Huskers sweep Cyclones, gain revenge

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By TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star

AMES, Iowa — Sure it was balmy outside, but it was inside the Hilton Coliseum where eighth-ranked Iowa State was feeling the heat on Saturday night.

The soaring expectations from beating No. 2 Texas on Wednesday, the eyes of a record 10,203 fans and the pressure Nebraska applied with its serving and passing had setter Kaylee Manns chomping on her gum all night.

And the No. 10 Huskers’ 25-16, 25-22, 25-23 win left both teams with plenty to chew on entering the final three weeks of the regular season.

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“As the tide turns, we were the ones with something to lose, and I thought for a lot of this match, we looked like we had something to lose,” said Iowa State coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “We looked like we were afraid.”

Conversely, Nebraska setter Sydney Anderson came out of Saturday’s match with “the chills,” a euphoria that goes beyond just enacting some revenge upon Iowa State.

“It’s huge,” Anderson said. “It’s what our team needed to help us believe that we can become what we’re capable of.”

Nebraska (18-6, 11-4) pulled to within a match of second-place Iowa State (20-4, 12-3) in the Big 12 standings. But last week, head coach John Cook said he was no longer worried about the Huskers’ record but instead on preparing the team to make a run in the postseason.

The biggest positive from Saturday? Nebraska hit .327 against the Big 12’s top-ranked defense, a team which held Texas to .189 hitting in Wednesday’s win and hadn’t allowed any opponent to hit .300 against it in 33 matches dating to last season.

“This was an opportunity for us to take a big step forward,” Cook said, “and they certainly did that tonight.”

Nebraska’s defense wasn’t bad either, forcing 21 hitting errors from the Cyclones, who hit just .178.

Leading 13-12, the Huskers took control of the opening set with a 7-0 run in which the Huskers forced four hitting errors.

Nebraska built a 17-8 lead in the second set as the frustration spread amongst the Cyclones. Iowa State’s Victoria Henson, who ranks third in the Big 12 in kills this season, went 57 rallies without a winner.

Still, Iowa State courageously fought off four set-point opportunities before the Huskers could put the second set away. The Cyclones led the third set 20-19, only to see Nebraska take command on a wild rally in which Iowa State’s players were already celebrating what they thought was a kill when Kori Cooper sent it over for a 23-21 lead.

Nebraska, which saw its 74-match winning streak over the Cyclones ended last month, snapped Iowa State’s school-record winning streak at 11.

Cook credited Anderson for directing the offense to perfection. Cooper, Lindsey Licht and Hannah Werth all had nine kills, while Brooke Delano and Tara Mueller both added eight.

Nebraska scored 48 kills in 107 attempts. In the Huskers’ first meeting with Iowa State, NU finished with 66 kills in 200 swings and couldn’t overcome 34 hitting errors.

The Huskers went back and studied video of that match last week.

“It was disgusting to watch, some of the things that we did,” Cook said. “But we came back with a plan.”

A plan to turn up the heat.

Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7320 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.