Nebraska Gains Sweep #17 Against a Tough Indiana

Nebraska 3 vs Indian 0- 25-22, 25-18, 25-19

Nebraska had errors and they faltered at times but they also had significant performances by players off the bench and in new positions. This type of depth shows so much potential for the remainder of the regular season and the post season.

Maggie Mendelson came off the bench in set two for Ally Batenhort. Batenhorst struggled to earn a kill in set one, and ended with a -.125 hitting percentage. Mendelson stepped into the right side position blocking and hitting well. She had two blocks and and three kills tonight.

When asked about this position after the match, Coach Cook said he bases starting spots on performance in practice not in matches. The starter on Sunday against Northwestern is the player that shows up and responds in practice these next few days.

When Batenhorst went out, Coach kept Lindsay Krause on the left side to hit and block. She didn’t miss a beat in this switch from the right side; she really picked up her play on the left, a position she hasn’t played in a match for over a month. Krause had 8 kill and no errors for a .417 hitting percentage.

Nebraska’s defense is something to talk about. As a team they dug 42 balls compare to 33 for Indiana. Lexie Rodriguez gets credit for 10 of those digs and at least two of them with only one arm!

The defensive block was pivotal for the Huskers in key moments. Kaitlyn Hord and Whitney Lauenstein had three blocks each. Another promising sign for future matches was the ability of the block to take coaching from the bench, adjust and earn a block. Two times after a timeout, Nebraska players returned to the court and earned a block. Match time adjustments, essential.

Just for fun: did you see the dig in set two by Bekka Allick (after she served), Hord turned from blocking bump set to Krause for a kill??? Best stat line! Middle dig, middle set to outside kill!!!

Nebraska is on the road next to Evanston, IL. They play Northwestern on Sunday November 6th at 1 pm. Northwestern is fresh off a win over #14 Purdue and then Iowa. The Wildcats play #6 Ohio State on Friday before zeroing in on the Huskers for Sunday.