Sabrina Starks (11), a Pittsburgh volleyball player and graduate of Platteview, celebrates during the Panthers' upset win against Utah during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Sabrina Starks was the connection for some people in Nebraska to one of the most exclusive tickets in the state this year.
Starks returned home last week as a starting middle blocker for Pittsburgh, which was one of the 48 volleyball teams to come to Omaha for the NCAA Tournament.
The tournament is being held in a state that really comes out for the sport, but for the first three rounds there were no tickets for the general public. That’s because with the matches being played in the convention center at CHI Health Center Omaha, the number of people in the building had to be limited for COVID-19 protocols.
But each team was allowed to put 86 family and friends on a pass list for their first two matches, and that’s where Starks came in. The Pittsburgh players got to put six people on the pass list. But when Starks’ teammates took stock of how many people would be coming, some spots were left unfilled.
Starks is from Springfield, which is only about 20 miles from the arena. She graduated from Platteview in 2018.
Pittsburgh’s first tournament match started at 9:30 p.m., but Starks was able to fill all 60 spots she was offered.
“I worked with my mom and we were just asking around who wants to come, and it turned out to be a pretty good crowd,” Starks said.
Most of the people were from the Omaha area. Starks has three older siblings, and her mom, Terese, has seven siblings.
“We started with family, most from my mom’s side, and some from my dad’s side," Starks said. "And then we expanded out to my friends. And my mom is a teacher where I went to school and I loved all of the teachers at Platteview so we were asking them, 'Hey, do you want to come?' And they gladly took the tickets. And then we reached out to all of my past volleyball coaches in high school and club. It was a big community.”
And while some in the group are also Nebraska volleyball fans, they went all in on the team that got them in the building.
"They were trying to start chants, like, 'Let’s go Pitt,'" Starks said. "They tried to bring signs in, but they didn’t allow that."
Pittsburgh also had a late match on Thursday, but most of the same people came back, and Starks had 57 on her list.
Those people got to witness history. Unseeded Pittsburgh upset No. 14 seed Utah 3-0, sending the Panthers to the Sweet 16 for the first time. Starks played great in that match, with five kills and a .556 hitting percentage, and a match-high six blocks.
That match was played in the same convention center where Starks played in volleyball tournaments a few years ago with Club Legacy of Elkhorn.
Starks has been hearing from the people on her pass list all week.
“I just get so many texts saying they’re so excited,” she said. “They were just saying how proud they were of me.”
Pittsburgh will try to keep this good thing going during Sunday’s Sweet 16 match against No. 3 Minnesota at noon. The remaining teams are allowed to have more fans now that the tournament is down to 16 teams, and Starks has 80 people on her list for Sunday.
Starks' mom used to be the volleyball coach at Platteview. But Starks says she was kind of a late bloomer in the sport. There were people contacting college coaches on her behalf, but the schools passed on her. As a senior, she earned honorable mention all-state honors from the Journal Star.
She wanted to play in college, and was fine doing so at the Division I, Division II or NAIA levels.
“I just emailed literally every college,” Starks said.
Pittsburgh took a look. Assistant coach Kellen Petrone came to Nebraska to watch her practice, and that was it.
Now the junior is already one of the best blockers in program history and has been part of the best stretch in program history. She earned second-team honors in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.
Photos: Huskers sweep Texas State, advance to Sweet 16 for ninth straight season
Nebraska's Lexi Sun (11) high-fives a teammate during an NCAA Tournament second-round match against Texas State on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Jazz Sweet attacks against the block of Texas State's Courtney Heiser (left) and Tyeranee Scott (right) in the first set at the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Fans watch Nebraska warm up before they take on Texas State during the NCAA volleyball tournament Thursday at the CHI Health Center Omaha convention center.
Texas State's Michelle Foster (from left), Emily DeWalt and Janell Fitzgerald celebrate a first-set point against Nebraska during the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha. Nebraska won in three sets.
Texas State's Courtney Heiser hits against the block of Nebraska's Lauren Stivrins and Nicklin Hames (right) in the first set during the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha convention center.
Nebraska's Madi Kubik celebrates a first-set point against Texas State during the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at the CHI Health Center Omaha convention center.
Debris that fell after a ball hit the ceiling is wiped off the court during the first set of Nebraska vs. Texas State during the NCAA volleyball tournament Thursday at the CHI Health Center Omaha convention center.
Debris that fell after a ball hit the ceiling is wiped off the court during the second set of the Nebraska vs. Texas State match Thursday at the CHI Health Center Omaha convention center.
Nebraska's Madi Kubik (right) hits the ball past Texas State's Janell Fitzgerald in the third set during the NCAA volleyball tournament Thursday at the CHI Health Center Omaha convention center.
Nebraska's Madi Kubik (left) and Hayley Densberger cheer a point in the third set against Texas State during the NCAA volleyball tournament Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Texas State's Emily DeWalt (left) and Nebraska's Madi Kubik meet at the net during the second set at the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
The Nebraska volleyball team prepares for its match against Texas State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
A Texas State player delivers a serve against Nebraska during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Hayley Densberger delivers a serve against Texas State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Madi Kubik (10) and Kenzie Knuckles celebrate a point against Texas State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nicklin Hames (1) and her Nebraska teammates celebrate a point against Texas State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Texas State players celebrate a point against Nebraska during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Jazz Sweet celebrates a point against Texas State in the third set during the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Kenzie Knuckles celebrates a point in the second set against Texas State during the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook talks to his team during a timeout against Texas State during the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at the CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Kaylei Akana hits the ball in the second set against Texas State during the NCAA volleyball tournament Thursday at the CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska coach John Cook talks to his team during a timeout against Texas State during the NCAA volleyball tournament Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Lauren Stivrins (left) and Jazz Sweet (12) celebrate a kill against Texas State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Callie Schwarzenbach attempts a kill against Texas State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Keonilei Akana attempts a kill against Texas State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Callie Schwarzenbach and Madi Kubik go up for a block against Texas State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Nicklin Hames goes up for a block against Texas State's Kenedi Rutherford during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Madi Kubik goes up for a kill against Texas State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Nickin Hames (1) and Lauren Strivrins goes up for a block against Texas State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSSportsWagner.
April 18, 2021 at 09:00AM
https://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/volleyball/getting-into-the-ncaa-volleyball-tournament-isn-t-easy-but-it-helps-to-know-platteview/article_c0323e67-2551-5793-bc16-61325d1f80c6.html
Getting into the NCAA volleyball tournament isn’t easy, but it helps to know Platteview grad Sabrina Starks - HuskerExtra.com
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