To illustrate the importance of finishing the regular season strong, and the dangers of failing to do so, Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook told his team to picture the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest.
Prior to Tuesday's win at Iowa, where the second-ranked Huskers clinched the Big Ten championship, Cook told his team they were just shy of the summit. They weren't far from the top, but that just may be the most dangerous spot.
"The elevation of Mount Everest is 29,028 feet," Cook said. "They call the last 28 feet 'The Death Zone' because that's the hardest part. It's the part that gets everybody. That's what we've been in, the last 28 feet."
Cook said he could see his team playing with anxiety in recent matches as the Huskers felt the pressure to clinch the school's first Big Ten title. Prior to the sweep of Iowa, NU had dropped the opening game in seven of its last nine matches.
But the Huskers made quick work of the Hawkeyes, meaning Nebraska (24-3, 17-2 Big Ten) can finish the regular season Saturday at Northwestern (15-15, 6-13) without the pressure that had been building the last month. In fact, the Huskers will accept the Big Ten championship trophy in Evanston, Ill., following the 7 p.m. match.
What Saturday night's meeting represents is the chance to carry momentum into the postseason, where the Huskers are all but certain to be one of the top four national seeds in the NCAA tournament when the brackets are released Sunday.
"(Saturday) is just as an important game as our Penn State match was," senior Brooke Delano said. "We'll go in with a great mentality. Just because Northwestern doesn't have a great record, they're still a good team and want to beat us as bad as anyone else."
The Wildcats come into their Senior Night match at Welsh-Ryan Arena having lost four straight but have put a scare into several Big Ten heavyweights. Last weekend, Northwestern lost a pair of five-game contests on the road at Michigan and Michigan State. And on Oct. 5, the Wildcats battled back to force a fifth game at Penn State before falling 15-11.
Northwestern has one of the league's youngest lineups with nine freshmen and sophomores on the 14-player roster. Sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Holthus is fourth in the Big Ten, averaging 4.15 kills per set, and redshirt freshman Katie Dutchman ranks second in the conference with 1.41 blocks per set.
The Huskers hope to continue their recent string of strong defensive matches. Ever since a three-game loss at Purdue, Nebraska has held its previous three opponents to a combined .131 hitting percentage and racked up a 30-13 advantage in blocks.
It's that kind of effort that keeps a team from tumbling back down the mountain, Delano said, and can keep a team on top going into the postseason when there are even bigger hills to climb.
"We just have to believe," Delano said. "We have three more weeks left, and we have to believe we can do it and keep trusting and loving our teammates. It can take us where we want to go."
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