LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraska’s run for the roses began all the way back in August, but now, the race for a national championship is coming down the stretch, in Louisville.

For the second year in a row, Husker Volleyball is off to the Final Four after a statement third sweep of Wisconsin, but none were more meaningful than Sunday’s win in the Elite Eight. The Huskers are now a step closer to avenging last years national championship loss, and finally lifting the trophy again.

“We obviously had a goal to get back to the Final Four, and we achieved that goal and we achieved that goal, but the job’s not done,” Senior Libero Lexi Rodriguez said.

“Dude, we’ve been wanting this so bad,” Bekka Allick said. “It’s been on my mind since when we lost on Dec. 17 last year. It feels good, in distance speaking, to be closer to the actual trophy and it means everything to be honest.”

Nebraska won the match by set scores of 26-24, 25-17, and 25-21. The Huskers held the Badgers to a .126 hitting percentage and recorded 19 blocks, even wrapping up the final point with a Harper Murray, Andi Jackson combo rejection.

The Huskers already swept the Badgers twice in the regular season. The old saying in sports is it’s tough to beat a team three times, but for Merritt Beason, who ends her career 43-0 at the Devaney Center, the Huskers were hearing none of that.

“I mean there’s so much talk about playing a team for the third time, but when you play a team for the third time, you know them like the back of your hand,” Beason said. “There were a few changes we had to adapt to early on. It was a little different then the last few times we played them in the past, but I thought we adapted really well on the fly and did a nice job taking care of our side of the net and I think that’s ultimately what won us this match.”

The atmosphere inside the Devaney Center is one that’ll be remembered for years to come. Deafening, at times, willing the Huskers to a win.

“I asked our crowd to will us… I’m not sure I’ve heard the Devaney this loud for that long, every single point,” Head Coach John Cook said. “Thanks to our crowd, they were unbelievable today.”

“Husker Nation shows out for any big or competitive team. Especially when there’s a lot on the line,” Allick said. “Husker Nation is so in tune with it. Even if we miss hit a ball and they [Wisconsin] netted it, we knew Husker Nation would be screaming for that ball. We really appreciated it, they were in it the whole time.”

It’ll be third trip to the Final Four for much of Nebraska’s senior class including Lexi Rodriguez, Kennedi Orr, and Lindsay Krause. It's also the 12th appearence in 25 years as head coach for John Cook.