Kristin Belzung had a plan two years ago when the Stony Brook volleyball team faced one of the more difficult challenges in college sports: playing Nebraska — at Nebraska — in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Stony Brook also has red as a school color, so the coach told the team that the 8,200 fans at the Devaney Sports Center were all wearing Stony Brook colors. Then came the first time the Nebraska players were introduced, and the fans erupted. All the Stony Brook players laughed.
Good one, coach.
It’s a nearly impossible task for the team that gets matched up against the Huskers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska is 32-1 all-time in the first round. The only loss came in 1983.
But if you were matched against Nebraska you’d be a long shot against many first-round opponents. And while Nebraska’s first-round opponent almost always gets beat, they also get an experience that most of the 335 teams playing NCAA Division I volleyball will never have.
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When Stony Brook played Nebraska in 2017, it was the first time the program made the NCAA Tournament. Just a few weeks after being the No. 4 seed in the America East Conference tournament, the program from New York was lining up against the Huskers in Lincoln.
“What I told the girls, truthfully, was to feel all the feels,†Belzung said. “To enjoy getting the opportunity to play in one of the best volleyball environments in the world. If you’re going to play the game you love, you want to play it in that kind of environment. We talked about just competing as hard as we possibly could. Obviously you want to pull the upset, but really just embrace that environment.â€
Last year it was Hofstra that played Nebraska in the first round. Hofstra coach Emily Mansur said it’s a conflicting feeling when the NCAA selection show reveals a trip to Nebraska.Â
“It’s exciting because it’s a special environment that I think very, very few places, if any one, can replicate that,†Mansur said. “But at the same time it’s like, ‘Oh, man.’ Then you’re playing Nebraska."
Cydney Bowman played for Stony Brook in that match against Nebraska.
“It’s definitely an unforgettable moment,†said Bowman this week from Cleveland, where she works in special events for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. “Whenever I watch college volleyball now, I remember how the last game I ever played was against Nebraska. And I don’t think there is any other team I’d rather go out playing against. Just for the sake of the excitement. You’re anxious. You’re also nervous, but you also have the thought in your mind of, ‘We could pull this off.’"
The Stony Brook players knew Nebraska’s players were tall and physical, Bowman said.
“So none of that was a shock, as far as on the court,†Bowman said. “But I think for me it was how much love the sport of volleyball has in that town, and that state. Because it’s such a big sport for them. Like you go to other states, like New York, where lacrosse is very big, and basketball is kind of the focus. And I grew up in Florida where football is a really big sport and popular.
“I had never been in a state that volleyball was the center of attention. Like they got all the love. Like, this city comes out for volleyball and this is their bread and butter and what they get their excitement off of.â€
For most Stony Brook matches during the regular season there were fewer than 500 fans.
Belzung, the Stony Brook coach, also came to Lincoln for the NCAA Tournament as a player at Northern Iowa in 2006, so she knew it would be a great experience for her players.
“I was fortunate enough to play at Nebraska as a student-athlete as well, and you know that group of fans is going to stand up for good volleyball, and celebrate good volleyball,†Belzung said. “And they understand the game well enough to know what really good volleyball is, and whether Nebraska wins the point or Stony Brook wins the point they’re cheering because they want to see a good match.â€