LINCOLN — The unveiling of the NCAA volleyball tournament's field featured its share of curveballs. But the one John Cook was most concerned about never got thrown Nebraska's way.

Some technical difficulties at Memorial Stadium on Sunday afternoon had the Huskers scrambling to find a few skyboxes with working TVs. But after that problem got solved, Cook and his players liked what they saw.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Huskers will stay home for the opening weekend of the tournament. No. 8-ranked Nebraska, seeded 10th for the tournament, will host a first-round match on Friday against Coastal Carolina.

Should NU win its opener, the Huskers would play Saturday against either Washington State or 20th-ranked Northern Iowa. UNI, winners of 28 straight matches, won the Missouri Valley tournament in Omaha this week to wrap up an automatic postseason bid.

Red-hot Nebraska piled up seven consecutive sweeps in November, and junior setter Sydney Anderson said the Huskers are hungry to perform at an even higher level in the postseason.

“I don't think anybody has seen us play up to our full potential yet,” Anderson said. “The excitement we feel, and getting to play in front of our home crowd, I think it's going to bring out the best in us.”

Should the Huskers win twice at the Coliseum, they would advance to the NCAA regional on Dec. 11 and 12 at Qwest Center Omaha. That means that Nebraska won't have to play outside its home state as it tries to return to the final four, which begins Dec. 17 in Tampa, Fla.

“We have a chance the next two weekends to play in the state of Nebraska, and I think that's a reward for the support our fans show,” Cook said. “It's just a great opportunity, and I know our players will be really excited.”

But the other teams that potentially could be joining the Huskers in Omaha definitely raised some eyebrows Sunday. The seeded squads in NU's portion of the bracket are No. 2 Texas, No. 7 Iowa State and 15th-seeded Louisiana State.

Should the seeds hold, all three of the Big 12's top-10 teams will come to Omaha.

Plus, the Qwest Center could wind up with an all-Big 12 regional if Texas A&M also wins twice this weekend.

Nebraska could play the Cyclones in the regional semifinals, and the winner of that match most likely would face off against the Longhorns with a spot in Tampa on the line.

“We have to take care of business first, and we're going to have our hands full in the first and second rounds,” Cook said. “But there's a great chance to play some great teams (in Omaha). For us it's good, but I'm not sure if the other (Big 12) teams are too excited about that.”

It's rare for the NCAA to bunch so many teams from one conference in a single regional, but that's what the committee chose to do in 2009. The Big 12 had two teams make the final four last year in Texas and Nebraska. But the conference almost certainly will have only one final four representative this December.

NU hasn't appeared in the same regional with a Big 12 team since 2003, when Texas A&M lost to Southern California in Lincoln. The only time in program history that Nebraska faced a conference rival in an NCAA regional was in 1988, when the Huskers lost to Oklahoma.

Iowa State coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said it's disappointing to see the Big 12's strongest teams grouped together.

“There's always some things (in the tournament) you might not agree with, or are surprised by,” said Johnson-Lynch, an Omaha native and former Husker. “But those are teams we've all played, and at least we would be familiar with them. ... It's something we just have to accept and deal with.”

Another development that had the college volleyball world buzzing Sunday was Florida State's placement in the tournament. In a surprise move, the 28-2 Seminoles — ranked 14th in the latest AVCA poll — were seeded No. 3 for the tournament and routed through Minneapolis.

The University of Minnesota's regional could give the Seminoles an easy path to the final four. The fact Florida State is included in that portion of the bracket may be proof that the NCAA is eager to have a Florida school make it to Tampa.

It's also curious to note that of the four seeded teams in the Minneapolis regional — Florida State, No. 6 Washington, No. 11 Minnesota and No. 14 Oregon — only the Seminoles will be at home for rounds one and two.

No. 16-seeded University of Florida, which has had an up-and-down 23-5 season, also will be a regional host. The Gators were a preseason final four favorite, but now they likely will have to play top-seeded, top-ranked and two-time defending NCAA champion Penn State in the regional semifinal.

No. 4 Stanford is the top seed in its Palo Alto, Calif., regional, which also includes fifth-seeded Illinois, No. 12 Hawaii and No. 13 Michigan.

Other Big 12 teams to make the tournament were Baylor and Oklahoma.

Also from the Missouri Valley Conference, Wichita State earned an at-large invitation and will open the tournament playing St. Louis in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones, who will be home for the NCAA's opening weekend for the first time since 1995, take on George Mason on Friday at Hilton Coliseum.

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com

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