I remember the exact moment that I fell in love with volleyball. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics was an especially refreshing program on TV. It gave us a break from the ‘BREAKING NEWS,’ rising death tolls from COVID-19, and the stress associated with it.
What I vividly remember was a U.S.A. men’s volleyball match against Brazil. The commentator only grew more excited with every attack and serve. After 30 minutes, I learned the names of the players, discovered their alma mater, and heard about the clubs they played for professionally.
Tokyo was a gateway into the collegiate world of volleyball. I never understood the idea of “school spirit” until I was exposed to more college matches. Over time, you pick your favorite players, become invested in a team’s progress, learn about their big rivalries, and then you just get it. You’re in.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Harper Murray. Andi Jackson. Lexi Rodriguez. Bergen Reilley.
Now that’s a lineup.
In terms of how their season progressed, some can say Nebraska has entered their golden era. For months, the Cornhuskers did not lose a single match. Ever since the heart-shattering loss during the Championship Final game last season, it’s clear the Huskers have put in the work.
Nebraska’s most decorated libero, Lexi Rodriguez, is a member of the U.S.A. National Team and is going to play professional volleyball with the League One Volleyball (LOVB) Omaha team. Middle blocker Andy Jackson is not far behind on the Olympic track, winning gold in 2022 with the U.S.A. U19 team. Setter Bergen Reilly was on the same U.S.A. U19 team, and won gold in the Pan American Cup with Jackson. She was also the first Husker to be named Setter of the Year twice in one season. Outside hitter Harper Murray was the number one recruit in America in her recruiting class two years ago. She has overcome tremendous mental challenges amidst the cyber bullying she faced after last year’s championship loss. She has grown as an athlete and teammate, which secured Nebraska’s high ranking this season. Needless to say, this roster is impeccable.
As of November 30th, 2024, Nebraska took down Maryland which allowed them to claim the title of Big Ten Conference Champions, a title that is shared with Penn State.
Many Division 1 athletes share similar accolades, but it is not without analyzing the Huskers play-by-play that reveal what makes them a top team.
Former Husker athlete Ally Batenhorst, who transferred to the University of Southern California this season, played against Nebraska. She said in an interview that this team was especially “disciplined, consistent, and hard to read.” USC fell short 3-0 against Nebraska earlier in the season on September 29th, 2024.
Being “hard to read” is a game-changing advantage because it sets the offense up for success. If the opposing team’s blockers can not predict who Bergen will set, they will not be able to block the Huskers successfully or make defensive back-row plays. Opposing teams often struggled to uphold defense against Nebraska this season. In fact, even during the championship game, athletes on the opposing team would complain about defending against Nebraska, since it was such a challenging feat.
It was clear that Nebraska was a strong contender for the National Championship.
Texas Longhorns
Shockingly, last year’s National Champions struggled to protect their title. Texas made many changes to their lineup and rotations. The transfer from Baylor University, junior setter Averi Carlson, replaced Ella Swindle in the starting position. After the Longhorns’ first few games, it was clear that they were struggling. First, fans were upset with head coach Jerritt Elliott’s decision to replace Swindle with Carlson. Swindle was a sophomore who led the Longhorns to the Championship Final in 2023, so her fanbase was substantial by the start of the 2024 season. Carlson received a lot of backlash through social media and received hate mail such as death threats throughout the season. Secondly, for the first time in decades, Elliott decided to change from their 5-1 rotation to a 6-2 rotation.
On each side of a volleyball court, there are six players. Most D1 programs have a 5-1 rotation consisting of two outside hitters, one setter, one middle blocker, one right side attacker, and a libero. Ideally, the outside hitters and libero are responsible for serve receive and the setter takes the second ball contact. The third contact is usually an attack from a hitter or middle blocker. Teams get creative with the offense, the tempo at which hitters attack the ball, and the defensive coverage.
A 5-1 rotation means that out of the six players on the court, there is only one setter. A 6-2 means there are two setters on the court at all times. This can be advantageous during out-of-system plays – when the front row setter can’t get the second ball. But Texas struggled with on-court communication during rallies which cost them games. They lost to unranked teams, which made fans doubt how far Texas would progress in Nationals.
As the season progressed, things began to look up for Texas. It seemed as though the starting players were becoming comfortable with each other, handling out-of-system plays more efficiently, and utilizing each player’s strengths.
A conversation about Texas must include their standout player: Madisen Skinner. When she was a junior, she made it on the USA National Team and played in the Volleyball National League (VNL). She also helped win a National Championship with Kentucky and with Texas during her collegiate career. She’s known for her lethal front and back row attacks. As one of Texas’ primary scorers, she has been very consistent this season.
Texas v. Nebraska Rivalry
Texas and Nebraska’s history is intense. In 2023, Texas and Nebraska were neck and neck skill-wise. However, the Huskers broke down during finals. Their serve receive cost them points and allowed Texas to score over 10 points in a row from service points alone. This advantage secured the Championship for Texas. Since then, Nebraska has worked overtime to improve their mental and physical capabilities to remain calm and consistent throughout their matches.
This was not the first time Texas and Nebraska had fought. In both the 1995 and 2015 National Championship Final, the two went head to head with Nebraska coming out victorious both times.
Before the 2024 Championship seeding came out, fans were eager to see how Nebraska and Texas would stack up against each other – not from a physical standpoint, but from a mental perspective.
After the 2023 championship final, people sent death threats, harassed Huskers via social media, and even sent angry mail to the players’ parents. Murray, who was a freshman at the time, would open her Instagram account and see comments as inhumane as “your late father would be disappointed in you.” It was never ending. They were surrounded.
Battling self-doubt coupled with cyberbullying as an athlete is as mentally damaging as it comes. Fans were curious if the pressure of challenging Texas again would eat away at the confidence Nebraska established early on this season.
Disappointingly, they never got the chance to go up against each other again.
Both Nebraska and Texas were seeded first in their regions. Nebraska started off strong, beating their first opponent, Florida A&M, with a score of 3-0. Notably, A&M lost the first set 3-25. The Huskers made it to the fifth round but Texas wasn’t able to make it out of their regional pool after their third game. Nebraska fell short to Penn State for the second time this season, losing 2-3. This game gave a teaser of the level Penn State was playing at this season.
Nebraska, the anticipated National Champions, couldn’t bring the trophy home this year. Who came out on top were two unexpected teams: Louisville and Penn State.
Showdown.
When the time came, Louisville and Penn State silenced their doubters. Record attendance was set in the KFC Yum! Center. These respective teams had to leave their all on the court. It all came down to this moment.
Louisville’s roster was far from lackluster.
Their libero, Elena Scott, was runner up for the AVCA Player of the Year award. She was the first libero since 2006 to win the AVCA National Player of the Week award as well as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award. She’s one of the country’s top ranked defensive players, wracking up 1,352 career digs so far. Having such a scrappy libero in the back row that can fly laterally and dig the entire court successfully is vital in the fight for first place.
No matter how impressive Louisville’s defense was this season, they were no match for Penn State’s offense. Penn State’s starting outside hitter, Jess Mruzik, set a career high with 29 kills (an unreturnable attack) in one match. Deservingly, she won Player of the Match. Their middle blocker Taylor Trammell had a 0.467 hitting percentage in this game, which means almost 50% of her attempted attacks ended in kills. Setter Izzy Starck showed up and showed out with an impressive 55 assists in the 4-set killer. Furthermore, libero Gillian Grimes had a total of 25 digs (reception of an attack) during this game, averaging a jaw-dropping 6.25 digs per set. All of the Nittany Lions played at their strengths and kept their offense unreadable, proving the world wrong. Penn State hasn’t lost their touch.
Impact
What it came down to was consistent serve receive and hitting smart. To be a master of the offense is to know where your opponents are. Hitters who can read the opposing blocker’s hands better, maintain an early lead, hit trickier angles, and efficiently fool their opponents will be the ones who will take home the gold.
Unlike last year’s championship final, it wasn’t just a mental game. It was a true test to these athletes’ sheer willpower and physical toughness which made it all the more thrilling.
It’s uncertain how the Huskers will perform next season with the loss of Head Coach John Cook. In replacement, former Louisville coach Dani Busboom Kelly will take over the throne. Despite the change in leadership, it should not be difficult for the Huskers to break through the top ten ranks, having such admirable work ethic and skill. Likewise, Texas has top notch transfers coming in this season to fill in such large shoes. It will not be a surprise to see Texas perform in next year’s championship tournament either.
Good luck to the final four next year, and may the odds be ever in your favor.
In terms of how their season progressed, some can say Nebraska has entered their golden era. For months, the Cornhuskers did not lose a single match. Ever since the heart-shattering loss during the Championship Final game last season, it’s clear the Huskers have put in the work.