Final Four Media Day: Huskers readying for Final Four, run at national championship

TAMPA, FL - Top seeded Husker Volleyball is in Tampa, FL. for the Final Four in hopes of a sixth national championship. 

A theme all year long for Nebraska has been their youth, but a team with five freshman on their roster made the Final Four. Big Ten Setter of the Year Bergin Reilly says the group is ready for the moment. 

"All five freshman have been working since day one to get to this point," Reilly said. "We're prepared, we had a lot of learning to do, obviously, so we had to lean on some of the older girls, but we've had a lot of big moments behind us this season too so we're ready to go and get after it."

One of those older girls is Libero Lexi Rodriguez, who was named an AVCA All-American for the third straight year.

"I think this team from day one has been very special for a few reasons," Rodriguez said. "There's just so much passion for the sport of volleyball and who we're playing with every single day.... There hasn't been a single day, a single practice, or a single match where everyone was just so excited to be playing volleyball for this team and for Nebraska."

Another All-American is junior outside hitter Merritt Beason. Beason leads the Big Red with 444 kills on the year. She credits her success in 2023 to the Huskers' coaching staff. 

"I have a really good relationship with each of our coaches and all of our staff and that helps me be myself and play like me," Beason said. "I think every single area of my game has improved. I've been pushed in a lot of ways I wasn't pushed in before and that's increased my game in tons of ways."

Top-seeded Nebraska (32-1) will take on Pitt (29-4) on Thursday night. The Huskers enter off a 3-1 win over Arkansas in the regional final, while the Panthers erased a 2-0 deficit to eliminate Louisville in five sets. Head Coach John Cooks believes the Huskers will see a team with a similar play style to their own in terms of physicality.

"We've seen a lot of that," Cook said. "Obviously Arkansas wasn't as physical, they played a different style, but Pitt's playing a system like we're playing and they're going to hit the ball and be physical.... And they're playing at a really high level."

The Huskers met Pitt in the Final Four in 2021, knocking off the Panthers in four sets, before falling to Wisconsin in the national championship. 

Nebraska/Pitt begins at 6:00 p.m,. CST, followed Wisconsin/Texas.