Thursday night provided some epic volleyball as a pair of five-set affairs decided the two teams moving on to Saturday’s national championship match. In the end, No. 5 seed Nebraska and No. 2 seed Florida grabbed the title spots.
As the Huskers and Gators prepare for the season finale, VolleyMob delved into the archives to bring you a few historical notes and also a few standout stats from Thursday’s contests.
Semifinals Wrapup
5 – Number of consecutive seasons the Big Ten has put a team in the finals (also nine of the last 10 years – save 2012)
8 – Number of consecutive seasons the No. 1 overall seed failed to make the championship match (since #1 Penn State def. #2 Texas in 2009)
- 2010 (#4 Penn State def. #7 California)
- 2011 (#9 UCLA def. #3 Illinois)
- 2012 (#3 Texas def. #5 Oregon)
- 2013 (#2 Penn State def. #7 Stanford)
- 2014 (#5 Penn State def. BYU)
- 2015 (#4 Nebraska def. #3 Texas)
- 2016 (#6 Stanford def. #4 Nebraska)
- 2017 (#2 Florida vs. #5 Nebraska)
18,374 – Attendance for the semifinals, the most in NCAA history, surpassing 17,551 (2015 in Omaha)
19,426 – Highest attendance for an NCAA volleyball match in 2017 (Virginia Tech at North Carolina – 10/13/17 – which was held in conjunction with the Late Night with Roy basketball event and 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship banner unveiling)
Never have more people attended a national semifinal!
Thank you to the record 18,374 at the Sprint Center! #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/eYLTpNsblB
— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 15, 2017
Penn State vs. Nebraska
.273 – Hitting percentage by Penn State’s Haleigh Washington, whose season average was .503 coming into the semifinals
4 – Aces by Nebraska’s Kenzie Maloney as the Huskers served up 10 in the match
7 – Number of consecutive victories the Nebraska senior class posted over Penn State, including Thursday’s win (following a Nov. 29, 2014 loss)
9 – Blocks by Nebraska’s Lauren Stivrins to lead the Huskers to a 13-12 blocking lead over Penn State
19 – Match high kills by Nebraska’s Mikaela Foecke, who also chipped in 19 digs
171 – minutes, length of the match, the longest national semifinal in NCAA Tournament history
We going to the National Championship!!!!! ❤️?? pic.twitter.com/QmcFZ7L770
— Briana Holman (@_Shinola) December 15, 2017
Penn State women's volleyball ends the season at 33-2 after 3-2 loss to Nebraska in the NCAA Semifinal. Lee and Weiskircher recorded double-doubles. https://t.co/IdfzhLII3e pic.twitter.com/LaA1tds5sZ
— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) December 15, 2017
Stanford vs. Florida
-.040 – Stanford’s hitting percentage in Set 5 of the National Semifinal #2 (5 kills, 6 errors, 25 attempts)
.517 – Rhamat Alhassan‘s team high hitting percentage for the Gators (17 kills, 2 errors, 29 attempts)
14 – Years Between Florida’s National Championship appearances
19 – Kills by Stanford’s Merete Lutz to lead all hitters in the match
21 – National Semifinal appearances for Stanford, most in the nation
119 – Record NCAA Tournament wins in Stanford program history
.@ra_montie with the fifth-set takeover, and @Rachael5Kramer with the close out!
We've got a shot at it all come Saturday! pic.twitter.com/d1ZZ5XeSB2
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) December 15, 2017
The Cardinal battles back, but the season comes to a close in the National Semifinal.
Thanks for your support all year long! #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/hpY7UFrPqW
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) December 15, 2017
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