Gators, Huskers set for NCAA title match
KANSAS CITY, MO. » There is very little these days that can dampen the mood of Florida coach Mary Wise, whose Gators knocked off reigning national champion Stanford in the NCAA volleyball semifinals.
Not the daunting challenge of now facing Nebraska, a four-time champion. Or knowing that the Huskers have won 19 straight matches, including a semifinal victory over top-seeded Penn State. Or the pressure that her Gators face trying to win their first championship after eight semifinal appearances.
Wise even managed to put a positive spin on playing at Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City, where thousands of Nebraska fans made the short drive south to paint the building red Thursday night.
“Red and loud,” she replied, when ask what she expects Saturday night. “This is so good for women’s volleyball. Actually, it’s great for women’s volleyball, to have 18,000-plus and to be televised on ESPN. This is the growth of our sport. And our sport has grown in much part because of Nebraska.
“Their fans, their program — they get a whole lot of credit because they’ve been the standard-bearer for years in terms of attendances,” she said. “It’s going to be a really fun environment.”
It’s not as if the Gators don’t have reasons to be confident. For one thing, they’ve been steeled by the pressure of five-set matches, winning all four this season. That included their match against the Cardinal, when the Gators (30-1) took the opening two sets, then withstood a rally by taking the decisive set 15-10.
Then there’s the confidence that comes with having already beaten Nebraska this season.
The two met the opening weekend of the season with the Gators beating the Huskers in a five-set thriller at the VERT Challenge on their home court. But that comes with a caveat that the Huskers’ star setter, Kelly Hunter, was injured and unavailable.
“Our theme has kind of been, ‘We’ve found a way to win,”’ said the Gators’ Rhamat Alhassan, who had 17 kills in the semifinal. “That’s been the theme throughout the entire tournament.”
Yes, the Gators have found a way to win. But so have the Huskers.
The tournament’s fifth seed swept through the first three rounds before knocking off No. 4 seed Kentucky on the road to reach the Final Four.