LINCOLN, Neb.—Nebraska freshman Hannah Werth’s 12 kills and 11 digs led the Cornhuskers in an easy three-set victory over Coastal Carolina in the first round of the NCAA volleyball tournament Friday night.
The seventh-ranked Huskers (24-6) advanced to a second-round match Saturday night against No. 20 Northern Iowa (31-2), which swept Washington State for its 29th straight win. The Nebraska-UNI winner moves to next weekend’s regional in Omaha.
Tara Mueller and Brooke Delano had nine kills apiece for the Huskers, who won 25-13, 25-18, 25-15. Kayla Banwarth added a match-high 24 digs, as the junior libero became just the second Husker in school history to accumulate 500 or more digs in a season, joining former Husker Dani Busboom (2006).
“I liked how we were humming when we came out,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. “We can build on that for tomorrow. Fortunately this year, we were able to avoid a second-game total letdown like we had last year and pulled ourselves out and got a chance to get a lot of players in that haven’t had a lot of playing time.”
Chelsy Kimes had eight kills and 10 digs for Coastal Carolina (20-14), which hit just .048 in its first national tournament appearance in 11 years.
“We had some jitters, but I was glad to see us down a little bit and fight back and forth,” Coastal Carolina coach Kristen Bauer said. “Unfortunately for us, Nebraska’s defense was stellar. Whatever we threw at them, they were able to pick up.”
Northern Iowa’s Shannon Aschoff and Michelle Burow each had a team-high 13 kills in a 26-24, 25-21 25-20 win over Washington State.
The Panthers had 51 kills on 134 swings, hitting .269. The Cougars (18-13) struggled to attack all night, hitting just .174.
“I just think we got in a rhythm, we had some plays that went our way,” UNI coach Bobbi Petersen said. “When you keep digging balls and keep putting pressure on it, it makes teams hit some shots that they don’t normally hit because they are frustrated. I thought that was probably our best defense.”
