LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The saying goes that bad things come in threes. That was certainly the case Saturday for Nebraska's top-ranked volleyball team.

The Huskers' bid for a national championship ended with three straight points from No. 8 Southern California. The Women of Troy kept alive their bid to become the first three-peat champions in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska, meanwhile, has now gone three straight years without making it past a regional. That's the longest final four drought at NU since the Huskers went four seasons from 1991 through 1994 without a national semifinals appearance.

In 1995, however, Nebraska won its first national championship and head coach John Cook said he believes there is plenty these Huskers can pick up from that year's team.

"They can dwell on this and they can feel sorry for themselves, or they can use this for motivation for next year," Cook said. "They have a chance to have an unbelievable team, and these are the kind of experiences that a team sometimes has to go through to propel them to a great season."

Experience certainly was a factor in USC's victory as Keao Burdine, the MVP of the last two NCAA Tournaments, virtually carried the Women of Troy to victory.

Burdine had 30 kills and 30 digs in a match that at times seemed like a personal duel between the USC senior and Nebraska freshman Sarah Pavan.

Burdine attacked 80 times for the Women of Troy, while Pavan set an NU record with 90 swings. She had 35 kills, the most ever by a Husker in a postseason match.

"We wanted to have six blockers on her," joked USC coach Mick Haley. "A pretty good effort for a freshman."

But Pavan, who hit .267, was blocked on her final swing. And Amanda McCormick's last pass of the season turned into an easy match-clinching kill for USC's Sarah Florian.

Nebraska became the first No. 1-ranked team not to play for a national championship since the NCAA Tournament expanded to its current 64-team field in 1998. But while Saturday's match was only for the regional crown, most who saw it agreed the winner was the team likely to win it all next weekend in Long Beach.

Nebraska showed flashes of brilliance throughout the 2-hour, 47-minute marathon. McCormick set an NU postseason record with 30 digs while Jennifer Saleaumua, who with Pavan was named to the all-regional team, provided 15 kills and 22 digs. Tracy Stalls (12 kills) and Christina Houghtelling (11 kills) also reached double figures.

Saleamua now has 1,132 career digs, breaking the school record of 1,111 set by Lindsay Wischmeier (1999-2002).

Nebraska was outhit for the first time this season, something NU's Melissa Elmer took personal responsibility for. She finished with nine kills —but had 10 errors — and tallied 10 blocks.

USC's strategy was to go at Elmer with only one blocker and force the All-American to earn her kills rather than having them deflect off the block.