University of Washington
Nebraska (Regional Semifinal)
Huskies Shocked In Round Of 16
December 13, 2014 | Volleyball
SEATTLE – The Huskies never lost their fire, and the nearly seven thousand fans in Alaska Airlines Arena never stopped believing, but the tremendous execution that characterized Washington's amazing season was too seldom seen tonight in the NCAA round of 16, and 14th-seeded Nebraska pulled off the stunning upset, 20-25, 25-20, 25-22, 29-27. The Huskies (31-3) saved four match points in the tension-filled fourth set, but could never quite inch ahead, and Washington saw its 34-match home win streak and national title chase come to an end too soon.
“As hard as this is, and when you're in this business it's extreme, you're either really high or you're really low,” said Head Coach Jim McLaughlin in the post-match press conference. “But even in the lowest I've been in, I told the team in the locker room, I've never been prouder of a group of women. Twenty-five years as a head coach. We pushed them, they didn't push back, they improved, they made a ton of progress. They dealt with adversity with great maturity and character, and they fought hard, they showed a lot of heart. So I am extremely proud in every way, shape, and form. I don't know if I could be prouder of these guys.”
Washington was making its ninth round of 16 appearance in the past 12 seasons, but lost for only the second time in that round, both times now coming against the Cornhuskers, who also defeated the Huskies in 2012 in Omaha. Nebraska now advances to play BYU on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. back at Alaska Airlines Arena for a spot in the Final Four.
Seniors Krista Vansant and Kaleigh Nelson, standouts on and off the court that developed into All-Americans during their time as Huskies, unfortunately had to say goodbye to the home fans tonight. Vansant, the two-time Pac-12 Player of the Year, 2013 National Player of the Year, and all-time Husky career kills leader, led UW with 15 kills tonight, but the Huskers did well to limit her to just a .273 attack percentage and just eight kills after the first set. Nelson also had 10 kills and a team-best seven blocks, but was held to a .259 mark herself as Washington as a team hit just .235, its fourth-lowest mark of the year.
Nebraska hit .293, the highest mark by a Husky opponent since the third match of the year. Washington closed out the first set on a 7-2 run to take it, and the Huskies had won their past 58 matches in which they had taken the first set. But the Huskers, who despite their nine losses, had played one of the nation's hardest schedules, dug in and put UW in big holes in each of the next two sets. Four Huskers finished with at least 12 kills, compared to UW which had only Vansant and Nelson in double figures. Cecilia Hall was dominant for Nebraska, earning 14 kills on 17 swings without an error for a .824 attack percentage. Washington had 13.0 blocks to 7.0 for the Huskers, but Nebraska had 70 kills overall with UW at 53.
Nebraska took three of the first four points of the match, but Scambray ended a long rally with a back row kill down through the blockers, and then Vansant hit off the block and down to tie it. The first Husky block, from Crissy Jones and Lianna Sybeldon, made it a four-point UW run for a 5-3 lead. A right side missile from Jones found the floor to make it 8-6 Dawgs. A tough Jade Finau serve took the Huskers out of system and Melanie Wade put the Finau set down in transition for 9-6. Vansant's third early kill, on a roll shot over the block, made it 11-8. Another Jones kill got the Huskies to the media timeout with a 15-13 lead. Kaleigh Nelson pounded one down from the left for 16-14 Huskies. Nelson missed a big chance as Nebraska overpassed the Wade serve but Nelson missed it just wide, and then Nebraska got a second contact kill from Kadie Rolfzen to get within one. UW then passed too tight and Finau was called for the back row block and Nebraska had suddenly tied it at 18-all and UW took timeout. The Huskies got some momentum back out of the break as Sybeldon and Nelson rejected a Nebraska swing, and then Bailey Tanner's serve was overpassed and Vansant pushed it down for 20-18, and Nebraska called timeout. Out of the break, Tanner aced one off the arms of Kadie Rolfzen for a three-point lead before NU got the side out. Vansant earned a kill on a blocking error and then followed that up with a swooping back row rocket from Tanner for 23-20 and Nebraska used its last timeout. A Husker error got the Dawgs to set point at 24-20, and Nebraska missed again on the next rally to end it, 25-20. The Huskies hit .310 in the set and Nebraska dropped to .147 with the last couple misses. Vansant put down seven kills on 10 swings without an error to hit .700.
The teams traded the first few points in the second set, with Sybeldon earning a tip kill and another off the Husker middle for a 4-4 tie. Nebraska hit a bump set over the net onto UW's side, but Jones got brushed by the ball on the sideline for a kill, and then Scambray was blocked, and the Huskies needed timeout down 4-8. Out of the break, Sybeldon got the Dawgs back on track with a quick strike. Jones crushed another on the right side to get UW within 7-9. A tip kill from Cecilia Hall extended back to a four-point Nebraska lead, and another transition kill from Kadie Rolfzen made it 8-13 Huskers before NU missed serve. Sybeldon smashed another down for 10-15, but UW followed with a service miss. Another Nebraska transition kill made it 10-17 and the Huskies needed their second timeout. Nebraska added one more before missing serve, but they answered right back with a middle kill. A Strickland jump serve produced a tough setting chance and a double-hit for 13-19. She then took some speed off and rolled it to the end line for an ace and NU took a break for the first time. The Huskers converted in serve-receive out of the break to get Strickland off the line and make it 14-20. The Huskers put two more away as UW struggled with its passing. Courtney Schwan checked in for the first time to try and give the Huskies a spark, but the Huskies still could not buy a kill, and Nebraska got to set point at 14-24. Jones and Wade snapped the 5-0 run with a block, and Schwan had a kill to save another. Wade got a kill on a Nebraska block error, and then she was at the center of a triple block to save another set point and the Huskers called timeout at 18-24. The same triple block ended another long rally to keep the run going, and then a third-straight on the same side made it 20-24, as the crowd continued to grow louder. Finally, on its seventh set point chance, the Huskers got a kill on a slide to end it, 25-20. The Huskies hit just .105 in the set while Nebraska hit .325, and Vansant was held without a kill on eight swings after the red hot first set. Sybeldon was a bright spot for UW with four kills on five swings.
A great pass from Scambray got Nelson the kill on the Finau assist to open the third. A three-point run by Nebraska made it 3-5, until Sybeldon put away the Tanner set to snap it. Nebraska dropped an ace short to make it 4-8 and the Huskies needed the early timeout. Wade missed one just wide but Jones came back with a kill to get the Dawgs back to the service line down 5-9. Another 3-0 Husker run put UW in a 5-12 hole, until Wade converted a Finau set. Nelson had one tip kill and another on a sharp swing from the right for 8-14, but UW could not slow down the Husker attack. Another long rally ended in a Nebraska kill to make it 8-16 and UW used its final timeout. Out of the break, Tanner found Vansant for her first kill since the first set, but Nebraska answered right back. UW continued to side out more efficiently with Scambray and Jones kills, but could not get a point on its own service to close the gap. Scambray changed that with an ace off the defense for 13-19. Nelson ripped one down the right sideline for 14-20, then a Scambray dig led to a Vansant transition kill to get within five. Another tough Wade serve led to a Nelson and Sybeldon stuff on the right for 16-20 and Nebraska needed time. Hall came through out of the break in serve-receive for Nebraska to stop the UW run, and a big Finau dig led a Vansant blast for 17-21. The Huskers had a double on their next set, and then sailed their next swing wide for 19-21, as the crowd got to its feet and NU took its second timeout. The Huskers tipped to the front corner for a kill to get back to a three-point lead, but the Husky block stood strong on the next rally to force an error and make it 20-22. A huge rally with some crucial UW digs from Tanner and Vansant led to a Scambray kill off the block to pull the Huskies within one. The Huskers painted the sideline on a shot the Huskies thought was wide, but Scambray came back with another big swing off the blockers for 22-23. Rolfzen came through to put Nebraska to set point, 22-24, and then Scambray overpassed the next serve and Kelsey Fien jumped up to hammer it down and end the UW comeback, 22-25. The Huskies hit .400 in the set, but lost because Nebraska was even better at .419.
A stuff from Jones and Sybeldon on the right side was followed by a Huskers overpass that Sybeldon banged down for a 4-1 lead in the fourth. The Huskers answered with a pair but Vansant rolled one over and down for 5-3. Scambray put one off the block's fingers for a 7-4 lead. The Huskers got within one but a Husker block error and then a miss long made it 10-7 Dawgs again. But right back came NU, going on a 3-0 run to tie the score at 10-10 and force Washington into a timeout. Washington was aced out of the break as the Huskers took the lead by one before missing serve to even it at 11. The Huskers went on another 3-0 run to take the lead, 11-14, before Vansant got one down. The officials called a Tanner serve wide that replays clearly showed landed in, but UW responded with a Sybeldon blast from the middle for 13-15. From the left side, Nelson converted the Finau set for 16-18 Huskers. A crucial long rally was capped by a Husky triple block to make it 17-19 and the Huskers decided to take time. Hall got another kill out of the break but NU then missed serve. The Huskers overpassed and Jones put it down to get UW within a point at 19-20, but Amber Rolfzen got a finish to keep the lead. Another seemingly missed call went against the Huskies on the next point, as Vansant's shot was called long and UW had to take its last timeout down 19-22. Vansant was blocked on the right side out of the break for 19-23, but Tanner went back to her on the next rally and she came through to get back within three. After a couple near blocks by the Dawgs, Nebraska missed long for 21-23 and the Huskers took their last timeout. Another long rally followed, and Vansant was there in the end out of the back row to hammer it home and get UW within one again at 22-23. The Dawgs finally pulled back even after the Huskers sailed their next swing long. But the Huskers got the next kill down inside the block for a match point try at 23-24. NU's serve went low into the net for an error. Tied again, it looked as if the Huskies were going to move ahead, as Strickland ripped her serve and Nebraska shanked it near the seats, but the Huskers saved it and kept it in play, and after a long rally, Kadie Rolfzen got one down to get another match point. Jones saved that one with a kill straight to the court, but Haggerty converted a slide for 25-26. Nelson kept the crowd screaming with another kill to tie it again at 26, but the Huskers came through again, Fien hitting through the block. On the next point, UW had to send over a free ball after a shanked pass, but the block slowed down the Husker swing and Finau sent Vansant out of the back row and she buried it to tie it again at 27-27. The Huskies got a look at the next point but Nelson had her swing sent back on a tight set for the fifth Nebraska match point try. The Dawgs got the ball to Sybeldon in the middle on the next rally, but her swing went too wide, and the Huskies had to watch an opponent celebrate on its court for the first time in over two years, as Nebraska pulled it out, 29-27.
In the first match of the day, the unseeded BYU Cougars pulled off the upset of sixth-seeded FloridaState in four sets. BYU won the first two, then FloridaState rallied, and FSU held a 24-21 lead in set four, but BYU won the final five points of the match to clinch the win, 25-20, 25-19, 19-25, 26-24. BYU is into the final eight after losing in the round of 16 the past two years.
