For the first time since playing for the 2019 National Championship the Nebraska-Kearney volleyball team will see another team across the net.
Now unranked UNK (*AVCA is ranking only teams that have played a match) travels to former RMAC rivals Colorado-Colorado Springs and Metro State this weekend to kick start an interesting spring season. The Lopers currently have 16 scheduled matches with the MIAA Invitational (April 16-17) and Central Region Invitational (April 23-24) to follow.
UNK hasn’t played a match against outside competition in 425 days, 10,200 hours, and close to 61 weeks. Kearney is at 22nd-ranked UCCS (2-2) Thursday at 8 p.m. Central and then heads up to Denver on Saturday to face the fourth-ranked Roadrunners (5-0) at 12 p.m. Central. Check the volleyball schedule page for video and live stat links.
The Mountain Lions and Roadrunners have a distinct advantage as the RMAC has been playing regular season matches since late January. Unlike the MIAA the conference is crowning an official league champion in April.
Colorado-Colorado Springs, going 10-17 in 2019, has a busy Thursday as it faces Fort Lewis at 4 p.m. local time. Five-eight junior outside Lauryn Shockley paces the Lions with 3.53 kills and 2.27 digs per set with young middles Faith Archibong and Julia Geiger combining for over five kills and a 1.5 blocks per set. The Lopers are 27-1 all time vs. Springs with last meeting coming in 2014, a 3-0 Kearney sweep in Colorado.
The Lopers and ‘Runners were two of the biggest dogs in the RMAC, fighting annually for league titles and NCAA Tournament berths. UNK leads the all-time series 35-17 with the last match between the two coming in the 2011 RMAC Tournament finals. The Lopers swept Metro that day in the Health & Sports Center before going onto the NCAA tourney.
Metro was picked to win this year’s RMAC title and is coming off a 2019 campaign in which it went 23-8 and reached the NCAA’s (South Central Regional). There it fell to eventual Final Four participant Regis in five sets.
Five-nine outside Rylee Hladky leads a balanced offense with 3.25 kills per set and a .298 hitting efficiency. She also digs up 4.06 ball per set. Three others are between 2.31-2.67 kills per set including 6-1 middle/outside Avaline Lai (2.31 kills & 1.00 blocks ps). Metro’s toughest battle to date came against No. 8 Colorado School of Mines (24-26, -20, -13, -19). Finally, the ‘Runners have 44 service aces and 40 service errors in just 16 sets.
While All-American and 2019 Co-MIAA Player of the Year Julianne Jackson (3.19 kills & 3.79 digs per set) must be replaced on the outside and sophomore middle Michaela Bartels (2.00 kills & 0.75 blocks per set) rehabbing from injury, head coach Rick Squiers and his staff still has a stacked roster.
All-Americans Madison Squiers (11.0 assists, 3.38 digs & 0.95 kills ps; 23 aces) and Anna Squiers (2.47 kills & 0.78 block ps; .332 pct.) return as do 2019 All-MIAA selections Mary Katherine Wolfe (2.39 kills & 3.17 dps; 30 aces) and Lindsay Nottlemann (5.10 dps).
Next, redshirt sophomore Sami Mauch (North Platte) is back on the outside with senior defensive specialist Monique Schafer (2.67 dps) returning in the back row. Replacing Bartles and departed seniors Josie Cox and Mackenzie Puckett in the middle is redshirt sophomore Bailee Sterling (Kearney H.S.), redshirt freshmen Hannah Scherder (Peoria, Ill.) and Nebraska transfer and redshirt freshman Fallon Stutheit (Johnson).
Finally, junior Gracie Stienike (Gothenburg) will be one of the top options on the outside this spring, junior newcomer Breanna Jones (Littleton, Colo.) is another talent in the back row with true freshman Lauren Taubenheim (Lincoln Pius X) a strong passer and an option on the right or outside.
UNK begins its MIAA slate on February 21 (Sun.) in Hays with matches against Emporia State and Newman.
Comments