Lopers Beat Hometown Griffons
Kearney, Neb. – The 12th-ranked Nebraska Kearney volleyball team got off to a fast start and then rallied over the final two sets to sweep Missouri Western State (-18, -22, -19) Friday afternoon in a MIAA Tournament first-round match in St. Joseph. The second-seeded Lopers (27-4) advance to Friday's semifinals at 5 p.m. and will face either Central Missouri or Pittsburg State. Those teams play in today's second match of the day. "We saw exactly what we expected from them. They have some parts of their offense that are really difficult to stop. They run the slide as well as anybody," said UNK head coach Rick Squiers on the KRVN Radio post-game show. "They were able to get the ball to their middles enough and I'm not sure we ever really solved that. But we were able to get one here and there and our side out offense was good enough to play through the rotations we couldn't stop." Beating the Griffons (11-18) for a third time this fall, UNK got off to a red hot start as it hit .366 (18-3-41) in set one. Outside Emersen Cyza (Alliance) had seven kills with no errors in 15 swings (.467 pct.), middle Fallon Stutheit (Johnson) had five kills in five attacks with middle Bailee Sterling (Kearney) at four kills in seven attempts (.571). Playing in its hometown and coming off a win over nationally-ranked Washburn, the Griffs didn't go quietly as they held UNK to under a .200 mark in each of the next two sets. They also got 12 kills from 2022 first-team All-MIAA pick Danielle Moje to lead the second set 18-15 and the third 13-11. However, as they've done all year, the Lopers rallied and had big set-ending runs to record the victory. "Second and third sets we had to play out of a hole. In the second set they struggled over the first 10 points but we didn't make them pay for it. We were still even when we should've been up three or four. They then were able to grab the lead because we dropped a little and they took advantage," said Squiers. A 6-1 run in the second featured back-to-back aces from setter Peyton Neff (North Platte) and a Stutheit kill to make it 21-19 and force Mo West to call timeout. Two Moje kills kept it a two-point match at 23-21 but a Griffs service error and unforced attack error gave UNK a 2-0 lead. In the third, the Lopers erased a 13-11 hole thanks to an 8-3 spurt. This stretch featured three Cyza kills and block by Sterling and Neff. "One of the things our players have been good at this year is coming back from that two, three, four-point spot. We climb out of the hole and win," said Squiers. UNK out hit MWSU by nearly 100 points, .231-.134, while having five more blocks and 11 more digs. Cyza (17) and Stutheit (11) had double digit kill totals with outside Asha Regier (nine) close. All three hit at least .289 in victory. Next, Sterling and Stutheit had four blocks apiece with libero Jensen Rowse (19) one of four Lopers with a double digit dig total. Finally, Neff had 35 assists, all three of UNK's service aces and four block assists. "Peyton did a good job of distributing the ball. The positions we felt good about we went after a lot and set them a lot and they delivered," said Squiers.
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