Whether it is the Big Ten season or the NCAA season, John Cook’s Nebraska Huskers know a way to win every time. Just hours ago, Nebraska volleyball was back at it, showing everyone why they’re a force to reckon with! The third-ranked Huskers stormed into their 40th NCAA Regional appearance with a clean 3-0 sweep over Miami, electrifying a crowd of 8,684 die-hard fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The squad came in blazing, keeping the Hurricanes under 20 points in every set with scores of 25-19, 25-14, and 25-18. Oh, and they didn’t just win—they shut Miami down to their lowest hitting percentage of the season (.058) while racking up their 24th straight NCAA home tourney win and an epic 43rd consecutive home victory.

Rebekah Allick was a beast at the net, racking up a match-high seven blocks and six kills on just nine swings. And Bergen Reilly, ever the playmaker, dished out 33 assists and led a well-balanced offensive attack. But let’s not forget the Miami Hurricanes, who certainly didn’t make it easy for Nebraska. Their star player, Flormarie Heredia Colon, stepped up big time, leading her team with 14 kills and three blocks, causing the Huskers a bit of trouble along the way. Yet, Nebraska’s game plan was on point, and now John Cook has spilled the beans on how the Huskers took down the NCAA’s toughest hitters.

John Cook reveals the game plan!

In the post-game conference shared by the Nebraska Huskers, Coach John Cook, along with Rebekah Allick and Bergen Reilly, reflected on their strategy in taking on Flormarie. When a journalist asked about their approach, Coach Cook didn’t hold back, offering a detailed breakdown of the game. “You can tell she’s got a big arm. She probably is one of the hardest hitters in college volleyball,” he said, acknowledging her immense power on the court. But even with her strength, the Huskers found ways to neutralize her. “She got a couple of really nice kills early, but then we just started touching her and slowing her down,” Cook explained.

The Nebraska team’s strategy didn’t stop there. They also made adjustments in how they served, trying to make things more difficult for Marie. “We also started serving and making it kind of a little harder for her to get set,” said Cook. He shared that many teams typically serve her directly, but Nebraska tried a different approach. “We were trying to serve away from her, even though there might have been the libero over there, just to make that set a little bit longer distance for her and give our block a little bit more time to try to get there and get touches.”

This strategy paid off, and Nebraska was able to stuff her a couple of times. To close out his thoughts, Cook put it simply: “She’s the key to that team. You’ve got to stop her.” And to emphasize her power even further, he joked, “If she’s a baseball player, that’d be a 100-mile-an-hour pitcher.” But hey, John Cook wasn’t the only one to chime in about taking on Flormarie—one other Huskers’ star also shared how tough it was to go up against her.

Another Husker reveals the challenges!

Yep, you heard it right! It wasn’t just John Cook breaking down the strategy—Huskers’ middle blocker Rebekah Allick also opened up about the unique challenges of facing Flormarie Heredia Colon. In that same Nebraska Huskers video, a journalist threw a question at Rebekah, asking what it felt like to go head-to-head with such an absolute powerhouse on the attack. Her response? Straight-up honest and packed with respect. “Yeah, I haven’t seen somebody move that fast around the ball in a while. I’ll say that,” she started, clearly wowed by the challenge.

Rebekah spilled the tea on how Flormarie brought a whole new energy to the court. “I’m used to the larger girls; they tend to just kind of snap it off high and hit it super hard,” she explained, keeping it real. But Flormarie? She has a totally different vibe. “She’s kind of like medium-sized and so she was working extra hard, but she knew when to add heat,” Rebekah shared, clearly impressed. Facing Flormarie even gave her flashbacks to playing overseas, where the game was all about speed and staying on your toes. “That was fun to see,” she added.

Oh, and speaking of overseas vibes, did you know Rebekah’s got some serious beach volleyball games too? That’s right—she’s not just a queen on the indoor court! While an injury kept her benched this season, she and Lexi Rodriguez teamed up back in 2023 and totally crushed it, racking up a 14-6 record. Talk about multi-talented! But let’s bring it back to the action.

It’s not every day you hear a player straight-up applaud an opponent, but Rebekah’s words show just how fierce and dynamic Flormarie is. Sure, the Huskers walked away with the W, but Flormarie? She earned every ounce of their respect.