#4 Wayne State 3 #16 Nebraska Kearney 0

            #4 Wayne State College shook off some early jitters, then stole the show as the Wildcats swept Nebraska-Kearney 25-17, 25-17 and 15-12 in an exhibition match to open Volleyball Day in Nebraska at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
            Nebraska-Kearney scored the opening five points of the match until a Wildcat block by Taya Beller and Channatee Robles got WSC on the board.
            The 'Cats started to gain momentum with a 6-0 scoring run to take their first lead at 9-8 and the 'Cats never trailed again in the first set.  With the score 14-13, WSC used a UNK attack error, back-to-back kills by Maggie Brahmer and a Brahmer/Rachel Walker block to build a 19-14 lead.  A kill by Norfolk Catholic freshman Channatee Robles closed the first set for the Wildcats in a 25-17 win.
            Wayne State closed the first set hitting .278 while holding to UNK to a .079 percentage as the 'Cats recorded five blocks in the set.  Kelsie Cada posted five kills followed by Brahmer with four.
            WSC trailed early in the second set and then built a lead and cruised to another 25-17 set win over the Lopers.  UNK's last lead in the set was at 9-8, then WSC scored five of the next six points for a 13-10 lead forcing a UNK timeout.
            Leading 14-12, WSC scored five straight points to take control of the set.  Near the end of the set, Robles and Taya Beller posted consecutive blocks helping the 'Cats seal the set win.
            A third set was played between the two teams in the exhibition contest with underclassmen seeing action from both sides.  
            Junior Brooke Peltz posted a pair of serving points including an ace early in the set to give Wayne State a 3-0 lead.  UNK rallied to take a short-lived 7-6 lead, then the 'Cats scored the next two points to regain the lead and never trailed again in posting a 15-12 third set win over the Lopers.
            Wayne State finished the match with a .208 hitting percentage while holding UNK to .048.  The 'Cats forced 23 UNK attack errors with 12 coming on blocks. WSC had one more kill than UNK, 29-28, and held a 12-6 edge in blocks.  
            Brahmer led a balanced hitting attack for the 'Cats with eight kills, hitting .368 in the match.  Kelsie Cada added seven kills with Taya Beller posting six.
            Beller had six blocks with Brahmer and Rachel Walker each notching five and freshman Channatee Robles with four.  Walker also handed out 21 set assists.
            Wayne State opens the 2023 regular season Friday at the Golden Eagle Invitational in Irvine, California facing California State East Bay at 4 p.m. and Cal State Dominguez Hills at 9 p.m.