Nebraska Volleyball has tough road to Final Four in 2018

Nebraska volleyball knows what path they’ll have to take to get to their fourth straight Final Four, as the bracket was announced on Sunday evening. The Huskers are a seven seed and will host the first two rounds of the tournament.

When it comes to Nebraska volleyball, fans expect their team to get a high seed and host a few games when tournament season rolls around. That is the case once again, as the Huskers are the seventh seed this year.

Their first game will take place on Friday at 7 PM (central time) against Hofstra (25-7 overall, 13-3 CAA), who Nebraska should be able to take care of business against. Assuming Nebraska does indeed win that match, they’ll then face off against either Arizona (22-10 overall, 11-9 Pac 12) or Missouri (23-7 overall, 13-5 SEC).

Mizzou could be a tough second-round opponent for the Huskers, but Mizzou does benefit from playing against an easier SEC schedule. Nebraska’s Big Ten schedule has prepared them for matches like this. The Devaney Center is a tough place for opponents to come into and win, so Nebraska definitely has the advantage in their first two games.

If the girls take care of business against Hofstra and Arizona or Missouri, they’ll then head to Minneapolis for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds. Their potential opponents in the Sweet Sixteen could be Purdue, East Tennessee State, Murray State, or Kentucky.

We’ve seen Nebraska in action against Purdue and they won in four sets a few weeks ago. The Huskers beat Kentucky in the Elite Eight last year in Lexington, as Kentucky was the four-seed a season ago.

Those are the two likely opponents Nebraska would see in that round. No disrespect to the other two teams, but Kentucky and Purdue were ranked in the top 25 throughout the season and are really good teams.

The team standing between Nebraska and a fourth straight Final Four appearance, however, is the second-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Gophers have had Nebraska’s number this year, beating them in both match-ups and winning the Big Ten title for the first time since 2015.

Minnesota lost just one Big Ten match this year, which came over the weekend in College Park against Penn State. The Gophers have a chance to sleep in their own beds for the entire tournament since the championship is in Minneapolis this year, so that has to be extra motivation.

Remember when Nebraska made it all the way in 2015 because the finals were in Omaha? Or what about last year when it was just three hours away in Kansas City? Having the title game in your backyard is certainly a motivating factor.

Nebraska won’t have an easy ride to their fourth straight Final Four appearance, but this program has been so good in these kind of high-pressure situations. At the very least, Nebraska should make it to the Sweet Sixteen and very well could wind up in the Elite Eight.

That, however, is where I think their journey could end this year. Minnesota is just so good and it’s feeling like their season. Nebraska’s young team mixed with Minnesota being so dominant this year could make for a disappointing end to the season. The Gophers made Nebraska look pretty foolish both times that they played them, but maybe third time’s a charm for the Huskers.

Tournament season is a lot of fun and Nebraska fans have gotten spoiled with three straight Final Four appearances. This looks to be the toughest road yet, but if Nebraska can get past Minnesota, the third title in four years is as good as theirs.

Go Big Red!