DENVER -- Undefeated, second-seeded and second-ranked Nebraska-Kearney survived a first-set scare and earned a 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-15) victory over seventh-seeded Gannon (Pa.).

"We're pleased to be moving on and playing tomorrow," Nebraska-Kearney coach Rick Squiers said. "It was a very hard-fought match. Gannon was a fantastic opponent. They came right out after us and had us on our heels for a good chunk of that match.
 
"Credit our girls for hanging in there even though things were really a struggle for a good period of time. We just kind of fought our way into a little bit of a rhythm eventually."
 
UNK (37-0), which plays 33-7 Rockhurst (Mo.) in a 5 p.m. semifinal Friday, got 13 kills and 13 digs from Julianne Johnson, 12 kills from Mary Katherine Wolfe, and 10 kills and five blocks from Anna Squiers, one of the coach's two daughters who play for the Lopers. Maddie Squiers set 40 assists.
 
Gannon (30-7) ripped five first-set aces, four of them by Lauren Sampson, while taking control early. The Golden Knights had two more aces in the second set, including Sampson's fifth, but didn't have another the rest of the way.
 
Ally Smith finished with 19 kills for Gannon, while Ashley McClung had 14 and Maggie Greenfield had 11. Ashley Beyers had 43 assists.
 
Gannon had a 56-48 advantage in kills, but UNK had a .261-.177 edge in hitting and had 14 blocks to just 3 ½ for Gannon.
 
"We put up a really good fight," Gannon coach Matt Darling said. "Everything I asked the team to do, they did it. So I give high marks to the players for that. We came out on the short end, but if I'm not mistaken, we're in good company with the rest of Kearney's opponents."