Beason and Allick cut it to 19-18. But after a timeout, the Razorbacks got a kill and a block to go up 21-18, and the Huskers called timeout. Beason then tallied her 14th kill, and a back-row kill by Murray got NU within 21-20. The Razorbacks answered with a 4-1 run to win the set, 25-21.&nbsp;

Set 4:&nbsp;Nebraska led 9-8 when a kill by Murray brought Orr in to serve again, and she delivered a 4-0 Husker run that put the Big Red up 13-8. Reilly and Allick had a block in that run, and Reilly dumped a kill. A kill by Murray put the Huskers ahead 14-10, but two straight hitting errors and a net violation allowed the Razorbacks within 14-13. Arkansas tied the score at 16-16, but Beason hit off the block and out to put NU back on top. But a service error and hitting error put Arkansas in front, 18-17, and an ace made it 19-17 Arkansas. Batenhorst terminated after a timeout, and a kill by Beason tied the score at 19-19. Arkansas regained a 20-19 lead but the committed a service error and attacking error to give the Huskers a 21-20 lead. Gillen answered with a kill, but the Huskers won the next three points on a pair of blocks and a third Arkansas attack error. The Razorbacks then fought off two match points before a service error sent Nebraska into the NCAA Semifinals.

By Nebraska AthleticsLINCOLN, Neb. -&nbsp;The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Semifinals with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over third-seeded Arkansas Saturday evening in front of 8,713 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.Nebraska erased a late five-point deficit to rally and win set one, 26-24. The Huskers then cruised to a 25-14 victory in set two but Arkansas (28-6) battled over the next two sets. The Razorbacks won set three, 25-21, handing the Huskers their first set loss of the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas then led 19-17 in set four before NU rallied for a 25-23 victory.Nebraska (32-1) will head to the NCAA Semifinals for the 17th time in program history and the sixth time in the last nine years. The Huskers will face No. 4 Pittsburgh on Thursday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. A match time has not yet been announced.The Huskers, who finished 21-0 at home this season, hit just .194 in the match, but Nebraska held Arkansas to a .100 attack percentage. The Huskers had the advantage in kills (57-47), blocks (17-9) and digs (78-62), but the Razorbacks served up eight aces while Nebraska's lone ace came on the first point of the match.Merritt Beason, the NCAA Lincoln Regional Most Outstanding Player, finished with a match-high 19 kills. She recorded a double-double by adding 11 digs and nearly posted a triple-double after finishing with eight blocks, tying her career high. Harper Murray had 15 kills and 12 digs for the Big Red. Bergen Reilly also had a double-double with 40 assists and 16 digs.Defensively, Bekka Allick had a career-high 12 blocks. Her 12 stuffs were the most ever by a Husker in an NCAA Tournament match during the rally-scoring era and were just one shy of the program record for any postseason match. Lexi Rodriguez had a match-high 20 digs to lead the Nebraska floor defense, as five Huskers finished with double-digit digs.Reilly and Rodriguez joined Beason on the Lincoln Regional All-Tournament team.Three Razorbacks finished with double-digit kills, led by 14 from Jillian Gillen.Set 1:&nbsp;Arkansas went up 6-3 after three straight kills. The Razorbacks led 12-6 after a kill and ace by Gillen on back-to-back rallies. Murray and Beason posted back-to-back kills, and Beason and Allick combined for a block as the Huskers pulled within 12-10 after a 4-0 run. Arkansas answered with three points in a row and held a 16-11 lead before a kill by Batenhorst and Arkansas hitting error made it 16-13. However, the Razorbacks restored their five-point lead at 18-13. Back-to-back kills by Jackson brought NU back within three, 19-16, but once again Arkansas had an answer with a kill and block by Gillen to go up 21-16. Murray posted a sideout kill, which brought Kennedi Orr in to serve. From there, Murray terminated again and then added a block with Allick. A hitting error by Arkansas cut its lead to one, 21-20, after the Huskers' 4-0 run. The Razorbacks led 23-21 when a service error and block by Allick and Beason tied the score at 23-23. Beason terminated a kill for the Huskers' first lead since 2-1 and set point, 24-23. An Arkansas kill tied it 24-24, but Beason once again put down a kill to earn a second chance at set point. This time, a block by Beason and Jackson won the set, 26-24.&nbsp;Set 2:&nbsp;Allick had a block and kill, and Beason, Batenhorst and Jackson combined for six kills as the Huskers went ahead 9-2. Back-to-back kills by Jackson and Reilly kept the lead at seven, 11-4. Arkansas cut it to 15-10, but a kill by Beason and block by Beason and Jackson made it 17-10 Huskers. Arkansas got within five again, 17-12, but Beason recorded a kill and Jackson terminated on the slide to make it 19-12 Huskers. Jackson and Murray had kills for a 23-13 lead, and a kill by Beason and block by Allick and Reilly closed the set out, 25-14.&nbsp;Set 3:&nbsp;Arkansas held an 8-7 lead when kills by Allick and Beason put the Huskers on top, 10-8. Back-to-back aces by Gillen put Arkansas back in front, 13-12, but Batenhorst and Murray terminated two straight kills for a 15-14 NU lead at the media timeout. But the Razorbacks responded with a 4-0 run out of the break to claim an 18-15 advantage, and the Huskers used a timeout. A solo block by Murray ended the run, and a kill by Murray and block by Beason and Allick cut it to 19-18. But after a timeout, the Razorbacks got a kill and a block to go up 21-18, and the Huskers called timeout. Beason then tallied her 14th kill, and a back-row kill by Murray got NU within 21-20. The Razorbacks answered with a 4-1 run to win the set, 25-21.&nbsp;Set 4:&nbsp;Nebraska led 9-8 when a kill by Murray brought Orr in to serve again, and she delivered a 4-0 Husker run that put the Big Red up 13-8. Reilly and Allick had a block in that run, and Reilly dumped a kill. A kill by Murray put the Huskers ahead 14-10, but two straight hitting errors and a net violation allowed the Razorbacks within 14-13. Arkansas tied the score at 16-16, but Beason hit off the block and out to put NU back on top. But a service error and hitting error put Arkansas in front, 18-17, and an ace made it 19-17 Arkansas. Batenhorst terminated after a timeout, and a kill by Beason tied the score at 19-19. Arkansas regained a 20-19 lead but the committed a service error and attacking error to give the Huskers a 21-20 lead. Gillen answered with a kill, but the Huskers won the next three points on a pair of blocks and a third Arkansas attack error. The Razorbacks then fought off two match points before a service error sent Nebraska into the NCAA Semifinals.

NU punches ticket to Tampa, to face Pittsburgh

“I’m proud of our guy for an unbelievable bounce back game after a really difficult night in Minneapolis where we could not have played worse in the second half. Give Minnesota credit for the pressure they turned up on us, but I thought we learned a lot from that game. Our guys were locked during the film session the next morning and went out and had two really good hard physical days of practice preparing for a very tough Michigan State team. I thought the second half we got out, we talked about the starts obviously that have been an issue for our team, and to come out and get off to an 11-2 start in the second half and take a lead. They got a little lead on us there late, but for the most part we kept it for the entire 20 minutes. We made really smart decisions unlike the other night, and that’s something I give our guys a lot of credit for is learning from the mistakes we made in Minnesota. We had 12 turnovers in the second half (against Minnesota), tonight we had two. When you get the ball to the elbow, we worked a lot with that, getting movement, getting it to the elbow, cutting, and trying to use pressure against the defense. I thought our guys did a masterful job of getting the job to Rienk (Mast) and continuing with that, doing the things that made us successful.&nbsp; When I look at that box score, obviously Juwan (Gary) and Rienk with the nights they had, but you could argue anybody that stepped on the floor tonight was the player of the game. Eli (Rice) and Matar (Diop) go out and give us huge minutes especially with Josiah out of the lineup today with his ankle. Start to finish, I was just really pleased how the guys went out there and played a complete 40-minute game. Really talked a lot about that, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.”&nbsp;

On Juwan Gary’s first start of the season and the game overall

Story by NU Athletic Communications<ul>
 <li>Nebraska’s win snapped an 11-game losing streak to Michigan State. It was the Huskers’ first victory over the Spartans since Jan. 20, 2016.</li><li>NU outscored Michigan State 46-36 in the second half. The 46-point second half marked the Huskers’ highest-scoring half in their last 25 games against Big Ten teams dating back to a 49-point first half at Penn State on Feb. 27, 2022.</li><li>NU shot 50 percent in the game (27-of-54), including 64.0 percent from the field in the second half (16-of-25). Each of those marked Nebraska’s second-best effort of the season, as the Huskers shot 55 percent against Stony Brook on Nov. 12, including 65.5 percent in the second half.</li><li>It also marked the first time MSU had allowed an opponent to shoot 50 percent since the 2022 NCAA Sweet 16.&nbsp; The previous opponent high this season was .458 by Arizona on Nov. 23.</li><li>Nebraska was 13-of-15 from the free throw line in the game, including 11-of-13 in the second half. The Huskers made their final 11 free throws to close out the game.</li><li>Nebraska is shooting 86.3 percent (82 of 95) from the foul line over the last five games.</li><li>The Huskers’ seven-point victory marked Nebraska’s first game this season decided by single digits.</li><li>Nebraska hit 10 3-pointers in the game, marking the Huskers’ fourth game of the season with double-digit 3-pointers.</li><li>Juwan Gary tied his career high with 20 points in his first start of the season. That matched his scoring output against Duquesne on Nov. 22.</li><li>Rienk Mast had a career-high six assists to go along with a game-high 14 rebounds. Mast had five of his six assists and 10 of his 14 rebounds in the second half.</li><li>Brice Williams scored all of his 14 points in the second half, making all four of his field goal attempts.</li>
 </ul>Nebraska Coach Fred HoibergOpening Statement“I’m proud of our guy for an unbelievable bounce back game after a really difficult night in Minneapolis where we could not have played worse in the second half. Give Minnesota credit for the pressure they turned up on us, but I thought we learned a lot from that game. Our guys were locked during the film session the next morning and went out and had two really good hard physical days of practice preparing for a very tough Michigan State team. I thought the second half we got out, we talked about the starts obviously that have been an issue for our team, and to come out and get off to an 11-2 start in the second half and take a lead. They got a little lead on us there late, but for the most part we kept it for the entire 20 minutes. We made really smart decisions unlike the other night, and that’s something I give our guys a lot of credit for is learning from the mistakes we made in Minnesota. We had 12 turnovers in the second half (against Minnesota), tonight we had two. When you get the ball to the elbow, we worked a lot with that, getting movement, getting it to the elbow, cutting, and trying to use pressure against the defense. I thought our guys did a masterful job of getting the job to Rienk (Mast) and continuing with that, doing the things that made us successful.&nbsp; When I look at that box score, obviously Juwan (Gary) and Rienk with the nights they had, but you could argue anybody that stepped on the floor tonight was the player of the game. Eli (Rice) and Matar (Diop) go out and give us huge minutes especially with Josiah out of the lineup today with his ankle. Start to finish, I was just really pleased how the guys went out there and played a complete 40-minute game. Really talked a lot about that, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.”&nbsp;On Juwan Gary’s first start of the season and the game overall“We’ll see. We’ve got a week to make that decision. Juwan’s energy out of the gate was great. It is just exactly what he does when he comes off the bench. It doesn’t change the person or the player that Juwan is. He is going to go out there and compete every time he’s on the floor. Made some huge blocks for us late in the game. Shot looked phenomenal tonight. He had great balance, and great lift, and knocking down shots when he was open. He had a really nice play to Rienk (Mast) after the timeout play. Just really made winning plays all night long. Rienk was an absolute monster on the glass. Got it handed to us the other night. Minnesota was much more physical than us. Again, that was a huge emphasis for us going into this game. Getting back in transition. We gave them too many in the first half, did much better in the second, but transition and rebounding were the two keys and for the most part, I thought we did a solid job.”On shooting from 50% from the field and team decision making“We executed. We talked about playing with pace but playing with smart pace. If we didn’t have anything, I thought we did a really nice job of getting into a set, and I thought we executed very well, especially in the second half. I think we were 65%, and that is not easy to do against a Tom Izzo team. We just kept going back to what was working, and I can’t call a timeout every possession. These guys have to go out there and execute. When we didn’t have anything, we didn’t press, we didn’t force, we got the ball where we needed to get it. You look at Rienk with six assists. It showed a little bit of what Derrick (Walker) did for us last year, and again the guys cut and withstood runs. I thought they kept their poise and composure. One thing I was really pleased with our team was how well they were communicating in huddles, and talking to each other, and taking constructive criticism, and then going out and executing. That makes our job as coaches a lot easier when those guys are over there talking about things that they need to figure out on the floor, and I thought our huddles were the best they’ve been all year tonight.”Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo&nbsp;Opening Statement“Disappointed is the word. There’s some things we did better. Couldn’t believe some of the shots we missed early then made a decent amount of shots. When they hit those threes banged in a two. 30-40 quarters in the shot clock. That kinda you know instead of being up eight or nine at half we were up to three or four. Give them credit. They made some plays. Third game of five that we’ve lost that we were up four minutes left in the game and found a way to win it.&nbsp; I think A.J. (Hoggard) played well on both ends. Tyson (Walker) played okay. I thought they did a good job at the end. Give Fred (Hoiberg) credit. Good job on him. Malik (Hall) had a tough game overall. I had to move him all over. There’s a lack of production I got out of my two centers. I’m just disappointed that I thought we were playing well enough to win. Boy, they made some shots in the second half. They did a hell of a job in those back doors and our centers got lazy. Ball pressure and they got three of them in the start of the second half. They made nine out of their first 11 shots. So we’ll be doing some restructuring I guess. Really disappointed in the outcome. They did a great job. Give them some credit.”&nbsp;&nbsp;On restructuring the centers and what other options there have“The way I feel right now Nick (Sanders) and Steven (Izzo) are options. I was very disappointed in our play out there. Very disappointed. You’re right. Not a lot of options, just the same. Just need a little better play. In fairness, Jeremy (Fears Jr.) played his butt off as far as trying to check and do things.On Xavier (Booker) not playing tonight and what he can do in the rotation