This past weekend, the sixth annual Zanderthon Throw-Down took place between the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL) and the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP). We also got to see UWP alumni in action. The following were the scores for the day.
UNL def UWP 4-0.
Alumni def UWP 4-2
Alumni def UNL 5-0
UWP def UNL 3-2 (OT)
In the third event this season between these two teams, we got to see another double header that did not disappoint. This event followed suit like the previous two events with the Cornhuskers taking the first game and the Pioneers making the second game tough. UNL had UWP’s number every time this season until the last game of the day where the Pioneers were finally able to secure victory in overtime. The first game of the day was a lot closer than the score suggests. Only two points were scored in each half and most of them came down to a few people left on each side. Nebraska came in and played like they have done all year, very consistent, and Platteville had to figure things out as they had a much different looking team than first semester.
The second game, UWP made adjustments and played much better as a unit. Everyone seemed to be on the same page and they brought more intensity as they didn’t want to let another one slip away. Each team was able to take a point in the first half and UNL took the first point in the second with just under 12 minutes to go. UWP played hard the remaining time to send it into overtime. Once there, UWP was able to get ball control and executed some well placed team throws to seal the victory.
Captains’ Thoughts– The following are the responses to the questions I asked each captain about this weekend’s tournament.
Erik Zander-What did you think of your team’s performance compared to the previous times UNL and UWP played?
Tre Sumrall (UNL)– I think that UNL performed great compared to the previous times. We were missing 4 key starters and key bench players due to injury or conflict of schedule. So starting the day out with a dominant 4-0 performance felt great. I don’t know the exact statistic, but I know that there was somewhere around a 3 or 4 catch to catches thrown ratio, which is phenomenal. We had a strong showing of potential from a lot of our rookies, and a good presence from our vets to win that first game. The second game is always tougher against UWP, seeing that it has gone into OT in the past two meetings. I couldn’t be happier with how our team played considering how many people we were missing.
Jacob Sebranek (UWP)-I thought our team threw less team catches. I also thought we played with more energy in the first half and got back and forth in transition quicker.
EZ-Who stood out for you on your team?
TS-The people who stood out were Colby Chohrach (22), Ethan Glenn (96), and Tre Sumrall (34). Going into the games we knew that the three of us were going to have to step it up considering how much throwing power we were missing, so seeing Colby end the day with 17 kills showed the threat that he can be. As for Ethan, being one of the three seniors, we knew exactly what to expect from him. He has always been one of our more clutch players, and he more than proved that on Saturday. Lastly, I chose to mention myself. The second game of the day I ended with one less kill than Colby, which is a new high for me. Overall, our entire team performed at an exceptional level and I couldn’t be prouder of how we played.
JS-The return of Austin Kurey (23) and Tomas Zander (25) stood out for me. They are both very experienced players who were not on the team last semester but whose return to the team really made a difference.
EZ-Who stood out to you on the other team?
TS-On the other team, JT and Jacob stood out the most to me. We knew going into the day that these two might cause us problems, and we tried to plan for that, but they did a great job making sure they stayed alive long enough to make an impact.
JS- On UNL, I thought Tre Sumrall (34), Ethan Glenn (96), Colby Chohrach (22), and Gabe Moseman (29) stood out. Obviously, Ethan is an excellent catcher and had that awesome throw to upend several of our players. #22 had a killer arm.
EZ-What did you like most about playing against the alumni?
TS– We decided to sit as many of our players as we could since we knew that we had to play UWP right after, so I don’t have a lot to say about it. However, being able to play against Jared Colden again was fun. Overall, the Alumni games were a great way for some of our less experienced players to get more experience before nationals.
JS-This is a loaded question. I like playing them because it is a new opponent and a less serious game. At the same time, these guys can goof off and still dominate us on the court. It’s also fun to throw out past teammates.
EZ-What can we expect from your team moving forward?
TS– This was our last match before Nationals rolls around, so we are just focusing on that from here on out. You can expect to see mostly the same thing that you saw at Platteville last Saturday. Expect us to be a dark horse when it comes to nationals.
JS-Going forward you can expect us to meet UNL again in the national championship game and let’s go 3-0 at The War! Though realistically, let’s get healthy because we have a lot of sore arms.
Final Thoughts-From top to bottom, the Cornhuskers are a well rounded team. It doesn’t matter who is on the court they all play extremely well and they don’t panic when they are down. They keep to their game plan and come nationals they are going to make for some tough matches ups for teams. Ethan Glenn is a standout for UNL and should be on the All-American list.
The turning point for the Pioneers was at the end of the first game when they pushed to get a point. They were able to figure out what they needed to do and carry it over into the second game. For Platteville, it seems like things are starting to come together and they know what they need to do to win in the future. We shall see at the War this weekend if they can build off last weekend and find ways to win.