Sept. 24, 2011
 
Huskers take down Ohio State 3-1.
 
Lincoln. — The tenth-ranked Huskers (9-1) advanced to 2-0 in Big Ten Conference play with a 3-1 win over No. 24 Ohio State Saturday night at the NU Coliseum. In front of 4,061 fans, Nebraska honored a true Husker legend as Nancy Metcalf's jersey was retired. Metcalf became just the seventh Husker volleyball player to have her jersey retired at the Coliseum.

Hannah Werth notched a season-high 13 kills on the night to lead and NU and pace Gina Mancuso and Morgan Broekhuis to double-figure kills as well, as both tabbed 11. Lauren Cook led NU defensively with 14 digs in addition to 41 assists. Lara Dykstra had 13 digs for the Huskers.

Nebraska hit .342 for the match, while holding Ohio State to a .134 hitting percentage and only six blocks. The Buckeyes also committed 29 errors on the night.

The Huskers and Buckeyes tied eight different times in the first set, last at 23-23. Ohio State jumped ahead early with a service ace to make it 5-4. Nebraska tied it at six on a kill by Delano and again at 10 on another kill by Broekhuis. The Huskers took a 16-13 lead on an attack error by Ohio State and then went up 19-15 on a kill by Cook. A kill by Mancuso made it 21-18 late in the first set, before Ohio State tied it up at 23 all. Nebraska then pulled away to take the first set on an error by the Buckeyes. Nebraska won the first set 25-23 and led the match 1-0.

In the first set Mancuso led NU with four kills on eight attacks for a .500 hitting percentage. Brooke Delano, Broekhuis and Werth each had two kills. Cook tabbed seven assists and six digs for NU in the set.

The Huskers hit .300 as a team in the first set, while holding Ohio State to a .184 hitting percentage. Nebraska out-blocked the Buckeyes five to one and saw Ohio State make seven errors on the set.

In the second set Nebraska came out strong, going up 9-7 on a kill by Delano. A kill by Werth made it 15-13 Nebraska, but Ohio State came inching back to tie it up at 15. The Buckeyes and Huskers tied again at 19 and the Buckeyes eventually went up 22-21. The Husker tied it up again at 23 on an error by Ohio State, but NU could not capitalize and lost the match 25-23. Ohio State and Nebraska headed into the break tied at one set apiece.

In the second set Werth led NU with five kills, while Broekhuis had four of her own. Cook notched 13 assists, as Werth and Dykstra both had four digs.

Nebraska dominated Ohio State in the third set, jumping out to a 10-3 lead on an error by the Buckeyes. The Huskers stretched that lead to 18-7 on a kill by Mancuso. Ohio State scored no more than 11 points in the set, as NU went on to win the third set 25-11 and lead the match 2-1.

Mancuso and Werth each had three kills in the set, while Delano and Broekhuis both had two. Cook had nine assists to guide NU to a hitting percentage of .600. Nebraska held Ohio State to a -.100 hitting percentage and no blocks.

Nebraska came on strong in the fourth set, going up 5-4 on a kill by Broekhuis. NU eventually went up 15-9 on an error by the Buckeyes, and stretched the lead 19-12 with a kill by Werth. The closest Ohio State got in the last half of the set was five points, as NU finished off the Buckeyes with a 25-16 fourth set win and took the match 3-1.

The Huskers hit the road next weekend for their first away matches in the Big Ten Conference. Nebraska will take on Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. in East Lansing, Mich. The Huskers then travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to face the Wolverines on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. Nebraska's match with Michigan will air via tape delay on ESPN2 on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 1:30 p.m. (CT).

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.