The Nebraska Huskers entered the finals of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship as the number one seed of the contest. While the Huskers aimed to exalt their championship number to six, the Texas Longhorns put a huge stop to their near-perfect season.

The Texas Longhorns completely dominated the match right from the get-go. The Huskers had fallen just once throughout the season and had never fallen against Texas in the finals. However, the Longhorns finally got the vengeance they craved after 28 long years.

The Texas Longhorns end their finals losing streak

Considering the all-time head-to-head records, the Texas Longhorns lead Nebraska by 12-5. However, whenever both teams squared off against each other in the national finals, Texas got the short end of the stick. Their first finals defeat came in 1995, which got a repeat telecast 20 years later in 2015.

The 2015 season was especially bad for the Texas Longhorns. They were confident about their final appearance since they had defeated the Huskers in the regular season in a nail-biting 3-2 match. But, the Longhorns got badly swept in the finals as Nebraska lifted the trophy with a 3-0 win.

Texas’ wounds were reopened in 2021 when Nebraska eliminated it in the semifinals. But today, the Texas Longhorns folded the Nebraska Huskers with a humiliating defeat of 25-22, 25-14, and 25-11. They continuously ate away big chunks of the morale of the Huskers and pressured them into making predictable plays.

Nebraska’s Lexi Rodriguez, Merritt Beason, and Bergen Reilly couldn’t contribute much to their team’s score. The defensive pressure made Reilly develop tunnel vision, due to which she only got 17 assists in 56 tosses. Rodriguez had an unusual day where she could only secure six digs. On the other hand, the Texas Longhorns players played with full rhythm.

Finishing the season with the most dazzling title defense

The Texas Longhorns turned Nebraska’s biggest asset into its Achilles’ Heel by weakening their defense while strengthening their own. This completely stole the edge of Nebraska. Texas posted 14 blocks and 35 digs during the match while Nebraska got 13 blocks and 30 digs. While Texas came with a better shield, they also had the offense to swallow Nebraska whole.

The vanquisher Madisen Skinner scored a staunch 16 kills, five receives and a solo block to clinch the Final Four Most Outstanding Player title. The offense was also aided by Asjia O’Neal who secured the game-changing 11-point run in the second set. 

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This effectively turned Nebraska’s 22-point first set high into a 14-point second set low, which later succumbed to 11 points in set three. Interestingly, Nebraska fans wanted to play the Texas Longhorns over Wisconsin. However, Texas gave a fitting reply to everyone and became back-to-back champions.

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