Of the moral sort, anyway. The Pav was sold out (a little “Red,’but less than I expected), but there were few that expected the Gophers to beat the Huskers. And after Nebraska won two hard-fought sets 19-25 & 18-25, and clawed their way to a 9-13 lead in Set 3, there were fewer still. Not because no one ever wins a match after losing the first two sets, and not because a 9-13 deficit is impossible to overcome. Because up until then, the Gophers had never led past the first 4 points of any set, nor, I think, had they ever scored 3 consecutive points.
Both teams had played well, 109 points into the match, but mostly traded sideouts. Hitters on both sides crushed the ball, and players on both sides made spectacular digs to nullify the big hits. The only “runs” were the relatively rare occasions when someone made a misplay – and the Huskers don’t make misplays! That’s an exaggeration. The Huskers made 2 or 3 misplays in each of the first two sets, versus the Gophers 8 or 10 misplays per set. 8 or 10 misplays sounds like a lot, but many of the evening’s points involved looong rallies, so the first 100+ points might have involved we’re 1,000 touches on each side. And 25 errors in 1,000 touches is good volleyball. Just not good enough to beat the Huskers.
So things looked grim, down 2 sets and even just 4 points.
- Then Shaffmaster served an Ace;
- Then Landfair got a kill;
- Then Wooker got a kill;
- Then Grote served an ace;
- Then Wooker got another kill;
- Even Palabyik got a kill (an overpass, really, but one the Huskers couldn’t handle);
- And magically, the Gophs had pulled into a 17-17 tie.
- Then 20-20;
- And the Huskers looked tired. (A Friday night match in Madison followed by Saturday night match in Mpls is a tough trip – even for the #1 team in the country.
- And the Gophers won 5 of the next 6 points, Gophs 25-21 in Set 3.
And the Gophs carried the momentum into Set 4, taking an 8-6 lead. 8-6 isn’t much of a lead, but remember, the Gophers had not led by even 2 points at that point in any of the first 3 sets. And the folks in section 110 began to imagine an upset. But the Huskers pulled even at 8-8. Then 11-11 and 15-15. Then the Huskers made a little run (they never had a big run all night) to take a 16-20 lead. After an apparent Wooker smash went long, it appeared that the Huskers led 19-24. And the unfaithful headed for the exits. But Coach Cook (our Cook, this was a Coach Cook vs Coach Cook night) won a net violation challenge, making it a much less daunting 20-23. But the Huskers finished us off, 22-25.
This was an evening of wonderful volleyball, two good teams going toe to toe. The Gophers played great against a good Buckeye Team last week, and swept ‘em. The Gophers played great against an even better Illinois Team last night, and swept them also. And the Gophers played at least as well tonight. But a team that almost never misplays a ball is awful tough to beat.
One last note re this #1 Rated Nebraska Squad. When they misplay the first touch – they end up getting an aggressive attack on the third touch anyway. We rarely see this from the Gophers.
NCAAs. I think the pairing will be announced somewhere around dinner time tomorrow. The Gophers will not be a top 16 seed, and therefore not a 1st & 2nd Round Host as has so often been the case in recent years. But the Gophers should (in my opinion) be somewhere in the 2nd 16. And if we are not sent to somewhere like Lincoln, or Madison, or Palo Alto, or Austin TX, there is a chance we could make the Sweet 16 — which would be a successful outcome to the season, in my opinion. (More Monday, after I see the pairings.)