Nebraska Sweeps Pitt, NCAA Volleyball Final Against Texas

Get our free mobile app

TAMPA, Fla. -- Nebraska coach John Cook was scheduled to speak Friday on a panel at the coaches' convention that accompanies the volleyball championship. But he laughed and said he was "going to bail on it" because his team gave him a good reason.

Cook will be preparing for Sunday's national championship match, which will be televised on ABC for the first time.

In Thursday's semifinals, the No. 1 overall seed Cornhuskers swept the Pitt Panthers, also a No. 1 seed, 25-20, 25-23, 25-17 before a crowd of 19,598 at Amalie Arena. They will face No. 2 seed Texas, which upset No. 1 seed Wisconsin in the other semifinal, 25-22, 20-25, 25-13, 25-16. Texas is the defending champion.

The Huskers (33-1) are in the NCAA final for the 11th time. They've won five titles. It is the 10th appearance in the NCAA final for the Longhorns (27-4), who have won three titles (they also won one in the AIAW era). Nebraska beat Texas for the 2015 national championship.

The two schools were conference rivals during their shared time in the Big 12, from 1996 to 2010, before the Huskers moved to the Big Ten. Overall, Nebraska holds a 33-24 edge in the series; the programs first played in 1981 and most recently played in the 2021 NCAA regional finals won by the Huskers

Texas was peaking at the right time, as they basically steamrollered the Badgers in the third and fourth sets Thursday.

Serving was a big part of that, as Texas finished with 11 aces. Big 12 Player of the Year Madisen Skinner had six of them, the most by a player in the national semifinals or championship game. She also led Texas with 18 kills and had nine digs.

Meanwhile, Nebraska is in the final four for the 17th time. This season, even with several newcomers including four freshmen who've played big roles, Nebraska has carried on its program's tradition. The arriving players were greeted outside the arena Thursday by the familiar sea of red.

That proved true in the tone-setting first set. The Panthers had 13 hitting errors -- their most of any set this season -- some as a result of going for too much against the Huskers' defense. Nebraska's block was also fearsome, finishing with 15 total blocks. Allick led the way with three solo blocks and seven block assists.

By the third set, both teams' defenses had tired a little, but Nebraska took the biggest advantage, hitting .407 for that set. Murray finished with a team-high 13 kills, and fellow freshman Bergen Reilly had 31 assists.