Nebraska sweeps Pitt to arrange remaining towards UT

TAMPA, Fla. — Nebraska coach John Cook dinner was scheduled to talk Friday on a panel on the coaches conference that accompanies the volleyball championship. However he laughed and stated he was “going to bail on it” as a result of his crew gave him a superb motive.

Cook dinner might be making ready for Sunday’s nationwide championship match, which might be televised on ABC for the primary time. In Thursday’s semifinals, the No. 1 total seed Cornhuskers swept the Pitt Panthers, additionally a No. 1 seed, 25-20, 25-23, 25-17 earlier than a crowd of 19,598 at Amalie Area. They’ll face No. 2 seed Texas, which upset No. 1 seed Wisconsin within the different semifinal, 25-22, 20-25, 25-13, 25-16. Texas is the defending champion.

The Huskers (33-1) are within the NCAA remaining for the eleventh time. They’ve gained 5 titles. It’s the tenth look within the NCAA remaining for the Longhorns (27-4), who’ve gained three titles (additionally they gained one within the AIAW period). Nebraska beat Texas for the 2015 nationwide championship.

The 2 faculties had been convention rivals throughout their shared time within the Massive 12, from 1996 to 2010, earlier than the Huskers moved to the Massive Ten. Total, Nebraska holds a 33-24 edge within the sequence; the applications first performed in 1981 and most just lately performed within the 2021 NCAA regional finals gained by the Huskers.

“There’s such a wealthy custom of alumni, All-People, folks that have gained nationwide championships on each side,” Texas coach Jerritt Elliott stated. “It is Celtics vs. Lakers.”

Or shall we embrace vibrant pink vs. burnt orange.

Texas was some extent away from being eradicated by Tennessee within the regional semifinals however rallied to win. Then, the Longhorns beat No. 1 seed Stanford on the Cardinal’s house courtroom to advance to this system’s fifteenth look within the NCAA remaining 4. They appear to be peaking on the proper time, as they mainly steamrollered the Badgers within the third and fourth units Thursday.

Serving was a giant a part of that, as Texas completed with 11 aces. Massive 12 Participant of the Yr Madisen Skinner had six of them, probably the most by a participant within the nationwide semifinals or championship recreation. She additionally led Texas with 18 kills and had 9 digs.

“We might scouted them fairly effectively and knew which gamers we wished to serve,” stated Skinner, who gained a nationwide championship at Kentucky earlier than transferring to Texas and successful one other final yr. “[It was about] simply altering up depth, engaged on my tempo and having a superb toss, and trusting myself.”

Texas’ Asjia O’Neal sensed an vitality shift within the third set, through which Wisconsin’s 12-point loss was its greatest in any set this season.

“We did a extremely good job sticking with each other and simply saved it on them,” stated O’Neal, who had 11 kills.

In the meantime, Nebraska is within the remaining 4 for the seventeenth time. This season, even with a number of newcomers together with 4 freshmen who’ve performed massive roles, Nebraska has carried on its program’s custom. The coming gamers had been greeted exterior the world Thursday by the acquainted sea of pink.

“Nebraska followers are not any joke,” stated Huskers sophomore center blocker Bekka Allick, who’s from Lincoln. “All of them present out, whether or not we’re at Rutgers, California, Hawaii … I feel even in Brazil we had some followers.”

The Huskers traveled to Brazil in Could and June to play 5 exhibition matches, practice and discover the nation. All of the freshmen had graduated highschool a semester early, enrolled in school in January, took half in spring volleyball and went on the journey. That is a part of why they have not performed like rookies this fall: They’ve had a number of preparation.

Nonetheless, there have been sufficient new faces — together with switch Merritt Beason from Florida — that in the first place observers weren’t certain what to anticipate of Nebraska, which misplaced within the Candy 16 final season.

“I feel that is what drives us all,” freshman Harper Murray stated. “We wish to inform [people] it would not matter how previous we’re.”

And after a record-setting crowd of 92,003 noticed the Huskers play at Nebraska’s soccer stadium on Aug. 30, Cook dinner stated he felt very assured about what this crew might accomplish.

The Huskers’ lone loss got here in a sweep at Wisconsin on Nov. 24; that they had defeated the Badgers 3-2 at Nebraska on Oct. 21. In opposition to Pitt, which was making its third consecutive nationwide semifinal look, protection was anticipated to be a key issue, because the Huskers and Panthers had been the highest two defensive groups within the nation.

That proved true within the tone-setting first set. The Panthers had 13 hitting errors — their most of any set this season — some on account of going for an excessive amount of towards the Huskers’ protection. Nebraska’s block was additionally fearsome, ending with 15 whole blocks. Allick led the best way with three solo blocks and 7 block assists.

“When the opponent will get pressured, they’ll attempt to hit their comfy shot as laborious as they will,” Allick stated. “To have the ability to take that away early on is one thing that pays off in the long term.”

By the third set, each groups’ defenses had drained a bit, however Nebraska took the most important benefit, hitting .407 for that set. Murray completed with a team-high 13 kills, and fellow freshman Bergen Reilly had 31 assists.

“They’re all tremendous opponents; that is their superpower,” Cook dinner stated of his freshmen. “The larger the stage, the larger the match, the tougher they compete.”

ESPN Stats & Data contributed to this story.