Team Tampa Bay's Take with Joey Johnston - Regional Finals Are Set!

By Joey Johnston

Texas, the defending national champion, somehow survived.

Nebraska, the prohibitive tournament favorite, was dominant.

Wisconsin, the only team to defeat Nebraska, remained alive.

And in an ACC rivalry where the separation has been ridiculously razor-thin — Pittsburgh vs. Louisville — we’ll get Round 3 with a final four trip at stake.

The upshot? Get your popcorn ready.

Following a riveting night of region semifinals — with one more knockout round to go — a star-studded, brand-name field is practically assured for next week’s NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship at downtown Tampa’s Amalie Arena.

The top four national seeds (Nebraska, Stanford, Wisconsin and Pittsburgh) prevailed on Thursday. Meanwhile, three of the four No. 2 regional seeds (Texas, Louisville and Oregon) also advanced. No. 3 regional seed Arkansas had the only upset, beating SEC rival Kentucky in five sets, ending the nation’s longest current winning streak at 18 straight matches and advancing to the program’s first elite eight appearance.

The region finals are on Saturday — with one match staged after the other during ESPNU’s blanket coverage, beginning at 4 p.m. and likely concluding somewhere after midnight. The winners advance to Tampa for next Thursday’s national semifinals, which are hosted by the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and the University of South Florida.

The national championship match, set for Sunday, Dec. 17, will be televised on ABC-TV for the first time.

As the final eight teams prepare for Saturday’s showdowns, the TBSC has dispatched Team Hosts to each region final site where they will meet with the teams to assure a welcoming and seamless transition to Tampa next week.

It’s also time to take a deep breath after Thursday’s full slate of matches.

The top region semifinal moment belonged to Texas, which outlasted the Tennessee Volunteers 3-2, winning 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 26-24, 16-14 and reaching the Longhorns’ 17th region final in the past 18 seasons.

Texas-Tennessee was probably the most fierce battle of the entire NCAA Tournament, a five-set thriller that neither team deserved to lose.

Texas won on its fifth match point, getting a favorable call after a challenge of a Tennessee net violation. The Longhorns were one point away from elimination but fought off Tennessee’s fourth-set match point on a kill by Madisen Skinner (26 kills, .328 hitting percentage). Tennessee was seeking its first region final appearance since 2005.

“I was just fighting for my teammates,’’ Skinner said. “If things went south, I would be fighting as hard as I could.’’

Texas (25-4) will play at Stanford (29-3), four-set winners against Pac-12 foe Arizona State, in the region final.

Meanwhile, the Nebraska Cornhuskers swept past Georgia Tech, winning 25-11, 25-16, 25-21 and serving more notice that they are the team to beat.

“The bigger the stage, the more they thrive on it,’’ said Cornhuskers coach John Cook, whose defense limited Georgia Tech to a microscopic .019 hitting percentage. “Our hardest matches are when it’s not a big stage. They love this.’’

Nebraska (31-1) next faces the Arkansas Razorbacks (28-5), who won a 3-2 roller-coaster against Kentucky (22-25, 25-22, 25-15, 22-25, 15-10) after dropping both regular-season matches against the Wildcats during SEC play.

The Wisconsin Badgers, which defeated Nebraska 3-0 during the regular season, eased past Big Ten rival Penn State 3-1, winning 25-11, 28-30, 25-12, 25-18. Wisconsin (29-3) challenges the Oregon Ducks (29-5) in the region final.

Then there’s the region final that could be the most competitive of all — Pittsburgh (28-4) against Louisville (27-4) in the season’s ACC rubber match. The Panthers and Cardinals had almost identical resumes — with Pittsburgh getting the nod for a top-four national seed (and the right to host) based on more wins against common opponents and top-50 RPI teams.

Louisville captured a nail-biter against Creighton 3-2, winning 25-21, 14-25, 25-23, 24-26, 15-8. It was no sweat for Pittsburgh, which swept Washington State 3-0.

“This feels, at times, like the best team I’ve ever coached at Pitt when we’re playing our best,’’ Panthers coach Dan Fisher said. “When we’re firing on all cylinders, we’re pretty scary.’’

Eight elite teams … all with designs on making it to Tampa.

Only four of them will qualify.

Louisville at Pittsburgh.

Arkansas at Nebraska.

Oregon at Wisconsin.

Texas at Stanford.

On the Road to Tampa Bay, the finish line is finally in sight. Get your popcorn ready.

THURSDAY’S REGION SEMIFINALS

Nebraska Regional

Nebraska def. Georgia Tech 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-21)
Arkansas def. Kentucky 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 25-15, 22-25, 15-10)

Pittsburgh Regional

Pittsburgh def. Washington State 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-16)
Louisville def. Creighton 3-2 (25-21, 14-25, 25-23, 24-26, 15-8)

Wisconsin Regional

Wisconsin def. Penn State 3-1 (25-11, 28-30, 25-12, 25-18)
Oregon def. Purdue 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 29-27)

Stanford Regional

Stanford def. Arizona State 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-23)
Texas def. Tennessee 3-2 (25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 26-24, 16-14)

SATURDAY’S REGION FINALS

2-Louisville (27-4) at 1-Pittsburgh (28-4), 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
3-Arkansas (28-5) at 1-Nebraska (31-1), 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
2-Oregon (29-5) at 1-Wisconsin (29-3), 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
2-Texas (25-4) at 1-Stanford (29-3), 10 p.m. (ESPNU)