money NCAA volleyball championship: Preview, key matchups, how to watch Wisconsin vs. Nebraska
No introductions are necessary between these two Big Ten foes who have competed year after year for the conference crown. Saturday night at Nationwide Arena, they’ll compete for it all.
No. 4 Wisconsin (30-3) plays No. 10 Nebraska (26-7) for the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball national championship after defeating No. 1 Louisville and No. 3 Pittsburgh, respectively, on Thursday night.
NCAA volleyball reaction: Wisconsin-Louisville deliver all-time great match, Nebraska upsets Pittsburgh
Though the top of the ACC has shrunk the gap between itself and the Big Ten, no one would argue against these two teams deserving of being in the national final. Here are a few storylines and key matchups ahead of what should be a memorable national championship match between two of the best programs in the nation.
How to watch the NCAA volleyball championship
Wisconsin vs. Nebraska — 7:30 p.m. Nationwide Arena, ESPN2
Wisconsin Badgers, Nebraska Huskers have championship redemption
Wisconsin middle blocker Dana Rettke is the first five-time, first-team All-American in history and was named the AVCA Division I Player of the Year on Friday. But she, setter Sydney Hilley and libero Lauren Barnes decided to use the extra season granted by the NCAA due to the pandemic in order to bring home the program’s first national championship.
It escaped the Badgers in 2019, losing to Stanford in the final. Then, Wisconsin lost to Texas as the No. 1 seed in the final four last season. That journey made Thursday’s incredible five-set win against undefeated Louisville even sweeter.
“You can't ask for anything else in a semifinal match,” Rettke said. “It really sticks out to me because that was such a team effort, across the board. Everybody had to contribute. Everyone made big plays in big moments. It was the best team effort win that I've been a part of at Wisconsin.”
NCAA volleyball reaction: Wisconsin-Louisville deliver all-time great match, Nebraska upsets Pittsburgh
Nebraska middle blocker Lauren Stivrins has experienced both sides of heartbreak at this stage. She redshirted her first year with the Huskers in 2016 when they lost as the No. 1 seed in the final four in Columbus, then won a national title in 2017 before losing to Stanford in the 2018 championship match.
Setter Nicklin Hames was a freshman on that team and has yet to win. She said the team has come a long way from earlier this season.
"We just have this belief in each other that I don't think was there the entire season,” Hames said. “You can tell on the court how much we like playing with each other and how much we have each other's backs. I feel like a lot of times we gave up in those tight moments and now we really lean on each other and overcome a lot of tight games. That's what's been the most special part about this whole run.”
Badgers are 2-0 vs. Huskers this season
It’s a common trope that it’s difficult to beat a team three times in one season. When these two teams meet in the final, the records can probably be thrown out.
Wisconsin swept Nebraska in Lincoln on Oct. 27, and won in four sets at home on Nov. 26. By both standards, Wisconsin and Nebraska feel they’ve grown as teams since their previous meetings this season.
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"Our season has been a work in progress,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “Our rotation, our lineup has been that. Nebraska has been the exact same way. They haven't been in a hurry to figure it out. Neither have we.”
“Wisconsin's gotten better too,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. “You're not down to two teams unless you've gotten better. So it's a matter of who can go out and perform with everything on the line.”
Though Wisconsin is 2-0 this season against the Huskers, and are likely the favorites to win the championship, four of the seven sets they’ve played this season have been decided by two points.
One thing that is very clear is how much these two teams respect the talent on the other side.
"Nebraska's a really, really great team so I'm not surprised to see them again,” said Hilley, the Wisconsin setter. “Every single time we play them it's a battle and extremely competitive. It's going to be a fun one for sure."
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Nebraska defensive specialist Kenzie Knuckles said the loss against Wisconsin right before the tournament was a bit of a turning point for the team. The Huskers haven’t lost since.
“We kind of realized we needed to get our stuff together in order to get far in the tournament,” she said.
Key matchups in Wisconsin vs. Nebraska volleyball
Wisconsin’s size vs. Nebraska defense: With Rettke at 6-foot-8 and Anna Smrek at 6-foot-9, opposing teams have kind of had to pick their poison against the Badgers. Case in point, Louisville held Rettke more than 200 points below her season average hitting percentage but allowed Smrek to go off for 20 kills and hit over .700.
Doing that against the Nebraska defense will be another task entirely. In the semifinal match, the Huskers held Pittsburgh’s top three hitters to a hitting percentage at or below .150.
"This is the best defensive team in the country,” Sheffield said. “It is really tough to score. It puts a premium on us being patient. You got to be really patient when you're playing them.”
Lauren Stivrins vs. Dana Rettke: All eyes will be on the team’s top two hitters who will no doubt have a couple one-on-one moments in the middle on Saturday. Rettke and Stivrins have been two of the best middles in the country the past several seasons. It’s fitting they’ll play each other one last time.
“I think this team is on a mission,” Stivrins said. “We have such a deep belief in each other and ourselves that we can do this and we're capable of winning no matter who we're up against.”
Lauren Barnes vs. Lexi Rodriguez: Finally, these two teams can’t be mentioned without singling out two of the top liberos in the country. Barnes was unbelievable late against Louisville, and Lexi Rodriguez is only the second freshman to get first-team All-American honors in Nebraska storied history. The defensive effort will be a highlight in this match.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: NCAA volleyball tournament: Preview, how to watch national championship
