Omaha, Neb. – The fourth-seeded Nebraska volleyball team used a strong finish to push their way past No. 9 Kansas on Thursday, punching their ticket to Saturday’s NCAA Championship match. Nebraska won the final seven rallies of the match to defeat the Jayhawks in front of 17,551 fans at the CenturyLink Center, the largest volleyball crowd in NCAA history.

The Huskers led for all but six rallies in the first two sets, taking a 2-0 lead into the locker room following a 25-20 victory in set one and a 25-21 win in set two. The Jayhawks used six blocks to take the third set, 25-20. In the decisive fourth set, Kansas pulled within 18-16 on the strength of a 4-0 run, only to see Nebraska win the final seven rallies to advance to their seventh NCAA final.

The Huskers (31-4) will face No. 3 Texas Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. The Longhorns defeated second-seeded Minnesota, 3-1, in Thursday’s first semifinal. Kansas ended the best season in school history with a 30-3 record. All three of the Jayhawks’ losses came to the two NCAA finalists.

Kadie Rolfzen led Nebraska with 14 kills on .343 hitting, and she added five digs and four blocks. Mikaela Foecke tallied 12 kills and Cecilia Hall had 10 kills and a match-high seven blocks. Justine Wong-Orantes totaled 17 digs, while Kelly Hunter dished out 47 assists for a Husker offense that had fewer kills than KU, but out-hit the Jayhawks, .207 to .159. Kansas’ Kelsie Payne led all attackers with 22 kills, and she hit a blistering .576.

Fans can watch the Huskers go for their fourth national title, as Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. final will be televised on ESPN2.

— NU Athletics —