HUSKER VOLLEYBALL GETS SEASON UNDERWAY WITH KENTUCKY:
No. 2 Nebraska Volleyball gets their season underway tonight with the AVCA First Serve Showcase against No. 9 Kentucky tonight in Louisville, Ky.
Kentucky finished last season with a 21-8 record and 17-1 mark in the SEC, which earned them the conference title.
Nebraska is 11-2 against Kentucky all-time. The Huskers have won 10 matches in a row in the series, including a 3-1 win in Lincoln last year. Additionally, Nebraska head coach John Cook has faced off against Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner, a Nebraska assistant from 2000-04, six times. The Huskers have won all six matches, three in sweeps.
The match will be televised on ESPN2 and will be on KGFW tonight, with pregame set for 5PM.
BEARCAT SOFTBALL SWEEPS NORTH PLATTE IN SEASON OPENER:
Kearney High softball got their season underway going all the way, hitting a school record nine home runs in a doubleheader last night against North Platte, sweeping the Bulldogs, 15-6 in Game 1 and 19-9 in Game 2.
The Bearcats continue their season with the home opener tomorrow against Lincoln Northeast. Ethan McCormick has the call on KGFW, with the Landmark Implement Pregame Show starting at 6:15.
AUSTIN DILLON, RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING PENALTY UPHELD BY NASCAR:
Austin Dillon’s overly aggressive victory at Richmond Raceway won’t land him a spot in the Cup Series playoffs.
A NASCAR appeal officer on Monday upheld the sanctioning body’s decision to revoke Dillon’s automatic postseason berth that came with his controversial win at Richmond on Aug. 11. Dillon intentionally wrecked Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano coming out of the final turn to take the checkered flag for his first victory in two years.
Dillon and Richard Childress Racing were docked 25 points in both the drivers’ and owners’ standings. Dillon’s spotter, Brandon Benesch, was suspended for three races for yelling “Wreck him!” over the radio as the driver battled with Hamlin down the stretch.
RCR appealed, and National Motorsports Final Appeal Officer Bill Mullis said in his ruling Monday that race data indicated “that more likely than not a rule violation did occur.”
Dillon, though, has one final chance to drive his way into the playoffs; he will need to win at Darlington Raceway on Sunday to make the field.
ROYALS SWEEP CLEVELAND IN DOUBLEHEADER, CAN TAKE AL CENTRAL LEAD THIS WEEK:
Salvador Perez hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs as the Kansas City Royals completed a doubleheader sweep of Cleveland, beating the Guardians 9-4 on Monday night to pull within one game of first in the AL Central.
The Royals won the opener 4-3 as Bobby Witt Jr.’s 27th homer — and 11th since July 19 — snapped a tie in the eighth inning.
After being nine games back in early July, the Royals have chipped away at Cleveland’s lead by posting an AL-best 22-13 record since the All-Star break. They can now move into a tie for the division lead with a win Tuesday.
“You couldn’t ask for any more,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “By no means does that mean anything is done. But these guys played extremely hard today after getting beaten up the last couple days (losing back-to-back blowouts to Philadelphia) and put that behind them.”
The Guardians, who have led the Central since April 14, dropped to 0-8 in doubleheaders this season and 1-15 the last two seasons.
UNK VOLLEYBALL 3RD IN MIAA, 9TH IN AVCA PRESEASON POLLS:
UNK Volleyball was picked third in the MIAA Preseason volleyball poll, released on Friday.
It was a close battle for the top spot in the 2024 MIAA Volleyball Coaches Preseason Poll with four different teams receiving first-place selections. The Central Missouri Jennies led the way with five first-place votes and 113 total points.
Central Oklahoma was tabbed second, with UNK picked third with three first-place votes and 106 total points.
Additionally, the AVCA D2 Preseason Poll was released on Friday, and UNK was ranked 9th in that preseason poll. They were the highest ranked team from the MIAA in the preseason poll, with Central Missouri 15th, Central Oklahoma 23rd, with Washburn and Northwest Missouri in the receiving votes category.
UNK has one final exhibition on Friday against CSU-Pueblo before going to California next week to start the 2024 season.
ADRIAN MARTINEZ LEADS JETS TO PRESEASON FINALE WIN, AWAITS FINAL CUTS:
Adrian Martinez had another good showing for the New York Jets on Saturday night, helping the Jets claim a 10-6 victory over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
The former Nebraska and Kansas State quarterback now awaits final NFL roster cuts later this week to determine whether his professional football career continues in New York.
Martinez ended his final preseason game going 12-of-20 for 99 yards and rushing for 23 yards on three carries. Martinez did not have a touchdown pass in his three preseason games.
Martinez’s counterpart, Wyoming rookie Andrew Peasley – who had started the first two games of the preseason – led a quiet second half, going 4-of-10 for 36 yards.
Final National Football League roster cuts are Tuesday. Each franchise is allowed a 53-man roster, along with 17 practice squad spots.
MICHIGAN RECEIVES NCAA NOTICE OF ALLEGATIONS ON SIGN-STEALING, ADVANCED SCOUTING OPERATION:
Michigan has received the final version of a notice of allegations from the NCAA related to an investigation into an in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation being run by a football staffer, the NCAA and the school said Sunday.
Michigan previously received a draft of the NOA that included allegations of violations by former head coach Jim Harbaugh, current head coach Sherrone Moore, former recruiting analyst Connor Stalions and several other members of the staff.
According to NCAA rules, Michigan will have 90 days to respond. The school could then be assigned a hearing in front of the NCAA’s committee on infractions, though a negotiated resolution is still possible.
In-person advanced scouting is banned by the NCAA, which investigated to determine how organized it was and who knew about it. Records from other Big Ten schools show Stalions bought tickets to numerous games involving future opponents, sending people to digitally record teams when they signaled plays.
Stalions initially was placed on leave by the school and later resigned. He did not participate in the investigation. Stalions is expected to break his silence Tuesday on Netflix when the documentary “Sign Stealer” makes its debut on the streaming service.
Harbaugh, now coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, has denied any knowledge of impermissible scouting while he was with the program, though he could face Level 1 violations along with Stalions.
RAVENS OFFENSIVE LINE COACH DIES:
Joe D’Alessandris, whose nearly half-century of coaching offensive linemen eventually brought him to four different NFL teams, has died. He was 70.
The Baltimore Ravens, D’Alessandris’ employer since 2017, announced that he died Sunday. He was hospitalized earlier this month with an unspecified illness, and that caused him to step away from his duties as the team’s offensive line coach.
Coach John Harbaugh said at the time that D’Alessandris had had surgery earlier this summer and experienced complications.
“Our hearts ache with grief and sadness upon learning of coach Joe D’Alessandris’ passing early this morning,” the team said in a statement. “‘Joe D.’ lived a life of boundless faith, love, devotion and inspiration. As a husband, father, grandfather, friend and coach, Joe made every individual he encountered truly feel like they were the most important person in the world.”
NEBRASKA BASEBALL RELEASES FALL BALL SCHEDULE:
The Nebraska baseball program released its 2024 fall schedule on Friday afternoon, which includes a home exhibition and the annual Red-White Series.
The Huskers will square off with Wichita State on Saturday, Sept. 21, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
The annual Red-White Series is set for Oct. 11-12, 14-16 at Hawks Field, with the start times to be announced for all five dates.
COLORADO BANS REPORTER FROM ASKING DEION SANDERS QUESTIONS AFTER CRITICISM:
Colorado has banned Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler from asking questions of football coach Deion Sanders or other members of the football program, the school confirmed Friday.
According to the Post, a CU athletic department media relations staffer told the paper it took issue with Keeler’s references to Sanders as “Deposition Deion,” the “Bruce Lee of B.S.,” a “false prophet,” and his use of phrases such as “Planet Prime,” “the Deion Kool-Aid” and “circus.” The ban is indefinite, according to the Post.
According to the Post, Sanders has unique language in his contract that says he is required to speak only with “mutually agreed upon media.”
BIG 12 TO DISCUSS ADDING UCONN:
Big 12 presidents are scheduled next week to discuss potentially inviting UConn to the conference after school officials made an in-person pitch to the league that included a hefty investment in the Huskies’ struggling football program, two people familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press on Friday.
The people said a plan to add UConn, which has won the last two men’s college basketball national championships, would include the school’s football team staying independent before being added to the Big 12 in 2031 and not require current members to take a cut in their current expected conference revenue share.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the conference and school were not making their discussions public.
The Athletic first reported the Big 12’s renewed interest in UConn.
UConn officials were in Dallas last week to present to the Big 12 a plan for major investments to the athletic programs, the vast majority of which would be focused on football, one of the people said.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, a former executive with the Brooklyn Nets, has long been intrigued with getting a foothold in the New York area market, where the Big East school has a huge following.
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.
TUESDAY KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Nebraska Volleyball vs. Kentucky, 5PM-9PM (NET1, KGFW)
