ason with a pre-conference schedule filled with teams from out

Ohio States team huddle prior to taking the floor on Saturday against top-ranked Nebraska in Lincoln lasted longer than the traditional minute.Visualize, coach Geoff Carlston stressed to the Buckeyes, asking each of them to focus on the winning moment of the upcoming match.It wasnt a stretch for sophomore setter Taylor Hughes, the espnW volleyball player of the week, to picture a victory over the Cornhuskers. Although the defending national champions had won 28 straight, Ohio State beat Nebraska in five a year ago in Columbus. The Buckeye seniors have never lost in Lincoln, where Nebraska has sold out every home game since 2002.Hughes pictured setting senior Taylor Sandbothe for the kill, almost exactly what happened a few hours later.I had us winning in five, though, Hughes admitted, but Ohio State (12-4) only needed four sets to take their third straight at Devaney Sports Center. Since joining the Big 10 in 2011, the Cornhuskers have a winning record over every conference program except Ohio State, which is 4-3 in Lincoln.Hughes finished with 41 assists and a career-best 11 kills hitting at a match-high .500 rate, using her long arms and big hands to create chaos for the Cornhuskers.Poor passing in the first set delayed the Buckeyes upset, but Ohio State regrouped when Taylor started putting it everywhere, Carlston said. That made Nebraska uncomfortable and have to worry about her. After that first set, she set a really smart game. She kept our team steady and climbing the mountain.In the second set alone, Hughes carried the Ohio State offense, impacting 17 of the teams 18 kills with 11 assists and six kills of her own.Carlston remembers Hughes as a 9-year-old; he coached her older sister, Ashley, also a setter at Ohio State. Another sister, Cassie, played volleyball for Columbus State.I wouldnt want any other setter in the country, he said. Shes the youngest in a family of competitors, and usually that youngest kid watches and observes. That last sibling tends to have an edge to her. By the time she was a sophomore in high school, I saw that grittiness.Along with that, she owns an enviable topspin lefty serve, one the Ohio State band lauds at home games with an encouraging, Click. Click. Boom, every time Hughes steps to the line.Hughes planned to play basketball along with volleyball in high school before a knee injury made her reconsider competing in a contact sport. She was a regular in the stands for Ashleys college games, but strongly considered Georgia Tech before deciding on Ohio State.The tradition and excellence are unexplainable until you get here, said Hughes, who grew up about 40 minutes away from campus in Carroll, Ohio.Ohio State went 2-0 last week without starter Audra Appold, Hughes roomie and second in hitting on the team to Sandbothe. Credit Hughes for mixing up her sets to keep the Nebraska defense at bay.I had less weapons, but it made it more of a game to trick their blockers, she said.Junior Luisa Schirmer had 16 kills. Sandbothe had 12 kills, hitting .346, and freshman Brooke Bailey added five kills.At 23-13 in the fourth set, Hughes realized her visualization of beating Nebraska was no longer just in her head.Their coach started making challenges, she said. I felt like they were nervous. At 23-13, I finally felt like we had it in the bag, and I got the goose bumps.The final four will be played at Ohio State in December, but right now, Hughes cant imagine anything better that what happened on Saturday night.Ive still got a big smile on my face, she said. I cant picture a bigger win. Andre Tippett Patriots Jersey . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Andre Tippett Youth Jersey . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. http://www.patriotsjerseysauthentic.com/Kevin-Faulk-Super-Bowl-Jersey/ . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. Julian Edelman Womens Jersey . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Stephon Gilmore Jersey . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak understands why there isnt much buzz surrounding his program, and doesnt feel slighted. He knows the roster is nearly unrecognizable.The Utes were picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 this season despite going to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and having a player selected in the first round of the last two NBA drafts. That success, however, was driven by upper classmen, including draft picks Jakob Poeltl and Delon Wright. Poeltl left after his sophomore campaign.That leaves forward Kyle Kuzma (10.8 points per game) and guard Lorenzo Bonam (10.2 points) as the only two players on the roster who logged significant minutes last year.One of the major reasons I thought we got picked eighth in the Pac-12 is because nobody knows who we have, Kuzma said. We have freshmen. We have junior college transfers. We have walk-ons. If you ask the public, the only ones people know are me and Zo. Come February, people are going to know everybody.From a glass-half-full perspective, the Utes may benefit for a while as teams try to develop scouting reports on the new group and how they like to play. Krystkowiak and the coaching staff continue to do that themselves as players develop roles and a rotation emerges. At the same time, well-known players are well-known for a reason -- theyve had a certain amount of success.Its the old saying, the same thing that will make you laugh will make you cry, Krystkowiak said. That sounds really good, but if they dont know us, maybe thats not a good thing. You can paint it any way you want.To be honest with you, Id much rather have five starters back than not and be able to say, `Geez, at least they dont know what it is were doing. Its an early stage of this program. Weve got some young players ready to go. Hopefully, they can be productive and we can be competitive here this season. And then some of those guuys, as they start building the program, theyve been here awhile and then they become a little more savvy.ddddddddddddThings to watch from Utah in 2016-17:PRACTICE PATIENCE: Newcomers David Collette and Sedrick Barefield are both likely starters once they are eligible to play. Both will miss the first eight games due to transfer rules before becoming eligible to face Prairie View A&M on Dec. 17. Collette is a 6-foot-8, 220-pounder who averaged 12.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and shot 59.1 percent at Utah State in 2014-15. The 6-2, 190-pound Barefield is a sophomore who played six games for SMU last season.SCHEDULE HELP: The Utes will ease into the season with a pre-conference schedule filled with teams from outside Power Five conferences. Utah starts the season with Northwest Nazarene, Concordia, Coppin State, UC Riverside, Butler, Montana State, Utah Valley, Xavier and Prairie View A&M. That gives the new roster some time to grow.THE LEAP: Kuzma and Bonam are expected to lead vocally and production-wise. The versatile 6-9 Kuzma will need to be more aggressive on both ends of the floor while also getting teammates involved on offense. Bonam, 6-4, will likely start the season as the primary ball-handler until Barefield arrives and he slides back to shooting guard. Krystkowiak said Bonam needs to show more focus and energy if he wants to be a leader.THE OTHERS: Wing Gabe Bealer and guard Jake Connor are the only other two players on the roster who played a single game for the Utes last year. JoJo Zamora, Parker Van Dyke and Devon Daniels are in the mix for guard minutes. Seven-footer Jayce Johnson should see significant minutes in the post. Freshman forward Chris Seeley and junior college transfer Tim Coleman are both dealing with shoulder injuries. ' ' '