LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Colorado Christian’s Mike Brown scored 20 points and Kyle Weaver added 18 more as the Cougars turned back Chadron State 79-65 during their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game Saturday. The game started out well for the Eagles, now 0-8, as they opened the contest up on an 11-4 scoring run. However, the Cougars chipped away and went on a 16-0 scoring run during a five minute stretch to take control. In the second half, the Eagles cut the lead to five points on a couple occasions but the Cougars went on another run and led by as many as 20 points to improve to 6-6 overall and 1-3 in the conference. The Cougars’ offense clicked throughout the game. They made 32 of 70 shots, including 18 assists, scored 40 points in the paint and 10 more on fast breaks. The Eagles made 19 of 49 shots and were 22 of 33 from the foul line. Zac Bargen led Chadron State with 23 points and six rebounds. Kyle Vinich poured in 10 points and Grant Stone had 10 points and six boards. The Eagles will play at Regis and Metro State Saturday and Sunday.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Adams Central 59, Centura 36
Ainsworth 65, West Holt 56
Alma 49, Wilcox-Hildreth 48, OT
Archbishop Bergan 52, Omaha Brownell-Talbot 48
Ashland-Greenwood 50, Elmwood-Murdock 42
Bancroft-Rosalie 76, Walthill 58
Bayard 52, Bridgeport 41
Beatrice 48, Crete 33
Bellevue West 57, Omaha Northwest 56
Bishop Neumann 53, Norfolk Catholic 43
Bloomfield 85, Winside 34
Boone Central/Newman Grove 46, Pierce 44
Bruning-Davenport/Shickley 64, Dorchester 45
Burwell 67, Ravenna 60
Chadron 55, Gordon/Rushville 35
Chamberlain, S.D. 66, Santee 32
Clearwater/Orchard 54, Niobrara/Verdigre 37
Cody-Kilgore 34, Arthur County 17
Columbus Lakeview 67, Aurora 63
Columbus Scotus 50, Grand Island Central Catholic 47
Cozad 57, Hershey 44
Crawford 45, Hay Springs 21
Creek Valley 47, Potter-Dix 32
Creighton 48, Neligh-Oakdale 32
CWC 57, North Central 40
Elgin Public/Pope John 59, Plainview 27
Elkhorn South 67, Omaha Skutt Catholic 64
Elm Creek 62, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller 23
Elwood 51, Pleasanton 43
Exeter/Milligan 65, Heartland 56
Falls City 65, Auburn 28
Fort Calhoun 64, Douglas County West 33
Franklin 41, Lawrence-Nelson 30
Freeman 49, Falls City Sacred Heart 47
Fullerton 70, Elba/North Loup-Scotia 28
Gering 56, Alliance 43
Gibbon 42, Loup City 38
Giltner 63, Shelby/Rising City 36
Gretna 62, Bennington 41
Guardian Angels 73, Scribner-Snyder 28
Hartington Cedar Catholic 67, O’Neill 64
Hastings 56, Holdrege 42
Hastings St. Cecilia 44, Doniphan-Trumbull 31
High Plains Community 62, McCool Junction 54
Homer 63, Allen 32
Humphrey St. Francis 79, Heartland Lutheran 56
Kearney Catholic 68, Ord 38
Kenesaw 51, Shelton 47
Kimball 48, Perkins County 45
Leyton 72, South Platte 28
Lincoln Christian 52, Lincoln Lutheran 41
Lincoln East 59, Kearney 42
Lincoln North Star 50, Norfolk 47
Lincoln Northeast 55, Columbus 45
Lincoln Southwest 72, Lincoln High 49
Loomis 60, Amherst 51
Lutheran High Northeast 46, Omaha Concordia 31
Lyons-Decatur Northeast 48, North Bend Central 30
Madison 61, Battle Creek 45
Meridian 49, Cross County 41
Milford 71, Fairbury 57
Millard North 59, Millard South 51
Mullen 60, Hyannis 34
Norris 54, Elkhorn 31
North Platte 57, Lincoln Southeast 35
Oakland-Craig 41, Pender 38
Ogallala 57, Sutherland 53
Omaha Benson 67, Papillion-LaVista South 47
Omaha Burke 68, Millard West 65
Omaha Central 68, Omaha Westside 49
Omaha Creighton Prep 48, Omaha Bryan 34
Omaha Gross Catholic 59, Schuyler 31
Omaha Nation 54, Emerson-Hubbard 48
Overton 66, Axtell 50
Palmer 69, St. Edward 38
Palmyra 45, Mead 40
Papillion-LaVista 49, Omaha North 47
Pawnee City 80, Craig-Fairfax, Mo. 29
Paxton 67, Brady 30
Platteview 53, Arlington 29
Plattsmouth 59, Nebraska City 46
Red Cloud 39, Harvard 38
Scottsbluff 60, Rock Springs, Wyo. 53
Sidney 58, Chase County 37
Silver Lake 49, Nebraska Christian 36
Sioux County 48, Minatare 44
South Loup 64, SMC 48
Southern 58, Tri County 25
Spalding/Spalding Academy 69, Arcadia 20
Sterling 45, Diller-Odell 37
Stuart 40, Twin Loup 30
Todd County, S.D. 70, Valentine 65
Twin River 59, Central City 41
Wallace 67, Maxwell 24
Wauneta-Palisade 42, Cambridge 39
Wausa 56, Wakefield 46
Waverly 56, Blair 38
Weeping Water 62, Omaha Christian Academy 57, OT
Wisner-Pilger 46, Tekamah-Herman 39
Wynot 57, Osmond 30
Blue Valley Tournament
Consolation Semifinal
Olathe Northwest, Kan. 49, Ralston 43
Cattle Trail Tournament
Consolation Semifinal
Hayes Center 51, Southwest 36
Oberlin-Decatur, Kan. 55, Maywood 32
Semifinal
Arapahoe 45, Hitchcock County 25
Dundy County-Stratton 65, Medicine Valley 55
Goodland Tournament
Consolation Semifinal
McCook 58, Goodland, Kan. 44

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Ainsworth 60, West Holt 51
Alma 63, Wilcox-Hildreth 40
Archbishop Bergan 31, Omaha Brownell-Talbot 28
Arthur County 59, Cody-Kilgore 39
Ashland-Greenwood 37, Elmwood-Murdock 25
Bancroft-Rosalie 74, Walthill 29
Beatrice 53, Crete 41
Bellevue West 70, Omaha Northwest 32
Bishop Neumann 50, Norfolk Catholic 47
Bloomfield 36, Winside 25
Brady 53, Paxton 32
Bruning-Davenport/Shickley 52, Dorchester 23
Centura 41, Adams Central 34
Chadron 65, Gordon/Rushville 31
Clearwater/Orchard 48, Niobrara/Verdigre 35
Columbus Lakeview 36, Aurora 30
Columbus Scotus 35, Grand Island Central Catholic 24
Crawford 42, Hay Springs 38
Cross County 74, Meridian 29
CWC 42, North Central 25
Elgin Public/Pope John 43, Plainview 41
Elwood 55, Pleasanton 28
Emerson-Hubbard 97, Omaha Nation 45
Exeter/Milligan 49, Heartland 36
Falls City 35, Auburn 29
Falls City Sacred Heart 51, Freeman 43
Fort Calhoun 55, Douglas County West 26
Franklin 28, Lawrence-Nelson 23
Fremont 37, Grand Island 30
Fullerton 42, Elba/North Loup-Scotia 40
Gering 44, Alliance 43, 2OT
Gibbon 42, Loup City 29
Gretna 62, Bennington 30
Guardian Angels 66, Scribner-Snyder 32
Hastings St. Cecilia 72, Doniphan-Trumbull 22
Holdrege 74, Hastings 36
Homer 67, Allen 23
Humphrey St. Francis 97, Heartland Lutheran 45
Kearney Catholic 65, Ord 32
Kenesaw 48, Shelton 38
Kimball 47, Perkins County 31
Leyton 49, South Platte 21
Lincoln Christian 46, Lincoln Lutheran 37
Lincoln East 53, Kearney 51
Lincoln Northeast 51, Columbus 37
Lincoln Pius X 40, Seward 38
Lincoln Southeast 65, North Platte 33
Loomis 42, Amherst 36
Madison 42, Battle Creek 25
McCool Junction 49, High Plains Community 37
Milford 36, Fairbury 27
Millard North 52, Millard South 27
Millard West 72, Omaha Burke 46
Mullen 49, Hyannis 29
Nebraska Christian 43, Silver Lake 37, OT
Neligh-Oakdale 48, Creighton 38
Norfolk 36, Lincoln North Star 26
Norris 53, Elkhorn 32
Omaha Benson 51, Papillion-LaVista South 30
Omaha Central 62, Omaha Westside 59, 2OT
Omaha Concordia 58, Lutheran High Northeast 36
Omaha Roncalli 43, Council Bluffs, Thomas Jefferson, Iowa 21
Omaha Skutt Catholic 43, Elkhorn South 40
Overton 46, Axtell 36
Palmer 48, St. Edward 38
Palmyra 57, Mead 40
Papillion-LaVista 47, Omaha North 38
Pawnee City 49, Craig-Fairfax, Mo. 30
Pender 43, Oakland-Craig 15
Pierce 48, Boone Central/Newman Grove 39
Platteview 68, Arlington 43
Plattsmouth 45, Nebraska City 36
Potter-Dix 48, Creek Valley 41
Ravenna 48, Burwell 35
Red Cloud 27, Harvard 17
Sandhills/Thedford 42, Ansley-Litchfield 36
Shelby/Rising City 51, Giltner 35
Sidney 44, Chase County 24
Sioux County 57, Minatare 16
South Loup 38, SMC 35
Southern 53, Tri County 19
Spalding/Spalding Academy 46, Arcadia 33
Sterling 48, Diller-Odell 40
Stuart 50, Twin Loup 36
Sumner-Eddyville-Miller 42, Elm Creek 31
Sutherland 65, Ogallala 46
Tekamah-Herman 41, Wisner-Pilger 28
Todd County, S.D. 47, Valentine 43
Twin River 39, Central City 36
Wahoo 54, Wayne 43
Wakefield 47, Wausa 33
Wallace 52, Maxwell 36
Wauneta-Palisade 47, Cambridge 31
Waverly 56, Blair 24
Weeping Water 56, Omaha Christian Academy 24
Wynot 54, Osmond 42
Cattle Trail Tournament
Consolation Semifinal
Hayes Center 45, Medicine Valley 43
Semifinal
Arapahoe 45, Hitchcock County 25
Dundy County-Stratton 52, Southwest 23
Goodland Tournament
Semifinal
McCook 64, Wallace County, Kan. 29

The fourth-seeded Nebraska volleyball team handed No. 13 seed Washington its only sweep of the season, defeating the Huskies 25-14, 25-21, 25-23 in front of 8,954 fans at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha on Friday in an NCAA Regional Semifinal.

With the win, the Huskers (26-6) advanced to Saturday’s NCAA Regional final against fifth-seeded Oregon, a 3-1 winner over No. 12 seed BYU in Friday’s first match. Saturday’s regional final, Nebraska’s first since 2009, is set for 5:30 p.m. (Central) and will air live nationally on ESPNU. Tickets are available for the match through Ticketmaster or by visiting the CenturyLink Center ticket office.

Washington ended its season with a 25-7 record.

Facing a physical Washington team, setter Lauren Cook led a balanced Husker attack that featured four players with at least seven kills. Nebraska, which hit .233 in the sweep, was led by Omaha native Gina Mancuso’s match-high 14 kills. Morgan Broekhuis and Hannah Werth added nine kills apiece and each hit at least .300, while Meghan Haggerty produced seven kills on 18 swings. Defensively, Werth produced 21 digs with a strong effort, while libero Lara Dykstra added 14 digs.

Washington was led by Krista Vansant’s 10 kills, while Kylin Munoz added seven kills. Defensively, the Huskies were out-dug 55-33 by Nebraska, but Washington out-blocked Nebraska 11-4, including a 10-0 advantage after the first set. Offensively, the Huskies hit .130, their fourth-lowest percentage of the season.

Set one was tight early, before Nebraska opened up an 11-7 lead with a 6-1 run. The run was fueled by a pair of kills and a solo block by Meghan Haggerty. After trading sideouts, Nebraska stretched the lead to 20-10 with seven straight points, including three consecutive Husker blocks. Following a service error, Nebraska won three straight points to cap a 10-1 run that put the Huskers in front 23-11. Haggerty then ended the 25-14 victory with her third kill of the set on Nebraska’s second set point. The Huskers featured a balanced offensive attack, as Broekhuis, Mancuso and Werth also had three kills in the set. Nebraska out-hit Washington .345-.028 in set one.

Nebraska kept its momentum by jumping out to a 6-1 lead in set two, forcing an early Washington timeout. Munoz recorded the Huskies’ first kill of the set following the timeout, then served an ace to cut the lead to three. Three quick Nebraska points stretched the lead to six before Washington trimmed the lead to 16-13 and the Huskers answered by pushing the lead back to six. But after a Washington sideout, Nebraska committed three consecutive hitting errors, including a pair of UW blocks, as the Huskies trimmed the lead to two at 19-17 and forcing a Husker timeout. Mancuso delivered back-to-back kills following the timeout, fueling a 5-2 run that gave Nebraska a 24-18 lead. Washington fought off three match points before a Broekhuis kill delivered a 25-21 win for the Huskers. Washington out-hit the Huskers .176-.154 in the set and out-blocked NU 6-0, but Nebraska produced nine more kills than the Huskies. Mancuso totaled six kills in the set, two fewer than Washington’s team total.

In set three, Nebraska won four of five rallies to take an early 5-2 advantage. Washington came back strong, using a 5-1 run to take a one-point lead. Neither team led by more than two until UW won four straight rallies to earn a 14-10 lead. The Huskies continued to lead by four until a 7-1 Nebraska run gave the Huskers a 19-17 lead and forced Washington into calling both of its timeouts. NU stretched the lead to three, before back-to-back Huskie points trimmed the lead to 21-20. Washington then pulled even at 22, forcing Nebraska to use its final timeout. A Mancuso kill and Washington net violation then gave Nebraska two match points at 24-22. The Huskies fended off one match point, before Broekhuis ended the match with her seventh kill.

Alliance hosted Scottsbluff in dual wrestling action Thursday night. The Bulldogs won the team competition by a 40-38 score.

Individual Results:

106 — Cristian Hulsey, Alliance lost by pin, to Cruz Delacruz, Scottsbluff

113 — Eli Moreno, Alliance lost by pin to Keegan Hessler, Scottsbluff

120 — Devin Ushio, Alliance won by pin over Ryan Aratani, Scottsbluff

126 — Walker Johnson, Alliance won by pin over Marcos Garcia, Scottsbluff

132 — Tyler Smith, Alliance won by forfeit

138 — DJ Wear, Alliance won 12-1 over Isaiah Jaramillo, Scottsbluff

145 — Kade Weber, Alliance lost by pin to Sabian Harsh, Scottsbluff

152 — Jeff Heusman, Alliance lost by pin to Tristan Donelson, Scottsbluff

160 — Cameron Nagaki, Alliance won by forfeit

170 — Dawson Johnson, Alliance won by pin over Cody Rossman, Scottsbluff

182 — Nick Smith, Alliance won by forfeit

195 — Kyson Schnell, Alliance lost 6-4 to Cameron Presher, Scottsbluff

220 — acob Baldwon, Alliance lost by tech. fall 18-2 to MArio Soriano, Scottsbluff

285 — Donald Red Nest, Alliance lost by pin to Andrew Aratani, Scottsbluff

There were 4 JV matches

Truen Henderson, Alliance won by pin.

Matt Pachak, Alliance lost by Tech Fall.

James Long, Alliance lost 15-6.

David Hinojosa won by pin.

Alliance travels to the Cheyenne Invitational Saturday.

CHADRON – Chadron State and Dickinson State each won five matches Wednesday evening at the Nelson Physical Activity Center but the Blue Hawks earned bonus points in three of their wins to upend the Eagles 21-18 in their non-conference dual.

Dickinson State’s Bryden Lazaro started the dual strongly for the Blue Hawks by pinning Jace Johnson at 125 pounds. Following a 5-2 decision at 133 pounds from Chadron State’s Perry McAfee, Dickinson State won the next three matches by decision, technical fall and major decision to pull away.

“We didn’t wrestle a full match. We took breaks during the matches and that’s not Eagle wrestling,” interim head coach Brett Hunter said. “We will continue to grow and get better as a team and we need to do that because we had a great crowd tonight and the support is here for us to great things.”

Once the Blue Hawks went up 18-3, Chadron State responded.

Dylan Fors improved to 5-4 on the season with a third period pin of Jon Morales at 165 and Bret Klopp gutted out a tough 9-7 decision at 174 over T.J. Poole to cut Dickinson State’s lead to 18-12.

However, Dickinson’s Jesse Hellinger, the sixth-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, answered with an 11-6 decision over CSC’s Jordan Debus that put the Hawks up, 21-12.

The Eagles won the final two matches, both by decision. Chris Leak rallied to earn a 9-5 win over Skyler Carroll at 197 and Michael Hill used a second period escape to prevail over Brian Klevins, 1-0.

Chadron State will be back in action Saturday in a dual at Northern State.

Alex Helmbrecht, Sports Information Director

Dickinson State 21, CSC 18
125 – Bryden Lazaro, DSU pinned Jace Johnson, 2:56
133 – Perry McAfee, CSC dec. Mack Chambers, 5-2
141 – Clayton Steinmetz, DSU dec. Leandro Arias, 11-5
149 – Brad Steele, DSU tech fall Jesse Larralde, 15-0
157 – Sean Elkins, DSU major dec. Bryce Wiedeman, 18-8
165 – Dylan Fors, CSC pinned Jon Morales, 6:21
174 – Bret Klopp, CSC dec. TJ Poole, 9-7
184 – Jesse Hellinger, DSU dec. Jordan Debus, 11-6
197 – Chris Leak, CSC dec. Skyler Carroll, 9-5
285 – Michael Hill, CSC dec. Brian Kleviens, 1-0
Exhibition Matches
157 – Manny Reyes, DSU, major dec. Taylor Pownall, 13-4
165 – Tyler Smart, CSC dec. Chris Brusato, 6-3

Western Nebraska Community College volleyball players Danika Youngblood and Luiza Martins were honored by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) last week with first-team All-American honors.

               Youngblood, a 5-8 sophomore outside hitter from South Jordan, Utah, and Martins, a 5-9 freshman setter from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, helped lead the Cougar women to a 40-3 record and a runner-up finish at the NJCAA Division I national tournament in November. The two were just part of a Cougar team that had could have had a number of others receive the honor, according to head coach Giovana Melo.

“It [the honors] says a lot about the program but I give the credit to all the other players as well,” she said. “They get better because of each other. We had an extremely talented team this year and they made each other better every day.”

The NJCAA selects first and second team selections as well as honorable mention in each of the divisions of one, two, and three. The AVCA’s selection is a combination of all the two-year college no matter division or state association. The only other first-team all-American was Morgan Heise of Central Community College-Columbus.

               Melo said it was an honor to watch Youngblood and Martins on the court this season.

“My memories are of them enjoying playing with each other and as a team,” she said. “They are both hard working kids and brought a lot of energy to this team.”

Melo said that Youngblood really stepped up her game this season, both on and off the court.

“Danika had a great season,” she said. “I think she matured as a player and as a person.”

Youngblood finished her sophomore season with 474 kills, 401 digs, 37 blocks, and 24 ace serves. She finished the season third in the nation in kills, kills per set and total attacks. She was also 8^th overall in points per set at 4.4 while accumulating 520 points (kills plus aces plus solo blocks).

Youngblood and Martins each were selected to the NJCAA national tournament all-tournament team. The two were also on the Region IX South all-region team. Martins was also picked as the Region IX Setter of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

Martins had an outstanding season finishing with 10.26 assists per set. She also had 55 kills, 282 digs, and 36 ace serves. Melo said Martins became more comfortable her style of play as the season went along. Martins was third in the nation in total assists (1,334) and fifth in assists per set.

“Luiza struggled a little bit in the beginning with the language, getting used to a new game, and the different culture but I think by the end of the season she was able to pull all together,” Melo said. “She is a great setter and still has a lot of room to improve.”

Youngblood and Martins selection as first-team all-Americans by the NJCAA marks the third time in the last four years that WNCC has had two first-team all-Americans. Last year Fernanda Goncalves and Debora Araujo earned that honor and both players now playing at NCAA Division I Cal State-Bakersfield.

Kaleinani Kabalis and Sabina Piegza were tabbed first team all-Americans in 2009, while Fatima Balza and Nayka Benitez were all-Americans in 2008. All four played at Division I schools after WNCC. Piegza just finished her senior season at St. Johns University, while Kabalis played her final season at South Dakota State after playing a year at Washington State.

Balza, who is now the assistant coach for WNCC, won two national championships at Penn State. Benitez went on to play at Creighton and is now playing professionally in Puerto Rico.

Melo said it is an honor to see this success with this program.

“Honestly, I try to teach them [the players] to strive for success as becoming better people and getting better each day,” she said. “The accomplishments come as consequence of their hard work.”

Western Nebraska Community College volleyball players Danika Youngblood and Luiza Martins were honored by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) last week with first-team All-American honors.

Youngblood, a 5-8 sophomore outside hitter from South Jordan, Utah, and Martins, a 5-9 freshman setter from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, helped lead the Cougar women to a 40-3 record and a runner-up finish at the NJCAA Division I national tournament in November. The two were just part of a Cougar team that had could have had a number of others receive the honor, according to head coach Giovana Melo.

“It [the honors] says a lot about the program but I give the credit to all the other players as well,” she said. “They get better because of each other. We had an extremely talented team this year and they made each other better every day.”

The NJCAA selects first and second team selections as well as honorable mention in each of the divisions of one, two, and three. The AVCA’s selection is a combination of all the two-year college no matter division or state association. The only other first-team all-American was Morgan Heise of Central Community College-Columbus.

Melo said it was an honor to watch Youngblood and Martins on the court this season.

“My memories are of them enjoying playing with each other and as a team,” she said. “They are both hard working kids and brought a lot of energy to this team.”

Melo said that Youngblood really stepped up her game this season, both on and off the court.

“Danika had a great season,” she said. “I think she matured as a player and as a person.”

Youngblood finished her sophomore season with 474 kills, 401 digs, 37 blocks, and 24 ace serves. She finished the season third in the nation in kills, kills per set and total attacks. She was also 8^th overall in points per set at 4.4 while accumulating 520 points (kills plus aces plus solo blocks).

Youngblood and Martins each were selected to the NJCAA national tournament all-tournament team. The two were also on the Region IX South all-region team. Martins was also picked as the Region IX Setter of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

Martins had an outstanding season finishing with 10.26 assists per set. She also had 55 kills, 282 digs, and 36 ace serves. Melo said Martins became more comfortable her style of play as the season went along. Martins was third in the nation in total assists (1,334) and fifth in assists per set.

“Luiza struggled a little bit in the beginning with the language, getting used to a new game, and the different culture but I think by the end of the season she was able to pull all together,” Melo said. “She is a great setter and still has a lot of room to improve.”

Youngblood and Martins selection as first-team all-Americans by the NJCAA marks the third time in the last four years that WNCC has had two first-team all-Americans. Last year Fernanda Goncalves and Debora Araujo earned that honor and both players now playing at NCAA Division I Cal State-Bakersfield.

Kaleinani Kabalis and Sabina Piegza were tabbed first team all-Americans in 2009, while Fatima Balza and Nayka Benitez were all-Americans in 2008. All four played at Division I schools after WNCC. Piegza just finished her senior season at St. Johns University, while Kabalis played her final season at South Dakota State after playing a year at Washington State.

Balza, who is now the assistant coach for WNCC, won two national championships at Penn State. Benitez went on to play at Creighton and is now playing professionally in Puerto Rico.

Melo said it is an honor to see this success with this program.

“Honestly, I try to teach them [the players] to strive for success as becoming better people and getting better each day,” she said. “The accomplishments come as consequence of their hard work.”