HUSKER VOLLEYBALL DEFEATS KENTUCKY IN FOUR SETS:
The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team opened its season with a 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-20) win over No. 9 Kentucky in the AVCA First Serve Showcase at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Huskers posted 18 blocks, their most since 2018, and held Kentucky to a .139 hitting percentage. Rebekah Allick led the charge with 11 kills and 12 blocks, and she hit .667. Merritt Beason finished with 11 kills, eight digs and six blocks.
Andi Jackson tallied 10 kills and hit .412 with five blocks. Harper Murray had eight kills and three blocks, and Lindsay Krause added seven kills, four blocks and served three of NU’s four aces. Nebraska hit .258 for the match.
Nebraska hosts the Ameritas Players Challenge this weekend at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7 p.m. on Friday and TCU at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
BEARCAT SOFTBALL OPENS HOME SLATE AGAINST LINCOLN NORTHEAST TODAY:
Kearney High softball opens up the 2024 home slate this afternoon with a doubleheader against Lincoln Northeast.
The Bearcats started off their season on the right foot Monday with a school record nine home runs in their sweep of North Platte.
Ethan McCormick has the call on KGFW tonight, with the Landmark Implement Pregame Show starting at 6:15.
DYLAN RAIOLA COMMENTS
Dylan Raiola was one of the played who was at the podium after practice ysterday
ON GETTING THE STARTING JOB…
ON NOT GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THE MOMENT AGAINST UTEP…
MARTINEZ CUT IN FINAL JETS ROSTER CUTS:
The Jets’ initial 53-man roster is set.
General manager Joe Douglas and his personnel staff made 37 moves ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. Eastern deadline. Former Nebraska and Kansas State QB Adrian Martinez was 37 who did not make the final roster, being waived by the Jets.
NCAA CONSIDERING TRANSFER PORTAL CHANGES:
The NCAA Division I Council will consider eliminating the 15-day spring transfer window for football as part of a move to decrease the overall number of days from 45 to 30 that players can declare their intentions to switch schools while maintaining immediate eligibility.
The NCAA announced Tuesday that the football oversight committees have recommended decreasing the transfer portal windows from two to one. The council will meet in October and if approved, the new one-window arrangement could go into effect this year from Dec. 9-Jan. 7.
The oversight committee had already recommended cutting the total number days the portal windows by 15 to 30. That’s likely to pass. The question now is: two 15-day windows, winter and spring, or one 30-day, starting in December.
The transfer windows are for undergraduate athletes to maintain immediate eligibility. Graduate transfers can enter the portal at any time and remain eligible to play right away at their new school.
NORTHWESTERN DOWN TO THREE FINALISTS FOR AD ROLE:
One Big Ten School will soon have their next athletic director.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that their search for their next athletic director is narrowing, with finalists including Heather Lyke, currently the AD at the University of Pittsburgh, Villanova AD Mark Jackson, and Northwestern alum and former president of the Washington Commanders Jason Wright.
Current Wildcats AD Derrick Gragg will be reassigned to as vice president for athletic strategy once a successor is named.
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.
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.
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.
WEDNESDAY KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Kearney High Softball vs. Lincoln Northeast, 6:15PM-8:30PM (KGFW)
