MADISON, Wis. - Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook wants to be clear - his team winning a five-game marathon Friday night was not a factor against California.
The Huskers weren't fatigued at all, they simply got outplayed by the Golden Bears in the NCAA regional finals on Saturday night.
Cook said what may have hurt the Huskers was Cal's experience in playing pressure-packed matches in the ultra-competitive Pac-10 Conference. Nailbiters are seemingly the norm there. In fact, Cook said he thought going the distance against Michigan State in the regional semifinals was good for his squad. The Huskers hadn't really been challenged in over a month.
"One of the things that Cal, you could tell as they were playing the match, is that they're used to being in point-by-point battles," he said. "We have not been in one of those since K-State and that was weeks ago. I think we got a little shaky because of that."
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