Huskers win by a landslide

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BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star

After Nebraska won 12 of the first 13 rallies Wednesday, you wondered when the concession speech would come from the Red Raiders.

The third-ranked Huskers' seemingly routine 30-10, 30-14, 30-22 win over Texas Tech ranked as the "most exciting of the year" for sophomore co-captain Amanda McCormick. Better even than the Nebraska volleyball team's come-from-behind five-game win at rival Texas last month.

What made Wednesday's win so significant was how the Huskers started. NU began game one with a 7-0 run and ended it with a 6-0 flurry. It was the Huskers' most lopsided win in a 30-point game in more than a year and the soundest beating of a Big 12 opponent since the 2002 season.

"We're trying to focus right now on starting strong, because if we can get big leads in the beginning, a lot of teams aren't going to be able to catch up," McCormick said. "Obviously, the beginning of matches are our weak point. We always start a little bit slow, but in practice, we've talked about having a sense of urgency."

The result was a victory in 1 hour, 14 minutes, the quickest work by NU this season. The crowd of 4,110, the 50th consecutive sellout for a Nebraska match at the Coliseum, watched the Huskers (20-1, 13-0 Big 12) compile a season-high 10 aces and saw middle blocker Melissa Elmer and setter Dani Busboom connect for some awe-inspiring swings.

Freshman Sarah Pavan produced her own reel of highlights, finishing with 14 kills, five blocks and four aces. Elmer added 13 kills — tying her season high — and five blocks. Both hit better than .500 as Nebraska hit .324 as a team.

Pavan and Elmer combined for five more kills than the entire Texas Tech squad. The Red Raiders (8-12, 4-10) were the sixth NU opponent to finish with more errors than kills this season.

Texas Tech's first four swings all went for errors.

"We came out sharp and any thought of Texas Tech playing with us I think evaporated in the first 10 points," Nebraska head coach John Cook said. "They were focused and fresh tonight, and I thought executed at a really high level."

Defensively, McCormick finished with 17 digs, the most since switching to a long-sleeved jersey to cover the brace helping to protect her injured shoulder. McCormick is playing with a torn labrum.

"There's not a whole lot I can do that doesn't hurt," said McCormick, who still ranks second in the Big 12 in digs per game. "Basically, it's just a big pain."

McCormick is able to smile as she says that, buoyed by the excitement of Wednesday's performance and of what lies ahead. The Huskers will take a 17-match winning streak into weekend matches against No. 18 Kansas State and No. 9 Colorado State.

The Wildcats visit the NU Coliseum at 6 p.m. Saturday, while the Huskers play Colorado State at 5 p.m . Sunday.

"Tonight, we played so well," McCormick said, "and it's so exciting to know it's November and we're playing like that.

"Hopefully, we can carry over what we did tonight."

Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7439 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.