Now it's official: It will be at least 2015 before the Nebraska volleyball team gets a chance to win another national championship in its own backyard.
The NCAA on Friday unveiled its final four sites for 2013 and 2014, and Qwest Center Omaha was not on the list.
Seattle will host the 2013 volleyball championship, while Oklahoma City will be the site for the 2014 final four.
As announced previously, this year's NCAA championship will take place in Kansas City, Mo., while the event moves to San Antonio in 2011 and Louisville, Ky., in 2012.
The news on Friday wasn't all bleak for area volleyball fans, however. The NCAA named Nebraska and the Qwest Center as a regional site in 2012.
And, as further proof of Iowa State's status as an up-and-coming program, the Cyclones will host an NCAA regional for the first time in 2014.
The Qwest Center previously hosted NCAA regionals in 2005 and 2009, and the facility was the site of the 2006 and 2008 final fours. Those matches played out in front of some of the biggest crowds in college volleyball history.
When the Huskers beat Stanford in the 2006 national championship match, a record 17,209 fans filled the Qwest Center. That mark fell in 2008, when Penn State topped Nebraska in the national semifinals before a turnout of 17,430.
In 2006, there was some talk among the college volleyball community that Omaha could become a permanent or semi-permanent home for the final four. But most coaches never embraced that idea, and it's clear that the NCAA is aiming to grow its volleyball audience by staging its championship in all corners of the country.
The Huskers are expected to be a strong contender for the NCAA championship in 2010. If Nebraska is to make it to the final four in Kansas City, coach John Cook's team will have to win a regional at one of four predetermined campus sites: Washington, Penn State, Texas or Dayton (Ohio).
The NCAA now has named its regional hosts for volleyball through 2014.
In 2011 — the Huskers' first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference — regional hosts will be Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii and Minnesota. The 2012 list includes Nebraska, Texas, Purdue and the University of California.
In 2013, schools hosting regionals will be Southern California, Kentucky, Florida and Illinois. In 2014, regionals will be hosted by Iowa State, Washington, Louisville and Minnesota.
Contact the writer:
444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com
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