LINCOLN — When told she had just broken a 24-year-old program record, Kayla Banwarth came close to blushing, then admitted she didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, teammate and close friend Tara Mueller was right there to chime in.

Thanks in large part to Banwarth, ninth-ranked Nebraska put together a 25-16, 25-21, 25-20 sweep Wednesday night over No. 24 Baylor. Banwarth, the Huskers' junior libero, piled up 32 digs, the most for any Nebraska player ever in a three-set match.

“I think it's something that Kayla's been working on every day in practice,” Mueller said of Banwarth's positioning and floor defense. “She just knows where to be all the time.”

The old mark, set when NCAA volleyball still used side-out scoring, was held by Annie Adamczak, who had 28 digs in a Nebraska sweep over Montana in 1985. Banwarth on Wednesday totaled the most digs for any player in a Coliseum match since Nebraska's Lisa Martin had 33 during a five-set battle in 1987.

And even though Nebraska beat the Bears 3-0, Banwarth's output still ranks third in school history for a match of any length. For the second time this season, Banwarth came just two digs shy of tying the Huskers' single-match record. She also had 32 when NU defeated Minnesota in five sets at the AVCA Showcase.

Maria Hedbeck, who had 34 digs in a five-set match in 1993, still holds the Huskers' record.

“They just kept hitting the ball at me, so I did what I could to get it in the air,” Banwarth said. “When teams are scrappy -- when teams are getting crazy digs up -- it's so annoying. I'm not even a hitter, and that bothers me.”

The Huskers traditionally have been a team with a huge block, and Nebraska's powerhouse clubs of recent seasons terminated the ball so effectively that there weren't many chances for players to compile high dig totals.

But there were plenty of long rallies Wednesday, and NU coach John Cook said it's unlikely the Huskers would have swept Baylor if Banwarth hadn't been such a force.

“We were a little rough around the edges tonight,” Cook said, “but Kayla dominated the court.

“Kayla gave us a lot of opportunities, and I didn't feel we took advantage of all of them, When a libero has a great night, it can really impact a team. It impacted our team in a really positive way, and it impacted Baylor in a negative way.”

The Bears hit a season-low .089.

Banwarth's passing also helped neutralize the serving of Baylor's Taylor Barnes, who leads the Big 12 in aces. The Huskers finished with a 5-0 edge in aces, including two by freshman Gina Mancuso. And right-side hitter Lindsey Licht enjoyed another strong match, putting away 13 kills on .522 hitting.

Mueller and Hannah Werth combined for 21 kills, and the two outside hitters added 10 digs apiece.

While the Huskers' performance against Baylor wasn't perfect, Cook knows it was a critical victory. Nebraska won its 20th match of the year and improved to 4-0 in November.

The Bears were the last ranked team on NU's regular-season schedule. The Huskers close out the month with three straight matches against lower-half Big 12 teams, starting with Saturday's match at Kansas.

“I know the level we can play at, but it was still a nice win tonight,” said Cook, who wasn't pleased about his team's 19 attack errors. “I told them this was a good win, but we have to get better. You look at the scores, it's like, ‘Whoa, they blew them out.' But it never felt like that to me.”

Baylor (21-8, 10-8)..............16 21 20

Nebraska (20-6, 13-4)...............25 25 25

• Baylor (kills-aces-blocks): Trice 0-0-0, Campbell 3-0-3, Barnes 2-0-1, Breyfogle 3-0-2, Rice 0-0-0, Sanders 9-0-2, Byrd 1-0-0, King 0-0-0, Tolbert 4-0-0, Christenson 8-0-1, Graham 3-0-1.

• Nebraska (kills-aces-blocks): Anderson 1-1-0, Licht 13-0-0, Delano 6-0-3, Cooper 3-0-5, Mueller 12-0-3, Werth 9-1-1, Banwarth 0-1-0, Wilbarger 0-0-0, Mancuso 0-2-0.

• Set assists: Baylor 31 (Barnes 26); Nebraska 41 (Anderson 35, Banwarth 4). A-4,097.

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com

« Sports - Big Red Today

Share