Huskers open with sweep

[Husker_Power]

BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Aug 24, 2007 - 11:34:22 pm CDT

 

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OMAHA — The fans at Qwest Center Omaha saved their biggest cheer for when Christina Houghtelling was introduced.

 

All 10,158 of them cheered again the first time that Houghtelling served, and again when she swung her surgically-repaired shoulder for the first time and produced her first kill.

 

Some 20 months since she played in her first match, all of the attention briefly caught Houghtelling by surprise.

 

“I didn’t know what they were clapping for,” said Houghtelling, who was nearly whistled for delay of game when she didn’t hear the referee call for the serve.

 

“I thought somebody had thrown something into the crowd,” she added. “I really didn’t think too much about it, but it was great to hear the crowd. They were awesome.”

 

Nebraska was pretty good in its own right, swamping Tennessee 30-15, 30-19, 30-18 to open the season with an exclamation point. The Huskers hit .361, nearly .200 points better than they hit in last year’s season opener. Nebraska had eight aces against only four serving errors and played steady on defense.

 

All around, Nebraska head coach John Cook said it was a solid performance.

 

“In our practices, we can’t put balls away, so sometimes I’m not sure offensively how good we are,” Cook said. “I thought they were in a really good rhythm tonight and (Rachel) Holloway moved the ball around and did some real creative things.”

 

Nebraska extended its winning streak to 59 within the borders of the Cornhusker State. Tonight, top-ranked NU will face No. 5 UCLA, a three-game winner against No. 21 Utah in Friday’s preliminary match.

 

With its 1,000th win in program history Friday, tonight’s match will be the first ever between volleyball programs with 1,000 or more wins.

 

“It’s a great matchup for the second match of the year,” Cook said. “They’re a great defensive team, so I think it’s going to be a point-by-point match.”

 

Playing its first match against a top-ranked opponent in 11 years, Tennessee was unable to muster any kind of a challenge.

 

In game one, Tennessee fell behind 18-6 as the Lady Vols struggled to get kills, even in free-ball situations. In game two, it was Nebraska’s block that overwhelmed Tennessee. In an eight-point run that pushed the Huskers’ lead to 22-11, Houghtelling had a hand in three blocks and added a kill.

 

Later, Nebraska experimented with its situational two-setter system, and setter Maggie Griffin and freshman right-side hitter Lindsey Licht quickly combined for a resounding kill down the line.

 

Sarah Pavan had 14 kills for Nebraska while Jordan Larson added 13 on .522 hitting.

 

Farren Powe had nine kills and hit .571 for Tennessee, which hit .088 as a team.

 

“That’s where we’re at right now. We’re a little disjointed when something’s happening fast,” said Tennessee coach Rob Patrick, his Lady Vols only 20 months removed from playing in the final four.

 

“If I had settled on a starting lineup a week ago, maybe some of that wouldn’t happen,” Patrick added. “They just played a little smoother than we did tonight.”

 

Just as it was for Tennessee, Cook said Friday’s match was an opportunity for Houghtelling to work out some of the kinks after sitting out last season.

 

The senior had only three kills in her first 14 swings but finished with eight kills and added a team-high 12 digs.

 

“I thought as the match went on, she continued to do things better and better,” Cook said. “The Red-White was a little step. Tonight was a good step.

 

“She does a great job of helping us compete.”

 

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