A Nebraska Volleyball Fan's Guide of Who to Cheer For at the Final Four

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The games must go on.

After Nebraska’s season came to an earlier-than-expected ending in the regional final against Texas A&M on Sunday, the NCAA shocked everyone and allowed the national semifinals to continue as scheduled.

Many Husker fans bought tickets for the national semifinals in Kansas City, hoping to watch their team battle for a national championship. While some unloaded the tickets, many others will still make the trek to T-Mobile Center to catch the action. Lots of others will tune in to watch the matches on ESPN on Thursday and ABC on Sunday. However, without NU in the fold, they might be torn on who to root for.

It could be easy to sit this weekend out, but if you do, you'll miss some high-level volleyball and a chance to see the game continue to grow. Here is a guide to the four teams left in the tournament to help determine who to cheer for among the Final Four teams:

Pittsburgh

Record: 30-4, 18-2 The Coach’s argument

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The games must go on? The Huskers defeated Pitt 3-1 in the season opener at the AVCA First Serve Showcase.

The stars: Olivia Babcock is the best player in the country and will likely win her second straight National Player of the Year award on Friday. The junior opposite averages 5.11 kills per set with a .330 hitting percentage. Senior setter Brooke Mosher has developed into an aggressive setter who has excellent distribution and isn’t afraid to go for it on second contact or from behind the service line.

Nebraska connection: Sophomore defensive specialist Mallorie Meyer is a Lincoln East graduate

The coach’s argument: Dan Fisher took to Twitter to appeal to Husker fans to root for his team. His case stated three reasons for NU fans to jump aboard the Pitt bandwagon: “1. We have a libero from Lincoln. 2. Pittsburgh, like Lincoln, is a blue-collar town. 3. There’s no place like Nebraska, or Pittsburgh.”

When asked why he made the appeal and how it went on Wednesday, he responded: “You think it worked?” while smiling. “If you look back at our past Final Fours, only one of them really felt like a neutral. The others felt like we were in a road game like last year at Louisville. Looking at the bracket, again, the driving distance to Nebraska, there was a reality that there’s going to be a lot of Nebraska fans. So that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t take just the regular Kansas City volleyball fan. Hopefully we’ll turn a few and maybe have a little bit of a home-court advantage.”

Texas A&M

Record: 27-4, 14-1 The Coach’s argument

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The games must go on? The Aggies ended NU’s season on Sunday with a 3-2 victory in the regional finals.

The stars: Logan Lednicky is one of the best opposites in the land, not named Olivia Babcock. She spent time with the United States senior national team this summer and is a threat to terminate from the front row or back. Middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla is a force at the net and can hurt teams with her quick attacks and physical block. Their outside hitters might not be as flashy as others, but Kyndal Stowers and Emily Hellmuth swing hard and aggressively.

Nebraska connection: Besides playing just a few days ago, Lednicky was a high school teammate of NU opposite Allie Szech. Coach Jamie Morrison was also the head coach for many of the Huskers on the junior national team, including Andi Jackson, who credited Morrison with changing her perspective on the sport by asking her, “Are you a middle or are you a volleyball player?” Also, the Aggies are quite proud of topping the Huskers and referenced Nebraska 11 times in their press conference on Wednesday.

The Coach’s argument: "First off, you always want the team that beat you to go to the end. There’s logic,” Morrison said. “These girls are easy to cheer for. They’re connected. They love one another. They work hard. They play an exciting brand of volleyball. They connect with people off the court, not just because they have to. Every Sunday, we have kids come down and get autographs. They’ll spend extra time out there. They’re amazing human beings before they’re amazing volleyball players. It turns out they’re also really entertaining to watch.”

Kentucky

Record: 29-2, 15-0 The Aggies ended NU’s season on Sunday with a 3-2 victory in the regional finals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The games must go on? The Huskers outlasted UK in a thrilling, 24-26, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-8 reverse sweep at the Broadway Block Party in Nashville.

The stars: The Wildcats have thrived on the big arms of Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson. The duo is the best pair of outside hitters in the country and averages 4.69 and 4.54 kills per set, respectively. They attack from anywhere on the court and can erase out-of-system plays with elite swings. Setter Kassie O’Brien was named the AVCA National Freshman of the Year on Wednesday and libero Molly Tuozzo was named the MVP of the SEC Conference Tournament.

Nebraska connection: Coach Craig Skinner was an assistant at Nebraska for five years between 2000 and 2004 and won a national title with the Huskers in 2000.

The Coach’s argument: When asked why Nebraska fans should root for the Wildcats, Skinner drew on his connection to the school: “I certainly have an appreciation for the Nebraska fans. Ever since I left, they’ve said hello and wished us luck when we weren’t playing the Huskers. They were always supporting myself and Kentucky, whatever team that we were coaching that particular year,” he said. “The thing I appreciate about those fans is that they love the game and they appreciate the artistry of our sport, how well it’s performed and how dynamic it’s performed.

“One thing I would challenge them to do is bring new fans along with you that maybe aren’t just the ordinary Nebraska fans that go everywhere. Bring more people on board and sell out the football stadium again at some point in time down the road. I appreciate all they’ve done for the sport. Our fans are trying to nip at their heels to get to where they are.”

Wisconsin

Record: 28-4, 17-3 Are you a middle or are you a volleyball player

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The games must go on? The Huskers swept Wisconsin 22, 19, 13 on Halloween in Madison. The Badgers were without setter Charlie Fuerbringer, who missed a month of the season with a shoulder injury.

The stars: Outside hitter Mimi Colyer was third in the nation with 5.39 kills per set. She’s an athletic dynamo who hits hard and can take over a match. The Badgers have played at a different level since Fuebringer’s return. Wisconsin is second in the nation with a .325 hitting percentage. The Badgers hit .348 this year with Fuerbringer in the lineup, only three points lower than the Huskers, which increased to .362 after she came back from injury. Carter Booth, when not dropping expletives in post-match interviews, is a force at the net. The 6-foot-7 middle blocker is averaging 2.13 kills per set at a .454 clip with 1.17 blocks per set.

Nebraska connection: Besides being Big Ten rivals, the Badgers feature freshman middle blocker and Lincoln Southeast graduate Natalie Wardlow, who coach Kelly Sheffield calls “Natty Spice.” Wardlow has been primarily used as a serving specialist and is second on the team with 25 aces. Also, pin hitter Grace Egan went to the same high school as Nebraska legend Lexi Rodriguez.

The Coach’s argument: After pointing out Wardlow, Sheffield wasn’t sure he could change anyone’s mind about who to cheer for.

“I’m not sure anything I say is going to flip a single Nebraska fan. They’re either going to support the Big Ten, get behind the Big Ten and respect how we play and the battles and the history that the two teams have,” Sheffield said. “Or you’re so disgusted with that team and me and everything else that comes with it, that no matter what I say, is it not going to convince anybody. And both are fair.”

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