HUSKER VOLLEYBALL STARTS 2024 SEASON WITH RED-WHITE SCRIMMAGE:
The Nebraska volleyball team begins its 2024 season with the annual Red-White Scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers will receive their 2023 Big Ten Championship rings and unveil the banner just prior to the start of the scrimmage.
The match will be televised on Nebraska Public Media, and coverage on KGFW will begin at 5PM.
Nebraska finished the 2023 season at 33-2 (19-1 Big Ten) and reached the NCAA Championship match, falling 3-0 to Texas in Tampa, Fla.
The Huskers won the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2017, and head coach John Cook was named AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year.
The Huskers, who had no seniors on their roster in 2023, return 10 letterwinners, including every starter.
FORMER HUSKER QB MARTINEZ TO START FINAL JETS PRESEASON GAME:
With time ticking away on the final week of the National Football League preseason, Adrian Martinez will have one final opportunity to cement his spot on the New York Jets’ roster.
The former Nebraska and Kansas State quarterback is set to get his first start of the preseason on Saturday after coach Robert Saleh announced that current starter Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Jets’ starters will not play against the New York Giants. Martinez will open the contest, while Wyoming rookie quarterback Andrew Peasley will close out the game in the second half.
Martinez has routinely been in the second-half role this preseason, leading the Jets to two wins so far. He notably led a game-winning drive against the Washington Commanders in the opening contest, while proceeding to push New York into favorable field positions to extend a second-half lead into a victory at Carolina.
Martinez and the Jets face the New York Giants on Saturday with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CDT at MetLife Stadium. Final National Football League roster cuts are Aug. 27.
NEBRASKA W’S SOCCER FALLS TO DUKE:
Playing without four key starters, the Nebraska soccer team battled, but fell to the Duke Blue Devils 3-0 on Thursday night at Hibner Stadium in front of 1,320 fans.
With the hard-fought loss, the Huskers fall to 1-2-0 on the season, while Duke improves to 1-1-0.
Up next, the Huskers continue their five-game homestand as Omaha comes to town on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7:05 p.m. (CT).
BEARS CB COLEMAN IMMOBILIZED DURING PRESEASON GAME:
Bears cornerback Douglas Coleman III was immobilized on a stretcher and taken from Arrowhead Stadium in an ambulance on Thursday night after tackling the Chiefs’ Cornell Powell on the first play of the second half of their preseason game.
The 26-year-old Coleman had his head up as he came darting in to make the tackle near the Chiefs sideline, but his neck bent awkwardly to the side and the former CFL standout went down on impact. Coleman lay motionless as trainers from both teams rushed onto the field to check on him, and they were soon joined by doctors as a medical cart also drove onto the field.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus came over and saw Coleman moving his extremities as the medical staff removed his facemask and strapped him to a backboard. He was then loaded onto the cart and driven up the tunnel in the corner of the stadium.
The Bears won over the Chiefs 34-21.
MATT RHULE SPORTS NIGHTLY COMMENTS
ON NAMING DYLAN RAIOLA STARTER…
ON WHAT GLENN THOMAS ADDS TO THE PASSING GAME…
ON MOVING SIDELINES…
RAIOLA NAMED STARTING QB:
Nebraska’s quarterback battle appears to be settled.
True Freshman Dylan Raiola was named the starter for the Huskers season opener against UTEP on August 31.
During the Nebraska Red-White Spring Game, 6-3 freshman connected on 16-of-22 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
IOWA’S KIRK FERENTZ SUSPENDED FOR 1 GAME:
Iowa confirmed yesterday that head coach Kirk Ferentz and assistant Jon Budmayr will be suspended one game for a violation related to the recruitment of transfer quarterback Cade McNamara.
Ferentz admitted to a Level II violation for contacting a player and his family prior to him entering the transfer portal.
Iowa did not identify the player, but sources told ESPN that it is quarterback Cade McNamara.
Ferentz and athletic director Beth Goetz mutually agreed to the one-game suspension and the loss of one week of off-campus recruiting for both Ferentz and Budmayr. Co-defensive coordinator Seth Wallace, who was named assistant head coach in January, will serve as interim head coach for the Hawkeye’s opener against Illinois State.
JOEY VOTTO RETIRES FROM BASEBALL AFTER 17 SEASONS:
Former NL MVP and six-time All-Star Joey Votto announced his retirement from baseball in a short video posted to social media Wednesday.
After recording the video outside Buffalo’s Sahlen Field, where he’d been playing for the Blue Jays’ Triple-A team, Votto drove across the border to Toronto’s downtown stadium, where the Reds had just beaten the Blue Jays 11-7.
Votto went into the Cincinnati clubhouse to meet former teammates and manager David Bell, then spoke to reporters about his retirement decision.
The Toronto-born Votto signed a minor league contract with his hometown team in March and, following a lengthy layoff because of an ankle injury, had been playing at Triple-A. He went 6 for 42 with one homer and four RBIs in 15 games, striking out 22 times.
“I had moments where I was like, ‘Is this the right thing to do?’ and ‘Do I want the organization to tell me I’m done?’” Votto said. “I just decided, you know, you’ve played long enough, you can interpret what’s going on, and I was awful. I was awful down there.”
Votto said he had “zero regrets” about ending his career but acknowledged disappointment in not playing for the Blue Jays this season.
FORMER HUSKER MBB ASSISTANT WILLIAMS PASSES AWAY:
Former Husker men’s basketball assistant coach Jimmy Williams passed away on Monday at the age of 77.
Williams, a longtime college assistant coach, spent seven seasons at Nebraska and played a major role in the Huskers making seven straight postseason appearances in that span, including the 1994 Big Eight Tournament title and the 1996 NIT Championship.
Willliams coached the Husker big men, including 1999 Big 12 Player of the Year Venson Hamilton, as well as longtime NBA performer Mikki Moore and Derrick Chandler during his tenure. Williams, who served as NU’s Associate Head Coach in his final three years in Lincoln, played a significant role in the Huskers recruiting efforts under former head coach Danny Nee, including players such as Hamilton, Tyronn Lue, Cookie Belcher and Larry Florence.
SARAH WEBER EARNS BIG TEN OFFENSIVE POY:
Senior Sarah Weber earned Big Ten Offensive Player-of-the-Week recognition, announced by the conference on Tuesday.
The Gretna, Neb., native scored three goals in Nebraska’s 3-2 win over Colorado State on Sunday afternoon for the 35th hat trick in program history.
This season, Weber leads the Huskers with three goals, good for the most by an individual in the Big Ten. She has six points (two points for a goal, one point for an assist) this season, which also leads the conference. In the first two matches of the season, Weber’s taken a team-high 16 shots.
Michigan’s Justina Gaynor was the Defensive Player of the Week, while Molly Pritchard (Ohio State) was the Goalkeeper of the Week and Minnesota’s Caroline Birdsell was the top freshman.
Up next, the sixth-ranked Huskers continue their five-game homestand on Thursday, Aug. 22 at 7:05 p.m. (CT). Action will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
NEBRASKA VOLLEYBALL NAMED #2 IN PRESEASON POLL:
Nebraska Volleyball landed at the No. 2 spot in the preseason AVCA Coaches Poll announced Monday, behind defending national champion Texas.
The Huskers received 15 of 61 first place votes in the preseason poll, with the other 46 going to the Longhorns.
Nebraska is the top ranked school from the Big Ten in the preseason poll, with Wisconsin 3rd, Penn State 7th, Purdue ranked 8th, and Oregon rounding out the Top 10. Outside of the Top 10, Minnesota is ranked 18th and USC is ranked 21st, while four more Big Ten programs are on the outside looking in, as Ohio State, UCLA, Indiana, and Washington are receiving votes.
The Creighton Bluejays were ranked 12th in the preseason poll, with the two schools squaring off at the Bob on September 10. It’s Creighton’s highest rating since 2017.
UNK and Wayne State find out where they land in the AVCA’s D2 poll later this week. That poll is slated to be released on Friday.
RAIOLA NAMED TO ON3SPORTS TRUE FRESHMAN TEAM:
Coach Rhule hasn’t named a starting quarterback yet, but Dylan Raiola received a large honor before taking a snap for the Big Red earning a spot on the On3 Sports Preseason True Freshman Team.
On3 Director of Scouting and Ranking Charles Power said in the write-up that “He brings an advanced level of physical development, passing polish, along with plus arm strength to the position and is a foundational piece in Matt Rhule’s effort to rebuild the Cornhuskers program. Raiola will be tested early with Nebraska playing a tough Big Ten schedule in the new-look conference. His ability to quickly pick up the scheme at Nebraska has him set up to see the field earlier than most of his peers.”
HUSKER MBB GREAT HERSCHELL TURNER PASSES AWAY:
One of the greatest players in Nebraska men’s basketball history passed away recently as Herschell Turner died last week in Grand Rapids, Mich., at the age of 86.
Turner was a legendary performer for Head Coach Jerry Bush in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The 6-foot-2 guard from Indianapolis, Ind. was the first 1,000-point scorer in program history, as he averaged double figures in all three seasons he played for the Big Red. During his sophomore season, he played a major role in back-to-back upsets of No. 4 Kansas and No. 1 Kansas State. As a junior, he earned Helms All-America honors and first-team All-Big Eight accolades, averaging 17.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
Turner was a 1990 inductee into the Nebraska men’s basketball Hall of Fame and was a 1991 inductee into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
FRIDAY KGFW Sports Schedule:
- SPORTS NIGHTLY 6-8PM
