The No. 10 Nebraska volleyball team (10-3, 4-0 Big Ten) makes a trek to the East Coast this week, visiting No. 13 Penn State (11-3, 4-0) on Friday, Oct. 8. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. The match will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed through its digital extension on the FOX Sports app with Chris Vosters on play-by-play and Salima Rockwell providing color commentary.
 
This week's action will be carried on Huskers Radio Network with the NU radio team of John Baylor and Lauren Cook West. Baylor is in his 28th season handling play-by-play duties for the Husker volleyball program, and West, a former All-America setter at NU, will provide color commentary for the sixth straight year.
 
Huskers Radio Network will carry the matches on HRN radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha. A live audio stream will be available at Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.
 
Quick Hits
• Nebraska and Penn State are tied for first in the Big Ten standings and are the only remaining unbeaten teams at 4-0 in conference play.
• NU has gone at least 3-0 to start Big Ten play nine consecutive years. The Huskers' fourth straight win on Sunday marked the fifth time they have gone at least 4-0 since 2013.
• Sunday's 3-0 victory over Michigan State was the Huskers' sixth sweep of the season and their third straight.
• The Huskers returned to the top 10 in the AVCA national poll this week, coming in 10th.
• Nebraska previously held a streak of 60 straight weeks in the top 10 of the AVCA poll before sitting at 12th in the Sept. 20 and Sept. 27 releases. It was the only time the Huskers had ranked outside the top 10 since Sept. 18, 2017, when they were 14th.
• Nicklin Hames moved up to fourth all-time for career assists on Sunday, passing Nikki Stricker, who had 3,786 from 1990-93. Hames now has 3,816.
• Hames will play in her 100th career match Friday at Penn State.
• The Huskers are hitting a league-leading .314 in Big Ten matches and are second with 15.08 kills per set. NU is also tied with Michigan State for the league lead at 1.85 service aces per set.
• NU opened 2021 with a six-match win streak, then dropped three straight to No. 20 Utah (Sept. 11), No. 16 Stanford (Sept. 14) and No. 5 Louisville (Sept. 18) before rebounding with four wins.
• The Huskers played four straight top-20 opponents in an 11-day span last month with No. 19 Creighton (Sept. 8), No. 20 Utah (Sept. 11), No. 16 Stanford (Sept. 14) and No. 5 Louisville (Sept. 18).
• Five of NU's six freshmen have seen the court this year.
 
Scouting the Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State won its sixth consecutive match on Saturday, defeating Indiana 3-1 on the road to improve to 11-3 (4-0 Big Ten). Jonni Parker finished with a match-high 19 kills and 11 digs, and Allie Holland added 10 kills and five blocks. Kaitlyn Hord led the match with six stops at the net, part of a 13-block effort by the Nittany Lions.
 
Holland's .417 attack percentage in conference matches ranks fourth, and Parker's 4.07 kills per set are fifth. Hord leads the Big Ten with 1.73 blocks per set in conference play, and PSU is the league's leading blocking team at 3.20 blocks per set. In all matches, they have a nation-best 3.32 b/s.
 
Penn State finished 10-6 (9-5 Big Ten) last spring. Hord and Gabby Blossom were both All-Big Ten selections. Russ Rose is in his 43rd season at PSU with a career record of 1,320-221.
 
Noting the Series: vs. Penn State
The Huskers have won nine of the last 10 meetings with Penn State. They lead 23-11 in the all-time series, including 14-6 in the John Cook era and 10-5 in Big Ten matches. The series is tied 4-4 when set in Happy Valley. NU has posted back-to-back five-set wins over the Nittany Lions and won eight of the last nine five-set battles with PSU.
 
The most recent NU-PSU contest was Nov. 2, 2019 at the Devaney Center, where the Huskers turned in a 3-2 win behind 20 kills, seven digs and four blocks from Lexi Sun. Callie Schwarzenbach's nine-block effort boosted NU to 14 blocks as a team. Kenzie Knuckles put up 24 digs, and Nicklin Hames had 22 more.
 
The last meeting at Rec Hall was Oct. 13, 2018, which the Nittany Lions won 3-2. Sun also had 20 kills in that match to go with nine digs.
 
Up Next
Nebraska caps its road swing at Rutgers on Sunday, Oct. 10, with first serve set for Noon CT at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J. The match will be streamed on Big Ten Network+ with Pat Boyle on the call. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will also have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.

Huskers Head to Indy for B1G Media Days

Lincoln – Nebraska men's basketball players Trey McGowens and Alonzo Verge Jr. will join Head Coach Fred Hoiberg in Indianapolis Thursday for the start of 2021 Big Ten Media Days.

The two-day event takes place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which will be the site of the 2022 Big Ten Conference Tournament next March. Thursday's session features coaches and student-athletes from seven schools, including both the Husker men and women. Sam Haiby, Isabelle Bourne and Head Coach Amy Williams are representing the Husker women in Indianapolis.

Players and coaches will meet with the conference television partners as well as local, regional and national media throughout Thursday.  BTN will provide live TV coverage both days, including the podium sessions with the coaches and a live studio set. Fans can also watch online on the Fox Sports app.  Williams will be on the podium Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. central, while Hoiberg will take the stage at 9:40 a.m. The Husker women will be on the studio set at 11:10 a.m. while the Husker men will be on at 11:20 a.m.

McGowens started all 27 games in his first season at Nebraska, as the 6-foot-4 guard from Pendleton, S.C., averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He was second on the team in both scoring and assists last season, while ranking in fifth in the Big Ten in steals per game in 2020-21. McGowens played well in the final quarter of the year, averaging 12.4 ppg on 45 percent shooting with 3.1 assists per game over the final seven games including six double-figure efforts. He is one of three returning starters back for the Huskers in 2021-22.

Verge joined the Husker roster after spending the last two seasons at Arizona State.  He averaged 14.0 points and a team-best 3.8 assists per game, ranking in the top 15 in the Pac-12 in scoring, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, steals and free throw percentage. Verge averaged 27.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 3.0 apg in the Pac-12 Tournament, including a season-high 28 points against Oregon. A 6-foot-3 guard from Chicago, Verge was the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year and an honorable-mention all-conference pick in 2019-20, averaging 14.6 points per game.

 Fans can also follow along on the Huskers' social media channels. 

Huskers Ready for Big Ten Media Day

Head Coach Amy Williams and Nebraska women's basketball players Sam Haiby and Isabelle Bourne will participate in Big Ten Women's Basketball Media Day on Thursday, Oct. 7 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The innovative media format for men's and women's basketball will hit the home of the 2022 Big Ten Basketball Tournament in full force Thursday with coverage from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. (CT) on the court and throughout all areas of Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Nebraska women will begin their day with individual interviews at approximately 8:50 a.m. (CT), before Coach Williams takes center stage for her press conference on the Big Ten Network at 9:30 a.m. (CT). The press conference also will be streamed live on the conference social media channels.

In addition to the primary press conference setting, the Huskers will be available for one-on-one interviews on the while also appearing on the Big Ten Network Studio set on the main court. Along with the extensive Big Ten Network coverage, the Huskers are scheduled to do segments with ESPN, Sirius XM and the WNBA. 

Williams, who enters her sixth seasons leading her alma mater, has her deepest and most talented roster in 2021-22. Nebraska returns four starters from a year ago, led by Haiby, a second-team All-Big Ten guard in 2021-22. Haiby was the only Big Ten player to rank among the top 15 in the conference in scoring (16.8 ppg), rebounding (6.8 rpg) and assists (4.4 apg) last season. She is joined by honorable-mention All-Big Ten forward Bourne, who was Nebraska's second-leading scorer (13.6 ppg) and rebounder (7.5 rpg) while also ranking third on the team in assists (2.5 apg).

Big Ten Press Conference Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 7 (All Times Central)
7:00 - 7:30 a.m. - Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren
7:30 - 7:40 a.m. - Michigan Women's Head Coach Kim Barnes-Arico
7:40 - 7:50 a.m. - Michigan Men's Head Coach Juwan Howard
7:50 - 8:00 a.m. - Ohio State Women's Head Coach Kevin McGuff
8:00 - 8:10 a.m. - Ohio State Men's Head Coach Chris Holtman
8:10 - 8:20 a.m. - Rutgers Women's Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer
8:20 - 8:30 a.m. - Rutgers Men's Head Coach Steve Pikiell
8:30 - 8:40 a.m. - Maryland Women's Head Coach Brenda Frese
8:40 - 8:50 a.m. - Maryland Men's Head Coach Mark Turgeon
8:50 - 9:00 a.m. - Illinois Women's Head Coach Nancy Fahey
9:00 - 9:10 a.m. - Illinois Men's Head Coach Brad Underwood
9:10 - 9:20 a.m. - Iowa Women's Head Coach Lisa Bluder
9:20 - 9:30 a.m. - Iowa Men's Head Coach Fran McCaffery
9:30 - 9:40 a.m. - Nebraska Women's Head Coach Amy Williams
9:40 - 9:50 a.m. - Nebraska Men's Head Coach Fred Hoiberg

Vavrova Earns Big Ten Weekly Honor

Nebraska's Michaela Vavrova became the third Husker this season to capture Big Ten Women's Golfer-of-the-Week honors when the conference announced its weekly awards on Wednesday.

Vavrova carded three solid scores on her way to an individual championship at the Stampede at the Creek in Elkhorn, Neb., Oct. 4-5. After opening with a 74 (+2), Vavrova fired a 71 (-1) in Monday's second round before closing with an even-par 72 Tuesday to claim a four-stroke victory.  

The sophomore from Bojnice, Slovakia was consistent throughout the 54 holes of the two-day event on the Red Feather and Blackbird nines at Indian Creek Golf Course. She finished with seven birdies and eight bogeys while recording 39 pars on the 5,988-yard layout. She captured her first collegiate title while playing as an individual. Nebraska did not send a full team to the tournament.

Vavrova shared the Big Ten's weekly award with Indiana's Áine Donegan, who earned medalist honors over two rounds at the Courtney Cole Invitational in Bloomington.

The Nebraska women's golf team will return to action next week at the Dale McNamara Invitational at the Golf Club of Oklahoma in Tulsa, Oct. 11-12.

2020-21 Big Ten Women's Golfers of the Week
Sept. 8: Mathilde Delavallade, Jr., Penn State
Sept. 15: Mikaela Schulz, Jr., Michigan
Sept. 22: Nicole Hansen, Jr., Nebraska
                Lindsey Thiele, So. Nebraska
Sept. 30: Geraldine Wong, Gr., Minnesota
Oct. 6: Michaela Vavrova, So., Nebraska
            Áine Donegan, Fr. Indiana

NU Faces No. 16 Michigan On BTN

No. 16 Michigan (8-1-3, 2-0-2 Big Ten) at Nebraska (4-7-2, 0-3-2 Big Ten)
Sunday, October 10 • 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Hibner Stadium
Lincoln, Neb.
 
» Pups at the Pitch: First 95 fans receive a Nebraska Soccer leash
» TV: BTN
» Radio: KRNU
» Live Stats: huskers.com
» Twitter Updates: @NebraskaSoccer
 
The Nebraska women's soccer team (4-7-2, 0-3-2 Big Ten) hosts its first of three-straight home matches on Sunday at Hibner Stadium as the Huskers face off against the No. 16 Michigan Wolverines (8-1-3, 2-0-2 Big Ten) at 11:00 a.m. (CT). The game will be televised on BTN.

Last Time Out
The Huskers tied Michigan State 2-2, with both Haley Peterson and Abbey Schwarz scoring their first career goals on Thursday and lost 2-1 to Northwestern in Evanston on Sunday.

Next Up
Following Sunday's conference game, Nebraska will stay home to face border-rival Iowa on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 7:05 p.m. (CT) and Wisconsin on Senior Day, Sunday, Oct. 17 at 1:05 p.m. (CT). After its home stand, Nebraska will hit the road and face Illinois and Minnesota to close out regular season play.

Kicking Off

  • Sophomore Reagan Raabe continues to lead the Huskers on the offensive side as she has six goals and 13 points on the season and currently sits eighth in goals scored in the Big Ten standings.
  • Freshman Sarah Weber recorded her second career goal, assisted by Ashley Zugay, against Northwestern. Weber now has two goals and two assists on the year and is in seventh place in the Big Ten standings with 19 shots on goal in 13 games played.
  • Sophomore goalkeeper Sami Hauk made her ninth start of the season against Northwestern and now ranks seventh in saves and second in saves per game in the Big Ten standings.
  • Nebraska has faced a challenging conference schedule as four of its first five opponents are tied for either first or second place in the Big Ten standings.
  • Seven of NU's 11 freshman have seen the pitch so far this year. The Huskers started Weber, Schwarz and Jordan Zade against Northwestern.

Scouting the Michigan Wolverines

  • Michigan is 8-1-3 overall with a 2-0-2 record in Big Ten play.
  • The Huskers are 1-9-3 all-time against the Wolverines, with their last matchup resulting in a 3-2 double-overtime Michigan win. NU last defeated the Wolverines 5-1 in 1997 in Lincoln, Neb.
  • After facing Nebraska, Michigan will return home to matchup against in-state rival Michigan State.
  • Head Coach Jennifer Klein is 31-18-5 in her fourth season at Michigan. Klein is assisted by Katie Hultin, Tiffany Hansen and Mario Zuniga-Gil.
  • Players to Watch: 
    • #1 Hillary Beall (Senior GK): Ranks 20th nationally in goals-against average and second in the Big Ten
    • #20 Nicki Hernandez (Graduate M): Ranks seventh in shots and eleventh in total goals in the Big Ten
    • #3 Sammi Woods (Freshman F): Has recorded four goals and three assists

Huskers Celebrating 28th Season in 2021

  • The Nebraska soccer program is in its 28th year since the inaugural campaign in 1994. Head Coach John Walker has been at the helm of the team since its inception, guiding the Huskers to more than 330 all-time victories.
  • Nebraska has made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in its first 27 seasons, including two trips to the Elite Eight and eight Sweet 16 berths.
  • The Huskers have captured four conference regular-season titles and six conference tournament crowns. As a member of the Big 12, NU won the regular-season championship in 1996, 1999 and 2000, while winning the tournament title in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002. Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011 and two seasons later, swept the regular-season and tournament crowns.

Alberts Announces Doug Ewald as Chief Financial Officer

The University of Nebraska Athletic Department and Vice Chancellor, Director of Athletics Trev Alberts announced Wednesday the addition of Doug Ewald as Executive Associate Athletic Director and Chief Financial Officer. Ewald is an experienced expert in the financial and accounting field, having worked for more than 30 years in Nebraska's private and public sectors.

Ewald joins Husker Athletics after spending the past three years as the Vice Chancellor for Business, Finance and Business Development at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In his new position, Ewald will oversee the athletic department's business operations and serve as a key member of Alberts' senior administrative staff.

"I am thrilled to add Doug Ewald to our senior staff in Husker Athletics," Alberts said. "Doug brings a diverse set of experience in the financial, accounting and business world to our team. He is a proven leader with a history of sound fiscal decision-making and strategic financial planning. The business model of college athletics is undergoing unprecedented change, and we are fortunate to have a veteran leader in place to help us navigate this crucial period."

In his prior role on the Omaha campuses, Ewald oversaw all budget, finance, operational and administrative services, as well as all business development activities in support of Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. In total, Ewald oversaw more than 600 employees across the two campuses in the University of Nebraska system.

Ewald has a wide range of experience during his three decades of professional work in the business and finance world. His most public role involved serving as Nebraska's Tax Commissioner under Gov. Dave Heinemann from 2006 to 2013. In this position, he restructured the department into a more customer-responsive agency and successfully promoted the use of electronic tax-return filing, making Nebraska a leading state in this category.

In addition to his work for the state, Ewald spent 17 years with Union Pacific, ultimately serving as the company's director of state tax compliance, audit and financial reporting. His other employers have included Omaha-based KPMG, where he served as managing director of state and local tax compliance from 2013 to 2017, and Lincoln-based Ameritas, where he served as tax director from 2017 until 2018.

"It is a privilege to serve as the CFO for Husker Athletics," Ewald said.  "The success of the Athletic Department is an important part of the Nebraska culture, and I appreciate the confidence that Trev Alberts, Chancellor Green, and President Carter have placed in me.  I look forward to joining the senior staff in Husker Athletics, as we develop a business model that contributes to our unity of purpose."

A lifelong Nebraskan, Ewald holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance from Buena Vista University (1985) and a master's degree in professional accounting from UNO (1989). Ewald has been a Certified Public Accountant within the state of Nebraska since 1987. He is also a member of the AICPA and Nebraska Society of CPAs.

Ewald has received recognition from his alma maters, earning the UNO College of Business Administration's "Distinguished Alumnus" award in 2015 and Buena Vista University's "John Fisher Alumni Award" in 2010.