Sept. 10, 2011
 
Huskers sweep past Weber State to win Ameritas Players Challenge.
 
Lincoln. — The No. 11 Nebraska volleyball team made quick work of the Weber State Wildcats 3-0 (25-15, 25-7, 25-16) Saturday afternoon in the final match of the 2011 Ameritas Player's Challenge.

Gina Mancuso led the way for NU with 15 kills on 26 attempts, notching a hitting percentage of .500. Morgan Broekhuis had six kills of her own, as Hayley Thramer and Brooke Delano both had five. Lauren Cook tabbed 33 assists and Lara Dykstra had 16 digs for NU. Nebraska out-blocked Weber State six to three in the match.

The Wildcats committed 16 errors and hit only .071 for the match. Nebraska hit .398, aided by a .522 second set. NU held Weber State to a match-high 16 points in set three.

The Huskers saw three players earn spots on the Ameritas Player's Challenge All-Tournament Team as Cook led the way with MVP honors. Broekhuis and Mancuso were also recognized as well as Gabby Jolly from Saint Mary's, Creighton's Michelle Sincer and Laurel Sanford and Sarah Reams from Saint Mary's.

In the first set Weber State took an early 3-1 lead against Nebraska, before the Huskers tied it up at 11-11 on an attack error by the Wildcats. NU took a definitive lead at 15-12 on a kill by Broekhuis, before an attack error by Weber State put Nebraska up 20-14. Weber State only scored one more point in the set, before Nebraska won the set 25-15.

Mancuso led NU in the first set with five kills on 10 attacks. Brooke Delano had four kills, while Lauren Cook notched 12 assists, The Huskers out-dug Weber State 16-7, and held the Wildcats to a .097 hitting percentage. NU tabbed a hitting percentage of .323 for the set.

In the second set Nebraska jumped ahead to a 11-0 lead on an attack error by Weber State. An ace by Mancuso put Nebraska up 15-1, and the Huskers only let the Wildcats tally six more points in the set. Catapulted by two huge kills by Mancuso and a service ace by Werth, the Huskers took the set 25-7.

Mancuso had six kills for the Huskers in set two, while notching a hitting percentage of .750. Cook had eight assists for NU, while Nebraska had 11 team digs. NU out-blocked the Wildcats 3-0 and saw Weber State commit six errors.

The Huskers entered the third set and went on to go up 9-4 on an ace by Dykstra. A kill by Mancuso put NU up 14-7, before Thramer made it 16-8 with a kill of her own. The Huskers held the Wildcats to just 16 points in the third set, eventually winning 25-16.

Mancuso had four kills for NU in the final set, notching a hitting percentage of .375, while Jordan Wilberger and Taylor Simpson had three kills of their own. Nebraska and Weber State each had 29 attacks, while the Huskers only made three errors. Cook tabbed 13 assists for NU, while Mancuso had five digs in the set. The Huskers held the Wildcats to a hitting percentage of .138.

The Huskers will welcome former Big 12 Conference foe Iowa State on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The match with the Cyclones will be the Huskers' annual home match at the Devaney Center and will mark the first non-conference meeting between the two programs. The two teams met 79 times as members of the Big Eight and Big 12 conferences, with the Huskers holding an all-time advantage of 78-1 in the series that dates back to 1975. The match will also air live on NET.

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.