Let's not call Stanford the Buffalo Bills of college volleyball, OK? 

The Cardinal have lost in the last three finals, but it's not like they're chokers.  Far from it.  In each of the  past three  seasons, one can make  the case that they weren't supposed to win.  They weren't favored in any of those matches.  Last year?  Maybe.  But look at how great that Penn State team turned out this year - 38-0, 114-2 in sets played and will go down as one of the greatest teams of all-time.  

The frustration showed after the  match was over.  Not a lot of tears, but Alex Fisher drew a cheer from her teammates as she popped one of those  balloons.  Hey, she's a senior.  This losing in the final has got to be old.  But they've got nothing to be ashamed of.

The all-tournament  team is  being announced: Destinee Hooker, Texas; Jordan Larson, Nebraska; Alix Klineman, Stanford; Cynthia Barboza, Stanford; Alisha Glass, Penn State; Nicole Fawcett, Penn State; Megan Hodge, Penn State.  Hodge, who led with 16 kills in the final, was named most outstanding player for the second straight year.

Also outstanding, the crowd of 14,299.  There seemed like there were more than that.

So that does it from Omaha.  What an event.  What a season.  Who will be the final four participants next year in St. Petersburg, Fla?  Let the debate rage on. 

Until then, thanks for reading!  It's been a pleasure from this end to have you.

 

Only fitting that Nicole Fawcett ends the match.  The national player of the year's kill off the block gives PSU the 25-23 win and its second straight national crown.

Now  the Nittany Lions are mugging for  the  cameras, and coach Russ Rose is doing a quick TV interview with volleyball legend Karch Kiraly.  So is Megan Hodge.

But here's a weird scene: all the celebratory balloons and confetti came pouring down on the  Stanford side.  The Cardinal have got to be  wondering what that's all about.  The Nittany Lions look good in their national title T-shirts and hats. 

Megan Hodge is on fire for Penn State, but Alix Klineman is trying to keep Stanford in it.  Two Klineman kills and a net violation has Stanford to within 23-21.  PSU calls timeout. 

Penn State has taken a 21-17 lead  on a Fawcett kill.  But that doesn't mean the tree can't dance during the timeout!  Go tree, go!

Penn State appears to be on its way to a second straight title.  The Nittany Lions are clicking with a 11-6 lead in the third on Blair Brown's kill.  Entering the  set, only Stanford's Cynthia Barboza was in double figures with 10 kills.  Megan Hodge, Christa Harmotto and Nicole Fawcett had seven each for the Nittany Lions.  PSU was hitting .167 while Stanford was at .163.

The debate raged in the Omaha area.  Would the city support the NCAA final four if Nebraska was not in the event?

Of course, the building was sold out for Thursday night's  semis, which featured the Huskers.  But when  they lost, some in the  news media were predicting a crowd of less than 10,000 for the final.  Nebraska coach John Cook said Friday he wanted  to see the people of Omaha "finish off" the event.  Yes, it would be freezing outside, but with such a bad economy, why not go to the  match?  After all, the people had paid a  lot of  money for the all-session ticket. 

An official crowd hasn't been announced yet, but the fans certainly got Cook's message.  There are few empty seats, likely a crowd  of over 16,000.  Yes, Omaha, Nebraska, loves volleyball, and  the NCAA couldn't be happier.  The final four will be back here sooner than later.  

PSU just won a great rally to take set two 26-24.  We're going to assume that this set is over.

Penn State just hit a ball out to make it 22-21, but the scoreboard shows 23-22.  Say what?  A long serve has it at 24-22, but Klineman's kill cuts it to 24-23.  A hitting error, and it's tied at 24-all.  Timeout PSU.  Coach Russ Rose is not happy.  Neither is press row.  Everyone  here  is trying to figure out what's going on with the score.

it appears they're going to replay the last point.  It's 20-19 PSU.  The  PSU fans are yelling "21."  What is this - volleyball or blackjack?  Guys, the casino's three minutes from here.

OK, a double block gives PSU a 21-19 lead, and now the PSU fans are chanting "22." 

Yes, the PSU faithful are chanting "Fix the scoreboard" after the arena scoreboard operator gave Stanford a point instead of the Nittany Lions.  The  score should be 21-19 PSU instead of the 20-20 mark on the board.

Play has been stopped.  Both coaches are kidding around with each other at midcourt.  Both bands have started competing at who can be the  loudest.  Now some rowdy Nebraska fans have thrown in their two cents with a "Husker Power" chant.  The several hundred in the PSU section have just started yelling "21-19."  Thanks, guys.  We already knew that.  Oh, my!  The Stanford  section has just tried starting the wave.  Thankfully, it was just a ripple. 

A huge roar was just unleashed at the  Qwest Center during a timeout, and surprisingly it wasn't even for the dancing Stanford tree.  The video board displayed Nebraska coach John Cook at his courtside seat.  He let out a smile when he realized what was going on.  The man really is beloved in the state.  Guess that's what happens when you're a title contender every year.

 

While hitting machines like Alix Klineman, Cynthia Barboza, Christa Harmotto and Nicole Fawcett get the  pub, there are two really good liberos here tonight.  Gabi Ailes, from the Omaha metro area, and Roberta Holehouse have more than proven themselves.  Holehouse during the second set has made several diving digs as Penn State stormed to a 6-1 lead.  Meanwhile, Klineman has gotten hot to help close the deficit to 10-9. 

Stanford is likely going to regret not winning the first set.  Penn State peeled off 15 of the last 20 points to take a 1-0 lead.  Stanford really looked like a team on a mission early, only to struggle on defense at times when PSU made its initial run.  The Cardinal will tell you that set was one  they definitely should have had.

Yours truly might have gotten some face time on a highly popular cable network.  Barboza just shanked Glass' serve to press  row.  It landed in this blogger's hands.  Thankfully the drink was  spared.  But  more importantly the point made it 19-17 Nittany Lions, who are on  a 7-1 run.

Just moments after the last post, Penn State has pulled to within 16-15.  John Dunning has  called his first time  out.  The early match jitters, if  there were any from the defending champs, are all gone.  A "WE ARE PENN STATE" chant has just been unleashed.  Thanks to the school band for that one.

Stanford has taken a 15-10 lead in set one, and Penn State has helped the Cardinal.  The Nittany Lions seem off a bit.  During a  five-play sequence, three featured some miscommunication by setter Alisha Glass and her hitters.  Blair Brown was fortunate to get a kill with a backhand flick.  The  next play: a failed PSU kill attempt that went under the net.  Two points later, a service error.  Cynthia Barboza is looking strong early for the Cardinal.  So is Christa Harmotto for PSU. 

Man, it's freeze your rear off cold here Saturday night in Omaha, but you already knew  that.  Something else it doesn't take a genius to figure out - there  are two fantastic teams competing in the national final.  It's Stanford vs.Penn State for the second straight season.  The Cardinal have lost the past two finals and desperately want to get their title while Penn State is just a few hours away from entering the argument for greatest team of all-time. 

Stanford has to have confidence after watching Nebraska take two sets from the No.1 Nittany Lions in the semis - Penn State had  a 111-set win streak going at the time.  Heck, Penn State was even down 10-8 in the fifth vs. Nebraska.  But like champs do, PSU rallied despite 17,000 plus rooting against them.  

We're just minutes away from showtime.  The tension is building.  But take  a look at the  participants, and it would appear is if it's :"just another game."  No one appears to be anxious.  Stanford's whole team is all smiles right now.  Then again, they've been here before.  Enjoy the match! 

The ESPN worker approached the dapper dude sporting a shaved head with a request.

"Can we interview you after the second set?" the TV helper asked.

"Sure," said his target. "But how do I get down to the court? I don't have a pass."

Kind of funny since the interview subject was none other than Hugh McCutcheon, the new coach of the U.S. women's volleyball team. Is there a more important figure in women's volleyball in America now than that guy? How on Earth does he not have an all-access pass?

At least one thing's for sure - McCutcheon is certainly serious about his new gig. Just three days after accepting the position, McCutcheon was in Omaha to watch the NCAA semifinals on Thursday.

McCutcheon, who led the U.S. men's squad to Olympic gold in Beijing, said he's never coached women before. He said his move was met with some shock, but after seven years, he said it was time for another challenge. "My time with the men was great," said the 39-year-old coach. "We had a beginning, a middle and an end. It felt like it was time for a change. I needed to see if I could grow professionally."

McCutcheon said he wasn't concerned too much with switching over to the women's game. "I'm a firm believer that volleyball is volleyball," he said. "It's not gender specific." He had to have loved what he saw on Thursday. Some of America's finest prospects put on a clinic during the semifinals.

He said it was way too soon to tell who would be candidates for the national team, but he did come away impressed with the show the NCAAand Omaha put on. "It's awesome. Obviously it's a nice thing for volleyball to have this many people interested in the sport."

The coach planned to leave Friday. But for those wondering, McCutcheon said his family is doing well after suffering tragedy in Beijing. "It's going to take some time to deal with all of it, but physically everyone is OK and we're doing about as well as we can."

 

 

It's snowing buckets outside, but the sea of red known as Husker Nation in the Qwest Center could care less.  They're just minutes away from seeing if their beloved Huskers can do what seems to be the impossible - beat No. 1 Penn State.

The  36-0 Nittany Lions look invincible, having won a record 109 straight sets.  They're big, athletic and confident.  Heck, they've got six All-Americans this  year.  The 17,000-plus at the arena won't faze them, insisted Christa Harmotto and Nicole Fawcett.  They've played before some big crowds this season, they said on Wednesday.  Coach Russ Rose was even in the joking mood, getting a rise out of some news media members when he talked about coming to watch a Bootsy Collins concert when he was  an assistant at Nebraska in the late 1970s.

The Huskers, meanwhile, weren't intimidated at their tall task.  And they shouldn't be.  Their  last match was one for the ages, when they rallied from two sets down to beat Washington in the Seattle Regional final.  Oh, and  they also rallied from a 9-3 deficit in the fifth set.  An unheard of feat in the sport.

Senior Rachel Schwartz talked Wednesday about how these  Huskers  love each other and how their love of  the game reminded her of how third graders play sports for the fun of it all.  And speaking of love, coach John Cook said he and his staff couldn't stop answering their cell phones for  days following their latest triumph.  Calls from across the nation came.  He even got a bearhug from Texas' Jerritt  Elliott at the coaches meeting before the final four. 

When asked the last time the Huskers were  this big of an underdog in a match in Nebraska,  Cook couldn't remember.  The  fans are chanting "HUSKER POWER."  Nebraska is going to need all of that support and more in a matter of minutes. 

What an atmosphere - the best by far in college volleyball.  The  fans in blue behind the Penn State bench have to be in awe.     

A few boos for  Rose during introductions.  A local columnist wrote about the  icy relationship between the coaches in this  match.  Apparently the fans here read the newspaper.

Sensational defense and a vicious  kill by Tara Mueller has the crowd into a frenzy.  A Sydney Anderson service error brings the crowd down a notch.  It's  tied  8-8.

Even No. 1 gets lucky.  Kelsey Ream's  serve catches  net and crawls over for  an ace.   

A kill for Lindsey Licht is a good sign for the Huskers.  She's been playing with a bad left elbow for  a while.  Nebraskacan't just ride Jordan Larson and Mueller.

Blair Brown showed a little  something.  After getting stuffed by Larson, she comes  back with a kill.  But Penn State is in for a fight right  now.  It's 15-13 Nittany Lions.

Nebraska middle blocker Kori Cooper, out for the year after  tearing an ACL at Texas, is wearing some camo on the bench.  Yes, the Huskers have a fight on their hands tonight.

Penn State's size appears to be wearing  on Nebraska.  So is its defense.  Penn State leads 22-16 and looks dominant at the moment.

An overpass sets up set point for  the Nittany Lions.  All of Nebraska knows why Penn State is No. 1 now.  Still trying to find a weakness here.  But some Huskers still have the look of one that can compete.  Mueller slammed her hands  together during the changeover in disgust, while others just plain looked mad.

 Penn State's Roberta Holehouse looks like she's a fun person.  Hasn't stopped smiling yet.  Good to see in such a high-pressure environment.

Not a good way to start set No. 2 for NU.  Licht and  Jordan Wilberger played "I got it, you take it" as the  ball fell to the floor.

Booming kill by Amanda  Gates  and block by Gates  and Larson have Nebraska up 6-2.  Fawcett then shows why she'sa four-time All-American with a kill.  It's 6-3 Huskers. 

Three straight service errors for PSU.  Apparently they aren't perfect.

Wilberger just saw her life flash before her.  An overpass leads to Arielle Wilson pounding a  kill off WIlberger's leg.  A few feet  higher and we have trouble.

A 5-1 run has Penn State ahead 15-13.  During the run,the Nittany Lions stuff Larson and then force her to go high over the block and long. 

It's 18-14 and Cook wisely uses a timeout.  He knows what could be coming. 

Good luck to the Penn State cheerleaders, trying to lead their section in a cheer.  They're going up against another "HUSKER POWER" chant.

A  rare show of emotion by Cook.  He pumps both fists as Gates' hit is blocked out.

Another Cook timeout as Gates is blocked.  Penn State read that one well.  21-16 Nittany Lions.

The size up front is clearly having an affect on Nebraska.  Is that a recording?  Mueller hits two of her last three shots of the set way out, trying to get over the  block.  Penn State wins 25-18 with precision work. 

Anyone know the last time Nebraska's been roughed up like this in its home state?  What a performance thus far by the  Nittany Lions.  The  last time Nebraska lost at home was in 2004 to Florida A&M.

 Holy smokes.  Some dude named Michael Bolton just served during an intermission promotion.  And thoughts of "Office Space" come  to mind.

Megan Hodge leads Penn State with 13 kills on .524 hitting.  More impressive for the  Nittany Lions, they're holding Larson to .067 hitting.  Larson, Mueller and Licht have five kills apiece.

Big ovation for the Huskers  after emerging from the tunnel.  But can even a Rockne-like speech by Cook help his team?

An ace by Larson, and the crowd and Huskers are amped.  It's 6-2 NU.  Uh oh.  A serve into the net stops things a bit.

Licht is stepping up in set four.  Another  kill, and  it's 12-8 Big Red.

Just in case you didn't know who No. 5 in red is, it's "SCHWARTZ!"  That's what the crowd yells when she's back there.  Speaking of yell, the home folks are getting excited.  Schwartz's ace gives NU a 15-8 lead. 

It's another Omaha volleyball attendance record.  The  announced crowd of 17,430 is an all-time best for the  final four, breaking the  mark set in 2006.

Fawcett is blocked,and NU pushes the lead to 17-9.  A "GO BIG RED" chant is unleashed as Rose burns timeout No. 1.  Could the set streak end? 

Huge point for Nebraska.  Larson runs down a shot, and Mueller bangs one home.  Next PSU shot goes out on the following play, and it's suddenly 19-9 Huskers.  Timeout PSU.  This atmosphere is amazing.

Fawcett in the net - 20-9 Huskers.

Overpass on Larson'sserve leads to kill by Mueller.  Gates  then blocks for another point.  Fawcett ends the rally with a kill, but  it's 22-10 Huskers.

Fine setter dump by Sydney Anderson makes it 23-11.

Harmotto into the net to end it at 25-15.  The  set streak is over at 111.  But give Penn State a ton of credit.  To win 111 sets in a row is unfathomable. 

You knew the Huskers weren't going to just roll over, right?  This thing is getting good now.  Lots of work ahead for the Huskers, but at least it's a match.  Now the question is what  does Rose tell his troops?  It's their first shot of adversity this  season, one might think.  How will they respond?  Let game four begin.

How fitting, the house music is the "Rocky" theme.  Out of the huddle come the Huskers, met with a thunderous roar.  Nope, no one supports volleyball like they do in Nebraska.  No one.  Just take a look at this scene.

Penn State is doing a great job keying on Larson.  The Nittany Lions have gotten a hand on every shot of hers in the set.  A block makes it 7-4 PSU, and Cook calls for  time.

This  just in:  Hodge is  having a great match.  Another kill makes it 10-7 PSU.

It's a 6-0 run for Nebraska, and the  Qwest Center is  deafening.  Credit Schwartz's serving and some gritty stuff at the net by Nebraska.  An overpass leads to a Gates kill, putting Nebraska ahead 16-14.  

Hasn't worked much, but Anderson converts on a setter dump to make it 17-15.

Big kill by Licht to give Nebraska a 20-19 lead.  That after  Harmotto ties it at 19-all.  Mueller follows with an ace.  Rose counters with a timeout.  21-19 Huskers.

By far the point of  the night, ended by Hodge.  But the fact it got that far was amazing.  How does Mueller run that ball down?  How does Licht send it over?  Kudos to PSU to dig Larson.  If she gets  a kill there, the roof blows off the  place.  Cook stops things with a timeout.  Good call.  Everyone needed a breather there.

Rare timing  error there,with Harmotto going down.  22-20 Huskers. 

Larson puts home two kills for a  25-22 win.  Don't  know if the heart can take more of  this. What a match. 

The Huskers are all smiles on the  bench, looking really confident.  They know they can win  in a fifth game.  Their last time in one wasn't too bad.  But what about PSU?  They don't look frustrated by any means.  This should be really  good.

Alisha Glass is pretty special. Winning that joust at the net was huge.  NU could have gone up by two there.

Penn State goes up 5-3, and Nebraska gets a timeout.  But hey, for you Husker fans, it's not like it's 9-3 like at Washington.

Tremendous PSU defense!  Nittany Lions go up 6-3.  Mueller responds with a shot off the  block to make it 6-4 PSU.

Three straight Mueller kills, and it's 6-6.

Huskers dig Fawcett and Mueller does it yet again. It's 8-7 Huskers as they change over.

 

Big block by Hodge ties it at 10-10.  Larson hits  it out, and now it's PSU up 11-10.

Oh, bad pass and now it's 12-10 PSU.  Timeout Nebraska.  Any magic left from the Huskers? 

Some bad passing cost the Huskers late, and credit Penn State.  Like a No. 1 does, they made Nebraska pay.  Hodge ends it with a kill, 15-11.

Penn State is jubilant after shaking hands.  Perhaps  for the first time all season, there was a feeling of true joy and definitely relief from the Nittany Lions.  The Huskers truly pushed them to the limit on Thursday night. 

Fawcett and Hodge finish with 24 and 23 kills, respectively.  Larson led Nebraska with 17 kills, while Mueller and Licht add 15 and 13.  Team blocks were even at eight apiece. 

There were a lot of youths in attendance tonight, and a good thing too.  These two matches  should hook them to the  sport for good.  It was exciting, and high quality for sure.  Saturday's final should be the same - a rematch of last season's finale.  Saturday can't get here soon enough. 

 

Greetings from Omaha, Nebraska, where it's a steaming 20-something degrees  outside.  A heck of a lot better than earlier in the week where it was barely a few ticks past zero.  What?  A storm has hit the metro area?  Well, at least there is some high-quality volleyball to take our minds off things.

We'll begin the night with Stanford and Texas, set to begin soon.  Stanford is playing in its third straight final four, where it's lost in the  past two national finals.  It's like a right for the Cardinal to be here.  Nerves?  No way.  When they entered Qwest Center  Omaha just a little while ago, the Cardinal were  all smiles.  During the beginning of warmups, All-America Cynthia Barboza was rocking out to  the arena tunes.  Perhaps she and  her teammates have just listened to the  words of coach John Dunning concerning their past  final four disappointments.

"In the long run, it is educational," he said.  "They needed to interact together.  They needed to care about each other more in order for us to climb the ladder.  ... I think we're a pretty darn strong, close-knit group."

Oh, and it's good to see the tree is here by the Stanford band.  Can't go wrong with the tree.

As for Texas, the Longhorns are the newbies to the final four.  Jerritt Elliott's team was all business during warmups.  No smiles, except for a few from All-American Ashley Engle.  The Longhorns surely have something to prove against the final four veterans.  They also want to get some revenge against Stanford for a five-set loss  here in Omaha during the AVCA Showcase here in August. 

Ready for the opening serve, and by far the player with the biggest ovation during introductions was Stanford libero Gabi Ailes.  Not surprising since she's from the Omaha metro.  Both teams wondered during Wednesday's press conferences who would the crowd back.  Stanford felt that with Ailes, the hometown kid, it would get the brunt of the cheers.  Texas' Engle hoped the pro-Nebraska crowd would be behind her team since they're in the Big 12 with Nebraska.  It's a "polite" crowd,she called the Big Red fans.   

Welcome to the final four, Horns.  Go down 3-0 to begin, then storm to an 8-4 lead and force a Dunning timeout.

The Huskers have entered the building!!!   That drew a huge ovation from the crowd.  Thankfully it came during a timeout - Stanford's second of the opening set.  A mini-highlight show by Destinee Hooker and a Juliann Faucette kill puts Texas up 16-12.

 Signs of life from the Cardinal, who just forced Texas' first timeout at 21-18.  Only, Faucette answers with a big kill and Hooker follows with one. 

Here's one you don't see often.  Hooker is blocked for a Stanford point to keep it in it at 23-20.

What an opener for Texas.  Rachael Adams comes  off the bench to finish off a 25-20 win.  Man, Texas is athletic and huge up front.  But what gets lost is the fact that Texas' players use that length to cover some serious ground on defense.  Now can Stanford get crafty in set two?

The Huskers are making the rounds in the stands, saying hello to friends and family.  We must be in Nebraska.  Christina Houghtelling, a former national player of the year at Nebraska, is here.  Surely she's not the only ex-Husker in attendance.

Texas' size is really paying dividends now.  The Horns are getting hands on a lot of kill attempts.  After a Stanford timeout, Texas gets two straight kills to go up 12-6.

Batrboza tries one of  the toughest shots in the game, in a cut shot.  It winds up in the third row after going out of bounds.  13-7 Horns.

A little luck helps in the final four.  Faucette nearly whiffs but still gets a kill.  She smiles after the point.  She knows luck was on her side there.

Faucette has the hundred or so Texas fans rocking.  Her kill puts the Horns up 16-10, and Dunning gets his second timeout.  The band, the cheerleaders, the fans in burnt orange. ... is this Gregory Gym north?   

 Oh what a rally!  And who better than Foluke Akinradewo to end it.  Akinradewo, a kill waiting to happen when she touches the ball, keeps Stanford in  set two.  Elliott calls timeout with his lead trimmed to 22-17.  Can't blame him.  In the final four, you take no chances.

Must be nice to have the high-jumping Hooker on your  team.  Her kill ends another great rally to set up set point.  In their huddle, Faucette holds one finger up, like she knows it's over.  And it is.  Stanford gets a kill, but the sophomore makes it 2-0 Horns with a  kill. 

 Here's how not to get a pro-Nebraska crowd excited  between sets: show a highlight video of Washington beating the Huskers for the 2005 title.

After two sets, Texas is  outhitting Stanford .303-.152.  Faucette leads with 12 kills on .375 hitting, Hooker has nine kills with 15 digs.  Alix Klineman paces Stanford with nine kills on .346 hitting.  Barboza is only hitting .040 with four kills.  The senior does have 10 digs, a team high.

 An ace by Ailes gives Stanford a 3-0 lead.  The hometown crowd gives her another nice cheer.

For the first time, the Cardinal really look pumped.  A block  on Faucette forces a timeout as Stanford leads 6-2.

Hometown  kid does good again.  Ailes' pancake dig leads to a point off a Texas hitting error.  Cardinal lead 8-3, their largest lead of the  night.

It's taken awhile, but here come the Cardinal.  They take a 13-7 lead, and Elliott burns timeout No. 2.  Hey, now the tree has reason to dance!

One of the more unheralded players for Texas hasstepped up.  Jennifer Doris blocks a kill attempt to trim Stanford's lead to 13-9.  Dunning doesn't waste time and calls a  timeout.  Can't let momentum slip too much.

Hooker's something else.  A perfectly placed change-up in the  back goes for a kill.  She then follows with an ace out of the  reach of Barboza to make it 14-13. 

Stanford is taking advantage of bad Texas passing to go up 22-14.  One led to a kill by Akinradewo where she went up against no block.  Just count it for the Cardinal when that happens. 

Give  credit to Stanford.  The  Cardinal  looked done after two sets, perhaps overmatched.   But they showed  some championship mettle with a 25-15 win in set three.  This one's far from over.

Is Texas feeling the  heat?  Stanford scores five of  the  first seven points in set four, and Elliott calls for time.

Stanford's Janet Okogbaa gets a much-needed kill. Entering the fourth set, she was hitting minus .600. 

Time to talk it over, Stanford.  Texas goes on a mini run to tie it at 9-all.  Dunning calls timeout.

It's not the most vicious jumpserve in the game, but Klineman couldn't have  placed her  last one any better.  It grazes the sideline to give Stanford a  15-12 lead and Elliott a bit of a headache. 

Just what Texas needs - more impact players.  Doris makes her 6-5 presence felt with a kill and a block with Engle.  Engle and Faucette follow with kills, and the Horns are  suddenly up 16-15.

Dunning gets a timeout with his team up 21-20.  He is talking to setter Cassidy Lichtman, but he can't  be  dishing out criticism.  Lichtman has played hard all night trying to engineer a comeback.

The home crowd groans as Ailes  serves one  long.  Not  to worry.  Klineman pounds one for  a 23-21 lead.

Akinradewo makes it 24-21 with a thunderous kill.  Chances are good she gets a shot to end things here.

OK, so Stanford goes to Klineman.  Fine.  I guess it's OK to go to a 6-4 All-American.  It's  now 2-2!  Buckle  your seat belts, blog fans!  The  race to 15 and a trip to the  national final is on.

Controversy at the Qwest.  What looked like a kill for Ailes, of all people, is overruled.  A violation on Stanford makes it 3-0 Horns.   

The momentum swings to Stanford.  Lichtman makes a huge play off a bad  pass.  She manages to knock it off a  Texas blocker for a kill.  That leads to a bad pass by Texas off  Akinradewo's serve.  The Cardinal now lead 6-5.

It's like a prizefight now.  Both squads are trading blows as it's 8-7 Horns.  Good  stuff. 

Slight separation for the Cardinal.  Engle's  timing is off on a kill attempt, and a block puts Stanford  ahead 11-9. 

You get the feeling Texas is going to ride Hooker from here.  Her kill makes it 11-10 Cardinal.

Lauren Paolini doesn't want her senior year to end like this.  Big kill cuts the Horns' deficit to 13-12.  Timeout Dunning. 

Overpass and Lichtman rips it.  14-12 Cardinal.

Wow!!!  Another great point - dink by Paolini extends the match after a fine rally.  Looked like the Horns were done for a moment.  Stanford calls its final timeout up 14-13.

Barboza is blocked out of bounds, and the Cardinal move to their third  final in three years.   An appreciative crowd  gives both teams a standing ovation.  

What a match that turned  out to be.  A virtual snoozer after two sets becomes an instant classic.  Stanford's veterans found a way.  Klineman turned  it up for 20 kills and barboza and Akinradewo get 19 and 17, respectively.  Foluke ends with six blocks as well.  Hooker paced Texas with 23 kills and 21 digs.  Faucette recorded  19 kills and Paolini ended  strong with 16 kills on .406 hitting.  Also, kudos to Lichtman who helped the Cardinal finish with a .306 percentage.  They're not playing Saturday without her.