-----------------------------------------
1 2 3 4
Red 25 22 25 25
White 22 25 22 12
----------------------------------------- Mancuso |  Werth |
Lincoln, Neb. — The fourth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team held its annual Red/White Scrimmage on Saturday in front of 3,551 fans at the NU Coliseum as the Red team took the match 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-12). The Huskers, who have been participating in preseason practices, were able to compete in a game-like atmosphere at the NU Coliseum for the first time this season.
Gina Mancuso led all hitters on the night with 18 kills and 35 attacks, hitting .400. Hannah Werth tallied 16 kills and 39 attacks, while Morgan Broekhuis had 12 kills and Kelsey FIen recorded 11 kills. Lauren Cook notched 50 assists and 10 digs, while Lara Dykstra led both teams defensively with 18 digs. The White team out-blocked the Red 10-4. Former Huskers Kayla Banwarth and Nancy Metcalf also competed in the scrimmage. Metcalf had 13 kills, while Banwarth had 17 digs.
The Red and White squads kept it close in the first set as a kill by Fien put the White up 10-7. A kill by Broekhuis put the Red within 12-10, while the two teams would tie at 16-16. A long rally by both teams resulted in a kill by Werth to put the Red up 20-17. A service ace by Werth sealed the first-set 25-22 victory for the Red.
In the first set, Fien led all teams with six kills on eight swings. Mancuso, Werth and Dykstra all had one service ace, while Alexa Strange had five digs and Banwarth notched seven digs. The Red squad notched a .300 hitting percentage for the set.
In the second set, White took a commanding 7-1 lead, aided by an ace from Fien. Hall and Strange teamed up for a block to put the White up 12-8. Allison McNeal tied the set at 14-14, while a service ace by Mancuso tied it again at 19-19. McNeal came on strong for the White squad during the final few points, helping them take the set 25-21 and tying the match at one set apiece.
Fien once again led both teams in the second set with six kills, while Metcalf had four. Strange notched 10 assists, as Cook had nine. Both team recorded 19 team digs.
The competition stayed tight in the third set as the White team went up 9-6 on a kill by Meghan Haggerty. Back-to-back kills by Alicia Ostrander gave the White a 16-12 lead, while Thramer led back-to-back double-stuff blocks, giving the White a 21-17 advantage. Cecilia Hall came through with two kills to tie the set at 22-22. The Red team went on to win the third set 25-22.
Mancuso notched six kills in the third set, while Ostrander had four. Cook recorded 12 assists, as Strange had 10. The Red team hit .394 for the set.
In the fourth set, the Red took the momentum from the third set and used it to build an 8-6 lead behind a kill by Hall. The Red squad went up 15-9 behind a kill by Mancuso. Werth put them up 21-12, as they went on to take the set 25-12 and win the match 3-1.
In the fourth set both Mancuso and Werth had five kills, as the Red team hit .484. Cook notched 14 assists, and the Red squad out-dug the White 15-8.
The Huskers open the 2012 season next Friday, Aug. 24 7 p.m. as the Saint Louis Billikens come to the NU Coliseum. Nebraska will take on UCLA on Saturday, Aug. 25 and will travel to Omaha to face Notre Dame at the CenturyLink Center on Sunday, Aug. 26 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets for the Huskers' match with the Fighting Irish are available on Ticketmaster.