On November 1, something miraculous happened at the UW Field House in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers had to face their first sweep in the last eight years in their backyard, in front of the packed house. Something unbelievable! Throughout the years, Wisconsin volleyball kept its home unaffected despite being bludgeoned on the road. The prominent opponents failed to breach the Badgers’ guard to tear down the record. But on Friday night, the No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team did the hard job. They handed the Badgers their first sweep in the last eight years. However, the victory received special recognition for another reason. 

Since 2013, Huskers’ deliberate attempts to tear apart the Badgers’ resistance on their home turf had received a fateful result for the visitors. In the last eight games (before the Friday match), the Nebraska volleyball team failed to snag a victory in the UW Field House. But on Friday, it tasted the glory, by defeating the Wisconsin volleyball women’s team by 25-21, 25-22, 25-19 setpoints. Naturally, the victory touched the Huskers’ coach, John Cook’s, heart. 

After all, he has seen the Badgers juggernaut closer than anyone else. So, when after the game, Emily Ehman caught up with him, asking about his reactions to the result, the veteran coach looked emotional. He gave his flowers to Wisconsin for keeping its home hard-walled for so many years. But the host also asked him about the changes that had earned his squad the victory at the final frontier. 

Replying to that, Cook said, “They [the Badgers] were very disciplined tonight. And that’s something that we really we really hammer on these guys. And they were able to stay with it. Again, that was the composure that we had playing in here because this is a tough place to play.” Therefore, the beforehand knowledge about the nemesis made the master dictate a suitable set of roles to pave the victory. How? 

On Friday night, the Huskers maintained a calm demeanor thoroughly. They had the thousands of Badgers’ supporters shouting against them. Yet, they never lost the reins of the game. And this demeanor helped John Cook’s team largely. But in what way? Cook had an answer. There, he added, “I mean, our key was not to let the crowd bother us and just play point by point. And I thought they did an awesome job of that, because, you know, Wisconsin is going to make runs.”

Additionally, because of its demeanor, the mindful squad took out points at a critical time. Just look at the statistics once. The statistics would show the Huskers taking an extra dig and an extra block than the Badgers. However, the timing of the blocks and digs impacted the result. Another part acted well for the No. 2 squad against the No. 7. It was the defense. 

Talking about that key factor, Cook mentioned, “We stayed with our game plan. I think we only missed our game plan when we were trying to do a couple of times.” Apart from those unsettling instances, the rest of the attempts remained foolproof. An example of this was Rebekah Allick’s seven blocks in the game. Usually, in a three-set game, seven blocks are something rare. But on Friday, Allick made that real. Now, as the team achieves victory over its nemesis, what is in the book that is to be reached for the Huskers? A top-place finish at the AVCA rankings, maybe? 

The Nebraska volleyball has yet to reach the top 

In the last several weeks, a debate has kept American college volleyball hooked—when will Nebraska volleyball reach the top? Since the wake of the college volleyball season, the Huskers have been chasing the Pittsburgh Panthers to take up the top seat in the AVCA rankings. Nonetheless, the Lincoln-based women’s volleyball team has yet to earn the tag. Even so, this week as well, the Panthers grabbed the top seat with 1513 points and a 19-1 record. And Nebraska volleyball? 

The Huskers are still carrying the wooden spoon, sitting in the second position with 1468 points and a 20-1 record. But the victory from Friday may bring an enormous change in the points and the votes. Furthermore, on Sunday, the Huskers will face Northwestern on its home turf. Would that be a challenge for the Big Red? The present form may say no. So a winning chance is brewing for Nebraska. That victory might help the squad advance a few more steps in the points. But would that be sufficient to topple the Panthers? What do you think?