Ann Arbor, Mich. – The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team (18-4, 10-3) dropped a 3-2 (25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 13-25, 9-15) decision at Cliff Keen Arena on the campus of the University of Michigan on Friday night.
Gina Mancuso recorded a double-double on the night with a season-high 20 kills and 13 digs. Morgan Broekhuis had 15 kills, while Lauren Cook paced the offense with 51 assists and 16 digs. Lara Dykstra recorded a team-high 24 digs.
The Huskers hit .256 for the match, while Michigan notched a .326 hitting percentage. Nebraska was out-blocked 10-6 and was out-dug 72-70.
Nebraska opened the first set with a 5-3 lead on a kill by Werth. Michigan came back as the Huskers and Wolverines tied at 12-12 on a service error by Nebraska. Mancuso made it 17-15, while U-M then took an 18-17 lead. Broekhuis gave Nebraska a 20-19 advantage as the Wolverines called a timeout. NU went on to take the first set 25-21, leading the match 1-0.
Mancuso led the Huskers offensively in the first set with six kills on nine attacks. Broekhuis had five kills, while Cook notched 16 assists. NU recorded a .381 hitting percentage, while Michigan tabbed a .368 hitting percentage.
The Huskers came out on fire in the second set as they went up 6-0 on the Wolverines. Nebraska would not let up as a service ace from Cook along with kills from Werth and Broekhuis catapulted NU on a 10-0 run. A pair of errors by Michigan made it 17-4, Huskers, but the Wolverines came back with some fight as they used a 7-0 run of their own to cut NU’s lead to 23-18. Nebraska would eventually close out Michigan 25-19 in the second set, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
Broekhuis had four kills in the second set, while Mancuso, Thramer and Werth all totaled three kills. Cook had 11 assists, as the Huskers recorded a .333 team hitting percentage and Michigan hit .176.
Michigan opened the third set with a 5-3 lead on the Huskers and stretched its lead to 9-6 while NU called a timeout. A solo block and a kill by Haggerty put Nebraska within one, while a service ace from Dykstra tied the set at 12-12. Another kill by Haggerty made it 15-14, Michigan, but the Wolverines then went up 19-15 and forced NU to use another timeout. A kill by Haggerty made it 24-21, Michigan, but Nebraska would not be able to complete the comeback, falling 25-21 in the third set.
Mancuso notched six kills in the third set, while Broekhuis had four. Cook tallied 11 assists, while NU recorded a .330 hitting percentage and Michigan had a .300 hitting percentage.
The Huskers and Wolverines were knotted up at 4-4 in the fourth set on a solo block by Thramer. Michigan then went on a 6-0 run, taking a 16-8 lead before Haggerty silenced the run with a kill. Kelsey Fien would come off the bench to register two kills for NU, but it would not be enough as the Huskers dropped the fourth set 25-13.
The Husker offense was limited in the fourth set as Mancuso had two kills and Cook tabbed just seven assists. Nebraska hit .260 as a team, while Michigan hit .310.
Nebraska took a 4-2 lead in the fifth set on a double-stuff block by Thramer and Broekhuis, but the Wolverines came back to take a 9-6 lead over NU. Michigan then went up 11-7, and didn’t look back as the Wolverines took the fifth set 15-9 and the match 3-2.
Mancuso had three kills in the fifth set, while Broekhuis and Fien both had two.
The Huskers return to action tomorrow as they take on the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing, Mich., at 7 p.m. CT.