Lincoln, Neb. – Freshman middle blocker Melissa Elmer and senior outside hitter Laura Pilakowski hammered 11 kills apiece as the fourth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team beat Miami 30-18, 30-17, 30-22 in an NCAA Central Regional semifinal Friday night before a crowd of 4,341 at the NU Coliseum.

Nebraska, 31-1 and winners of 29 straight matches, advanced to play second-ranked Hawaii (33-1) Saturday at 7 p.m. The Rainbow Wahine beat North Carolina 30-21, 30-23, 30-22 in the first semifinal Friday night. Saturday’s winner will move on to the NCAA semifinals and the Final Four, Dec. 19 and 21 in New Orleans, La.

The Huskers improved to 20-3 in regional play at the Coliseum and earned their 54th NCAA-tournament victory. Friday’s win marked Nebraska’s ninth straight three-game victory and the 10th consecutive match in which NU recorded a hitting percentage of better than .300. The Huskers hit .350 against the Hurricanes and held Miami to an .063 percentage.

Also Friday, senior libero Lindsay Wischmeier recorded a team-high 14 digs to become the all-time Nebraska leader in that category. Wischmeier now has 1,090 career digs, passing Angie Oxley, who 1,086 from 1997-2000.

Nebraska is now 37-1 at the Coliseum in NCAA tournament play. It has won 63 straight home matches overall and has won all 16 of its home matches by sweep this season.

The NU-Hawaii meeting will mark the 12th regional final in Lincoln. Nebraska, top seeded in the Central Regional, is 8-3 at home with a berth in the Final Four at stake and 8-6 overall. Nebraska has advanced to the NCAA semifinals in five of the past seven years.

The Huskers are also 5-3 against Hawaii, most recently winning a three-game match in 2001. Nebraska beat the Rainbow Wahine in four games in the 2000 NCAA semifinals en route to the program’s second national title.

Elmer hit .625 Friday on just 16 swings, and she also led Nebraska with a career-best nine block assists. The redshirt freshman from Fort Wayne, Ind, tied a career high with her 11 kills and reached double figures in kills for the third straight match in tournament play. Elmer reached 10 kills just twice in the regular season. Pilakowski swung at a .474 clip, matching the mark of freshman outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua, who had nine kills to go with 13 digs. Senior middle blocker Amber Holmquist contributed 10 kills on .350 hitting with three assists.

NU had 14 total blocks to three for the Hurricanes. Miami, playing in its first NCAA tournament, finished the season 27-6. Sophomore outside hitter Elizabeth Tyson led the Hurricanes with nine kills.

In game one, Nebraska erased a 2-0 deficit with seven straight points. The Huskers went up 19-12 on a kill by Pilakowski, 27-15 after two straight kills from Elmer and won the game on a kill by Holmquist.

Game two began with the Hurricanes up 4-2 before NU tied it at 9-9 on a kill by Pilakowski. Two straight blocks by Cepero put the Huskers up 14-10, and a service ace from freshman setter Michelle Lynch gave Nebraska a 17-12 lead. The Huskers won the game on a block of Robin Lewullis by Holmquist.

Miami’s 18 and 17 points in the first two games were both new lows for the Hurricanes this year.

In game three, Miami again scored first. NU led 14-11 after a kill by Holmquist, but the Hurricanes stayed close, closing to 23-20 before Nebraska rolled off four straight points. The Huskers took a 27-20 lead on a block by Elmer and Cepero. They won the match when Elmer and Pilakowski blocked Karla Johnson.