NCAA volleyball: Nebraska sweeps Minnesota, Hawai’i men top UCI, all the recaps
NCAA Men
Lee Feinswog
February 22, 2021
Nebraska not only bounced back from its Big Ten loss to Minnesota, it swept the visiting Gophers on Sunday in a battle of NCAA Division I college volleyball heavyweights.
Wisconsin won again and is 10-0, Western Kentucky improved to 8-0, and Houston won its seventh in a row.
On the NCAA Division I-II men’s side, the Big West got under way with Hawai’i picking right up where it left off a year ago by winning at UC Irvine.
The recaps for every women’s and men’s match played Sunday follow.
Monday’s women’s schedule includes four matches in the Horizon League, full slates in Conference USA and the Ohio Valley, five matches in the Missouri Valley, four in the Summit, and four in the WAC.
The next Big Ten match is Tuesday when Purdue goes to Indiana and the next Pac-12 match is Thursday when Utah goes to Washington. The next scheduled SEC match is Thursday when Florida goes to Tennessee.
There is one men’s match on the NCAA Division I-II schedule, but it’s a big one featuring round two of Hawai’i at UC Irvine.
BIG TEN —Nebraska (7-1) hit .300 and swept previously unbeaten Minnesota (9-1) 25-17, 25-15, 25-22. Lexi Sun led a balanced Huskers attack with 12 kills, hitting .321, and added an assist, an ace, 13 digs, and four blocks. Madi Kubik had 10 kills, 12 digs, and a block. Lauren Stivrins had eight kills with no errors in 20 attacks, two digs, and a block. Kayla Caffey had seven kills, hit .455, and had seven blocks. Nicklin Hames had two kills, 33 assists, and eight digs.
Minnesota, which hit .153, got 12 kills from Stephanie Samedy, who hit .135. She had 10 digs and two blocks. Taylor Landfair led with 14 kills as she hit .333 and had a dig and a block. Their teammates combined for just 10 kills …
Wisconsin (10-0) won 25-10, 25-16, 21-25, 25-22 at Michigan State (2-7). The Badgers, who hit .302, got 17 kills from Jade Demps as the freshman had no errors in 32 swings. Grace Loberg had nine kills, five digs, and five blocks, three solo. Dana Rettke had six kills and six blocks, five solo, as the Badgers held an overall blocks advantage of 14-6. Danielle Hart had seven kills and five blocks, one solo.
Michigan State, which hit .079, got 12 kills from Cecilee Max-Brown, who had two aces, two digs, and two blocks. Jayme Cox had 20 digs and an assist.
PAC-12 — Washington (8-2) swept at Colorado (4-4) as Claire Hoffman had 14 kills, Samantha Drechsel 12, and Madi Endsley 10. Drechsel had six digs and five blocks, one solo, and Endsley had three blocks. It left the Huskies alone in second place, two games back of idle Utah (8-0). Leah Clayton led CU with nine kills and eight digs …
Visiting UCLA (7-3) extended the losing streak of Arizona State (1-9) to nine with a 27-25, 25-15, 25-21 sweep. Mac May led with 17 kills, three aces and 110 digs. Iman Ndiaye had 12 kills and hit .529. Marta Levinska had 13 kills and hit .364 for ASU and added seven digs and four blocks, one solo. ASU dropped into a tie with Cal for last place in the standings …
Sofia Maldonado had 24 kills as Arizona (4-6) beat visiting Oregon State (3-7) 25-17, 25-21, 25-27, 25-14. Maldonado hit .314 and had a block and six digs. Jaelyn Hodge had 12 kills and Kamaile Hiapo had 20 digs, three assists, and an ace. Oregon State’s Mychael Vernon had 12 kills and Kateryna Tkachenko had 11 as the Beavers hit .109.
It was all eyes on Lauren Matthews of WKU, who had her eyes on the ball against Charlotte/Chris Kohley, WKU Athletics
CONFERENCE USA — Western Kentucky improved to 8-0 overall — matching the best start in program history — and 3-0 in C-USA with a sweep of visiting Charlotte (5-3, 2-2). Lauren Matthews led with 14 kills, hit .400, and had four blocks, three solo. Paige Briggs had nine kills with one error in 19 attacks, three assists and nine digs. The win marked the 650th victory for WKU coach Travis Hudson …
Marshall (4-1, 2-1) swept at FIU (1-5, 1-4). Ciara DeBell led with 11 kills while hitting .346 to go with two blocks and eight assists. Macy McElhaney had 10 kills, three blocks, and three digs. Emily Meyer had 17 kills, an assist, a block, and nine digs for FIU. Jovana Vukcevic had 11 kills and four digs …
Middle Tennessee (1-3, 1-1) hit .368 and broke through for its first victory by beating visiting Old Dominion (3-3, 1-2) in five. Dasia Smith led with 15 kills as she hit .481 and had an assist and six blocks. Samira Lawson Body had 14 kills, hit .333, and had an ace, two blocks, and four digs. Kayla Henley had 13 kills, hit .321, and added an assist, an ace, four blocks, and eight digs. ODU’s Alessia Sgherza had 19 kills, two assists, eight digs, and two blocks, one solo. Ashley Peroe had 13 kills …
Southern Miss (6-4, 1-2) won in four at Louisiana Tech (0-10, 0-3) as Duquesne Moratzka had 16 kills, five digs, and four blocks, two solo. Nyanuer Bidit had 13 kills and four blocks, one solo, and Lauren Talbert had 10 kills, an assist, two aces, a solo block, and 18 digs. Piper Matsumoto had five kills, hit .308, and had 49 assists, two blocks, and 11 digs …
And Rice(6-3,5-0) earned its fifth sweep in a row, this one over visiting UAB (4-4, 2-2). Nicole Lennon had 14 kills, two aces, eight digs, and three blocks, two solo. Ellie Bichelmeyer had nine kills, an assist, four blocks, and four digs.
MISSOURI VALLEY —UNI (4-6, 4-3) swept at Southern Illinois (2-7, 1-6). Inga Rotta led with 11 kills and hit .500 to go with an assist, a block, and a digs. Kaylissa Arndorfer had nine kills, an ace, three blocks, and two digs …
Illinois State (7-4, 5-2) had four players with 10 or more kills in its four-set win over visiting Valparaiso (3-6, 2-5), led by Kaylee Martin, who had 18. She also had an assist, two blocks, and 19 digs. Kendal Meier had 23 digs, six assists, and two aces. Valpo’s Peyton McCarthy had 11 kills and hit .400 …
Bradley (4-3) won in four at Evansville (3-6, 2-5). Hannah Thompson led with 18 kills as she hit .372 and had an assist, two aces, a solo block and 23 digs. Kora Kauling had five kills, 42 assists, 18 digs, and six blocks, one solo. Alondra Vazquez had 24 kills for Evansville and had an assist, 20 digs, and two blocks, one solo. Melanie Feliciano had 19 kills, a block and 17 digs …
Loyola (6-2, 5-2) won in four at Indiana State (2-6, 2-5). Sarah Murczek led with 14 kills, an assist, two aces, a block, and 17 digs. Grace Hinchman had 21 digs and four assists, and setter Jenna Appel had three kills in six errorless attempts, 36 assists, four aces, two blocks, and 10 digs. Mallory Keller had 14 kills for Indiana State and Taylor Shelton and Karinna Gall had 11 each … Drake at Missouri State was postponed.
Tennessee State’s Aniya Williams hits through the Jacksonville State block/TSU photo
OHIO VALLEY — In a battle of two teams previously unbeaten, Morehead State (5-0) swept at Austin Peay (4-1) as Olivia Lohmeier led with 15 kills, seven digs, and three blocks, two solo … Jacksonville State (5-0) kept pace with a sweep at Tennessee State (0-5). Courtney Glotzbach led JSU with 12 kills with one error in 19 attacks and a block …
Southeast Missouri State (3-2) won in four at Belmont (0-3). Zoe Beasley had 17 kills, hit .333 and had two digs and a solo block … SIUE (4-2) swept at Murray State (2-4) and got eight kills from Sydney Humert and seven from three others. Jordyn Klein had 29 digs and four assists … UT Martin (2-1) swept visiting Eastern Illinois (0-5). Addison Conley led with 10 kills and hit .333 to go with eight digs … And Tennessee Tech (3-2) swept visiting Eastern Kentucky (1-4). Madeline Furtado led with 10 kills as she had no errors in 21 swings and had an assist, an ace, seven digs, and two blocks.
SOUTHERN — Samford (6-1) swept at UNCG (0-7) as Lauren Deaton had 17 kills, hit .452, and had two blocks and eight digs. Maria Esch had 15 kills for UNCG … Furman (3-2) won in four at Chattanooga (4-5, 2-5). Mikaela Schultz had 15 kills, an assist, two aces, two blocks, and eight digs … Wofford (3-2) hit .356 and dealt ETSU (4-1) its first loss as Riley Coonan had 17 kills in the four-set win and Bella Zeman had 16. Coonan hit .345, Zeman hit .419 and had three blocks and three digs, and Kennedy Smith added 14 kills, an assist, three aces, and six digs. Sara Esposito had 10 kills for Chattanooga and four solo blocks.
BIG SKY — Weber State (8-0) kept its place atop the standings with a five-set win at Northern Colorado (7-3) as Rylin Adams had 21 kills, two blocks and 16 digs. Sam Schiess had 16 kills, hit .560 and had two blocks, and Dani Nay had 13 kills and 14 digs. Taylor Muff had 16 kills for UNC and added an assist, three blocks, and 16 digs. Rachel Hickman had 14 kills, hit .522, and had four blocks …
Maya McClellan had 19 kills and hit .378 as Eastern Washington (4-6, 3-6) beat visiting Montana (1-8) in five. Sage Brustad had 14 kills and seven digs. Montana’s Sophia Meyers had 14 kills and 12 digs and Amethyst Harper had 12 kills and 14 digs … Hannah Scott had 19 kills, two blocks, and 13 digs as Montana State (6-2) beat visiting Idaho State (4-6, 2-6) in five. Kira Thomsen added 15 kills, an ace, four blocks, and 15 digs. Kennedee Tracy had 12 kills, three aces, and 12 digs for Idaho State … Southern Utah (3-5, 3-4) beat visiting Portland State (1-8. 0-7) in four as Andreanna McKee had 15 kills, Stacey Hone 13 and four blocks, and Raegen Ashby 11 kills and six blocks, one solo … Northern Arizona at Idaho was canceled.
SUMMIT LEAGUE —Omaha (5-4, 4-3) swept visiting North Dakota (2-5, 2-3) as Sadie Limback had 13 kills and hit .391, Anna Blaschko had 12 and hit .474, and Rylee Marshall had 10 and hit .600 …
Melanie Brecka had 20 kills, hit .342, and had three blocks and 12 digs as Kansas City (6-1) beat visiting South Dakota State (2-6, 2-5) in four. Alex Ratzlaff had 12 kills, four assists, an ace, 13 digs, and three blocks, one solo, and De’Janae Arnold had 11 kills with no errors in 24 attacks and six blocks. SDSU’s Crystal Burk had 16 kills, eight digs, and three blocks, one solo …
Denver (4-1) hit .379 and swept visiting Western Illinois (0-8, 0-7). Lydia Bartalo led with 11 kills as she hit .429 and had an assist, an ace, and six digs …
And Elizabeth Juhnke had 23 kills as South Dakota (5-4, 4-1) beat visiting North Dakota State (6-3, 4-3) in four. Juhnke had an assist, nine digs, and three blocks, one solo. Sami Slaughter had 11 kills, two assists, six blocks, and fiv digs, and Aimee Adams had 10 kills with one error in 20 swings to go with two blocks and 15 digs. Lolo Weideman had 25 digs and five assists. Madison Jurgens had three kills in seven errorless tries, 47 assists, two aces, two blocks, and 14 digs. NDSU’s Ali Hinze had 19 kills, two assists, a block, and 16 digs. Alexia Bachmeier had 16 kills, an assist, four aces, and 13 digs. Taylor Quan had 28 digs, seven assists, and an ace, and setter Kelley Johnson had four kills in eight errorless attempts, 45 assists, two blocks, and 14 digs.
AROUND THE NATION — Houston (7-1, 4-0) hit .328 and won its American Athletic Conference match in four over visiting Tulane (4-7, 2-2). Houston won its seventh in a row as Abbie Jackson had 20 kills — she had 26 the day before — and Isabel Theut had 11 blocks …
In the MAC, Eastern Michigan at Ohio was postponed. But Kent State improved to 8-1 with a sweep at Toledo (2-6) as Savannah Matthews had 17 kills, an ace, and 16 digs. After nine matches, Matthews is averaging 4.31 kills per set …
Saint Louis (5-4, 4-1) swept visiting Davidson (1-4, 0-3) in an Atlantic 10 match after beating the Wildcats twice on Saturday. Maya Taylor led with 12 kills, hit .313, and had an assist, an ace, and nine digs. Emily Henken had 11 kills, an ace, and eight digs …
UMBC of America East opened its season with a sweep over visiting Coppin State (1-3) of the MEAC. Darina Kumanova led UMBC with 15 kills, 12 digs, and two blocks, and Paige Krenik had 11 kills and 11 digs. Miajavon Coleman had 13 kills for Coppin …
Hofstra (2-0) of the Colonial swept visiting Stony Brook (0-3) of America East. Ana Martinovic led with 11 kills … Army West Point (1-1) swept visiting Colgate (1-1) in a Patriot League match. Monica Eckford led with 10 kills and she hit .400 …
There were two ASUN matches. Florida Gulf Coast (5-1, 3-1) swept at Stetson (1-2, 0-2) as Cortney VanLiew and Erin Shomaker had 10 kills each. Stetson’s Elena Djokovic had 15 kills … North Florida (4-6, 3-1) swept at Jacksonville (2-4, 0-2). Gabby O’Connell led with 12 kills and hit .379 to go with a solo block and seven digs … Radford (3-3) beat visiting Presbyterian (2-4) in five in their Big South match as Samantha Reitz led a balanced attack with 13 kills. She hit .370 and had two blocks and a dig. Erin Cook had 20 kills, 29 assists, six blocks, and nine digs for Presbyterian …
Jackson State (3-0) swept its SWAC match over visiting Prairie View (3-1, 2-1) as Jylen Whitten had 13 kills, hit .320, and added two blocks and seven digs. PVU’s Victoria Pearson had 14 kills, hit .632. and had two assists, a block, and a dig.
Chaz Galloway of Hawai’i hits into the block of UC Irvine’s Brian Garcia, left, and Patrick Vorencamp/Robert Huskey photo
MEN —Hawai’i opened the Big West season for both teams with a 21-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-17 victory at UC Irvine. Hawai’i certainly showed no signs of rust as it hit .402. Colton Cowell and Rado Parapunov led with 13 kills each and Patrick Gasman had nine. Cowell had five of his team’s 10 aces. Joel Schneidmiller led UCI with 17 kills and hit .483 …
Michael Valenzi had 17 kills and hit .448 to go with two aces, and eight digs as Penn State (8-2, 5-1) won its EIVA match in four at Sacred Heart (0-4). Cal Fisher added nine kills, six aces — Penn State had 13 — three digs, and four blocks. Sam Marsh had five kills in 10 errorless attacks, an ace, a dig, and six blocks. Shawn Tischler had 10 kills for Sacred Heart and Nicholas Palluzzi had nine and three blocks …
In the MIVA, Ball State (7-1, 4-0) swept visiting Lindenwood (3-6. 0-6) as the Cardinals hit .356 and Kaleb Jenness had 18 kills. Jenness hit .353 and added an assist and six digs. Brandon Shepherd had 10 kills with one error in 16 swings, and had two blocks, and four digs. AJ Lewis had 13 kills and three blocks, for Lindenwood … Also in the MIVA, Ohio State (4-6, 3-3) swept visiting Loyola Chicago (8-2, 4-2). Martin Lallemand led with 13 kills and hit .500 and he had an assist, two aces, seven digs, and two blocks. Siapanis Sotiris had 11 kills, hit .389, and had an ace, six digs, and two blockis. Luke Denton had 12 kills for Loyola.
