Columbus-bound: Huskers upend rival Texas to punch another Final Four ticket – HuskerExtra.com

AUSTIN, Texas — There are one or two more matches to be played later.

But for the Nebraska volleyball team, the comeback from a low point earlier in the season is complete, and the state’s beloved sports team is headed back to the NCAA Final Four.

That dream was realized when the Huskers took down mighty Texas and its crazy-good offense on Saturday in the NCAA Elite Eight 25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21.

And maybe even sweeter for No. 10 Nebraska, it beat No. 2 Texas on its home court at Gregory Gymnasium. The Nebraska players were booed during warmups, and the Texas students kept the heat on for most of the match.

In the end of the second set when Texas went on a 3-0 run to tie the match at 22-22 Nebraska called a timeout. And then for the next few minutes the music and cheering was as loud as the music sounds outside the clubs down on Sixth Street in Austin.

And this was a Texas squad that setter Jhenna Gabriel said a few days ago wasn’t a Sweet 16-type team, but a national championship-winning team.

But this is the third time Nebraska had ended legitimate national championship hopes for the Longhorns, joining the 1995 and 2015 national championship matches when Nebraska beat Texas.

Madi Kubik and Ally Batenhorst led the Huskers with 15 kills apiece. Lindsay Krause had 13 kills and four blocks. Keonilei Akana had seven ace serves, and Lexi Rodriguez had 20 digs.

Nebraska completed a two-month journey back from a pretty low spot by Nebraska’s lofty standards. Back in September, Nebraska lost three straight matches. After one of those matches, Nebraska coach John Cook said, “we did nothing.”

But Nebraska’s defense won the Huskers a lot of matches, and this time the Huskers got enough offense to stun the Longhorns. Nebraska had 58 kills and Texas 49.

Nebraska had nine ace serves. Texas had 14 serving errors, many in big moments in the second and third sets.

Nebraska is going to the Final Four for the fifth time in seven years, but had missed out on the past two.

Cook has gotten Nebraska to the Final Four 10 times and usually as one of the frontrunners in college volleyball. This time Nebraska was the underdog.

Going into the tournament Nebraska was the No. 3 team in its part of the bracket. Now the Huskers are one of the four teams still playing.

This is the first time Nebraska has reached the Final Four under Cook when ranked lower than sixth.

The season hasn’t been great, but it all came together over two hours late into the night in Texas.

Nebraska was getting kills from each position, digging big shots from Texas’ superstar hitters and serving great. Nebraska won the close sets that have hurt them several times in the past, winning the second set 25-23, fighting off a late Texas rally.

How Nebraska won the first set came as a surprise: It was the Huskers’ freshmen pin hitters, who have been hit-or-miss at times this season.

They hit on Saturday, with Krause and Batenhorst combining for eight kills on their first eight attempts of the match as the Huskers raced to a 20-13 lead. Their combined hitting streak only ended when Batenhorst sent over a free ball on their combined ninth attempt.

Nebraska had a strong start to the match, and got a big advantage by getting two of Texas’ most dangerous servers, Logan Eggleston and Melanie Parra, off the line without making a run.

Serving was also a big difference, with Nebraska serving three aces and allowing none. Keonilea Akana served back to back aces the Huskers led 17-10.

Nebraska’s defense had 15 digs in the set to hold Texas to .125 hitting for the set.

Texas led early in the second set before Nebraska pulled ahead with a 6-0 run for a 18-11 lead. Texas rallied and tied the set at 22 when Skyler Fields came getting kills. But the Longhorns had two serves sail out in the final four rallies.

Nebraska converted its first set point, when a tough serve by Kenzie Knuckles led to a bad pass that Kayla Caffey blasted back for a kill, a 25-23 set win and a 2-0 match lead.

Nebraska was in position for the sweep with a 20-18 lead in the third set. But Texas rallied with Skylar Fields pounding kills at the net. Texas won a review for an ace to make it 24-22, then blocked Krause on set point for a 25-23 set win.

In Nebraska’s clinching fourth set, Nebraska broke Texas down with an 8–0 serving run by Kubik for a 20-12 lead. Kubik served two aces, and Texas’ passing was a mess, with Batenhorst blasting back two kills on overpasses.

Texas got the deficit to 21-19. But Nebraska held on, and Krause got the final kill on a shot that deflected into the Texas’ student section.

Check back later for more photos and updates to this story