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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Wednesday seemed a little quiet in Louisville ahead of the NCAA Final Four.

But by Thursday, it was apparent that Nebraska fans had once again traveled in force to watch the Huskers in the Final Four, just like last year in Tampa, Florida.

At one hotel, a “Go Big Red� cheer broke out in the dining room during breakfast. At the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, many of the people taking tours were wearing Nebraska gear.

At a restaurant near the arena, the manager told the employees that Nebraska was playing in the late match and that Husker fans would be filing in and out all day.

Five hours before Nebraska’s match started, there were hundreds of Nebraska fans at an event hosted by the Nebraska Alumni Association at a hotel near the arena. The Penn State players were staying in the same area and got an idea of how many NU fans would be in the arena a few hours later.

There were hundreds of Nebraska fans waiting outside on a crisp night when the Nebraska team bus made the short drive from its hotel for its red carpet arrival.

There was a Final Four record crowd of 21,726 on Thursday night, the NCAA announced.

Allick climbs career chart

With a match-high 10 blocks on Thursday against Penn State and a team-best 156 blocks this season, Nebraska junior middle blocker Rebekah Allick has moved to No. 6 in program history in career blocks with 415. She most recently passed Callie Schwarzenbach and Meghan Haggerty.

Allick trails Melissa Elmer, Tracy Stalls, Lauren Stivrins, Amber Rolfzen and Sarah Pavan.

Another high-stakes Nebraska-Penn State match

NU and Penn State have met 12 times in the NCAA Tournament with Nebraska holding a 8-4 record against the Nittany Lions in the postseason.

The two most recent matches have each been in the national semifinals. Nebraska beat top-ranked Penn State in five sets in the national semifinals in 2017 in Kansas City.

Michigan State makes coaching change

Michigan State fired head coach Leah Johnson after three seasons. This season the Spartans were 13-18 overall and 6-14 in the Big Ten.

A statement from athletic director Alan Haller is another indication that some schools are thinking more about volleyball.

"Volleyball is continuing to grow in prominence and exposure, both nationally and here locally as Breslin Center has been home to record crowds the last three seasons,� Haller said. “We are committed to finding the right coach to guide Michigan State in the best volleyball conference in the country."