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Huston’s coach Pharrell Williams was on his feet throughout her performance during the show's semifinal round, but coach Adam Levine offered the first words of praise.

The judges may take her for granted, he said, but have watched her “slow, steady build� on the show.

“You’re probably one of the most consistent people from the beginning,� he said. “I feel like you’re this weird, stealth assassin on this show. It’s a week before the finals and you’re killing it.�

Blake Shelton said Monday’s performance was a stand-out, to cheers from the audience.

“I will say you haven’t had anything like that this season,� he said. “It’s the perfect time to pull out a card like that. That might be the ticket right there.�

Huston and her seven fellow competitors sang both solos and duets Monday. Huston and Laith Al-Saadi sang the R&B song “Knock on Wood."

The stakes were high Monday: Four of the eight remaining contestants will be eliminated Tuesday, moving into next week’s finale.

Nebraskans -- and the rest of America -- can vote for Huston until 11 a.m. central time Tuesday through Facebook, a Voice app, online or by buying her songs on iTunes. Those who break into the top 10 of iTunes singles sales get to multiply their votes by 10.

Nebraska’s gotten behind the 25-year-old Huston, gathering at the Haymarket’s Railyard and at a theater in her hometown of Grand Island. Last week Gov. Pete Ricketts proclaimed Monday Hannah Huston Day and Lamar Advertising created a tribute to Huston on digital billboards around town on Monday and Tuesday.

Pink was the guest coach this week, a performer Huston called "awesome" in a clip before Huston's solo performance.

But she deflected a question by the star, who asked her if she’d ever been loved like the subject of the song lyrics -- and if not, Pink said they should know it.

“I don’t like to share a lot in these conversations, but when I sing I like to let it all go,� Huston said.

And she did, giving an emotional performance.

Williams, her coach -- who almost always finds a way to remind the audience she's a preschool teacher who had rarely performed professionally before auditioning for the show -- said she's grown into a performer who knows she deserves to be there.

And he said she always has an emotional connection with the audience.

“It’s like you have a glass body and you can see right through it.�