WATCH: Joy unconfined for Nebraska Cornhuskers as players celebrate victory over Pittsburgh Panthers to reach National Championship
After an exhilarating semifinals, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have made it through to their 11th NCAA Volleyball Championships finals. Fans got to witness the number one side take on the Pittsburgh Panthers, and ultimately dominate the court.
Coming into this match, the Cornhuskers looked extremely promising, with only one loss the entire season and a strongly stacked team. They had previously defeated the Panthers in 2021 in another NCAA Final Four match, and repeated the feat with ease today at the Tampa Arena in Florida.
For the Nebraska Cornhuskers, this was their fifth championship appearance in nine years, a brag not afforded to many others. The team has previously lifted the trophy five times, of which four victories have come under the current head coach John Cook.
After a match where the Huskers were absolutely flawless, the score read 25-20, 25-23, and 25-17. The last point of the third set was rather anti-climactic, as a net violation from the Pitts meant that Nebraska erupted into cheers on court, as the commentator announced:
"A net violation and number one Nebraska marching into the championship!"
Watch the video of the Nebraska Cornhuskers' final point, and the excitement that ensued:
Nebraska Cornhuskers bring their A-game
For the Nebraska Cornhuskers, this game was everything they could have hoped for and more. They had a difficult opponent in the Pittsburgh Panthers, who were making their third consecutive semi final appearance, but managed to pull through without a hitch.
The Huskers played an impeccable attack throughout the game as Harper Murray lodged a match-high 13 kills, while Andi Jackson and sophomore Bekka Allick claimed five and four kills each.
Allick, who's been having a stellar season, gave the best three-set performance of her entire collegiate career, totaling an impressive 10 blocks.
Another standout player of the game was Merrit Beason who scored 14.5 individual points.
All in all, the Nebraska Cornhuskers overpowered the Pittsburgh Panthers in every manner possible, bringing down the latter's hitting average to an unimpressive .137, when they boasted a season average of .308.
The Huskers will face off against either the Texas Longhorns or the Wisconsin Badgers in the championship match. Wisconsin are the favorites to make it to the finals from that end of the bracket, and will be fueled with confidence, being the only team to have beaten Nebraska this season.
The finals will take place on the 17th of December at 3 PM ET, in the Tampa Arena of Florida. The live stream of the match will be made available to fans on ESPN, the ESPN apps, and Fubo.