Nebraska Volleyball Advances to the Sweet Sixteen with a Three Set win over Florida State

Nebraska 3 vs Florida State - 25-20, 25-22, 25-17

Nebraska received quality performances from multiple players in a three set win over Florida State. Lauren Stivrins had 11 kills and hit .429 and added 4 blocks to let her presence be known.

Ally Batenhorst played one of her best matches of the season. She had confidence and swung aggressively. She had 11 kills and hit .333. Her kills were varied and kept the Seminoles off balance.

Fellow freshman Lindsay Krause was also pivotal, both in offense and defense. She blocked four times and terminated eight times. Krause and Batenhorst seem to solidified their starting positions for the time being.

The Nebraska’s stellar blocking and floor defense resulted in a .122 Florida State hitting percentage which is .100 less than their average. Meanwhile, Nebraska hit .262 as a team. The Nebraska coaching staff is looking for the team “to be more crisp” next game, said coach Tyler Hildebrand.

Coach Hildebrand spoke after the match about the need to improve on passing against Illinois. He described the Illini as a good serving team. He was able to watch the start of the Illinois vs #7 Kentucky match, and said that Illinois “served Kentucky off the court”. With a four set upset win over Kentucky, Illinois travels to Texas to meet Nebraska December 9th.

This is the third meeting between Nebraska and Illinois this season. Nebraska won the first two meetings both in three sets. Illinois is a good serving team with three very good attackers.

Nebraska advances to an NCAA Regional next weekend against Illinois December 9 at Gregory Gym in Austin, Texas.

Tournament news:
Six Big Ten teams advance to the sweet 16. Michigan lost in the first round to Ball State. Penn State lost to #3 Pitt in four sets. Illinois upset #7 Kentucky in four sets. Purdue beat Dayton in five sets. Minnesota beat Stanford in three sets. Wisconsin beat FGCU in three sets. Ohio State beat Tennessee in four sets. Nebraska beat Florida State in three sets.

Kansas upset #14 Creighton last night. Creighton was without Jaela Zimmerman after she fell awkwardly on her knee against Ole Miss in the first round. She left that match and did not return.