Nebraska got their biggest win of the season at just the right time.
The No. 10-seed Huskers (25-7, 15-4 Big Ten) took down No. 2-seed Texas (27-2, 15-1 Big 12) 3-1 Saturday night in Austin. The Longhorns took set three 25-23, but the Huskers took the other three 25-19, 25-23, and 25-21.
The battle was billed as the Texas offense against the Nebraska defense, and while that played itself out, it really became about the freshman Huskers announcing themselves to the nation.
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Lexi Rodriguez anchored the defense with 20 kills. Rodriguez also managed four assists as part of her non-stop effort on the court.
Ally Batenhorst and Lindsay Krause combined for 28 kills on 54 swings, committing just a pair of errors each. Despite neither hitting over .300 for their season average, the two powered a Nebraska offense that hit .259 for the match.
A freshman by eligibility due to the 2020 COVID season, Keonilei Akana notched a career-high seven aces.
Madi Kubik finished tied for the team-high with 15 kills on the night.
Nicklin Hames added another double-double, dishing out 43 assists and picking up 13 digs. Hames also had three kills, including a tough joust at the net against the Texas bigs.
The Huskers are now into the NCAA Semifinals for the 16th time. Nebraska is the only team outside the top four seeds to make the final four. The Huskers are the lowest seeded team to advance to an NCAA Semifinal since unseeded BYU did so in 2014.
On Thursday, Nebraska will play No. 3 Pitt (30-3, 15-3 ACC) in Columbus, Ohio. The runner-ups of the Big Ten and ACC will play at 8:30 pm CT.
Before that, the champions of the Big Ten and ACC will face off: No. 1 Louisville vs No. 4 Wisconsin.