Second-ranked Stanford was machinelike in dispatching No. 1 Nebraska 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 25-16 on Wednesday night at the sold-out and steamy Devaney Sports Center.
Did Minnesota really beat the Cardinal 3-1 just four days ago?
The Gophers must be a bear.
Three takeaways from Nebraska's first loss of the season:
1. You often get what you emphasize in life. But not always.
Nebraska coach John Cook makes no bones about the fact the Huskers base virtually everything they do on how to beat Stanford. After all, the Cardinal is the defending national champions. Everyone is chasing Kevin Hambly's program.
It's an interesting approach by Cook. Some coaches would advise against it. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say Cook seems to know what he's doing.
Bottom line, Stanford (6-1) is a much better team right now than Nebraska (7-1). Emphasize "right now." Remember, the Cardinal returns virtually every key player from last season, while the Huskers start two freshmen and have no seniors.
I'm guessing Cook's crew will make significant leaps forward, partly because of this match.
I'll defer to former Husker coach Terry Pettit in trying to put into perspective the importance of Wednesday night from the home team's view. In a preview of the contest, Pettit wrote that NU had much more to gain than Stanford, "because the Cardinal are more experienced and have the best attacker in college volleyball (in Kathryn Plummer).
"But the gains are not in who wins and loses. The gains come from recognizing what works and what doesn't work against a program with formidable athletes and exceptional coaching. Fans may be hanging on every point, but the coaches value what they learn more than whether or not they have a 'W.'"
Based on Cook's upbeat postmatch demeanor, I'd say Pettit is right on target.
2. So, what did Stanford do so well? Where was Nebraska lacking?
Hambly, in his third season as Stanford's head coach, praised his team's passing and the way it attacked the entire court offensively.
"We played better in just about every way," he said in reference to the loss to then-No. 8 Minnesota on Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania.
I was particularly impressed with Stanford's aggressive approach at the service line, where it ripped seven aces (Nebraska had two). Granted, the Cardinal had 14 service errors, but Hambly wasn't concerned about the errors, so long as they didn't get out of control.
"We're not trying to get aces," he said. "We're just trying to get (Nebraska) off the net."
Stanford's aggressive approach at the service line kept Nebraska from making the sort of easy passes that often end in kills by standout middle blocker Lauren Stivrins. The 6-foot-4 All-American finished with only nine kills on .190 hitting.
Meanwhile, outside hitter Lexi Sun, a force this season, had only nine kills (.200).
Nebraska's two best players were neutralized much of the night.
Tip your cap to Stanford.
3. It was a unique night, and Cook would like to see it happen more often in college volleyball.
The sport took center stage on the Big Ten Network during a weeknight. In other words, it didn't get lost in the endless weekend morass of college football games.
"This is what you want in college volleyball," Cook said earlier this week.
Tickets were going for $200-plus on the secondary market. Everything about the atmosphere shouted "big time."
Stanford responded in a big way, while Nebraska likely will benefit from the experience.
Hambly thanked NU and its fans for being such gracious hosts.
Cook described it as "an electric atmosphere even though Stanford was getting us pretty good in games three and four."
"It was a fun match to be down there watching," he added.
I was in the rafters, but it was fun all the same.
Yeah, let's do this again sometime.
Photos: Huskers fall to defending champion Stanford in No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash
Nebraska’s head coach John Cook yells to his team during the fourth set against Stanford on in September at the Devaney Sports Center. Nebraska canceled its trip to Stanford for the coming season.