The NCAA round 1 match between the Nebraska Huskers and Florida A&M may be best described with the proverb, ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold.’ After waiting two decades for a rematch, John Cook finally got the chance to avenge his 2004 loss against the Rattlers. To say Nebraska volleyball crushed their opponents would be an understatement.

In (25-3, 25-9, 25-17) demolition of the Rattlers, the Huskers handed Florida a record they never wanted. “Record watch: Nebraska’s current record for fewest points allowed in a rally scoring match is 32, which was done twice (vs. Maryland in 2015, Rutgers in 2017) FAMU needs 20 points in the third set to avoid making history,” tweeted Huskers Illustrated author Lincoln Arneal.

Arneal made the post ahead of the third and what would turn into the final set. However, the Rattlers fell short of the required 20 points, bowing out with 17 points. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough, as Florida A&M became the lowest-scoring team against Nebraska volleyball in the program’s history. In three sets, the Rattler could only manage 29 points against the Huskers.

Besides being their first match in the NCAA Championships, Cook had a personal stake in the Husker’s clash against the Rattlers. The coach vividly recalled the 2004 loss, and despite now coaching a different generation of players, Cook wanted revenge. “We’re all in against them. So this is gonna be, for me, they weren’t born yet, but for me, this is payback,” said the coach.

However, the Nebraska volleyball coach probably didn’t envision the grudge match going so well. “The Huskers hit .384 and held the Rattlers to -.043,” reported Huskers Online staff writer Abby Barmore. After a lackluster performance against Maryland, Murray once again took the driver’s seat with 12 kills and a .440 hit percentage. Andi Jackson was in second with 8 kills.

Meanwhile, defensive specialists like Lexi Rodriguez barely broke a sweat as Florida A&M struggled to break their defense. However, the spectacular victory against the Rattlers didn’t just look good on the stat sheet. The victory must’ve had a much larger impact on the squad.

Nebraska volleyball’s spectacular response in the face of adversity

After winning 25 games in a row, Nebraska lost their chance to become our BIG10 champions against Penn State. The Nittany Lions stunned the Huskers, beating them 3-1 and earning a share of the 024 BIG10 title. The loss was a massive blow after an extended period of domination by the Red and White brigade. The impact of that loss was apparent against Maryland.

Although the Nebraska volleyball team immediately bounced back with a win, they looked shaky against Maryland. The Huskers made several errors leading to Maryland winning a set. “Murray has 5 kills, 6 errors. Landfair with 3 kills, (and) 4 errors. Allick has 1 kill, 2 errors.” Arenal posted after the match. In fact, it was Merritt Beason and Andi Jackson who did the heavy lifting.

So the pressure was on for the #1 seeded team to perform better during Round 1 of the NCAA Championships. However, Big Red barely made any errors against the rattlers. “That tells a lot about our focus tonight,” said Harper Murray during the post-game presser. The Husker proved why they’ve ranked among the top college teams time and again against FAMU. The statement victory didn’t just boost morale but indicated to the opponents that the Huskers may have been down, but are back to full strength.