Monday Afternoon Sports – Nebraska Volleyball Moves Up Start for Maryland, Big Ten to Maintain Divisions, Saturday Sports Recap, Local Sports Schedule

NEBRASKA VOLLEYBALL MOVES MARYLAND START TIME UP:

Nebraska volleyball’s match this Saturday, Oct. 29 against Maryland at the Bob Devaney Sports Center will begin at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 6 p.m. 

The match was originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. start but has been pushed back to a 7:30 p.m. start to allow more time following Nebraska’s 2:30 p.m. home football game against Illinois on Saturday. 

BIG TEN TO MAINTAIN DIVISIONS UNTIL ADDITION OF USC/UCLA:

The Big Ten will maintain its East and West divisions for the 2023 college football season before reconfiguring once USC and UCLA join the conference in 2024.

The conference announced expansion with the Trojans and Bruins in June, bringing the league to 16 teams once those schools join in the summer of 2024.

The current geographical divisions went into effect in 2014 when Maryland and Rutgers joined the Big Ten, bringing the league to 14 teams. The Big Ten did not have divisions before 2011. The addition of Nebraska that season led to the formation of the “Leaders” and “Legends” divisions, which lasted for just three seasons before the switch to the East and West.

BEARCAT FOOTBALL EARNS HOME PLAYOFF BID AGAINST MILLARD SOUTH:

A commanding win over Norfolk to close out the regular season cemented the #5 Kearney Bearcats into the playoffs beginning their postseason with a home matchup against #12 Millard South. 

The Patriots have had a back-and-forth season, but strong performances late in the season pushed Millard South into postseason territory. Kearney sits at 7-2 and has been near the top of the PowerPoint rankings since their Week 4 upset at Bellevue West. 

Kickoff on Friday for the first round playoff matchup is set for 7 PM from Ron & Carol Cope Stadium. Pregame begins at 6 PM on KGFW with the High School Football Preview Show and live pregame from Foster Field at 6:30 PM. 

NEBRASKA BASKETBALL PULLS AWAY FROM CHADRON IN EXHIBITION:

The Huskers pulled away to beat Chadron State 87-60 in front of a sparse Pinnacle Bank Arena crowd.

This was Nebraska fans’ first look at several Huskers in a game atmosphere, including Lincoln native Sam Griesel. The Lincoln East grad scored 14 points while adding a game-high seven assists.

Leading the way in multiple phases of the game was transfer junior Juwan Gary. The former Alabama player came off the bench to score 23 points and grab nine rebounds.

Nebraska faces Colorado next on Sunday, Oct. 30 traveling to Colorado to matchup with the Buffaloes. 

UNK FOOTBALL BLOWS OUT LINCOLN IN JEFFERSON CITY:

The No. 34/22 Nebraska Kearney football team got four rushing touchdowns from reserve quarterback Sean Johnson Jr., tallied two special teams scores and recovered five fumbles to roll past Lincoln University, 66-17, Saturday afternoon in Jefferson City, Mo.

The Lopers (6-2) keep its playoff hopes alive while the Blue Tigers (0-8) lose a 24th straight game. UNK hosts No. 14/16 Northwest Missouri State (6-2) next Saturday for “Homecoming” in what basically is a playoff elimination game. Close to 15 teams are battling for seven playoff spots in “Super Region 3” with a 9-2 record likely a mandatory mark. The Bearcats dispatched Northeastern State (1-7) Saturday in Maryville, 36-3.

LOPER VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS GRIFFONS, VISITS TIGERS TUESDAY:

The sixth-ranked Nebraska Kearney volleyball team hit .286 and rallied in the first set to sweep Missouri Western State Saturday afternoon at the Health & Sports Center.

The Lopers (23-3, 13-2) bounce back from a Friday night five-set loss to Central Missouri while the Griffons fall to 8-16 (5-11). Offensively, Alliance outside Emersen Cyza had a match-high 16 kills

UNK heads to Fort Hays State (11-13, 6-10) Tuesday night.

HUSKER VOLLEYBALL ROLLS IN SWEEP AT ILLINOIS:

The third-ranked Nebraska volleyball team continued to roll with its sixth Big Ten sweep in a row winning at Illinois in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,152 at Huff Hall on Saturday night. 

The Huskers (18-1, 10-0 Big Ten) have swept six Big Ten matches in a row for the first time since joining the conference in 2011. Overall, the Huskers have won 11 matches in a row, their longest win streak since 2018. 

Nebraska was once again balanced offensively with five players posting at least five kills, led by Whitney Lauenstein’s 13 kills on .346 hitting.

The Huskers begin the second half of the Big Ten slate at No. 5 Wisconsin on Wednesday. The rematch of the 2021 NCAA Championship will begin at 8 p.m. (CT).

LINCOLN’S NATIVE SON MALACHI COLEMAN COMMITS TO NEBRASKA:

Nebraska has picked up a huge and needed boost to the 2023 recruiting class. The Huskers just landed the top player in the state who is also the No. 4 athlete in the country and who is also the No. 144 player overall in the country. Malachi Coleman from Lincoln East is a splash commitment for Mickey Joseph.

Joseph sees him playing for him as a wide receiver. 

WORLD SERIES SET FOR PHILLIES/ASTROS:

In recent years, it’s almost become an October ritual: Astros top Yankees. Astros take pennant.

Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman delivered big hits and Houston advanced to the World Series again, finishing a four-game sweep in the AL Championship Series with a 6-5 victory Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Bryce Harper slugged his fifth homer of the postseason, a two-run blast in the eighth inning that turned Citizens Bank Park into a madhouse, and the $330 million slugger powered the Philadelphia Phillies past the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Sunday and into the World Series for the first time since 2009.

The Phillies and Astros will face off in the World Series beginning on Friday.

NFL SCORES/SCHEDULES:

SUNDAY:

Baltimore Ravens 23-20 Cleveland Browns

Carolina Panthers 21-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cincinnati Bengals 35-17 Atlanta Falcons

Dallas Cowboys 24-6 Detriot Lions

New York Giants 23-17 Jacksonville Jaguars

Washington Commanders 23-21 Green Bay Packers

Tennessee Titans 19-10 Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders 38-20 Houston Texans

New York Jets 16-9 Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs 44-23 San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks 37-23 Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins 16-10 Pittsburgh Steelers

MONDAY:

Chicago Bears @ New England Patriots – 7:15 PM

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

SATURDAY:

• UNK:
  • Women’s Volleyball: v. Missouri Western State @ Health & Sports Center
    • UNK 3-0
  • Football: @ Lincoln University 
    • UNK 66-17

SUNDAY:

• UNK:
  • Women’s Soccer: @ Fort Hays State
    • FHS 1-0

MONDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Volleyball: SUB-DISTRICTS @ Gothenburg – 6:15 PM
    • KCHS v. Broken Bow
• UNK:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • High School Coaches Show (5 PM – 6 PM)
  • Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)

TUESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Volleyball: A-2 DISTRICTS @ Millard North – 6 PM
    • #3 Kearney @ #2 Millard North
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Volleyball: SUB-DISTRICTS Final @ Gothenburg – 7 PM
• UNK:
  • Volleyball: @ Fort Hays State – 6 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)

WEDNESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Volleyball: A-2 DISTRICT FINAL @ TBA
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Sports Nightly (6 PM – 7:30 PM)
  • Nebraska Volleyball (7:30 PM – 10:45 PM)

THURSDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)

FRIDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Football: PLAYOFFS v. Millard South @ Ron & Carol Cope Stadium – 7 PM
    • #5 Kearney v. #12 Millard South – KGFW Pregame at 6 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • Women’s Swimming: Homecoming Scrimmage – 5 PM
  • Women’s Basketball: @ Iowa (Exhibition) – 6:30 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney High Football PLAYOFFS v. Millard South (6 PM – 10 PM)

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Volleyball: District Final – TBA
• UNK:
  • Football: v. Northwest Missouri State @ Ron & Carol Cope Stadium – 2 PM (Homecoming)
  • Volleyball: @ Northwest Missouri State – 3 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Nebraska Football v. Illinois (10:30 AM – 9:30 PM; KGFW)
  • Nebraska Football v. Illinois (1:45 PM – 7:45 PM; KQKY)

SUNDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Nebraska Men’s Basketball @ Colorado (4 PM – 7:45 PM)