The NCAA volleyball tournament is down to the final four, a who’s who of powerhouse programs representing the last teams standing.
No. 1 seed Wisconsin, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 4 Texas and No. 6 Washington all won on Monday to advance to the national semifinals. Wisconsin faces Texas and Kentucky takes on Washington, each one win from playing for the national crown.
Here are some key takeaways from Monday’s action:

Longhorns back in familiar setting
Although his team hasn’t faced Texas in a few years, Nebraska coach John Cook has game-planned for the Longhorns enough times over the years to have a pretty good idea of what is needed to try and slow them down.

Sometimes, though, that chore is easier said than done. Monday was a perfect example.

Sparked by punishing attacking from outside hitters Skylar Fields and Logan Eggleston, Texas defeated Nebraska 25-22, 19-25, 25-15, 25-21 in a regional final and earned its first trip to the Final Four since 2016. The appearance in the national semifinals four years ago was the Longhorns’ eighth in a nine-year span.

“We went to eight out of nine Final Fours and then we hadn’t made it the last three years,” Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said. “It’s pretty easy as a coach to start questioning whether you’re ever going to get back again.”

With Fields and Eggleston leading the way, middle blockers Asjia O’Neal and Brionne Butler and outside hitter Molly Phillips providing a big block, those questions yielded a lot of answers. Namely, that Texas (26-1) was simply too powerful for its former Big 12 rival.

Fields, who had a .630 hitting percentage, and Eggleston each had 18 kills. O’Neal had 10 kills and 3 1/2 blocks, while Butler and Phillips tallied 2 1/2 blocks apiece. Setter Jhenna Gabriel headlined the Longhorns’ attack, which produced a .336 hitting percentage.

“They’re a big, physical team,” Nebraska coach John Cook said after the Cornhuskers dropped to 2-4 vs. Texas during the NCAA tournament. “They’ve got five great hitters and you’ve got to put some stress on them, and we didn’t do enough of that and let them get some big runs.”

Nebraska (16-3) capitalized on Texas’ serving woes to win the second set and tie the match at 1-1. But the Longhorns grab command early in the third set to win the frame and regain control. Texas then overcame an early five-point deficit in the fourth set, taking a 15-14 advantage as libero Morgan O’Brien served for three straight points.
The teams pulled even a couple of times, the last at 16-16, before the Longhorns used a 5-1 surge to get the cushion they needed.

“They were just making plays and we couldn’t stop them,” Nebraska junior setter Nicklin Hames said of Texas’ late charge.

Don’t call it a comeback
Less than 24 hours earlier, Washington walked away from the CHI Health Center Convention Center overwhelmed with emotion after authoring an improbable rally that turned what appeared to be a certain defeat into victory.

The Huskies trailed Louisville 7-1 and 11-5 in the decisive fifth set before mounting a comeback to grab a 12-11 lead behind the serving of senior Maria Bogomolova and eventually secured a 25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 25-14, 15-13 triumph.

So, what did Washington do for an encore?

The Huskies rallied after losing the first two sets, escaping being a match point down in the fourth set when a replay of a challenge showed that a ball originally called out had landed in, and outlasted Pittsburgh 20-25, 21-25, 25-16, 26-24, 15-9.

Washington will play in the national semifinals vs. Kentucky, which earned its first appearance in the Final Four.

“I think it just goes to show how gritty this team is,” said Washington setter Ella May Powell, who totaled 48 assists, 14 digs, three aces and three blocks. “It’s just really fun to see people show up in these moments. I don’t want to say we weren’t tired (after Sunday night), but it’s definitely hard not to.”

The Huskies shook off lingering fatigue from its match vs. Louisville, hitting a groove in the third set and sustaining the momentum the remainder of the way.

“I think we know a little bit what’s possible with this team and that we’re going to fight to the end,” said Washington outside hitter Samantha Drechsel, who had 17 kills and 11 digs.

No. 1 Badgers hang on
If not a prohibitive favorite, top seed Wisconsin was at least the frontrunner to capture the national championship.
The Badgers have size in the middle in 6-foot-8 Dana Rettke, strong setting from Sydney Hilley, tough defense led by libero Lauren Barnes and a solid attack on the outside led by Molly Haggerty.

Perhaps more prized is Wisconsin had the motivation of taking the proverbial next step after coming up short in last year’s national final.

All of it, though, was almost rendered meaningless.

The Badgers rallied from a 9-6 deficit in the fifth set and nipped Florida 30-28, 18-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-12.
Haggerty had 17 kills, Rettke totaled 16 kills, Barnes had 28 digs and two aces and Hilley added 49 assists and 17 digs.

“It was just two teams that battled,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “It’s a match that certainly our players will probably remember for the rest of their lives. They dug in there and just made a lot of plays.”

Top performers
Skylar Fields, Texas: 18 kills and .630 hitting percentage vs. Nebraska
Logan Eggleston, Texas: 18 kills, five aces, 2.5 blocks vs. Nebraska
Asjia O’Neal, Texas: 10 kills, .471 hitting percentage, 3.5 blocks vs. Nebraska
Alli Stumler, Kentucky: 15 kills, .351 hitting percentage, nine digs vs. Purdue
Madison Lilley, Kentucky: 35 assists, 10 digs, two aces vs. Purdue
Ella May Powell, Washington: 48 assists, 14 digs, 3 blocks, 3 aces vs. Pittsburgh
Samantha Drechsel, Washington: 17 kills, .343 hitting clip, 11 digs vs. Pittsburgh
Claire Hoffman, Washington: 17 kills, two blocks vs. Pittsburgh
Molly Haggerty, Wisconsin: 17 kills, .261 hitting percentage vs. Florida
Sydney Hilley, Wisconsin: 49 assists, 17 digs vs. Florida
Thayer Hall, Florida: 23 kills, 16 digs vs. Wisconsin
Marlie Monserez, Florida: 46 assists, 22 digs, five kills, two blocks vs. Wisconsin
T’Ara Ceasar, Florida: 17 kills, 19 digs, four aces vs. Wisconsin
Lauren Forte, Florida: 10 kills, .588 hitting percentage, 3.5 blocks vs. Wisconsin

By the numbers
12.5: Blocks recorded by Texas in a four-set victory vs. Nebraska. The Longhorns, paced by Asjia O’Neal (3 1/2 blocks) and Logan Eggleston, Brionne Butler and Molly Phillips (each with 2 1/2 blocks), limited Nebraska to a .171 hitting percentage. The Cornhuskers were hitting about .277 entering the match.

4,154: Announced attendance for Monday’s regional final match between Nebraska and Texas at the CHI Health Center arena in Omaha, Neb. It was the first time matches were open to the general public. Previously, only family of coaches and players were allowed entry.

They said it
“For me, I am not a late-night person. Actually, most nights I am in bed (at) 9:30 p.m. So, whenever I heard we were the late match, we really had to pull together and know we had to get our eyes on the prize. Overall, we know we’re here to win it all.” — Kentucky outside hitter Alli Stumler on the Wildcats playing the nightcap two days in a row

“We might have not this season faced a team that took us to five (sets), but every day in practice we put ourselves in those situations. So, being in that fifth set felt like home. We’ve done it so many times; we were well prepared for that moment.” — Wisconsin outside hitter Molly Haggerty on outlasting Florida in five sets

“We’ve got a lot of respect for Nebraska — they’re one of the premier programs in the country — and to play here and win on their floor is always special. I thought our team just kind of kept battling. It wasn’t a smooth night for us, but we just kind of kept at it.” — Texas coach Jerritt Elliott

“It was a heck of a match. I couldn’t be more proud of our team and how they battled. We did so many good things. Credit Wisconsin for the plays they made in the back half of the fifth set.” — Florida coach Mary Wise on five-set loss to No. 1 seed Wisconsin

“I’m super-grateful for this team; everything we did this year. It’s been a really hard year with COVID, starting and stopping, never knowing what it’s going to look like.” — Nebraska junior setter Nicklin Hames

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