The 5th ranked Nebraska volleyball team opens their season tonight with the first of two matches at Indiana. It’s their first match in 13 months. Nebraska returns every starter from last year’s 28-5 squad that reached the NCAA Regional Final against the eventual national runner-up Wisconsin. First serve is tonight at 5:00. The two teams will meet again tomorrow at that same time. You can hear both games on KGFW 1340-AM – 96.1-FM.
The 7th ranked Nebraska wrestling team is hosting a triangular with Maryland and 25th ranked Northwestern tomorrow at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The meet, which begins at 1:30, kicks off two consecutive weekends of home wrestling competition for Nebraska.
In Husker football news;
Lincoln Southeast’s Taveon Thompson announced he’s walking on at Nebraska. The Huskers extended a walk-on offer to him in September. He also had an FBS offer from Charlotte, plus Division II schools Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota State. The 6-foot-4, 200 pound Thompson played wide receiver and linebacker for Lincoln Southeast. He is the second Lincoln Southeast player to join Nebraska’s 2021 walk-on class. The other is defensive back Derek Branch. The Huskers signed 12 walk-ons in December, and another — Bellevue West’s CJ Lilienkamp — committed earlier this month.
Two nationally ranked teams are meeting tomorrow morning at the CHI Health Center in Omaha. The 11th ranked Creighton men’s basketball team is hosting 23rd ranked Connecticut. The Jays and Huskies tipoff tomorrow morning at 11:00.
The UNK basketball teams opened a three game road swing last night with wins at Pittsburg State. The men topped the Gorillas 85-75. The 4th ranked women improved to 11-0 on the season with a 57-53 win. The Loper basketball teams travel to Joplin tomorrow for games at Missouri Southern. They close the road swing Tuesday at Fort Hays State. Their next home games are February 4th when they host Central Oklahoma.
The 2nd-ranked UNK wrestling team is hosting the Midwest Duals this weekend at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds. The Lopers are currently scheduled to face Adams State, Colorado-State Pueblo and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M tomorrow.
The Tri-City Storm is hosting the Lincoln Stars tonight at the Viaero Center. It’s “Pack It In Purple” night presented by the United Way of the Kearney Area. The puck drops tonight at 7:05. Both teams will meet again tomorrow night at the Ice Box in Lincoln.
KGFW & High School Sports Results & Schedules 01-18-21 (Subject to Change)
Thursday
Kearney Catholic Boys Basketball 59, @ Aurora 34
Kearney Catholic Girls Basketball 31, Aurora 38
Kearney High Wrestling 39, Columbus (Dual) 27
Kearney Catholic Wrestling 27, Gibbon (Dual) 27
Kearney Swimming & Diving (Boys 1st/Girls 2nd) vs. Norfolk (Dual) @ KHS
Friday
Kearney High Girls & Boys Basketball vs. Lincoln Pius – 5:30/7:15
Kearney High & Kearney Catholic Wrestling @ Midwest Duals – 9:00 @ Buffalo County Fairgrounds
Kearney Swimming & Diving @ Lincoln High Invitational – 4:30
Saturday
Kearney High Boys Basketball @ Lincoln Southwest (on KGFW 1340-AM – 96.1-FM – 2:30-4:30)
Kearney High Girls Basketball @ Lincoln Southwest – 7:00
Kearney Catholic Wrestling @ Centenial Conference Championships – TBA
Monday
Runza High School Coaches Show on KGFW 1340-AM – 96.1-FM (6:05-7:00)
The NSAA Board of Directors voted 8-0 Thursday to keep the 2021 baskeball tournaments in Lincoln. Both tourneys will now be five-day events with the girls tournament taking place March 2-6 and the boys March 9-13. The NSAA learned late last week that one of the main facilities in Lincoln, the Devaney Sports Center, would not be available for either week in March because of Nebraska volleyball. Gyms at Lincoln Public Schools will have first-round games on the first two days of each tournament and the third-place contests on Friday and Saturday. Pinnacle Bank Arena will be used all 10 days during that span.
Class A first-round games will be on Tuesday of each week at PBA with two Class B first-round games on Tuesday and two more Wednesday at PBA. All of the C-1 first-round games will be at PBA on Wednesday with the C-2, D-1 and D-2 first-round contests spread around at Lincoln high schools. All semifinals will be at PBA with C-2, D-1 and D-2 going on Thursday and A, B and C-1 on Friday. The third-place games for C-2, D-1, D-2 will be Friday and the C-1 third-place contest Saturday. All six championship games will be at PBA as originally scheduled on Saturday. Due to the current Lancaster County health directive that caps capacity at 50%, all games will be single-session, and the facility will be cleared after each contest.
The state high school swim meet will remain at the Devaney Sports Center on Feb. 25-27. Spectators will be allowed into the diving portion of the meet on Feb. 25, but fans will be prohibited from the swimming on Friday and Saturday because of the large number of swimmers in the meet and social distancing guidelines. Saturday’s competition will be divided into two sessions.
