Nebraska and Stanford have five-year plan to extend volleyba
Mar 31, 2019 21:29:09 GMT -5
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Post by nu5ncbigred on Mar 31, 2019 21:29:09 GMT -5
Nebraska and Stanford have five-year plan to extend volleyball rivalry
Stanford vs. Nebraska, 12.15
Nebraska’s Mikaela Foecke (2) elevates for a fourth-set kill to give the Huskers a 4-0 lead against Stanford on Saturday during the NCAA national volleyball championship match at the Target Center in Minneapolis. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star▲
Stanford vs. Nebraska, 12.15
Stanford's Jenna Gray sets the ball against Nebraska on Saturday during the national championship match at the Target Center in Minneapolis. KAYLA WOLF, Journal Star▲
BRENT C. WAGNER Lincoln Journal Star
Updated Mar 30, 2019
After a few years off, the Nebraska-Stanford volleyball rivalry heated back up in 2018 when the teams met in the national championship match.
Stanford won the match between two of the best programs in the sport by the smallest of margins, winning the fifth set 15-12. And there was a little more juice added to the rivalry after the match when the Stanford athletic department had to apologize after a photo from the Stanford locker room with an insensitive drawing directed toward the Huskers got out on social media.
The rivalry is guaranteed to continue, with Nebraska and Stanford scheduled to play during the regular season each of the next five years, Nebraska coach John Cook told the Journal Star.
Prior to last season, Nebraska hadn’t played Stanford since 2014. But the teams have met in some monster matches in their history, facing off in the NCAA Tournament semifinals three times, and in the championship match twice.
Stanford will come to Lincoln in 2019 for a regular-season match, with Stanford coach Kevin Hambly eager to play near Kansas City, Missouri, where two Stanford players are from.
Then starting in 2020, Nebraska and Stanford will play every year for four years as part of a new agreement between four top programs in four different conferences that will have national appeal.
The four teams are Nebraska, Stanford, Kentucky and Louisville. Each team will play two matches in one week as part of the agreement, with one match on Wednesday and one on the weekend scheduled around football. Nebraska will always play Stanford, then rotate between playing Louisville and Kentucky.
For Nebraska, the two matches will replace the VERT Challenge, a tournament the Huskers had played in for four years with Oregon, Florida and Texas.
“This is a really good (format),” Cook said. “The difference is you get to host every year. The VERT, we went four years without hosting. So if we go to Stanford, we’ll play Kentucky or Louisville here. If Stanford comes here, we’ll go to Louisville or Kentucky. So it works out great. There is going to be a great team coming in every year.”
Kentucky (Craig Skinner) and Louisville (Dani Busboom Kelly) are coached by former Nebraska assistant coaches.
Last year was the final year for Nebraska’s contract in the VERT Challenge, and Cook was already working on something to replace it.
“Playing Stanford on a Wednesday night is going to be a great match for the country and TV, and it’s on a Wednesday so there is no football. It’s a win-win,” more. journalstar.com/sports/huskers/volleyball/nebraska-and-stanford-have-five-year-plan-to-extend-volleyball/article_df94cf00-77e4-5b3e-9636-2c2584fabfca.amp.html
Stanford vs. Nebraska, 12.15
Nebraska’s Mikaela Foecke (2) elevates for a fourth-set kill to give the Huskers a 4-0 lead against Stanford on Saturday during the NCAA national volleyball championship match at the Target Center in Minneapolis. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star▲
Stanford vs. Nebraska, 12.15
Stanford's Jenna Gray sets the ball against Nebraska on Saturday during the national championship match at the Target Center in Minneapolis. KAYLA WOLF, Journal Star▲
BRENT C. WAGNER Lincoln Journal Star
Updated Mar 30, 2019
After a few years off, the Nebraska-Stanford volleyball rivalry heated back up in 2018 when the teams met in the national championship match.
Stanford won the match between two of the best programs in the sport by the smallest of margins, winning the fifth set 15-12. And there was a little more juice added to the rivalry after the match when the Stanford athletic department had to apologize after a photo from the Stanford locker room with an insensitive drawing directed toward the Huskers got out on social media.
The rivalry is guaranteed to continue, with Nebraska and Stanford scheduled to play during the regular season each of the next five years, Nebraska coach John Cook told the Journal Star.
Prior to last season, Nebraska hadn’t played Stanford since 2014. But the teams have met in some monster matches in their history, facing off in the NCAA Tournament semifinals three times, and in the championship match twice.
Stanford will come to Lincoln in 2019 for a regular-season match, with Stanford coach Kevin Hambly eager to play near Kansas City, Missouri, where two Stanford players are from.
Then starting in 2020, Nebraska and Stanford will play every year for four years as part of a new agreement between four top programs in four different conferences that will have national appeal.
The four teams are Nebraska, Stanford, Kentucky and Louisville. Each team will play two matches in one week as part of the agreement, with one match on Wednesday and one on the weekend scheduled around football. Nebraska will always play Stanford, then rotate between playing Louisville and Kentucky.
For Nebraska, the two matches will replace the VERT Challenge, a tournament the Huskers had played in for four years with Oregon, Florida and Texas.
“This is a really good (format),” Cook said. “The difference is you get to host every year. The VERT, we went four years without hosting. So if we go to Stanford, we’ll play Kentucky or Louisville here. If Stanford comes here, we’ll go to Louisville or Kentucky. So it works out great. There is going to be a great team coming in every year.”
Kentucky (Craig Skinner) and Louisville (Dani Busboom Kelly) are coached by former Nebraska assistant coaches.
Last year was the final year for Nebraska’s contract in the VERT Challenge, and Cook was already working on something to replace it.
“Playing Stanford on a Wednesday night is going to be a great match for the country and TV, and it’s on a Wednesday so there is no football. It’s a win-win,” more. journalstar.com/sports/huskers/volleyball/nebraska-and-stanford-have-five-year-plan-to-extend-volleyball/article_df94cf00-77e4-5b3e-9636-2c2584fabfca.amp.html
