For the sixth time in the last nine years, Nebraska volleyball is one of the last four standing in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament.
Nebraska, the No. 1 overall seed in the field, kept its unblemished 2023 home record intact, matched the program's all-time postseason win streak at home and won another Elite Eight game at the Devaney Center, taking down No. 3 seed Arkansas in four sets (26-24, 25-14, 21-25, 25-23) on Saturday.
For the first time in this year's tournament, the Huskers were both challenged early and taken to a fourth set. After a scare in the first set and dropping the third, however, the Huskers (32-1) powered past the Razorbacks (28-6) to secure yet another Regional championship and clinch yet another berth in the Final Four.
Resilient Huskers...
Nebraska did not trail at any point in the first two sets across the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament in sweeps over Long Island University, No. 8 seed Missouri and No. 5 seed Georgia Tech. In all three, the Huskers dominated Sets 1 and 2 before finding themselves in a battle before ultimately taking Set 3.
Against Arkansas, the tables got turned, and Nebraska found itself a fight right out of the gate, and that continued until the final stretch.
In Set 1, the Razorbacks took a 3-2 lead for Nebraska's first tourney deficit and later took a 12-6 lead over the Huskers following an ace by Razorbacks star Jillian Gillen. After battling back to pull within a three-point deficit (16-13), the Huskers saw Arkansas take what was trending toward becoming a commanding 21-16 lead.
That forced John Cook to take a timeout, and his team answered the call. The Huskers came out firing after the break, scoring four straight and five of the next seven to pull within a 23-21 deficit. They then pulled out 3-0 run for their first lead of the set since going ahead 2-1 early on.
Tied at 24-24, Nebraska polished off the comeback with a kill by Merritt Beason and a block by Andi Jackson.
...dominant Huskers
Nebraska reversed it on the Razorbacks in Set 2, jumping out to a big lead after the first-third of the set with its own 12-6 advantage. The Huskers, however, didn't allow for any doubt, finishing things with a 13-8 run to give themselves plenty of space in a 25-14 set win.
A true Battle at the Bob
As was the case in each of their first three matches of the tournament, the Huskers found themselves in a third-set battle. This time, though, the chickens came home to roost.
Nebraska had played with a bit of fire in Set 3 against far-inferior opponents across the first three matches but was able to impose its will late in each one. Against a Razorback group more talented than the Huskers' previous three opponents but with just as much fight, things did not come as easily.
Nebraska got its first real challenge of this year's tournament in a third set featuring 10 ties and five lead changes. After a ping-pong style back-and-forth between the two, the Razorbacks took the first three-point lead of the set, 18-15, before it was a 21-20 Arkansas lead late that saw the Razorbacks score four of the final five points in a 25-21 set win.
It was a similar dogfight in Set 4, as the two teams battled to eight ties and five lead changes, in a set that was partially defined by three critical replay reviews – two that were overturned and one that was upheld.
One replay review turned a 13-11 Nebraska lead into 14-10 for the Huskers, the second one flipped a point in the Razorbacks' favor a little later on, and the third would have – and probably should have – ended the match. Nebraska led 24-21 before a play at the net resulted in a block to give the Razorbacks a 24-22 lead.
However, as was the case in the epic five-set win over Wisconsin in October, Cook challenged a match-point call, and it looked like it was going to result in the same thing: A massive Husker win.
Even the announcer and color commentator on the Huskers' broadcast agreed that the call would be reversed in Nebraska favor – going so far as to say "it's a shame a match like this one is going to end this way" before the officials' call even came in – yet the play was upheld in favor of the Huskers' opponent. (Tell us if you've heard that one before.)
Almost immediately, though, the volleyball gods shined down on the Huskers. After Arkansas scored the next point to make it a 24-23 Nebraska lead, a service error by the Razorbacks ended their season and allowed the Huskers to continue their own.
Next stop, Tampa!
Final Stats
Beason (19 kills, 8 blocks, 11 digs), Harper Murray (15 kills, 3 blocks, 12 digs), Aly Batenhorst (9 kills, 2 blocks, 3 digs), Jackson (7 kills, 4 blocks, 2 digs), Bekka Allick (5 kills, 12 blocks) and Bergen Reilly (40 assists, 16 digs, 4 blocks) led the way in the stat sheet while Lexi Rodriguez and Laney Choboy combined for 33 digs.
Updated Bracket: Final Four is halfway set
All games Saturday, all times Central and all games will be broadcast on ESPNU/ESPN+
ELITE EIGHT RESULTS:
Pittsburgh Regional:
1 Pittsburgh def. 2 Louisville in reverse sweep, 3-2
Nebraska Regional:
1 Nebraska def. 3 Arkansas, 3-1
Wisconsin Regional:
1 Wisconsin (29-3) vs. 2 Oregon (29-5) – Currently in Set 4 (WISC leads match, 2-1)
Stanford Regional:
1 Stanford (29-3) vs. 2 Texas (25-4) – 9 p.m.
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FINAL FOUR:
1 Nebraska (32-1) vs. 1 Pittsburgh (29-4)
Wisconsin Regional winner vs. Stanford Regional Winner
>> Time/TV: Semifinal No. 1 at 6 p.m. CT, Semifinal No. 2 to follow (both on ESPN)
>> Date: Thursday, Dec. 14
>> Location: Amalie Arena (Tampa, Fla.)
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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
>> Time/TV: 2 p.m. CT on ABC
>> Date: Sunday, Dec. 17
>> Location: Amalie Arena (Tampa, Fla.)
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Match Facts
>> Nebraska already had the most appearances in the Regional Final in NCAA history (32) heading into Saturday's match. Now, the Huskers could be inching a step closer to the all-time lead for most appearances in the NCAA Semifinals as they clinched their 18th all-time Final Four berth, which is the second-most all-time behind Stanford (23). The Cardinal, a fellow top seed in their own Regional, face No. 2 seed Texas in the Elite Eight tonight (9 p.m. CT on ESPNU/WatchESPN).
>> Stanford's record might be uncatchable. Nonetheless, it has been a wildly impressive run over the last near-decade of Husker volleyball as Nebraska has now reached the Final Four in six of the past nine years.
>> Nebraska improved to 129-36 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.782).
>> Nebraska moved to 21-0 at home this season with the win.
>> Nebraska has now won 22 consecutive home matches in the NCAA Tournament, matching the program's longest such streak (22 consecutive postseason home wins from 1995-2002).
>> Cook improved to 88-19 in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach (88 wins is the most all-time at one school) and 96-24 in his own NCAA Tournament career (96 wins is second all-time in NCAA history).
>> The Huskers won the first two sets against Long Island University, Missouri, Georgia Tech and Arkansas. They have now hit the century mark with a 100-1 record in the NCAA Tournament when taking a 2-0 lead, including 99 straight postseason wins after winning the first two sets.
