Story by NU Athletic Communications

Lincoln, Neb. -&nbsp;The Nebraska bowling team is going dancing in search of its seventh NCAA bowling title as the Huskers will travel to Lansing, Mich., on April 5th for the 2024 NCAA Bowling Regional.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nebraska, an at-large bid in the 18-team field, joins No. 3 Youngstown State, Marian and Maryville in the Lansing Regional. Competition will take place on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6.&nbsp;

The NCAA regional will feature a double-elimination format with one winner from each of the four regionals advancing to the NCAA Championship in Detroit, Mich., on April 12-13 at Thunderbowl Lanes.&nbsp;

The 2022 season marked the first time in the NCAA to host four regional sites and a winner advancing to the championship finals.&nbsp;

The regionals will use the Mega Match format which includes a five-person team and baker total pinfall game. The first team to collect two games wins the match, and in the event of a 1-1 tie, a best-of-seven baker match will be used to determine a match winner.&nbsp;

With today's NCAA bid announcement, the Husker bowling program continues its reputation as the only program in history to qualify for every National Championship tournament since the NCAA sponsored bowling in the 2003-04 season. The Huskers, who are ranked No. 6 in the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) poll, hold a season record of 79-36.

This is the Huskers first season without a regular season tournament title since their most recent National Championship in 2021. Nebraska finished the season with double runner-up finishes at the Stormin' Blue and White Vegas Classic and Flyer Classic, and added a pair of third-place finishes at the SFA Ladyjack Classic and Motiv Penguin Classic.

In 1990, Nebraska became the first collegiate program in history to win a National Championship for the original Men's team. The program won five National Championships (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997) before becoming a varsity sport in 1997-98 where it has since posted an additional eight additional National Championships (1999-IBC, 2001-IBC, 2004-NCAA; 2005-NCAA, 2009-NCAA, 2013-NCAA; 2015-NCAA and 2021-NCAA) while earning runner-up honors on four other occasions.&nbsp;Regional Match-ups:&nbsp;

Region 1: Pittsburgh, Pa&nbsp;No. 1 Jacksonville StateMercyhurstDuquenseMaryland Eastern Shore

Region 2: Rochester, N.Y.No. 2 Arkansas State&nbsp;(William Smith and Fayetteville State will compete in a single elimination for the final slot)&nbsp;VanderbiltMerrimack

Region 3: Lansing, Mich.No. 3 Youngstown StateMarianNebraskaMaryville&nbsp;&nbsp;

Region 4: Arlington, TexasNo. 4 North Carolina A&amp;T(Alabama State and Belmont Abbey will compete in a single elimination for the final slot)&nbsp;Louisiana Tech&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsLincoln, Neb. -&nbsp;The Nebraska bowling team is going dancing in search of its seventh NCAA bowling title as the Huskers will travel to Lansing, Mich., on April 5th for the 2024 NCAA Bowling Regional.&nbsp;&nbsp;Nebraska, an at-large bid in the 18-team field, joins No. 3 Youngstown State, Marian and Maryville in the Lansing Regional. Competition will take place on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6.&nbsp;The NCAA regional will feature a double-elimination format with one winner from each of the four regionals advancing to the NCAA Championship in Detroit, Mich., on April 12-13 at Thunderbowl Lanes.&nbsp;The 2022 season marked the first time in the NCAA to host four regional sites and a winner advancing to the championship finals.&nbsp;The regionals will use the Mega Match format which includes a five-person team and baker total pinfall game. The first team to collect two games wins the match, and in the event of a 1-1 tie, a best-of-seven baker match will be used to determine a match winner.&nbsp;With today's NCAA bid announcement, the Husker bowling program continues its reputation as the only program in history to qualify for every National Championship tournament since the NCAA sponsored bowling in the 2003-04 season. The Huskers, who are ranked No. 6 in the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) poll, hold a season record of 79-36.This is the Huskers first season without a regular season tournament title since their most recent National Championship in 2021. Nebraska finished the season with double runner-up finishes at the Stormin' Blue and White Vegas Classic and Flyer Classic, and added a pair of third-place finishes at the SFA Ladyjack Classic and Motiv Penguin Classic.In 1990, Nebraska became the first collegiate program in history to win a National Championship for the original Men's team. The program won five National Championships (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997) before becoming a varsity sport in 1997-98 where it has since posted an additional eight additional National Championships (1999-IBC, 2001-IBC, 2004-NCAA; 2005-NCAA, 2009-NCAA, 2013-NCAA; 2015-NCAA and 2021-NCAA) while earning runner-up honors on four other occasions.&nbsp;Regional Match-ups:&nbsp;Region 1: Pittsburgh, Pa&nbsp;No. 1 Jacksonville StateMercyhurstDuquenseMaryland Eastern ShoreRegion 2: Rochester, N.Y.No. 2 Arkansas State&nbsp;(William Smith and Fayetteville State will compete in a single elimination for the final slot)&nbsp;VanderbiltMerrimackRegion 3: Lansing, Mich.No. 3 Youngstown StateMarianNebraskaMaryville&nbsp;&nbsp;Region 4: Arlington, TexasNo. 4 North Carolina A&amp;T(Alabama State and Belmont Abbey will compete in a single elimination for the final slot)&nbsp;Louisiana Tech&nbsp;Sam Houston State

Huskers clinch NCAA Regional Berth

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and the Colorado Rockies finalized a $63.5 million, seven-year contract on Tuesday, a deal that includes a team option for 2031 that if exercised would boost the agreement to $84 million over eight seasons.

The 22-year-old gets a $1.5 million signing bonus and salaries of $1.5 million this season, $4 million in 2025, $5 million in 2026, $8 million in 2027, $11 million in 2028, $14 million in 2029 and $16 million in 2030. The Rockies' option is for $23 million with a $2.5 million buyout.

Tovar's deal supersedes a one-year contract agreed to Feb. 29 that called for a $745,000 salary while in the major leagues and $361,000 while in the minors.

“He has already proven he is one of the best shortstops in baseball, and we see him as a cornerstone of this franchise for years to come,” Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said in a statement.

Tovar, a Venezuelan native, made his big league debut on Sept. 22, 2022, and last year became the youngest Rockies player to start on opening day at 21 years, 240 days. He hit .253 with 15 homers, 73 RBIs, 11 stolen bases last season. He had 166 strikeouts and 25 walks. His .988 fielding percentage set a record for rookie shortstop, topping .987 by the Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki in 2007.

Tovar signed with the Rockies in 2017 for an $800,000 bonus.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711553712233.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and the Colorado Rockies finalized a $63.5 million, seven-year contract on Tuesday, a deal that includes a team option for 2031 that if exercised would boost the agreement to $84 million over eight seasons.The 22-year-old gets a $1.5 million signing bonus and salaries of $1.5 million this season, $4 million in 2025, $5 million in 2026, $8 million in 2027, $11 million in 2028, $14 million in 2029 and $16 million in 2030. The Rockies' option is for $23 million with a $2.5 million buyout.Tovar's deal supersedes a one-year contract agreed to Feb. 29 that called for a $745,000 salary while in the major leagues and $361,000 while in the minors.“He has already proven he is one of the best shortstops in baseball, and we see him as a cornerstone of this franchise for years to come,” Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said in a statement.Tovar, a Venezuelan native, made his big league debut on Sept. 22, 2022, and last year became the youngest Rockies player to start on opening day at 21 years, 240 days. He hit .253 with 15 homers, 73 RBIs, 11 stolen bases last season. He had 166 strikeouts and 25 walks. His .988 fielding percentage set a record for rookie shortstop, topping .987 by the Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki in 2007.Tovar signed with the Rockies in 2017 for an $800,000 bonus.

Rockies sign shortstop budding star Tovar to seven-year contract extension

Story by Pro Volleyball Federation&nbsp;

Pro Volleyball Federation&nbsp;has announced that its first championship will take place in a city that supports professional volleyball like no other in the United States – Omaha, Nebraska. The semifinals on May 15 and title match on May 18 will take place at the CHI Health Center and be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The home of the&nbsp;Omaha Supernovas&nbsp;has already established the attendance standard for professional volleyball in America, with four of the top five U.S. attendance records coming this season – including all of the top three marks.&nbsp;

“No one supports volleyball like the great fans in Nebraska,” touted Pro Volleyball Federation&nbsp;CEO Jen Spicher.&nbsp;“We couldn’t be more excited to play the culmination of our season there and look forward to working with the outstanding staffs in place for both the Supernovas and CHI Health Center to put on a championship that our phenomenal athletes and the fantastic fans of our league deserve.”&nbsp;

The championship weekend for Pro Volleyball Federation will come to a fantastic conclusion with the players from the winning team being awarded a $1,000,000 bonus. It will highlight some of the top athletes the sport has to offer in front of some of the best fans in the nation. The League has already drawn nearly 200,000 fans despite not even reaching the halfway mark of the season. Over 1.7 million viewers have watched on the Pro Volleyball Federation YouTube Channel.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The host team has hosted at least 11,000 fans in four of their six home matches this season, including a record 12,090 on March 16. Six of the top seven attendance figures in Pro Volleyball Federation this year come from matches played in Omaha. The five biggest crowds to watch a women’s professional volleyball match have now all taken place in Nebraska.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"This is truly a salute to our fans, the people of Omaha, and the entire State who have fallen in love with the Supernovas,” noted&nbsp;Omaha Supernovas President Diane Mendenhall. “Having hosted over 65,000 fans through our first six matches of this inaugural season, Nebraska has once again proven it is the epicenter for volleyball. We now have the opportunity to show the nation why Championships Live Here." &nbsp;

Ticket information – for both season ticket holders and for individual ticket buyers – will be made available very soon. Fans should watch the Pro Volleyball Federation digital platforms for the latest information.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pro Volleyball Federation is the present and future of professional volleyball in North America. The League began play in January 2024 with world class players and coaches, including some of America’s greatest volleyball players joined by elite standouts from around the world. Our focus is on ensuring that the level and quality of play, treatment of players and the entire fan experience is world class and the best offered anywhere. For more information, visit <a href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001osLgkjTGCszCZ7-B5M2SHGOFSPJleL7AJZ_mZSyuL2VCY9DspGJj3tG9gHqm9rsacydC9WU9SXqnwCgKYjIKKsgns3rFhBp9qKO68dGf4OLsaGjGrobAr7L67gSXk8BmpO7iQxYWT8dty2UbTONzJA==&amp;c=LmBDEbziZ-n4b9YPW1l6oe1L8XKbBRKvV05WIY5J0NVAPL9sJZZcPg==&amp;ch=cylnZFxEdthNj4FKjyvY3VCjkJDQ4KjKEeZmIt1XZ8pxOiksE7-wcA==" target="_blank">ProVolleyball.com</a>.&nbsp;

The Omaha Supernovas aim to be the premier home of professional volleyball throughout the world. The team is owned by global music sensation&nbsp;Jason Derulo&nbsp;and entrepreneurs&nbsp;Danny White&nbsp;and&nbsp;Chris Erickson, Co-Founders of City+Ventures, an investment and business acceleration organization headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.&nbsp;

Story by Pro Volleyball Federation&nbsp;Pro Volleyball Federation&nbsp;has announced that its first championship will take place in a city that supports professional volleyball like no other in the United States – Omaha, Nebraska. The semifinals on May 15 and title match on May 18 will take place at the CHI Health Center and be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.&nbsp;&nbsp;The home of the&nbsp;Omaha Supernovas&nbsp;has already established the attendance standard for professional volleyball in America, with four of the top five U.S. attendance records coming this season – including all of the top three marks.&nbsp;“No one supports volleyball like the great fans in Nebraska,” touted Pro Volleyball Federation&nbsp;CEO Jen Spicher.&nbsp;“We couldn’t be more excited to play the culmination of our season there and look forward to working with the outstanding staffs in place for both the Supernovas and CHI Health Center to put on a championship that our phenomenal athletes and the fantastic fans of our league deserve.”&nbsp;The championship weekend for Pro Volleyball Federation will come to a fantastic conclusion with the players from the winning team being awarded a $1,000,000 bonus. It will highlight some of the top athletes the sport has to offer in front of some of the best fans in the nation. The League has already drawn nearly 200,000 fans despite not even reaching the halfway mark of the season. Over 1.7 million viewers have watched on the Pro Volleyball Federation YouTube Channel.&nbsp;&nbsp;The host team has hosted at least 11,000 fans in four of their six home matches this season, including a record 12,090 on March 16. Six of the top seven attendance figures in Pro Volleyball Federation this year come from matches played in Omaha. The five biggest crowds to watch a women’s professional volleyball match have now all taken place in Nebraska.&nbsp;&nbsp;"This is truly a salute to our fans, the people of Omaha, and the entire State who have fallen in love with the Supernovas,” noted&nbsp;Omaha Supernovas President Diane Mendenhall. “Having hosted over 65,000 fans through our first six matches of this inaugural season, Nebraska has once again proven it is the epicenter for volleyball. We now have the opportunity to show the nation why Championships Live Here." &nbsp;Ticket information – for both season ticket holders and for individual ticket buyers – will be made available very soon. Fans should watch the Pro Volleyball Federation digital platforms for the latest information.&nbsp;&nbsp;ABOUT PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION&nbsp;Pro Volleyball Federation is the present and future of professional volleyball in North America. The League began play in January 2024 with world class players and coaches, including some of America’s greatest volleyball players joined by elite standouts from around the world. Our focus is on ensuring that the level and quality of play, treatment of players and the entire fan experience is world class and the best offered anywhere. For more information, visit <a href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001osLgkjTGCszCZ7-B5M2SHGOFSPJleL7AJZ_mZSyuL2VCY9DspGJj3tG9gHqm9rsacydC9WU9SXqnwCgKYjIKKsgns3rFhBp9qKO68dGf4OLsaGjGrobAr7L67gSXk8BmpO7iQxYWT8dty2UbTONzJA==&amp;c=LmBDEbziZ-n4b9YPW1l6oe1L8XKbBRKvV05WIY5J0NVAPL9sJZZcPg==&amp;ch=cylnZFxEdthNj4FKjyvY3VCjkJDQ4KjKEeZmIt1XZ8pxOiksE7-wcA==" target="_blank">ProVolleyball.com</a>.&nbsp;ABOUT OMAHA SUPERNOVAS&nbsp;The Omaha Supernovas aim to be the premier home of professional volleyball throughout the world. The team is owned by global music sensation&nbsp;Jason Derulo&nbsp;and entrepreneurs&nbsp;Danny White&nbsp;and&nbsp;Chris Erickson, Co-Founders of City+Ventures, an investment and business acceleration organization headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.&nbsp;

Omaha announced as location for Inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation Championship In May

Story by Supernovas Communications

OMAHA, Neb. -&nbsp;The&nbsp;Omaha Supernovas&nbsp;have reunited with Nebraska native and middle blocker&nbsp;Kyla Swanson&nbsp;who officially signed as a practice player for the Supernovas. A Wahoo graduate, Swanson returns to Omaha after competing in the Puerto Rican League with Mets de Guaynabo.&nbsp;

Swanson was drafted by the Supernovas as the 35th pick in the Pro Volleyball Federation 2023 U.S. College Player Draft in December. Swanson battled hard in Training Camp but was eventually waived before going to Puerto Rico.&nbsp;

Swanson established herself at Wahoo High School leading the Warriors to back-to-back Class C-1 State Championships in 2017 and 2018. Swanson was the top high school prospect coming out of Nebraska in 2019. She committed to Illinois and former Husker assistant Chris Tamas where she spent the next four seasons.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For her fifth and final season of college volleyball in 2023, Swanson transferred to Auburn helping the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season and being ranked inside the top-25 for the first time in school history.&nbsp;

Omaha continues its four-match homestand on Thursday, March 28 when the Supernovas face off against the Grand Rapids Rise for the second time this season. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CDT at the CHI Health Center with News Channel Nebraska providing television coverage.

Fans can listen to all the action on the Supernovas Radio Network, which is led by the flagship station,&nbsp;<a href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001e-7AXH9U-VikTUbA3FKfxSCorNzm_tcVt9U3mRSLT0O1YHGIJEMNlSf9p4IHNytn3o3BhgI0d22bVrTTRRGYkMIx_GSwmoid043e3JfZ9efd_zcyJK33Ib3-wZDzPBw0OoK4sy51OFVn0GFJD_n7Cg==&amp;c=FCUsxRZ27SG2XQ7cWfnaseC-ZwKGhGEhs5OfIP76lJJu_rxykvxZgA==&amp;ch=5sbGD9KWwcfy5qwIVj8zzqYD1_mvlJPOE0tuRfRdfh_lfHelx72vUg==" target="_blank">93.7 The Ticket</a>. Radio coverage is also on 95.7 The Boss (Omaha), KRVN (Lexington), KOLT (Scottsbluff) and KTIC (West Point).&nbsp;

The Omaha Supernovas aim to be the premier home of professional volleyball throughout the world. The team is owned by global music sensation&nbsp;Jason Derulo&nbsp;and entrepreneurs&nbsp;Danny White&nbsp;and&nbsp;Chris Erickson, Co-Founders of City+Ventures, an investment and business acceleration organization headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.&nbsp;&nbsp;

ABOUT PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION&nbsp;&nbsp;

Story by Supernovas CommunicationsOMAHA, Neb. -&nbsp;The&nbsp;Omaha Supernovas&nbsp;have reunited with Nebraska native and middle blocker&nbsp;Kyla Swanson&nbsp;who officially signed as a practice player for the Supernovas. A Wahoo graduate, Swanson returns to Omaha after competing in the Puerto Rican League with Mets de Guaynabo.&nbsp;Swanson was drafted by the Supernovas as the 35th pick in the Pro Volleyball Federation 2023 U.S. College Player Draft in December. Swanson battled hard in Training Camp but was eventually waived before going to Puerto Rico.&nbsp;Swanson established herself at Wahoo High School leading the Warriors to back-to-back Class C-1 State Championships in 2017 and 2018. Swanson was the top high school prospect coming out of Nebraska in 2019. She committed to Illinois and former Husker assistant Chris Tamas where she spent the next four seasons.&nbsp;&nbsp;For her fifth and final season of college volleyball in 2023, Swanson transferred to Auburn helping the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season and being ranked inside the top-25 for the first time in school history.&nbsp;Omaha continues its four-match homestand on Thursday, March 28 when the Supernovas face off against the Grand Rapids Rise for the second time this season. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CDT at the CHI Health Center with News Channel Nebraska providing television coverage.Fans can listen to all the action on the Supernovas Radio Network, which is led by the flagship station,&nbsp;<a href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001e-7AXH9U-VikTUbA3FKfxSCorNzm_tcVt9U3mRSLT0O1YHGIJEMNlSf9p4IHNytn3o3BhgI0d22bVrTTRRGYkMIx_GSwmoid043e3JfZ9efd_zcyJK33Ib3-wZDzPBw0OoK4sy51OFVn0GFJD_n7Cg==&amp;c=FCUsxRZ27SG2XQ7cWfnaseC-ZwKGhGEhs5OfIP76lJJu_rxykvxZgA==&amp;ch=5sbGD9KWwcfy5qwIVj8zzqYD1_mvlJPOE0tuRfRdfh_lfHelx72vUg==" target="_blank">93.7 The Ticket</a>. Radio coverage is also on 95.7 The Boss (Omaha), KRVN (Lexington), KOLT (Scottsbluff) and KTIC (West Point).&nbsp;ABOUT OMAHA SUPERNOVAS&nbsp;&nbsp;The Omaha Supernovas aim to be the premier home of professional volleyball throughout the world. The team is owned by global music sensation&nbsp;Jason Derulo&nbsp;and entrepreneurs&nbsp;Danny White&nbsp;and&nbsp;Chris Erickson, Co-Founders of City+Ventures, an investment and business acceleration organization headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.&nbsp;&nbsp;ABOUT PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION&nbsp;&nbsp;

Supernovas sign Nebraska native Kyla Swanson to practice squad 

Columbus, Ohio-&nbsp;The No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers were named Regular-Season Big Ten Champions for the first time in program history since entering the Big Ten in 2011 after taking the win against No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (418.200-414.150). Nebraska shares the conference champions title with Illinois, both earning a 3-1 record in the conference regular-season competition. This win for the Huskers ranks as a top-three overall team score in Nebraska program history (418.200), not far behind the top-two team scores, previously set back in 2017.The Huskers collected a total of 19 personal-best scores this afternoon, along with setting a new program record-high team score on pommel horse (71.70). Two Huskers walked away as event titlests, including Luke James with a personal record on floor (14.75) and Sam Philliops with a personal record on high bar (14.30).

Floor&nbsp;Nebraska had a stand out routine on floor, collecting three personal-best scores for the Huskers and setting a season-best team score of 71.20. Toby Liang started the squad off strong after setting a career-high 14.25 in fifth place. Luke James followed collecting a 13.55. Freshman Chase Mondi impressed with strength after securing a career best and taking third place (14.60). Sam Phillips also registered a career best on the event, landing in second position (14.75). Taylor Christopulos anchored for Nebraska with a strong 14.05.Ohio State earned a 70.15 team score on floor.

Pommel Horse&nbsp;The Huskers maintained momentum on the second rotation of the meet, making big marks after earning a 71.700 team score and surpassed their program record by two-tenths that was set at the previous meet against Illinois. York led the Big Red and collected a 14.30, while Travis Wong earned a fifth-place finish with a 14.20, respectively. Yanni Chronopoulos came in strong with a 14.55 personal-best and landed in third place. Cooper Giles used the team’s energy to put up a 14.70 for the Huskers and snagged second overall. Christopulos anchored with a 13.95.Ohio State earned a 69.050 on pommel horse.

Rings&nbsp;The Huskers earned a score of 68.75 on still rings, as a team. James Friedman led the squad with a solid 13.60. Wong followed with a personal-best score of 13.85, landing in third. Asher Cohen notched a strong 13.95 for a second place finish. Chris Hiser put up a 13.50 for NU. Sam Phillips closed the rotation with a personal-best score of 13.85 in third overall.Ohio State scored 66.55 on still rings.

Vault&nbsp;Nebraska earned a solid 71.70 on vault as a team. Highlighting the performance, James set a new personal-best score of 14.75, earning a share of the vault title. Mondi secured a 14.35 for the Big Red. Phillips claimed a 13.55. Zac Tiderman earned an impressive 14.55, collecting fourth position overall and not far behind, Christopulos collected a 14.50 in fifth place for Nebraska.Ohio State earned a 72.50 on vault.

Parallel Bars&nbsp;NU earned 65.70 on parallel bars as a team. Friedman led the lineup with a 13.60, landing in fifth overall. Cole Partridge followed with a solid 13.75 and took fourth position. Cohen scored a 13.10, while Phillips earned a 11.90, respectively. Christopulos concluded the event rotation in sixth place with a score of 13.35 for Nebraska.Ohio State earned a 68.55 on parallel bars.

High Bar&nbsp;On the final event of the evening, Nebraska registered a strong 69.15 team score on high bar, their second best on high bar this season. Phillips highlighted the event after snagging the title with a strong 14.30, a new personal best for the captain. Max Odden also put up a new personal best of 13.75, landing in fifth place. Partridge notched a 13.30, while Tiderman collected a 13.75, respectively. Christopulos closed out the competition for the night with another personal best for the Huskers, notching a 14.05 and third-place finish on the event.Ohio State earned a 67.30 on high bar.

Up Next&nbsp;After a week break, the Cornhuskers will return to competition to compete for a chance at the conference championship title for the NCAA Big Ten Championships on Friday and Saturday April 5-6. The meet is set to take place at State Farm Center in Champaign-Urbana, Ill. at 7 p.m. (CT). Fans can keep up with live updates by following @HuskerMGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Both sessions (team/event finals) will be broadcasted live on the Big Ten Network.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Columbus, Ohio-&nbsp;The No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers were named Regular-Season Big Ten Champions for the first time in program history since entering the Big Ten in 2011 after taking the win against No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (418.200-414.150). Nebraska shares the conference champions title with Illinois, both earning a 3-1 record in the conference regular-season competition. This win for the Huskers ranks as a top-three overall team score in Nebraska program history (418.200), not far behind the top-two team scores, previously set back in 2017.The Huskers collected a total of 19 personal-best scores this afternoon, along with setting a new program record-high team score on pommel horse (71.70). Two Huskers walked away as event titlests, including Luke James with a personal record on floor (14.75) and Sam Philliops with a personal record on high bar (14.30).Floor&nbsp;Nebraska had a stand out routine on floor, collecting three personal-best scores for the Huskers and setting a season-best team score of 71.20. Toby Liang started the squad off strong after setting a career-high 14.25 in fifth place. Luke James followed collecting a 13.55. Freshman Chase Mondi impressed with strength after securing a career best and taking third place (14.60). Sam Phillips also registered a career best on the event, landing in second position (14.75). Taylor Christopulos anchored for Nebraska with a strong 14.05.Ohio State earned a 70.15 team score on floor.Pommel Horse&nbsp;The Huskers maintained momentum on the second rotation of the meet, making big marks after earning a 71.700 team score and surpassed their program record by two-tenths that was set at the previous meet against Illinois. York led the Big Red and collected a 14.30, while Travis Wong earned a fifth-place finish with a 14.20, respectively. Yanni Chronopoulos came in strong with a 14.55 personal-best and landed in third place. Cooper Giles used the team’s energy to put up a 14.70 for the Huskers and snagged second overall. Christopulos anchored with a 13.95.Ohio State earned a 69.050 on pommel horse.Rings&nbsp;The Huskers earned a score of 68.75 on still rings, as a team. James Friedman led the squad with a solid 13.60. Wong followed with a personal-best score of 13.85, landing in third. Asher Cohen notched a strong 13.95 for a second place finish. Chris Hiser put up a 13.50 for NU. Sam Phillips closed the rotation with a personal-best score of 13.85 in third overall.Ohio State scored 66.55 on still rings.Vault&nbsp;Nebraska earned a solid 71.70 on vault as a team. Highlighting the performance, James set a new personal-best score of 14.75, earning a share of the vault title. Mondi secured a 14.35 for the Big Red. Phillips claimed a 13.55. Zac Tiderman earned an impressive 14.55, collecting fourth position overall and not far behind, Christopulos collected a 14.50 in fifth place for Nebraska.Ohio State earned a 72.50 on vault.Parallel Bars&nbsp;NU earned 65.70 on parallel bars as a team. Friedman led the lineup with a 13.60, landing in fifth overall. Cole Partridge followed with a solid 13.75 and took fourth position. Cohen scored a 13.10, while Phillips earned a 11.90, respectively. Christopulos concluded the event rotation in sixth place with a score of 13.35 for Nebraska.Ohio State earned a 68.55 on parallel bars.High Bar&nbsp;On the final event of the evening, Nebraska registered a strong 69.15 team score on high bar, their second best on high bar this season. Phillips highlighted the event after snagging the title with a strong 14.30, a new personal best for the captain. Max Odden also put up a new personal best of 13.75, landing in fifth place. Partridge notched a 13.30, while Tiderman collected a 13.75, respectively. Christopulos closed out the competition for the night with another personal best for the Huskers, notching a 14.05 and third-place finish on the event.Ohio State earned a 67.30 on high bar.Up Next&nbsp;After a week break, the Cornhuskers will return to competition to compete for a chance at the conference championship title for the NCAA Big Ten Championships on Friday and Saturday April 5-6. The meet is set to take place at State Farm Center in Champaign-Urbana, Ill. at 7 p.m. (CT). Fans can keep up with live updates by following @HuskerMGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Both sessions (team/event finals) will be broadcasted live on the Big Ten Network.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Huskers dubbed Big Ten Regular-Season Champions for first time in program history

The No. 23 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team was selected to be a part of the Arkansas regional of the 2024 NCAA Championships, which is set for April 3-6. NU was placed in the second round of the regional and will compete against No. 7 Kentucky, No. 10 Arkansas and Arizona.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This marks the 39th time the Big Red has earned an NCAA Championship berth, and the second straight as a team.&nbsp;

“We are super excited to not only be 'dancing' on, but to go back down to Arkansas," Head Coach Heather Brink said. "We were just there a few weeks ago and know exactly what to expect in the environment. It's a great place to compete in."

NU is led by All-Big Ten honorees Emma Spence (first-team), Kinsey Davis (second-team) and Sophia McClelland (second-team). The team is coming off a seventh-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and a score of 196.250. In the three meets before the conference championships, Nebraska notched three-straight scores of 197.000 or above.&nbsp;

The top two teams from each session of the Arkansas regional will qualify for the regional finals, and the top two teams from the regional finals will qualify for the championship round, which takes place April 18-20 in Fort Worth, Texas.&nbsp;

The other three regional sites are Ann Arbor, Mich., Gainesville, Fla. and Berkeley, Calif.&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsThe No. 23 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team was selected to be a part of the Arkansas regional of the 2024 NCAA Championships, which is set for April 3-6. NU was placed in the second round of the regional and will compete against No. 7 Kentucky, No. 10 Arkansas and Arizona.&nbsp;&nbsp;This marks the 39th time the Big Red has earned an NCAA Championship berth, and the second straight as a team.&nbsp;“We are super excited to not only be 'dancing' on, but to go back down to Arkansas," Head Coach Heather Brink said. "We were just there a few weeks ago and know exactly what to expect in the environment. It's a great place to compete in."NU is led by All-Big Ten honorees Emma Spence (first-team), Kinsey Davis (second-team) and Sophia McClelland (second-team). The team is coming off a seventh-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and a score of 196.250. In the three meets before the conference championships, Nebraska notched three-straight scores of 197.000 or above.&nbsp;The top two teams from each session of the Arkansas regional will qualify for the regional finals, and the top two teams from the regional finals will qualify for the championship round, which takes place April 18-20 in Fort Worth, Texas.&nbsp;The other three regional sites are Ann Arbor, Mich., Gainesville, Fla. and Berkeley, Calif.&nbsp;

Huskers gymnastics garner NCAA Bid 

Pitching: LHP Will Walsh (2-0, 4.12 ERA) vs. RHP Mason Buss (2-0, 0.00 ERA)

Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

• The matchup between Nebraska and K-State on Tuesday night can be seen on ESPN+.

• Fans can also listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action tomorrow night on the Huskers Radio Network.

• Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.

• Through 290 all-time meetings, the Huskers hold a 173-117 advantage over the Wildcats in the all-time series.

• Nebraska and K-State meet in a midweek matchup for the third consecutive season after the two teams met on the diamond for one game in Manhattan in 2023.

• The Huskers have won the last two games over the Wildcats, including a 6-1 victory over K-State in Manhattan last season.

Huskers vs. Top 25 Foes in Bolt Era

• Nebraska has played at least three games against Top 25 opponents every season since head coach Will Bolt’s first season at Nebraska in 2020.

• Tuesday night’s matchup with the 23rd-ranked Wildcats is NU’s second game against a ranked foe this season after suffering a 6-3 setback vs. No. 21 Texas Tech on opening weekend.

• Under Bolt, the Huskers have knocked off a Top 25 foe in every season, excluding the 2022 campaign where the Big Red went 0-3 vs. ranked opponents.

Big Red on a Seven-Game Win Streak

• Nebraska comes into Tuesday night’s matchup riding a seven-game win streak, which is tied for the fifth-longest win streak for NU in the last 10 seasons.

• In the seven games, the Husker offense is hitting .319 at the plate and scoring 9.1 runs per game, while the NU pitching staff has compiled a 2.29 ERA and limited opponents to 2.7 runs per game.

Walsh Gets the Nod on Tuesday Night

• Will Walsh is set to toe the rubber tomorrow night at No. 23 K-State. Walsh is 2-0 in five starts, posting a 4.12 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 24 innings.

• The Leawood, Kan., native is coming off consecutive quality starts in his last two midweek outings.

• Walsh allowed three runs on six hits in six innings at Wichita State, before striking out a season-high nine batters and allowing four hits in six scoreless innings vs. North Dakota State last week.

• Nebraska comes into the week as one of six teams nationally to limit opponents to seven stolen bases or fewer this season.

• The Huskers have limited opponents to just 11 stolen base attempts on the season and are one of five teams to hold opponents to 11 stolen base attempts or less on the year.

Scoreless Streak From NU Starting Pitchers

• Over the last four games, Nebraska starting pitchers haven’t allowed a run in 23.1 innings of work, posting 31 strikeouts to just five walks.

• This season, Husker starters are 8-2 with a 3.35 ERA, posting quality starts in five of their last 10 outings.

Caron’s RBI Production Through 22 Games

• Josh Caron has been a key contributor for the NU offense this season, hitting .296 at the plate with six doubles, a triple, five home runs, 26 RBI and 19 runs scored.

• The junior leads the Big Red with five home runs and eight multi-hit performances this season.

• Since 2012, Caron is one of four Huskers to drive in 26-plus in Nebraska’s first 22 games to start the season.

Timely Two-Out Hitting for the Huskers

• The Husker offense has found success at the plate with two outs this season.

• Nebraska is hitting .300 (75-for-250) and has recorded 60 of its 149 RBI this season with two outs.

• 17 Huskers have recorded a two-out hit through the first 20 games, including six Huskers with at least six hits.

• Rhett Stokes is hitting .382 with seven doubles, nine RBI and 14 runs scored, while Cayden Brumbaugh holds a .339 hitting clip with five doubles, eight RBI and 14 runs scored.

• Riley Silva leads the Huskers with 22 runs and 14 stolen bases while hitting .293 in 21 starts.

• Joshua Overbeek holds a .325 batting average with two doubles, a homer, seven RBI and 11 runs in 11 starts, while Garrett Anglim is hitting .321 with three doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI and 13 runs in 20 games, including 15 starts.

• Cole Evans and Tyler Stone are both hitting .290 at the plate, with Evans recording four doubles, a homer and 13 RBI and Stone tallying three doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI this season.

• Casey Daiss has recorded a team-best four saves in seven relief appearances. The junior has struck out five and compiled a 2.57 ERA across seven innings.

• Kyle Perry and Tucker Timmerman have made a team-high 10 relief appearances for the Big Red. Perry has three saves in six innings, while Timmerman is 2-0 with a save in 11.1 innings.

• Kyle Froehlich has allowed just one run in 7.2 innings of work while making six relief appearances for the Huskers.

• Evan Borst and Rans Sanders have come out of the pen seven times in their debut with the Big Red. Borst is 2-0 with 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings, while Sanders has tallied a save and struck out five across seven innings.&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsMarch 26, 2024Manhattan, Kan. | Tointon Family StadiumTuesday, March 26 – 6 PM CTPitching: LHP Will Walsh (2-0, 4.12 ERA) vs. RHP Mason Buss (2-0, 0.00 ERA)TV/Streaming: ESPN+Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers AppFollow the Game• The matchup between Nebraska and K-State on Tuesday night can be seen on ESPN+.• Fans can also listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action tomorrow night on the Huskers Radio Network.• Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.Nebraska vs. Kansas State• Through 290 all-time meetings, the Huskers hold a 173-117 advantage over the Wildcats in the all-time series.• Nebraska and K-State meet in a midweek matchup for the third consecutive season after the two teams met on the diamond for one game in Manhattan in 2023.• The Huskers have won the last two games over the Wildcats, including a 6-1 victory over K-State in Manhattan last season.Huskers vs. Top 25 Foes in Bolt Era• Nebraska has played at least three games against Top 25 opponents every season since head coach Will Bolt’s first season at Nebraska in 2020.• Tuesday night’s matchup with the 23rd-ranked Wildcats is NU’s second game against a ranked foe this season after suffering a 6-3 setback vs. No. 21 Texas Tech on opening weekend.• Under Bolt, the Huskers have knocked off a Top 25 foe in every season, excluding the 2022 campaign where the Big Red went 0-3 vs. ranked opponents.Big Red on a Seven-Game Win Streak• Nebraska comes into Tuesday night’s matchup riding a seven-game win streak, which is tied for the fifth-longest win streak for NU in the last 10 seasons.• In the seven games, the Husker offense is hitting .319 at the plate and scoring 9.1 runs per game, while the NU pitching staff has compiled a 2.29 ERA and limited opponents to 2.7 runs per game.Walsh Gets the Nod on Tuesday Night• Will Walsh is set to toe the rubber tomorrow night at No. 23 K-State. Walsh is 2-0 in five starts, posting a 4.12 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 24 innings.• The Leawood, Kan., native is coming off consecutive quality starts in his last two midweek outings.• Walsh allowed three runs on six hits in six innings at Wichita State, before striking out a season-high nine batters and allowing four hits in six scoreless innings vs. North Dakota State last week.Huskers Control the Running Game• Nebraska comes into the week as one of six teams nationally to limit opponents to seven stolen bases or fewer this season.• The Huskers have limited opponents to just 11 stolen base attempts on the season and are one of five teams to hold opponents to 11 stolen base attempts or less on the year.Scoreless Streak From NU Starting Pitchers• Over the last four games, Nebraska starting pitchers haven’t allowed a run in 23.1 innings of work, posting 31 strikeouts to just five walks.• This season, Husker starters are 8-2 with a 3.35 ERA, posting quality starts in five of their last 10 outings.Caron’s RBI Production Through 22 Games• Josh Caron has been a key contributor for the NU offense this season, hitting .296 at the plate with six doubles, a triple, five home runs, 26 RBI and 19 runs scored.• The junior leads the Big Red with five home runs and eight multi-hit performances this season.• Since 2012, Caron is one of four Huskers to drive in 26-plus in Nebraska’s first 22 games to start the season.Timely Two-Out Hitting for the Huskers• The Husker offense has found success at the plate with two outs this season.• Nebraska is hitting .300 (75-for-250) and has recorded 60 of its 149 RBI this season with two outs.• 17 Huskers have recorded a two-out hit through the first 20 games, including six Huskers with at least six hits.Bats in the Nebraska Lineup• Rhett Stokes is hitting .382 with seven doubles, nine RBI and 14 runs scored, while Cayden Brumbaugh holds a .339 hitting clip with five doubles, eight RBI and 14 runs scored.• Riley Silva leads the Huskers with 22 runs and 14 stolen bases while hitting .293 in 21 starts.• Joshua Overbeek holds a .325 batting average with two doubles, a homer, seven RBI and 11 runs in 11 starts, while Garrett Anglim is hitting .321 with three doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI and 13 runs in 20 games, including 15 starts.• Cole Evans and Tyler Stone are both hitting .290 at the plate, with Evans recording four doubles, a homer and 13 RBI and Stone tallying three doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI this season.Huskers in the Pen• Casey Daiss has recorded a team-best four saves in seven relief appearances. The junior has struck out five and compiled a 2.57 ERA across seven innings.• Kyle Perry and Tucker Timmerman have made a team-high 10 relief appearances for the Big Red. Perry has three saves in six innings, while Timmerman is 2-0 with a save in 11.1 innings.• Kyle Froehlich has allowed just one run in 7.2 innings of work while making six relief appearances for the Huskers.• Evan Borst and Rans Sanders have come out of the pen seven times in their debut with the Big Red. Borst is 2-0 with 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings, while Sanders has tallied a save and struck out five across seven innings.&nbsp;

No. 23 Kansas State preview & notes

The No. 5 Nebraska men's gymnastics team is heading to Columbus, Ohio where they will take on their conference competitor, No. 7 Ohio State, in their final regular season competition of the season this Tuesday, March 26. The meet will commence at 3 p.m. (CT) at the Covelli Center.

Last Time OutNebraska bested Illinois in their final home meet of the season, where they pocketed the win with a score of 416.550-406.050.&nbsp;Seniors Sam Phillips and Cooper Giles were honored in their final Husker appearances.&nbsp;

The Huskers took home five event titles, including a personal best from Luke James on floor (14.60), Chris Hiser on rings with a season best, Taylor Christopulos on vault (14.75), a personal best from Max Odden on high bar (13.85), and a personal best from Sam Phillips in the all-around (80.65).

Notably, six Husker gymnasts highlight the top 10 rankings in the NCAA, based on a four-score average. Christopulos sits in sixth on floor (14.067) and ninth on vault (14.617), Giles in eighth on pommel horse (14.183), Hiser in eighth on rings (13.883), Zac Tiderman in sixth on high bar (14.017), and Phillips fifth overall in the all-around (79.683).

Ahead of the meet, No. 5 Nebraska highlights the team rankings in second place on vault (72.25) and third in the nation on high bar (68.067), based on a four-score average. The Huskers occupy fourth on pommel horse (67.60), and fifth position on floor (68.417), and rings (67.617). Nebraska maintains sixth place on parallel bars (67.55).

Scouting the CompetitionNo. 7 Ohio State moves into the 12th week of competition with an overall record of 8-3. The Buckeyes are coming off a loss against Illinois, 406.350-413.200. The competition was highlighted by Parker Thackston earning the Buckeyes’ first event win of the day by scoring 14.700 on pommel horse. Donovan Hewitt tied for the rings win with a season-high 14.200.

Fans can follow @HuskerMGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet. The competition will be livestreamed on Big Ten Network for subscribers beginning at 3 p.m. CT.

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsThe No. 5 Nebraska men's gymnastics team is heading to Columbus, Ohio where they will take on their conference competitor, No. 7 Ohio State, in their final regular season competition of the season this Tuesday, March 26. The meet will commence at 3 p.m. (CT) at the Covelli Center.Last Time OutNebraska bested Illinois in their final home meet of the season, where they pocketed the win with a score of 416.550-406.050.&nbsp;Seniors Sam Phillips and Cooper Giles were honored in their final Husker appearances.&nbsp;The Huskers took home five event titles, including a personal best from Luke James on floor (14.60), Chris Hiser on rings with a season best, Taylor Christopulos on vault (14.75), a personal best from Max Odden on high bar (13.85), and a personal best from Sam Phillips in the all-around (80.65).Notably, six Husker gymnasts highlight the top 10 rankings in the NCAA, based on a four-score average. Christopulos sits in sixth on floor (14.067) and ninth on vault (14.617), Giles in eighth on pommel horse (14.183), Hiser in eighth on rings (13.883), Zac Tiderman in sixth on high bar (14.017), and Phillips fifth overall in the all-around (79.683).Ahead of the meet, No. 5 Nebraska highlights the team rankings in second place on vault (72.25) and third in the nation on high bar (68.067), based on a four-score average. The Huskers occupy fourth on pommel horse (67.60), and fifth position on floor (68.417), and rings (67.617). Nebraska maintains sixth place on parallel bars (67.55).Scouting the CompetitionNo. 7 Ohio State moves into the 12th week of competition with an overall record of 8-3. The Buckeyes are coming off a loss against Illinois, 406.350-413.200. The competition was highlighted by Parker Thackston earning the Buckeyes’ first event win of the day by scoring 14.700 on pommel horse. Donovan Hewitt tied for the rings win with a season-high 14.200.Follow the HuskersFans can follow @HuskerMGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet. The competition will be livestreamed on Big Ten Network for subscribers beginning at 3 p.m. CT.

No. 5 Huskers battle No. 7 Buckeyes to conclude regular season 

WATERLOO, IA.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm dropped a 7-1 road decision Sunday afternoon at Young Arena to the Waterloo Black Hawks. A.J. Lacroix scored Tri-City’s only goal in the loss. The Storm returns to action next weekend with back-to-back road games against the Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars. Friday night’s game at Liberty First Credit Union Arena between the Storm and the Lancers is scheduled to begin at 7:05pm CT.

Grady Deering scored his fourteenth goal of the season just over five minutes into Sunday’s opening period to give the Black Hawks a 1-0 lead in the battle. Mike Phelan and Jaedon Kerr each collected an assist on the scoring play. John Mustard scored his team-leading twenty-fifth goal of the year with less than five minutes to play to increase Waterloo’s advantage to two goals. Gavin Lindberg and Carson Reed each collected an assist on the scoring play. The Storm was outshot by a 13-10 margin in Sunday’s 1st&nbsp;period, and trailed by two goals entering the 2nd&nbsp;period.

Griffin Erdman netted his eighteenth goal of the season at 2:25 of Sunday’s 2nd&nbsp;period to give the Black Hawks a three-goal lead in the game. Gavyn Thoreson and Dylan Compton each collected an assist on the scoring play. A.J. Lacroix scored his eighteenth goal of the year at 6:19 of the 2nd&nbsp;period to bring Tri-City within two goals of Waterloo’s lead. Cam Briere and Artemi Nizameyev each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Grady Deering scored his second goal of the game, and fifteenth goal of the season, at 9:03 of the middle period to give the Black Hawks a 4-1 lead in the matchup. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Will Felicio and Jakub Altrichter. The final goal of Sunday’s 2nd&nbsp;period was scored by Jaedon Kerr with one minute left to play. Kerr’s goal was his fifth of the year, and was assisted by Landon Nycz and Jakub Altrichter. Tri-City outshot Waterloo 11-8 in the 2nd&nbsp;period, but trailed by four goals entering Sunday’s final period.

Gavin Lindberg scored his seventeenth goal of the season at 3:50 of the 3rd&nbsp;period to give the Black Hawks a 6-1 lead in the game. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Jakub Altrichter and John Mustard. The final goal of Sunday’s game was scored with less than three minutes to play by Griffin Erdman. Jaedon Kerr recorded an assist on the scoring play. Waterloo outshot Tri-City by a 12-4 margin in the 3rd&nbsp;period, and 33-25 overall in the matchup. The Storm dropped to 26-21-4-5 on the 2023-2024 regular season in Sunday’s road loss.

Cameron Korpi recorded the loss in goal for the Storm after making 26 saves on 33 shots during the matchup. Jack Spicer collected the win in net for the Black Hawks in a 24-save-on-25-shot performance.

The Storm hits the ice again on Friday, March 29th, in a road game against the Omaha Lancers. Puck drop for the matchup is scheduled for 7:05pm CT. Skate to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>&nbsp;for individual game tickets and more information regarding the Tri-City Storm&nbsp;organization. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Story by Tri-City CommunicationsWATERLOO, IA.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm dropped a 7-1 road decision Sunday afternoon at Young Arena to the Waterloo Black Hawks. A.J. Lacroix scored Tri-City’s only goal in the loss. The Storm returns to action next weekend with back-to-back road games against the Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars. Friday night’s game at Liberty First Credit Union Arena between the Storm and the Lancers is scheduled to begin at 7:05pm CT.Grady Deering scored his fourteenth goal of the season just over five minutes into Sunday’s opening period to give the Black Hawks a 1-0 lead in the battle. Mike Phelan and Jaedon Kerr each collected an assist on the scoring play. John Mustard scored his team-leading twenty-fifth goal of the year with less than five minutes to play to increase Waterloo’s advantage to two goals. Gavin Lindberg and Carson Reed each collected an assist on the scoring play. The Storm was outshot by a 13-10 margin in Sunday’s 1st&nbsp;period, and trailed by two goals entering the 2nd&nbsp;period.Griffin Erdman netted his eighteenth goal of the season at 2:25 of Sunday’s 2nd&nbsp;period to give the Black Hawks a three-goal lead in the game. Gavyn Thoreson and Dylan Compton each collected an assist on the scoring play. A.J. Lacroix scored his eighteenth goal of the year at 6:19 of the 2nd&nbsp;period to bring Tri-City within two goals of Waterloo’s lead. Cam Briere and Artemi Nizameyev each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Grady Deering scored his second goal of the game, and fifteenth goal of the season, at 9:03 of the middle period to give the Black Hawks a 4-1 lead in the matchup. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Will Felicio and Jakub Altrichter. The final goal of Sunday’s 2nd&nbsp;period was scored by Jaedon Kerr with one minute left to play. Kerr’s goal was his fifth of the year, and was assisted by Landon Nycz and Jakub Altrichter. Tri-City outshot Waterloo 11-8 in the 2nd&nbsp;period, but trailed by four goals entering Sunday’s final period.Gavin Lindberg scored his seventeenth goal of the season at 3:50 of the 3rd&nbsp;period to give the Black Hawks a 6-1 lead in the game. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Jakub Altrichter and John Mustard. The final goal of Sunday’s game was scored with less than three minutes to play by Griffin Erdman. Jaedon Kerr recorded an assist on the scoring play. Waterloo outshot Tri-City by a 12-4 margin in the 3rd&nbsp;period, and 33-25 overall in the matchup. The Storm dropped to 26-21-4-5 on the 2023-2024 regular season in Sunday’s road loss.Cameron Korpi recorded the loss in goal for the Storm after making 26 saves on 33 shots during the matchup. Jack Spicer collected the win in net for the Black Hawks in a 24-save-on-25-shot performance.The Storm hits the ice again on Friday, March 29th, in a road game against the Omaha Lancers. Puck drop for the matchup is scheduled for 7:05pm CT. Skate to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>&nbsp;for individual game tickets and more information regarding the Tri-City Storm&nbsp;organization. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Storm drops 7-1 road decision to Black Hawks

NORTH PLATTE - Three local gymnastic teams will be competing in Lincoln this Saturday and Sunday for the 2024 NE State Championships. The event is taking place at the Lincoln Sports Foundation.

The three local gymnastic teams competing are:

<a href="https://mega-gymnasticsnp.com/?fbclid=IwAR1JUQsySJNDpKlhBV9vI2TfGDflxZJXAGWnO9LwpFBOabdaMyur99N3h-0">Mega Gymnastics- North Platte</a>

<a href="https://www.legacydanceandgym.com/">Legacy Dance &amp; Gymnastics- North Platte</a>

<a href="https://gymnasticswest.com/">Gymnastics West- Gothenburg</a>

Members of the gymnastic teams are looking to quality for Regionals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on April 19th-21st if they XCEL Silver, Gold or Platinum's or Compulsory levels 5-8.&nbsp;

North Platte PostNORTH PLATTE - Three local gymnastic teams will be competing in Lincoln this Saturday and Sunday for the 2024 NE State Championships. The event is taking place at the Lincoln Sports Foundation.The three local gymnastic teams competing are:<a href="https://mega-gymnasticsnp.com/?fbclid=IwAR1JUQsySJNDpKlhBV9vI2TfGDflxZJXAGWnO9LwpFBOabdaMyur99N3h-0">Mega Gymnastics- North Platte</a><a href="https://www.legacydanceandgym.com/">Legacy Dance &amp; Gymnastics- North Platte</a><a href="https://gymnasticswest.com/">Gymnastics West- Gothenburg</a>Members of the gymnastic teams are looking to quality for Regionals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on April 19th-21st if they XCEL Silver, Gold or Platinum's or Compulsory levels 5-8.&nbsp;

Three local gymnastic teams competing at state this weekend in Lincoln

URBANDALE, IA.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set for this weekend’s three-game road trip across Iowa beginning with tonight’s game against the Des Moines Buccaneers at Buccaneer Arena. Tri-City will battle the Waterloo Black Hawks in back-to-back games at Young Arena following tonight’s contest. This weekend’s games will be the last games played outside of Nebraska for Tri-City, as the team enters the final nine games of the regular season. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm CT.

Tri-City (26-18-4-5) enters this weekend’s road series against the Des Moines Buccaneers and Waterloo Black Hawks as the 4th&nbsp;place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings. The Storm’s “magic number” to clinch a spot in the 2024 Clark Cup Playoffs is currently at six points entering this weekend’s slate of games. Tri-City has posted a 1-1-1-0 record in head-to-head matchups against Des Moines this season. The Storm finished the 2022-2023 regular season 3-2-1-1 in games played against the Buccaneers. Tri-City has won seven of its last eleven games played at Buccaneer Arena. The Storm notched five of a possible six points in the Western Conference standings in last weekend’s performance at the Viaero Center against the league-leading Fargo Force. Tri-City won a 6-2 decision over Fargo Sunday evening to earn a split in the six-game series. A.J. Lacroix, Trevor Connelly, Seth Constance, August Falloon, Cam Briere, and Cooper Simpson each netted a goal for the Storm in the victory. Tri-City improved to 19-4-0-3 when leading after the 1st&nbsp;period, and 20-0-2-0 when leading after the 2nd&nbsp;period this season in the win. The Storm outshot the Force by a final margin of 28-26, and improved to 17-12-1-13 when outshooting its opponents this season. Scoring leaders for Tri-City entering tonight’s road game against Des Moines include Trevor Connelly (26), Ryan Smith (21), Cam Briere (20), Artemi Nizameyev (15), August Falloon (15), A.J. Lacroix (13), and Owen Beckner (12). Tonight’s battle is the first game of the Storm’s current five-game road trip. Tri-City will return home to the Viaero Center to host the Sioux Falls Stampede in back-to-back games on Friday, April 5th, and Saturday, April 6th.

Des Moines (21-26-3-2) currently trails the Lincoln Stars by one point for the final playoff spot in the USHL’s Western Conference standings entering tonight’s matchup against Tri-City at Buccaneer Arena. The Buccaneers have posted a 6-2-1-1 record over the past ten games, and have won two of three games played against the Storm this season. Des Moines dropped back-to-back road games against the Green Bay Gamblers and Madison Capitols last weekend. The Buccaneers have played five of the last six games on the road, but will return to action tomorrow with another home game at Buccaneer Arena against the Omaha Lancers. Scoring leaders for Des Moines entering tonight’s battle against Tri-City include Ben Kevan (19), Liam Watkins (18), Jack Kernan (15), Ashton Dahms (13), and Ilya Protas (12).

Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:00pm&nbsp;CT and will be streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3pkG3Ge" target="_blank">FloHockey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mixlr.com/tri-city-storm/" target="_blank">Storm Radio</a>. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Story by Tri-City CommunicationsURBANDALE, IA.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set for this weekend’s three-game road trip across Iowa beginning with tonight’s game against the Des Moines Buccaneers at Buccaneer Arena. Tri-City will battle the Waterloo Black Hawks in back-to-back games at Young Arena following tonight’s contest. This weekend’s games will be the last games played outside of Nebraska for Tri-City, as the team enters the final nine games of the regular season. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm CT.Tri-City (26-18-4-5) enters this weekend’s road series against the Des Moines Buccaneers and Waterloo Black Hawks as the 4th&nbsp;place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings. The Storm’s “magic number” to clinch a spot in the 2024 Clark Cup Playoffs is currently at six points entering this weekend’s slate of games. Tri-City has posted a 1-1-1-0 record in head-to-head matchups against Des Moines this season. The Storm finished the 2022-2023 regular season 3-2-1-1 in games played against the Buccaneers. Tri-City has won seven of its last eleven games played at Buccaneer Arena. The Storm notched five of a possible six points in the Western Conference standings in last weekend’s performance at the Viaero Center against the league-leading Fargo Force. Tri-City won a 6-2 decision over Fargo Sunday evening to earn a split in the six-game series. A.J. Lacroix, Trevor Connelly, Seth Constance, August Falloon, Cam Briere, and Cooper Simpson each netted a goal for the Storm in the victory. Tri-City improved to 19-4-0-3 when leading after the 1st&nbsp;period, and 20-0-2-0 when leading after the 2nd&nbsp;period this season in the win. The Storm outshot the Force by a final margin of 28-26, and improved to 17-12-1-13 when outshooting its opponents this season. Scoring leaders for Tri-City entering tonight’s road game against Des Moines include Trevor Connelly (26), Ryan Smith (21), Cam Briere (20), Artemi Nizameyev (15), August Falloon (15), A.J. Lacroix (13), and Owen Beckner (12). Tonight’s battle is the first game of the Storm’s current five-game road trip. Tri-City will return home to the Viaero Center to host the Sioux Falls Stampede in back-to-back games on Friday, April 5th, and Saturday, April 6th.Des Moines (21-26-3-2) currently trails the Lincoln Stars by one point for the final playoff spot in the USHL’s Western Conference standings entering tonight’s matchup against Tri-City at Buccaneer Arena. The Buccaneers have posted a 6-2-1-1 record over the past ten games, and have won two of three games played against the Storm this season. Des Moines dropped back-to-back road games against the Green Bay Gamblers and Madison Capitols last weekend. The Buccaneers have played five of the last six games on the road, but will return to action tomorrow with another home game at Buccaneer Arena against the Omaha Lancers. Scoring leaders for Des Moines entering tonight’s battle against Tri-City include Ben Kevan (19), Liam Watkins (18), Jack Kernan (15), Ashton Dahms (13), and Ilya Protas (12).Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:00pm&nbsp;CT and will be streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3pkG3Ge" target="_blank">FloHockey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mixlr.com/tri-city-storm/" target="_blank">Storm Radio</a>. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Storm set for three-game road weekend in Iowa

Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what was your reaction when you saw Texas A&amp;M's name pop up on the bracket screen?

AICHA COULIBALY: I was super excited because this is the first time I've ever been to the NCAA Tournament. I'm a senior, and it was a lot of excitement. I just didn't know what to say. I was shocked. It feels great.

Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what's it like when you're watching that show when you're on the bubble? What's the emotions of watching that entire show?

AICHA COULIBALY: Like I said, our name popped up and they called our name really fast. I was just sitting in my chair, I was just screaming all over the place and jumping. I was just full of emotions. It's just exciting to see how far we came this season. We had some lows and some ups and downs, and we just kept fighting, and this is where we are at right now, and it feels great.

Q.&nbsp;You obviously had one of the better reactions of the selection show Sunday. How do you move forward from that and get ready to play a game against a team like Nebraska?

JANIAH BARKER: I think it's just -- first, of course, it's a blessing to be here, and I think it was really, really cool and fun just to be a part of that, and it was all very, very genuine. We came in the next day or two days later. I think we had an off day, we came in and was ready to work. Joni -- after the selection show, we seen the coaches for a little bit and then they left. They wanted to go scout it. They came to us and told us we have a really good chance to do this and they believe in us, and I think we're all excited to be here, and honestly all respect to Nebraska, all respect to everybody here, but we're ready to do what we need to do, which is win.

Q.&nbsp;Playing South Carolina, coaches, fans, people will say playing a team like that will make you better. Do you believe any of that, or is that just what people say after you have a game like that?

AICHA COULIBALY: I feel like that's what people will say, and I know what our team is capable of and what I am capable of. It wasn't new, and I feel like we just stayed composed and played our game, and that's what we've got to keep doing going into the game tomorrow, as well, against Nebraska.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played a couple years just down the road here at Oregon. When you guys knew you were coming here, what was her reaction and what she has told you about playing in this part of the country?

JANIAH BARKER: Honestly if you seen the video that we posted on Texas A&amp;M, she was on the side over here doing one of these. She was really, really excited.

We landed in Eugene, actually, and we drove over to here. She's just excited herself. She's back in Pac-12 country, and I think she's excited to play and get back to her regular self because she's back on the court.

I'm excited tore her to be back here, and hopefully she can do what she did when she was at Oregon for us.

Q.&nbsp;What challenges does Nebraska present to y'all, and what will it take to play a great game tomorrow?

AICHA COULIBALY: I think it's going to take a lot of mental focus for us. They have a lot of shooters and we have to be ready to contest every shot.

Just stick to our own defensive principles and do what we're told to do and follow the game plan and scouting and stuff, doing our job. It's going to take everybody, not only one person can win this game. Just getting stops and like offensively executing on offense and just staying focused the whole game. It's going to be a mental game for sure, so we've just got to stay locked in and play our game and not get distracted.

Q.&nbsp;What's the biggest change for you as a player from last season to this season?

JANIAH BARKER: I would think for me as a player, my role. I think last year I was a more freer person just because I was a freshman and just trying to figure out what was really going on. I think this year I have more on my plate as the coaches give me, which is a blessing, as well. But just to be a better leader, just to be a better example of what a good teammate should be, a good player should be, a good listener.

It's just a lot of stuff that they told me about me mentally, just learning from those types of things. But I've grown a lot, and I'm really happy for my coaching staff to give me those types of things to get better at and go forward. Yeah, I've grown just being a better Janiah.

JONI TAYLOR: I'm excited to be here in Corvallis, obviously, in the tournament. Excited for our team. This was one of our goals for this year, and ready to get out and practice and just get going so we can face a really tough Nebraska team tomorrow. We're going to have our hands full. They shoot it, they have great post presence, really, really good team and have a great body of work, and just excited to get out there and perform tomorrow.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played nearby at Oregon for a couple years. What's been her reaction to being selected to play here in Corvallis?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think, number one, Endyia is really grateful to be back playing. She understands the impact she has on our team, and she worked extremely hard to get herself back on the court. Excited for her to be able to play, and then to make the tournament and then find out we're coming to Corvallis, I think she's got a ton of fans who are coming to support her. It's a gym she's familiar in, and just excited for her to go out and play again.

Q.&nbsp;What's unique or a challenge about playing Nebraska, that matchup?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I mean, they put five scorers on the floor. You look at their starters and four out of five make the all-tournament team in some way, whether it's Freshman of the Year, First Team, all-freshman team. Extremely talented. They play with great pace, and then they can also slow you down, pound it inside. They just have weapons all over the floor, and it makes it hard to double because they can hit you from three. Jaz does a really good job of scoring off the bounce. She's a three-level scorer. They just stretch you defensively.

Then offensively they make it really hard, as well. They, in my opinion, from the film that I've watched, they're as good defensively as they are offensively, and I don't think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively.

Q.&nbsp;Y'all had one of the better reactions on Sunday for the selection show. How do you move forward emotionally to get ready for the biggest game of the season?

JONI TAYLOR: Right. Well, I was really excited about their reaction because I have been in that room a ton of times where when you know you're going, it's like, okay, we're in, what's next. So to capture how they felt, how we all felt, was a really, really special thing, and we wanted them to have that moment. That's what Sunday was for. We also had Monday off. So when we got to work on Tuesday, we were locked in and ready to go, which is something this team has done all year long.

We try really hard to be neutral and not ride the wave of being too high or being too low. We've had some really high moments this year, and we've had some really low moments this year, and we've remained really neutral throughout it all, so I think this was par for the course in terms of how we responded.

Q.&nbsp;Obviously last year you won nine times and now 19. How does it feel to feel validated and being in March Madness in year two?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think for us, it's our own internal validation of we're taking the right steps. This is where we wanted to be in year two to get Texas A&amp;M women's basketball back into the tournament. It was one of our key goals for the year, and we did that.

I think as a staff, as a program, all it does for us is confirm that we're moving in the right direction. Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not. But are we moving in the right direction? Sure.

In terms of outside validation, we really try hard to not worry about what other people think, say or feel because if they're not in our program every day, they have no bearing on what goes on.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers had her injury late in the season. How is your team different when she is healthy?

JONI TAYLOR: You know, I'm going to quote Buzz Williams here. He texted me after the Mississippi State game in the SEC tournament obviously saying&nbsp;congratulations,&nbsp;happy birthday, all the things, but I had been saying it but not in the way he said it, and what he said to me was with Endyia back on the floor, it looks like everybody can sit back in their normal seat at the table. I think that's what she does for us. There's a calm. There's a, okay, let me put down this extra load that I was carrying and just pick up my normal bag that I wear, and you can see that when she's on the floor. Coming off the bench or starting, just knowing that she's available gives everybody a sense of calm, and it allows us to take our normal seats at the table.

Q.&nbsp;There was a photo taken of both the men's program and the women's program before both teams left on Wednesday praying in a circle. What does that mean to you being synchronized with your men's program?

JONI TAYLOR: I have been fortunate to be at a lot of institutions where there's been incredible men coaches for leaders and incredible staff and young men as players. I have never been a part of something as special as we're a part of now with our men's program at Texas A&amp;M, and that comes from the top down. That starts with Buzz. His young men are who they are because of him and how he leads them and directs them.

There is cohesion. There's chemistry there. There's friendship. Our director of athletics culture came to me the day before and said, hey, both teams are practicing, can we pray before we practice and leave. Absolutely.

Story by NCAA Communications<div><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/MsaQX58R-Qhb3tgnY.html" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="20240321 Nebraska Pregame (1)" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what was your reaction when you saw Texas A&amp;M's name pop up on the bracket screen?AICHA COULIBALY: I was super excited because this is the first time I've ever been to the NCAA Tournament. I'm a senior, and it was a lot of excitement. I just didn't know what to say. I was shocked. It feels great.Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what's it like when you're watching that show when you're on the bubble? What's the emotions of watching that entire show?AICHA COULIBALY: Like I said, our name popped up and they called our name really fast. I was just sitting in my chair, I was just screaming all over the place and jumping. I was just full of emotions. It's just exciting to see how far we came this season. We had some lows and some ups and downs, and we just kept fighting, and this is where we are at right now, and it feels great.Q.&nbsp;You obviously had one of the better reactions of the selection show Sunday. How do you move forward from that and get ready to play a game against a team like Nebraska?JANIAH BARKER: I think it's just -- first, of course, it's a blessing to be here, and I think it was really, really cool and fun just to be a part of that, and it was all very, very genuine. We came in the next day or two days later. I think we had an off day, we came in and was ready to work. Joni -- after the selection show, we seen the coaches for a little bit and then they left. They wanted to go scout it. They came to us and told us we have a really good chance to do this and they believe in us, and I think we're all excited to be here, and honestly all respect to Nebraska, all respect to everybody here, but we're ready to do what we need to do, which is win.Q.&nbsp;Playing South Carolina, coaches, fans, people will say playing a team like that will make you better. Do you believe any of that, or is that just what people say after you have a game like that?AICHA COULIBALY: I feel like that's what people will say, and I know what our team is capable of and what I am capable of. It wasn't new, and I feel like we just stayed composed and played our game, and that's what we've got to keep doing going into the game tomorrow, as well, against Nebraska.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played a couple years just down the road here at Oregon. When you guys knew you were coming here, what was her reaction and what she has told you about playing in this part of the country?JANIAH BARKER: Honestly if you seen the video that we posted on Texas A&amp;M, she was on the side over here doing one of these. She was really, really excited.We landed in Eugene, actually, and we drove over to here. She's just excited herself. She's back in Pac-12 country, and I think she's excited to play and get back to her regular self because she's back on the court.I'm excited tore her to be back here, and hopefully she can do what she did when she was at Oregon for us.Q.&nbsp;What challenges does Nebraska present to y'all, and what will it take to play a great game tomorrow?AICHA COULIBALY: I think it's going to take a lot of mental focus for us. They have a lot of shooters and we have to be ready to contest every shot.Just stick to our own defensive principles and do what we're told to do and follow the game plan and scouting and stuff, doing our job. It's going to take everybody, not only one person can win this game. Just getting stops and like offensively executing on offense and just staying focused the whole game. It's going to be a mental game for sure, so we've just got to stay locked in and play our game and not get distracted.Q.&nbsp;What's the biggest change for you as a player from last season to this season?JANIAH BARKER: I would think for me as a player, my role. I think last year I was a more freer person just because I was a freshman and just trying to figure out what was really going on. I think this year I have more on my plate as the coaches give me, which is a blessing, as well. But just to be a better leader, just to be a better example of what a good teammate should be, a good player should be, a good listener.It's just a lot of stuff that they told me about me mentally, just learning from those types of things. But I've grown a lot, and I'm really happy for my coaching staff to give me those types of things to get better at and go forward. Yeah, I've grown just being a better Janiah.JONI TAYLOR: I'm excited to be here in Corvallis, obviously, in the tournament. Excited for our team. This was one of our goals for this year, and ready to get out and practice and just get going so we can face a really tough Nebraska team tomorrow. We're going to have our hands full. They shoot it, they have great post presence, really, really good team and have a great body of work, and just excited to get out there and perform tomorrow.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played nearby at Oregon for a couple years. What's been her reaction to being selected to play here in Corvallis?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think, number one, Endyia is really grateful to be back playing. She understands the impact she has on our team, and she worked extremely hard to get herself back on the court. Excited for her to be able to play, and then to make the tournament and then find out we're coming to Corvallis, I think she's got a ton of fans who are coming to support her. It's a gym she's familiar in, and just excited for her to go out and play again.Q.&nbsp;What's unique or a challenge about playing Nebraska, that matchup?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I mean, they put five scorers on the floor. You look at their starters and four out of five make the all-tournament team in some way, whether it's Freshman of the Year, First Team, all-freshman team. Extremely talented. They play with great pace, and then they can also slow you down, pound it inside. They just have weapons all over the floor, and it makes it hard to double because they can hit you from three. Jaz does a really good job of scoring off the bounce. She's a three-level scorer. They just stretch you defensively.Then offensively they make it really hard, as well. They, in my opinion, from the film that I've watched, they're as good defensively as they are offensively, and I don't think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively.Q.&nbsp;Y'all had one of the better reactions on Sunday for the selection show. How do you move forward emotionally to get ready for the biggest game of the season?JONI TAYLOR: Right. Well, I was really excited about their reaction because I have been in that room a ton of times where when you know you're going, it's like, okay, we're in, what's next. So to capture how they felt, how we all felt, was a really, really special thing, and we wanted them to have that moment. That's what Sunday was for. We also had Monday off. So when we got to work on Tuesday, we were locked in and ready to go, which is something this team has done all year long.We try really hard to be neutral and not ride the wave of being too high or being too low. We've had some really high moments this year, and we've had some really low moments this year, and we've remained really neutral throughout it all, so I think this was par for the course in terms of how we responded.Q.&nbsp;Obviously last year you won nine times and now 19. How does it feel to feel validated and being in March Madness in year two?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think for us, it's our own internal validation of we're taking the right steps. This is where we wanted to be in year two to get Texas A&amp;M women's basketball back into the tournament. It was one of our key goals for the year, and we did that.I think as a staff, as a program, all it does for us is confirm that we're moving in the right direction. Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not. But are we moving in the right direction? Sure.In terms of outside validation, we really try hard to not worry about what other people think, say or feel because if they're not in our program every day, they have no bearing on what goes on.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers had her injury late in the season. How is your team different when she is healthy?JONI TAYLOR: You know, I'm going to quote Buzz Williams here. He texted me after the Mississippi State game in the SEC tournament obviously saying&nbsp;congratulations,&nbsp;happy birthday, all the things, but I had been saying it but not in the way he said it, and what he said to me was with Endyia back on the floor, it looks like everybody can sit back in their normal seat at the table. I think that's what she does for us. There's a calm. There's a, okay, let me put down this extra load that I was carrying and just pick up my normal bag that I wear, and you can see that when she's on the floor. Coming off the bench or starting, just knowing that she's available gives everybody a sense of calm, and it allows us to take our normal seats at the table.Q.&nbsp;There was a photo taken of both the men's program and the women's program before both teams left on Wednesday praying in a circle. What does that mean to you being synchronized with your men's program?JONI TAYLOR: I have been fortunate to be at a lot of institutions where there's been incredible men coaches for leaders and incredible staff and young men as players. I have never been a part of something as special as we're a part of now with our men's program at Texas A&amp;M, and that comes from the top down. That starts with Buzz. His young men are who they are because of him and how he leads them and directs them.There is cohesion. There's chemistry there. There's friendship. Our director of athletics culture came to me the day before and said, hey, both teams are practicing, can we pray before we practice and leave. Absolutely.

Husker Women bring spirit to NCAA practice

Q.&nbsp;The opportunity to win Nebraska's first NCAA Tournament game, is that something you guys are thinking about heading into this one?

RIENK MAST: Yes, most definitely. Obviously going into the season, it's a big goal to be here, and you know that Nebraska's never won an NCAA Tournament game, but now to actually be here and be in this position and have this opportunity, just super excited to go out there and hopefully write some history.

Q.&nbsp;Brice, the A&amp;M players and Coach Williams were talking about your guys' scouting report of what they thought of you. And they used "pretty" talk about the offense. What have been your impressions of A&amp;M now that you have time to look at them and what jumps out about their strengths and weaknesses?

BRICE WILLIAMS: They're just an aggressive team. I wouldn't say anything special about them. They just had their identity of trying to out-tough the opponent, and that's the emphasis this week. We just can't get punked, just going to focus on that.

Q.&nbsp;Keisei has taken the college basketball world by storm the past couple of weeks. I don't know if you buy into "Japanese Steph Curry" hype. But what's it like to play alongside him? Do you have an anecdote that he played in a practice or anything that stands out?

RIENK MAST: It's obviously special to play with somebody that draws in this type of hype and this type of excitement around himself. He draws a lot of attention on the court, which makes it a little bit easier for us to play. I know for myself, I definitely look for him and try and feed him the ball whenever I can during the game.

But it's been pretty special to have him, like have him on our team this year, like an anecdote for -- he was with his national team, but one of the first practices that he was back, we were playing a little 5-on-5, and it was three possessions in a row.

First one he hit just a normal 3. Then when you let him hit one 3, he gets on fire, like, right away. So then he hit a step-back 3. And then right the next possession he got switched, the 5 switched out on him and he took him one-on-one and hit another step-back 3, like, three possessions in a row.

That was the first time that I really saw what type of player he was in person and he's been special this year.

BRICE WILLIAMS: The stuff you all see out there on the court on game days, it's crazy. Like Rienk said, he's definitely a guy who can heat up just by making one shot.

But the stuff he does after practice or shoot-arounds, when he's hitting turnaround, half-court shots, like he'll turn around, he won't look at the basket. Him and Rienk do it every time after shoot-around. But Keisei makes them on a regular -- it's just crazy the stuff he does off camera.

Q.&nbsp;Both of you guys transferred in for this moment. You set this goal ahead of you at the beginning of the season. But now that you're here how cool is it to be in this spectacle and be in March Madness and see the city and all the hype around it?

BRICE WILLIAMS: It's new. It's exciting. Like you said it's the goal we set out to do when we transferred here. But at the same time we came -- we wanted to win here. We didn't want to just be here.

So while we're excited, I think we're both just trying to, you know what I'm saying, write history. Put our name down in history with Nebraska and just make a run.

RIENK MAST: We're not here for just one game. Everybody will say that. If you ask the Texas A&amp;M players, they'll also say we're not here for just one game. But obviously excited to be here. But we don't want to be here just for one day; we want to extend this journey a little bit longer.

Q.&nbsp;How unique is it -- you've been around Keisei Tominaga, but to know this game is being live streamed in Japan. And to get that kind of reach, is it fun? Do you have some family members who in parts of the world that may be able to watch this game because of him that otherwise would not have been able to -- they would have been checking an app trying to keep up with the game?

BRICE WILLIAMS: I don't have any family in Japan or anything, but it's just crazy that one guy can draw so much attention nationally, worldwide. It just shows that the game can bring everybody together.

But it's just cool. It's cool that everybody over there can see him play and support him. He's kind of a celebrity over there, I heard. It's all necessary.

Q.&nbsp;I'm just wondering, we talked to you guys on Sunday and we asked you how big of an impact Fred can have. Now that you've had some preparation, some practices going into this game, he's played in the NCAA Tournament. He's coached in it. Just what kind of help has Fred been during this process?

RIENK MAST: Just mainly kind of explaining to us, like, how to stay poised during games. These games, most of them will come down to the wire. They'll be one-possession games.

What we've talked about is just staying poised and level headed and not get too sped up or too nervous or excited, or whatever, just staying level headed and staying in the moment.

Q.&nbsp;You've only been at Nebraska for one season, played for Coach Hoiberg for less than a year, but what impact has he had on your developments not only getting ready for this season but preparing you for the next level?

BRICE WILLIAMS: What he's done for me, instilling confidence in me. Obviously playing a new position I've never played before at point guard. Kind of running the show. And if whether I make a mistake or make multiple mistakes, he's shown that he has confidence in me, and that helps me have confidence in myself.

He's given me freedom to make mistakes and learn while pumping me up behind the scenes. Just having confidence in myself and my game and that's just propelled me forward.

RIENK MAST: Just obviously he's played and coached at the next level and especially coaching aspect of how he approaches a game. I believe he still approaches the game the same way when he was coaching the Bulls as he is approaching the game now.

So just to learn from him kind of how it goes on at the professional level and how preparations go, and just learning a lot of how he looks at Xs and Os of the game. Just his basketball IQ is enormous. And learning from him has been really good.