LINCOLN, Neb. -- Top-ranked Texas proved worthy of its No. 1 seed on Saturday, as the Longhorns continued defense of their 2012 national title with a 3-0 sweep of No. 8 Nebraska in the NCAA Lincoln regional final in front of 8,343 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
In winning its school-record 10th consecutive postseason match, Texas handed the Huskers a home sweep (25-19, 25-22, 25-23) for the first time in the NCAA tournament. Overall, Nebraska was swept in Lincoln for the first time in 24 years, dating back to a loss to No. 1 Hawaii on Oct. 2, 1989. Texas also became the first No. 1 team to win in Lincoln since Penn State in 1999.
With the win, Texas advanced to the NCAA semifinals next weekend in Seattle. The Longhorns (27-2) will take a nation-leading 23-match winning streak into Thursday's semifinal against 12th-seeded Wisconsin. Texas is appearing in the NCAA semifinals for the ninth time in school history and for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
Leading the way in the Longhorns' second regional final victory against Nebraska in five seasons was a strong block and an efficient night from All-Americans Haley Eckerman and Bailey Webster. Eckerman had 14 kills, while Webster produced 12 kills and hit .500. Together, the duo combined for 26 kills and only three errors on 73 swings, while Eckerman added a double-double with a team-high 15 digs. Khat Bell and Chiaka Ogbogu added seven kills each and Hannah Allison recorded 37 assists to help Texas hit .266 in the match.
Molly McCage led a big blocking effort for the Longhorns with eight stuffs, helping Texas out-block Nebraska 14-3. The block helped Texas to the sweep despite being out-killed and out-dug by the Huskers.
