OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Despite not having its All-American Lauren Stivrins available, the 5th seeded Nebraska volleyball team swept Baylor on Sunday to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. NU won 25-21, 25-17, 25-19 despite Strivrins being out with an undisclosed injury.
The Huskers improved to 16-2 & will now face 4th seeded Texas on Monday on the arena side of the CHI Health Center Omaha in front of approximately 4,000 fans for the right to go to the Final Four on Thursday. As of 9 p.m. on Sunday, there were a limited amount of tickets remaining for Monday's Elite Eight match, which will start 45 minutes following the conclusion of the 11 a.m. match (Session 1). Monday's match will be televised on ESPN2.
On Sunday, Lexi Sun led the way for NU with 12 kills hitting .345 while also serving a career-high five aces. Sophomore Madi Kubik added 8 kills. It's the 9th consecutive season Nebraska's made it to a Regional Final.
Following the match, head coach John Cook addressed Stivrins' absence on the Huskers Sports Network:
"Tomorrow is a new day," said Cook. "We just felt like she couldn't go today. So, we'll see how she is tomorrow."
Cook also discussed how impressed he was with his team's resolve knowing it would be without its senior captain.
"They played together and played with a lot of heart," Cook said.
📼 REGIONAL SEMIFINALS HIGHLIGHTS: @Huskervball defeats @BaylorVBall, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-19).#NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/OjMwkMm4h3
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) April 18, 2021
