The Sunday night game in the NCAA Elite Eight was between two coaches who have had a long, shared history. Since taking charge of the Wisconsin Badgers in 2012, Kelly Sheffield has found John Cook on the Nebraska Huskers’ side several times. However, the experience has been bittersweet so far. But apart from that, there’s another shared nerve between them. In Badgers’ fold, Cook posed to be Sheffield’s predecessor. He has his name among the best-performing coaches in the history of Wisconsin volleyball. Yes, before joining the Huskers, Cook once reigned over the Badgers as their coach. Did that hit Sheffield’s mind in the post-match press conference on Sunday? 

However, on December 15, the Wisconsin Badgers lost another game to the Nebraska Huskers. In the regular season, Kelly Sheffield’s squad already had to digest the series defeat (first time in a decade) to the Big Red. On Sunday, the thrashing knocked the Badgers from the NCAA title race. Now, the Huskers are reigning supreme. Ultimately, they will fight in the final four, aiming for the top volleyball title in the nation in the coming days. That may have been expected, judging by the skills. But the rival coach had something more to add. 

On Sunday, coach Kelly Sheffield sat in the press conference after the game. It was another clean sweep from the nemesis. So everyone expected the Badgers coach to go hard on the Huskers. But Sheffield didn’t show any such mood. Instead, he was ready with his flowers for the winners. In the press conference, posted on the YouTube channel ‘HuskerOnline,’ he ultimately said, “Some of the defensive plays that those guys were making that just nobody in the country is making those in the backcourt, and that’s nothing new to anybody.” That’s some huge praise for the Nebraska Huskers. And that wasn’t all. The 54-year-old had more things to share, explaining the Huskers’ superiority.

In the same press conference, Sheffield started by highlighting Nebraska’s defensive third. He claimed it to be “unbelievable.” The battle-hardened coach had a thick layer of truth in his comments. In the game, senior Lexi Rodriguez led the defense line and didn’t allow the Badgers to breathe freely. The Madison team concluded the game with a mere 0.126 hitting percentage. In a contest like the NCAA Regional Final, such numbers can’t take you anywhere. Eventually, Kelly Sheffield’s team had to pay the price. 

They eventually lost the reins of the game and handed it over to the Huskers. Kelly took note of it during the game. In the press conference, he opened his diary to submit that. He, in the meantime, said, “We probably made a few more errors than what they did.” It was not about a few, though. In the game, the Badgers made some hard-to-miss mistakes. Example? Take the first set of the game. 

In the first set for Sunday night’s game, Wisconsin had a chance to level the score. Especially after a 21-16 standpoint, the Badgers displayed a hearty effort to come back to the game. They took it to even 24-24. But at the critical juncture, a serving error was committed, and the Nebraska Huskers accepted the chance with both hands. They stole the set by a 26-24 setpoint. A similar event came in the third set. 

The Badgers started it with a commendable spirit. They had looked confident enough to take away the set and extend the game longer. Meanwhile, they took it to 15-11, gaining an edge over the Huskers. Yet again, errors made their way to the game and opened the gate for Harper Murray to open her wings. The Big Red wasted no time in filling up the gap and claimed the upper hand. They finally finished up with 25-21. Another close fight and another sting for finishing so close! But would it shave off anything from the Huskers’ achievement? Certainly not. Kelly Sheffield’s comments have confirmed their invincibility. Now, the vital cog of the defense line is on the verge of claiming a milestone. How’s it?

Nebraska Huskers’ defense is on the fast lane 

Two days ago, the Nebraska Huskers faced the Dayton Flyers in the Sweet 16 round. In the game, the host had to lose a set because of Lexie Almodovar’s “one-woman show” in the third set. She took it to the final third and showed a few gaps in the Huskers’ lineup. Coach John Cook noticed the loose points but settled in a different mood. He didn’t want to discuss it publicly. Rather, in the press conference, he said, “You don’t play six perfect matches in the tournament. There’s gonna be times you got to win ugly and fight through it.” It was all about the offensive line, where the Huskers seemed to have issues. But the defense line saved the day for the Huskers. 

The Big Red fielded several names in the defensive role this season. Among those, one remained constant: Lexi Rodriguez. On 15th December, she finished up with 17 digs. She still has at least one game left, and it will be on Thursday. Now, she is just eight digs away from Justine Wong-Orantes’s program record of having the most number of digs. So, a nine-dig play will set her at the top of the record book. Now, watching her fiery form, the fans can remain hopeful to watch her taking over Justine’s position in the record book. What do you think about this? Will she match up?