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Starting off the year against an SEC opponent is nearly as much of a risk in volleyball as in football. Even so, the Huskers represented themselves well, losing 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 23-25) to the Auburn Tigers.
Really, the stats were pretty close, and the scores show that. A volleyball set has to be decided by two points or more, and all of the Tigers’ set wins were by two points.
The Huskers led the hitting .218-.208, the Tigers recorded more assists (when a set results in a kill from the hitter) 55-54. The telling stat for the match was that Auburn out dug Nebraska 86-71.
Overall, the Husker offense was fairly consistent hitting .213, .220, .178, and .261. Kelsey Robinson lead the team with 18 kills, Kelsey Fien recorded 13.
In the nightcap, the Huskers beat the St. Louis Billikens 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-16). Amber Rolfzen and Kelsey Fien led the team with ten kills apiece and the Huskers’ overall hitting efficiency was .366. It was a great recovery from the disappointment earlier in the day.
Pollmiller and Hunter are showing themselves to be effective setters in the 6-2 offense. Justine Wong-Orantes is clearly a dependable libero.
Husker volleyball should expect a little bit of inconsistency as all the new pieces figure out how they fit together. However, the talent that this team has is becoming clearer, and this team should be dangerous when the conference schedule starts against Northwestern on September 27 in Evanston.