NCAA volleyball championship stunner! Texas sweeps Nebraska

TAMPA — Nobody anticipated a sweep.

Most figured No. 1 Nebraska would win.

After which Texas merely served Nebraska into oblivion.

The seventh-seeded Longhorns destroyed Nebraska 25-22, 25-14, 25-11 Sunday within the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship title match, placing on a serving show like few others. 

The defending-champion Longhorns had a season-high 12 aces — seven within the second set — and made it again to again nationwide titles. Madisen Skinner, who who led with 16 kills, had two aces. Setter Ella Swindle had two.

And Asjia O’Neal saved her finest match for final with a walk-off ace, her fifth of the match. Her earlier finest this season was three. She additionally 4 kills with one error in eight assaults, three blocks and three digs and 5 aces, together with the match winner.

After being down 10-7 within the second set, Texas outscored Nebraska 43-18.

One yr in the past, Texas ended the title match when Keonilei Akana walked it off with an ace towards Louisville. She didn’t have the winner Sunday, however the defensive specialist had two of the Texas aces. Carissa Barnes had the opposite. 

Along with her 16 kills, Skinner, who received a title with Kentucky as a freshman and now has two with Texas, had 5 digs and a block. Jenna Wenaas had 9 kills, two assists, two digs and 4 blocks. Swindle had 5 kills, 21 assists, seven digs and a block. Her crew hit .264, .481 within the third set.

Bella Bergmark had three kills in six errorless tries, two assists, a dig and 4 blocks. Molly Phillips struggled in her final match with a kill and two errors in 11 swings however had two blocks. Emma Halter had 9 digs and 6 assists, Barnes had 4 digs and an help and Akana had 4 digs and an help. 

Nebraska by no means may get untracked offensively because the Huskers hit .013, .000 within the third set. 

Harper Murray, aced on the final play, had seven kills, each Nebraska aces, 5 digs and three blocks. Andi Jackson had 4 kills and three blocks. Bekka Allick had three kills and the very best Nebraska hitting share at .286 to go along with a dig and 4 blocks. Ally Batenhorst had two kills however 5 errors to go along with a dig and a block.

Setter Bergen Reilly had a kill, 17 assists and 6 digs. Laney Choboy had 5 digs and celebrity libero Lexi Rodriguez was by no means an element, ending with six digs and an help.

The gang of 19,727 was yet one more attendance file in a season of attendance and TV-ratings information.

Nebraska pulled to 6-5 within the first set on a Batenhorst kill, the primary level scored by the Huskers due to one thing they did positively offensively. Neither crew may draw back, however with Texas main 20-17, Wenaas capped an extended, spectacular-play-filled rally with a kill, however was known as within the web. 

Bergmark muscled via a block to make it 21-18, however Allick scored on a slde. The Texas lead went to 22-19 when Phillips stuffed Murray. It was her first constructive stat after having an error and no kills in six assaults. 

Allick then blocked O’Neal and issues received nutty. Texas coach Jerritt Elliott was given a pink card card after the purpose for arguing with the down ref. No clarification was given, however the Texas lead was lower to 22-21. 

Murray had an ace to tie it at 22 and Texas known as time.

The Longhorns responded in a giant means. O’Neal and Phillips blocked Batenhorst, Skinner had an incredible kill on an help from Keonilei Akana, who then aced Batenhorst.

Texas responded extremely properly to its subsequent timeout. After Nebraska took a 10-7 lead on a Murray back-row assault, Elliott known as time. And the best way his Longhorns responded, properly, they ran a clinic on Nebraska for the subsequent 11 factors.

Skinner, mis-timing a back-row assault, hit a flat-footed tip that ell to the ground. Wenaas scored on a tip, after which O’Neal went again to serve. 

O’Neal aced, in succession, Beason, Murray — Nebraska known as time — Batenhorst and Murray.

She virtually had one other, however Texas transformed with Skinner out of the again row and it was 14-10.

At that time, Nebraska coach John Prepare dinner put in Hayden Kubik for Batenhorst. She had three swings within the ensuing rally, one which ended along with her getting blocked by Swindle and Bergmark.

Wenaas then blocked Jackson, Wenaas had a kill and Skinner hit one other blast from the again row. The 11-0 run was snapped when Swindle’s dump try was out of bounds.

Earlier than the set ended, Swindle had two aces, the Longhorns’ seventh of the set.  

Nebraska hit minus .036 (6-7-28) within the second set and was at .017 general. 

Texas was at .172 via two units.

The Nebraska activity was easy: Pull a reverse sweep. The final time that occurred in a national-title match was in 2009 when Penn State beat Texas 22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-13. That additionally occurred to be in Tampa and it gave Penn State a 38-0 season and its third NCAA title in a row.

Skinner led Texas in kills in each match this season besides the 4 when Wenaas had essentially the most kills.

Texas, within the nationwide title match for the tenth time, received the final AIAW nationwide championship in 1981 after which NCAA titles in 1988, 2012 and final yr. Texas misplaced in 5 different finals.

Nebraska, which was making its eleventh look in a nationwide semifinal or ultimate, received NCAA titles in 1995, 2000, 2006, 2015 and 2017.