Nebraska Volleyball made history on August 30th, playing in front of a record crowd of 92,003 people. In this new tradition starting for the Huskers known as “Volleyball Day in Nebraska”, four teams competed in Memorial Stadium in front of the largest crowd a women’s sporting event has ever seen. 

The teams that participated in the matches aside from the Cornhuskers were Omaha, Nebraska-Kearney, and Wayne State. Coach John Cook wanted to celebrate all volleyball in Nebraska, not just the success of their own program.

The state of Nebraska has highly anticipated this match for months. Tickets for Volleyball Day started selling in April, and in less than three days, 83,000 tickets were sold. It isn’t just the citizens of Nebraska that were looking forward to the match. People from all over the country showed up to catch a glimpse of the historic event.

Turning the stadium into a one-time volleyball venue was only possible by covering the field and placing a giant platform that the court was set on. Surrounding the platform on the field was floor level seating, making the capacity able to hold even more people than on actual football games.

Madi Crider (24), was very excited about what that day meant for the volleyball world, as well as for girls and women in general. “What child or girl playing volleyball would not want to experience that” said Crider as she was reflecting on the event. She explained that it was very exciting that womens sports could be the center of attention. Alexa Rodriguez (25) agrees with that statement, as she thought it was “really inspiring because a lot of the time women’s sports don’t get a lot of attention.”

Playing volleyball at Nebraska is a dream for any little girl who is passionate about the game. They have always been known for their massive fan base and winning program. But now, they aren’t just playing for their school. They are an inspiration to all women involved in sports and have raised the bar for the next generation.