The anticipation is palpable as Nebraska volleyball prepares to take on rivals Wisconsin for the second time this season. Despite their success and dominance at the conference and NCAA level, Wisconsin has been a tough nut to crack for Huskers’ mastermind John Cook. Since 2017, the defending Big 10 champions have faced the Badgers 13 times and lost 11 of those encounters.

However, since last season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have maintained a slim 2-1 lead over their archrivals. So when John Cook appeared on Sports Nightly on the Huskers YouTube channel, the discussion inevitably turned toward facing Wisconsin for a third time this year. Yet during that discussion, the duo especially focused on the Badgers standout, Sarah Franklin.

Looking at Wisconsin’s season starts, the host highlighted how valuable Franklin has been for the Badgers. “Yeah, Wisconsin looks a little unidimensional. Sarah Franklin, more than one-third of their swings,” stated the host. However, he also had some questions for the Nebraska volleyball coach. “Does she have one of the hardest cut shots… left or right attack, that you’ve seen?” he asked.

John Cook, whose strategy halted Franklin’s momentum on November 1, admitted Franklin is one of the finest players he has ever seen in college volleyball. “She’s the real deal,” added the 68-year-old coach. Then came another question. “Do you give her back-to-back Player of the Year awards?” the host asked, with the 68-year-old responding, “I don’t decide that.”

However, the case for the 2023 Player of the Year award winner to reprise her achievement is quite strong. Franklin has already reached 413 kills and a mind-boggling kill/set percentage of 4.43 in 2024. In fact, the Huskers had focused on shutting down Wisconsin’s ace to earn their victory on November 1. Now with the Badgers visiting Nebraska volleyball’s home ground, the stakes are higher than ever.

Will Nebraska volleyball be able to stop Wisconsin’s star once again?

During their first clash of the season, the Nebraska Huskers tackled Sarah Franklin with a “triple block” to arrest her momentum. However, facing Wisconsin once again at such short notice nearly ensures the same strategy won’t work this time. After all, you don’t become player of the year unless you can overcome such strategies.

In fact, Nebraska was among the few that successfully executed the triple block against Franklin. The host pulled up another stat to share how other teams have struggled to stop Franklin. “They have not had a ton of success. She’s hitting .297 (%),” highlighted the host. However, the Nebraska volleyball fans have confidence in the man who has coached the Huskers for 25 seasons.

Cook and his team haven’t lost the last 40 games at the Bob Devaney Center. So despite winning the vast majority of games against the Huskers, the Badgers will also have their work cut out for them. And while the three-time AVCA Coach of the Year was quick to praise Sarah Franklin, he may also have planned a new way to counter the outside hitter.

Nebraska star Lexi Rodrigues also hinted at something similar. “It’s gonna be a battle. They’re a great team…They’re going to make adjustments from last game, so we got to be prepared,” said the libero. Thankfully, college volleyball fans won’t have to wait too long if John Cook’s team beats the Sarah Franklin-led squad twice in a row.