“It’s a great, great 24 hours for Husker Sports,” said Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook, after winning the season series against Wisconsin. However, the coach didn’t just say it because his team got to making attendance history at the Bob Devaney Center. Instead, Cook made the statement in reference to Nebraska’s football team finally ending their seven-year bowl drought.

For the first time since 2016, the Nebraska Cornhuskers men’s football team pulled off a historic triumph in front of 86,923 spectators at Memorial Stadium. However, the monumental result also added to Cook’s mental pressure heading into the season’s second match against the Badgers. “I’m so happy for football because I know how those guys feel,” said John Cook.

“To finally break through is an unbelievable feeling,” the veteran coach added following the Huskers’ 44-25 triumph against Wisconsin football. However, the mastermind behind Nebraska volleyball’s success also hoped his team could keep adding to the positive news. “We didn’t want to be the team that lost on senior night, lost when you had all this unbelievable momentum going,” confessed Cook.

Yet why would John Cook be anxious when his team were on a 24-match win streak, sitting comfortably atop the conference table? Well, that’s because no team has had more success against the Huskers than Wisconsin in the last seven years. Last season was the first time Nebraska finally won a match against the Badgers since 2017.

So it’s an interesting coincidence that the same year the Nebraska volleyball team finally defeated their rivals, the Huskers football team also made it to the bowl. However, since defeating the Badgers in January 2024, the Huskers women’s volleyball team has already stacked up three wins against their rivals. Yet, despite seemingly cracking Wiscosin’s code earlier this month, John Cook wasn’t the only one dealing with mental pressure.

An emotional win for the entire Nebraska volleyball squad

The post-match interview revealed just how much the winning against the Badgers on home ground meant to the whole team. Before John Cook, senior setter and match MVP Merritt Beason gave a teary-eyed interview to the media. Beason put up a mighty impressive .391 with 11 kills in three sets. Teammates Rebekah Allick and Harper Murray also shined. However, it was Beason who made the closing shot of the night.

When asked about success and whether she had imagined being such an instrumental part of the team, Beason couldn’t hold back her tears. “No… Little Merritt hoped to go to community college right down the road… Volleyball wasn’t a big thing,” confessed the 21-year-old. From growing up in Alabama where volleyball never really took off, to hitting the sole ace on such an important match has been an emotional journey for the Nebraska volleyball icon.

Beason’s fellow senior Lexi Rodriguez was also anxious heading into the match. Rodriguez, who’ll be graduating from NU, is playing her final season with the team. So, having faced Wisconsin several times in the past, the experienced libero didn’t take the challenge lightly. “We’re really preparing for another hard matchup. Just because we beat them the first time doesn’t mean that it’s like we’re going to do it again,” she said ahead of the match-up.

However, despite the anxiousness of the players and their coach, Nebraska walked away with a comfortable victory, extending their win streak to 25. They’ll now face Penn State on November 29, but their ultimate goal is to win Nebraska’s sixth NCAA title.