At the NCAA volleyball regionals, the rivalry between Wisconsin and Nebraska could enter a new chapter

When Big Ten heavyweights Nebraska and Wisconsin collided with the women’s volleyball national championship at stake in 2021, the matchup lived up to its considerable billing.

The Badgers won in five sets to celebrate their first title, denying the Huskers a sixth. A larger crowd (18,755) attended than anyone had seen NCAA volleyball match in history.

That December day in Columbus, Ohio, served as a catalyst for growth in the sport. And while Texas walked away with championships to end each of the last two seasons, the two programs involved in that championship game three years ago continue to lead the way in generating excitement and interest.

“Not only has the rise of Nebraska and Wisconsin and the rivalry fueled each other,” said Emily Ehman, a television commentator for the Big Ten Network, ESPN and Fox, and a former Northwestern libero, “but I think it has sparked massive interest in the sport from people who otherwise weren’t paying attention.”

Since 2017, Nebraska and Wisconsin have made three appearances each in the national championship game. A Final Four appearance this year would mark the Huskers’ 18th since 1986 and seventh since 2015. For Wisconsin, a trip to Louisville next week would be its seventh Final Four and fifth since 2019.

But they can’t both go.

On a collision course again this year as the tournament reaches its round of 16 Thursday and Friday, Nebraska and Wisconsin could meet Sunday in the inaugural regional final televised by ABC — another result of rising energy in arenas and gyms nationally around college volleyball.

The Badgers, seeded seventh in the NCAA tournament, travel to Lincoln, Neb., to face Texas A&M in the regional semifinal round on Friday. The winner will face no. 2-seeded Nebraska or Dayton at 3 p.m. ET Sunday with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

The Nebraska-Wisconsin rivalry has grown into perhaps the best in volleyball.

“This is obviously not just any other game for these players and the fans,” Ehman said. “It’s much deeper than that.”

The Huskers (31-2) and Badgers (25-6) have met twice this season, both three-set victories for Nebraska. However, the results are not indicative of recent history in the series.

“When I saw Nebraska and Wisconsin in the same quadrant, I thought, ‘You know, this could be interesting,'” said Holly McPeak, the former UCLA setter, Olympic beachcomber and ESPN commentator, who will call the Lincoln regional with Courtney Lyle, Katie George and Madison Fitzpatrick “It’s hard to beat a good team three times.

“Nebraska has been pretty dominant in their wins so far. But can Wisconsin make some adjustments and play at a better level? I think they can. But I don’t know if they can beat Nebraska. That’s a big question.”

Wisconsin beat Nebraska in 10 consecutive meetings from 2017 to last season. The streak included the national championship win for the Badgers.

When Nebraska got over the hump in October 2023 in Lincoln, it was a game reminiscent of the 2021 Classic. The rivals came undefeated and at the top of the rankings. Nebraska won in five sets to set off a court storm.

“I had never seen a game get hyped like it did,” Ehman said. “And it lived up to the hype. It was another one where, if people weren’t paying attention and tuning in, you’d be like, ‘Hey, this sport is really exciting.'”

Ehman was on the BTN call for each of the four Nebraska-Wisconsin games over the past two seasons. The 2023 game in Lincoln raised the bar for the rivalry, she said.

It created another boost for volleyball by drawing an average of 612,000 viewers, making it the most ever to watch a regular season game on BTN. Volleyball surpassed the Nebraska-Northwestern football game on the same day and same network.

Nebraska and Louisville broke that BTN record this year with 684,000 viewers. Over the past two seasons, the Huskers have participated in matches that set regular-season volleyball viewership records on ABC, NBC, ESPN and BTN.

“It’s amazing what Nebraska is doing,” McPeak said. “Everywhere Nebraska goes, they sell out gyms. It’s not just in Nebraska. It’s a national thing. People are talking about Nebraska volleyball.”

Why has Nebraska had the advantage over Wisconsin this year?

The Huskers returned their entire starting lineup from a year ago, including three sophomores and two seniors named to the 2024 All-Big Ten first team. Wisconsin, with two first-team honorees — including Big Ten Player of the Year Sarah Franklin — replaced its scoring duo from last season with a freshman, Charlie Fuerbringer.

The Badgers on offense have different attacking options that require Fuerbringer to vary his sets.

“It really took her until the last month to get comfortable with that system,” Ehman said. “I think Fuerbringer has the toughest job in college volleyball right now.”

Since Sept. 28, Wisconsin has lost just twice in 21 games, both against Nebraska. The Badgers handled Fairfield and Georgia Tech last week in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

If Wisconsin gets past Texas A&M and Nebraska beats Dayton, watch Sunday for fireworks.

Elsewhere in the regions:

• Games at Pittsburgh and Louisville begin Thursday. If the seeds hold and Stanford (27-4) meets Louisville (27-5) on Saturday in the final, it would mark a third meeting between the ACC foes. They split in the regular season, with Stanford winning at home on November 30 in a game some observers believed should have earned the Cardinal a No. 1 regional seed. It went to the Cardinals, who can play at home throughout the tournament if they win this weekend.

• Pittsburgh (31-1) is a heavy favorite to win at home this week and the pick of Ehman to take home the big prize on Dec. 22. The Panthers play for the second time opposite Olivia Babcock, a favorite for national player of the year.

“Pitt, to me, is leaps and bounds better than any other team,” Ehman said. “That doesn’t mean they can’t lose. But I think when they play their best, there’s no team that can touch them.”

• At Penn State, the most intriguing of the regional semifinal games features Creighton (31-2) against lower-seeded Texas (20-6) at 1 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN2. The Longhorns swept Nebraska in the championship game a year ago and loom as a threat against any foe.

Texas senior outside hitter Madisen Skinner won a national championship at Kentucky as a freshman in the 2020 season and then helped lead the Longhorns to the past two titles. She was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2023 Final Four.

• The Nittany Lions (31-2) face Marquette on Friday and can await the Texas-Creighton winner. Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley battled breast cancer this year while leading her team to a share of the Big Ten title with Nebraska.

“It’s the best story in college sports right now,” Ehman said. “The fact that Katie shows up every day with a smile on her face and is there for those girls, I just think is incredible.”

This article originally appeared in Athletics.

Wisconsin Badgers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, College Sports, Women’s College Sports

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