“I thought Ball State started strong in every game, and they created some problems for us with their tempo of attack,” NU Coach John Cook said. “At some point, I think that our athleticism took over for us today, but we will need to be more efficient and execute better tomorrow.”

The Huskers (2-0), who defeated Pittsburgh 3-0 at Worthern Arena Saturday, will conclude tournament play Monday when they take on third-ranked USC (2-0) at 11:30 a.m.

Nebraska trailed early in game three but finally tied the score at 17 when Elmer and Pilakowski combined for back-to-back blocks. An ace serve by Amber Holmquist gave NU their first lead of the game. The score was tied three more times before Ball State took a 26-24 lead after a Nebraska hitting error and a block of Jennifer Saleaumua.

Holmquist, who posted 10 kills on the day, stopped the Cardinal run and tied the score at 26 with two straight kills, and the Huskers took the lead when Cepero and Holmquist blocked Sara Obras. Obras countered with a kill, but Anna Schrad answered with a roll shot to give NU a 28-27 advantage. The two squads traded points to force a game-point situation, and Nebraska took the 30-28 victory on a Ball State hitting error.

Nebraska was behind most of the way early in game one before Saleaumua and Elmer combined to block Butts and tie the score at 18. A 6-1 run that included two kills from Elmer widened NU’s advantage to 24-19. After a Nebraska service error, the Huskers reeled off six straight points to take the 30-20 first-game win. Holmquist secured the victory when she slammed down a Ball State overpass for the final score.

In game two, the Huskers trailed by as many as four points before taking a 17-15 lead after a kill by Holmquist and an ace serve by Schrad. Nebraska was in control the rest of the way, and the Huskers forced game point with a 5-0 run that included kills from Pilakowski, Schrad and Elmer. A strike by Katie Butts delayed the NU victory, but Elmer responded on the next play with her sixth kill of the match for the 30-19 win.

“I was more relaxed out there today,” Elmer said. “Yesterday, I was a little shaky at first, and I was nervous to be playing before my family and friends. But I surprised myself today.”

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.