Texas coach Jerritt Elliott played it close to the vest this week when asked whether he thought that the Longhorns should've been sent to another regional — any other regional — than the one played at Qwest Center Omaha.

But after the No. 2 Longhorns aced their biggest test of the year on Saturday — beating the seventh-ranked Huskers 21-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-17 Saturday night at the Qwest Center regional final — Elliott was free to breathe a big sigh of relief.

“Nebraska was the one site I said I did not want to go to,” said Elliott, whose Longhorns move on to the final four for a second straight year. “Fate has it that we ended up here. Tonight was about mental toughness and holding down the fort. We knew this was going to be the toughest regional of any in the country.”

The Longhorns knew if they could win in Omaha, they could win anywhere. And contrary to her coach, Texas senior Ashley Engle said she wanted to prove her team had what it takes to beat Nebraska on its own turf.

“People were saying, ‘Oh, you got a bad draw,'” Engle said. “I think we embraced it, and I think that's a great characteristic of this team. Now the final four should be our reward.”

Qwest crowd gets a hand

Both Elliott and Husker coach John Cook praised Nebraska fans for turning out in force again Saturday. The regional final crowd of 9,253 by no means was the biggest to ever watch a match at the Qwest Center — but it still was the largest audience by far compared to the NCAA's three other regionals.

“The crowd was great, and they were trying to will us to win this match,” Cook said. “We could feel it, and it was awesome.”

NU Athletic Director Tom Osborne was in attendance Saturday. Things went so well this weekend, Osborne said, that he's optimistic Nebraska can make a successful bid to host another regional next season prior to the 2010 final four in Kansas City.

“I think this increases our chances for being a host again next year,” Osborne said. “It's a good thing for our volleyball team.”

California teams make early exit

Now its official: The Pac-10 has packed its bags.

Of the eight Pac-10 teams that made the NCAA tournament, only fourth-ranked Stanford and No. 10 Cal advanced to the round of 16. But 16th-ranked Michigan upset the Cardinal on Friday night in Palo Alto, Calif. On Saturday in the Gainesville, Fla, regional final, Cal bowed out after getting swept by No. 1 Penn State.

This postseason marks the first time in the 28-year NCAA volleyball era in which a team from California didn't make the final four. It's also just the third season during that span that a Pac-10 team won't play in the national semifinals.

A Pac-10 team has made the final four every year except 1993 and 1998. But during those seasons, Long Beach State of the Big West Conference still advanced and represented the Golden State.

All-regional team:

Most Outstanding Player: Destinee Hooker (Texas)

All-regional team: Victoria Henson (Iowa State), Sarah Ammerman (Texas A&M), Kori Cooper (Nebraska), Sydney Anderson (Nebraska), Juliann Faucette (Texas), Ashley Engle (Texas), Hooker (Texas).

— Chad Purcell

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