Kearney, Neb. – The now top-ranked Nebraska-Kearney volleyball team finishes up a seven-match home stand this weekend with visits by Emporia State, No. 3 Washburn and Hastings College. UNK (8-0), in the AVCA Division II Top 25 catbird seat for the 27th time, has won 27 consecutive matches at home (not counting four home matches during the 2021 spring season). Harding, in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, is the last visitor to taste victory in Kearney. Washburn, a few weeks earlier, also won on the Buckle Court that fall. The well-balanced Lopers having gotten kills and digs from 13 different players with 18 taking the court in at least one set. Four have appeared in all 27 sets to date including redshirt freshman outside Lauren Taubenheim (Lincoln Pius) and senior defensive specialist Breanna Jones (Littleton, Colo.).
In the current MIAA stats, UNK is first in opponent attack percentage (.097), opponent kills per set (9.8) and assists per set (13.4) while being second in attack percentage (.285) and kills per set (14.2). Individually senior Madison Squiers (Kearney Catholic)) is at an MIAA-best 11.2 assists per set with redshirt junior right side Sami Mauch (North Platte) third d in aces per set (0.5). Finally, senior libero Lindsay Nottlemann (Lincoln Pius) is at a league-best 6.27 dps while closing in on the 1k mark (831). After a very rare Monday match, UNK heads to Newman and Central Oklahoma next weekend. This weekend’s matches and the match with Hastings College can be heard on 93.1 KRVN FM, 106.9 Fm in Kearney and on the River APP.
