The DN’s coverage of the NCAA volleyball tournament is presented by Atmosphere Lincoln.
No. 1 ranked Nebraska faced off against No. 5 Texas in the national championship game in Tampa. Sunday marked the third time the two teams have met in the title game with the Huskers winning the previous two matchups in 1995 and 2015. This time around, it was a different story as Nebraska suffered its second sweep of the season (22-25, 14-25, 11-25).
The Longhorns came into Sunday with a ton of momentum following their upset win over No. 2 Wisconsin in the Final Four. The Huskers, on the other hand, earned a trip to the big game after their dominant performance over what was a rolling Pittsburgh team on Thursday.
With an uncharacteristic performance, the Huskers dropped their 11th national championship appearance as a sixth title continues to elude them. A dream season came to a nightmare end.
Here are three takeaways and a question from the loss:
Texas’ ace avalanche
Texas has a superpower. The Longhorns’ victory over No. 2 Wisconsin showcased their incredible serve, a weapon that looked like the best in the sport against the Badgers.
By serving toward the back line and dropping serves right in front of receivers, Texas was able to completely take away the Badgers’ high-powered offense. Junior outside hitter Madisen Skinner was the leading force as she racked up a record 6 aces to secure her third national title appearance.
Entering Sunday’s match, Nebraska knew it would have to withstand Texas’ serve which they did a solid job of to start the game. However, the wheels fell off the bus in the second set as the Longhorns tallied a game-high seven aces, throwing the Husker offense out of sync.
Senior middle blocker Asjia O'Neal showed why she was taken with the first pick in the Pro Volleyball Federation’s draft in the second set. She racked up four aces in a row, fueling an 11-0 run in the set. Texas finished with 12 aces in the game which ultimately ended up being too much for the Huskers to overcome.
Resilience not enough
Whether down two sets to one against Wisconsin or down 2-0 on the road against Penn State, Nebraska has been able to fight with their backs against the wall this season.
Once again the Huskers found themselves in that position on Sunday after a rough start put them down 4-0. Nebraska would respond to get back into the set tying it up at 22 after an ace by star freshman outside hitter Harper Murray. However, as was the case throughout most of the day, Texas was able to step on the gas and win the set 25-22.
The Huskers had only lost one set in the tournament before Sunday. However, they lost all three against the Longhorns, getting swept for only the second time this season. Hopes of a reverse sweep like they pulled off at Penn State were dashed quickly as Texas maintained a sizable lead in the final set.
While the set scores may not reflect it, Nebraska never gave up. The Huskers continued to fight and scrap after every point. Murray led the way with seven kills on the day. Perhaps Nebraska’s best play of the night came when Murray jumped on the announcer’s table to keep a ball in play. The commendable effort still ended in a Longhorn point, indicative of the team's struggle all afternoon.
No offense means no defense
The Huskers’ weapon all season was their defense as they came into Sunday holding teams to a scarce .096 hitting percentage in the tournament. Texas’ serve systematically broke down the Nebraska offense, stopping it before it started while placing the defense in compromising positions all game.
It is hard to stay as locked in on defense when you spend the entire game on the ropes. The Huskers were never quite able to gain momentum on offense, playing the majority of the game out of system. This led to Longhorn scoring opportunities in transition.
Texas hit .264 while holding Nebraska to a horrid .013 clip on Sunday which made a Husker win nearly impossible.
Will they win one?
Sunday’s result was not the one that Nebraska fans had hoped for as the Huskers lost their second national championship game in three years. However cliche it might seem, the Nebraska faithful have a lot to look forward to.
Going into Sunday’s match, the team's future was bright regardless of the result. While nothing is promised in sports, as the 2021 team taught us, Nebraska being a dominant force in the sport in the next few years is about as close as you can get.
The Huskers went 33-2 this season with no graduating seniors on the roster. While that leaves some questions for the construction of next year's team with yet another uberly talented freshman class making their way to Lincoln, it bodes well for Nebraska’s chances moving forward either way. No team has won a national title without having any seniors since Pacific did way back in 1986.
A hungry team is what fans should expect next season. With another postseason loss to serve as motivation and a young roster with a deep tournament run under their belt, the Huskers will be on the short list of favorites for next year's national championship.
It’s hard to imagine that some iteration of this Nebraska freshman class will walk away without securing the Huskers’ sixth championship win. For now, fans will have to wait on number six as this year's team mourns the tough loss in Tampa.
sports@dailynebraskan.com
