Notebook: Outnumbered Husky fans make most noise

SAN ANTONIO — Husker Nation was out in force Saturday, outnumbering UW rooters probably 10 to 1 in the Alamodome crowd of 8,482. The decibel difference between the two fan contingents was not even close.

But it was the cluster of purple-clad Huskies fans and the Huskies' band making all the racket after Christal Morrison's match-ending block hit the floor on the Nebraska side of the net.

"Our fans are the best, no doubt," said junior setter Courtney Thompson. Among those in the gathering were Thompson's two brothers, Craig and Trevor.

Trevor, a Rhodes scholar who traveled here from Oxford, looked a little less scholarly than he does at class. Both he and Craig were part of about a dozen shirtless Huskies faithful who were body-painted from the waist up.

Stat check

Against the top-ranked team in blocks in the country, Washington put up solid, if not magnificent, stats. Christal Morrison, the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player, had 15 kills, Sanja Tomasevic added 12 and Brie Hagerty had 10. Thompson, the nation's leader in assists per game, put up 41 for the match.

The unseen story, McLaughlin pointed out, is UW's prowess in serving and receiving serves — the subtle hubris of Nebraska's intimidating lineup that features 6-foot-5 Sarah Pavan, 6-2 NCAA Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling and 6-2 middle blocker Melissa Elmer.

Lee, with outstanding help from little-recognized defensive specialists Danka Danicic and Ashley Aratani, produced dig after outstanding dig on serves and hard hits, producing highly playable passes for Thompson, who could much more easily tee up sets for UW's Morrison, Tomasevic and Hagerty.

Crush this

A lot was made during the Final Four about a comment attributed to Tomasevic about "crushing" an opponent. Nebraska coach John Cook pointed it out to his players, believing Tomasevic referred to the Cornhuskers. Tomasevic says it involved UCLA and repeated that assertion Saturday night.

"But now I can say out loud: We crushed Nebraska," she said. "So now they can put it up on their lockers, and I hope they get excited for next year."

Tomasevic says she got a cold shoulder from one of them during the traditional postgame handshake at the net.

"Sarah Pavan didn't want to put her hand out, and she didn't shake Christal's hand, either," she said.

Note

• Nebraska had gone 129 matches since the last time it was swept 3-0 in a match. The last time came Sept. 2, 2002, when USC accomplished the feat.

Team attacks per game (K-E-TA-Pct.): Game one — 15-11-46-.087; Game two — 17-3-40-.350; Game three — 18-5-45-.289. Total team blocks: 13. Assists: 46 (Thompson 41, Lee 2, Deesing, Danicic, Tomasevic). Service aces: 4 (Thompson, Danicic, Aratani, Lee); Service errors: 1 (Morrison).

Team attacks per game (K-E-TA-Pct.): Game one — 12-8-49-.082; Game two — 20-10-51-.196; Game three — 19-6-46-.283. Total team blocks: 14. Assists: 51 (Griffin 25, Busboom 16, Stalls 4, Pavan 2, Houghtelling, Larson, Saleaumua, Mancuso). Service aces: 4 (Pavan 2, Saleaumua, Busboom). Service errors: 9 (Griffin, Houghtelling, Pavan 3, Larson 4).

Site — San Antonio, Texas (Alamodome). A — 8,482. Referees — Joan Powell, Brian Hemelgarn. T — 1:44.

Key: K-Kills; E-Attack errors; TA-Total attacks; Pct.-Hitting percentage