Nebraska falls to Oregon, comes short of 11th straight Elite Eight berth
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Nebraska's season is in the books.
The Huskers will not be making a return to the NCAA volleyball national championship in 2022, and their run of reaching 10 consecutive Elite Eight berths is over following a 3-2 loss (25-14, 24-16, 25-22, 30-32, 11-15) to Oregon in an epic Sweet 16 showdown on Thursday.
Nebraska (26-6) had reached two of the last four national championship game matches and was seeking its first national title since 2017. But the Ducks (26-5) outlasted the Huskers in a grueling match that lasted 3 hours and 5 minutes.
The match's biggest moments came in the fourth set after the Huskers took a 2-1 match lead.
Nebraska jumped out to a 15-13 lead behind back-to-back aces by Ally Batenhorst, and her diving save helped lead to a 20-17 Huskers advantage. Oregon's No. 1-ranked offense then powered the Ducks to a 24-22 set lead by scoring seven of the next nine points.
That's when the intensity ratcheted up during an epic fourth set that lasted over 12 minutes of real time.
Nebraska got two clutch kills from star Whitney Launenstein to help take a 25-24 lead, and the two squads went back-and-forth in an all-out sprint that the Ducks polished off with a 32-30 set win.
Oregon, which entered today's match with a 5-3 record in five-set matches, took control in the decisive fifth set by jumping out to an 11-5 lead. The Huskers, 3-0 prior to today in five-set decisions, showed some real fight, digging in to win six straight match points before the Ducks finally closed the door with a 15-11 set win.
Nebraska jumped out to a 1-0 match lead by dominating the first set, 25-14, as the Huskers' serving got the Ducks off balance. In the second set, the Huskers trailed 20-16 before Kubik put on a serving clinic that led to five straight points, but the Ducks rallied for a 26-24 set win. Nebraska was playing catch up throughout much of the third set as the Ducks took a 15-13 lead, but the Huskers bounced back for a 25-22 win to set the table for an intense finish.
The Huskers' Sweet 16 loss on Thursday marked the first time since 2011 that they have failed to reach the Elite Eight and only the fourth time in the last 23 seasons ever since head coach John Cook took over the program in 2000.