Final Stats

Box Score

LINCOLN, Neb. - Host No. 12 Nebraska held court in front of an 8,000-strong crowd Saturday afternoon, but not before Saint Mary's gave them all they could handle, as the Huskers escaped with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-18) sweep in the final match of the Ameritas Players Challenge at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Saint Mary's had opportunities to completely reverse the match with leads in both the first and second sets.
• The Gaels held set point in the opening frame at 24-21, but the Huskers went on a 5-0 run to escape with a 26-24 win.
• SMC again led 10-9 in set two and trailed by only one point at 21-20, but subsequent Nebraska runs of 9-2 and 4-2 earned them another close set win at 25-22.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

• Payton Rund had 11 kills for the second straight match, leading SMC with a .312 hitting percentage.
• Rund and Morgan Hughes were both named to the Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament Team.
• Saint Mary's continued to average double-digit blocks per match this season with 10 more Saturday. Hughes led the way with six and Lindsey Calvin had five.

FROM THE PLAYERS

Payton Rund

• "I think we surprised a lot of people with how well we competed today â€" including the massive Nebraska crowd."
• "We carried a fun and loose energy that allowed us to always compete one point at a time."
• "This match against another nationally ranked team showed glimpses of our potential as a team, and I'm excited to get back home and play in front of our crowed on Friday."

Morgan Hughes

• "Today was an incredible experience playing in front of such a huge crowd. I'm so proud of our team for battling throughout the entire match against a good Nebraska team."

COMING UP

• The Gaels host their first home matches of the year starting at 6 p.m. Friday versus Fresno State. CSUN also visits at 7 p.m. Saturday.
• Season and single-match tickets are available for purchase at SMCGaels.com or by calling the SMC Ticket Office at (925) 631-GoTx.