How to Watch No. 1 Nebraska Volleyball vs. Missouri at Wrigley Field with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

As one of the world's most iconic sports venues, there's not much that Chicago's Wrigley Field hasn't experienced, but it will soon learn how big a machine Nebraska volleyball is.

Aside from the national championship, Sunday's Big Ten-SEC challenge between the top-ranked Huskers and Missouri might be college volleyball's most high-profile moment of 2026, and it's only natural that NU is at the center. From the record-setting Memorial Stadium match in 2023 to this season's stops at AT&T Stadium in Texas and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Wrigley adds to an astonishing list of venues that have opened their arms to Nebraska volleyball.

In what has been rapid growth for the sport of volleyball in just four years, Sunday looks to be another flashpoint. Here's all you need to know for the Wrigley extravaganza.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 1 Nebraska (4-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Missouri (3-1, 0-0 SEC)
When: Sunday, Sept. 6
Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Ill.
Time: 8 p.m. CDT
Watch: FOX
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
Note: Preceded by Penn State vs. Kentucky at 6 p.m.

Missouri Scout

Head Coach

Dawn Sullivan | Entering 4th Season at Missouri; 8th as Head Coach
60-34 (.638) at Mizzou; 169-72 (.701) as Head Coach
4x NCAA Tournament Apps. & 1x NVIC title
2x Mountain West Conference titles
2x MW Coach OTY, 1x SEC Coach OTY, 1x AVCA Central Region Coach OTY
Previous Head Coach at UNLV
Previous assistant at Iowa State & Illinois State

2025 Finish

Did not qualify for the postseason.

2025 Record & Awards

Record: 17-11 (8-7 SEC, T-6th)
AVCA All-Americans: 1x Third Team, 1x Honorable Mention
Conference Awards: Libero of the Year
All-SEC: 2x Second Team

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 74-3-1
Dec. 2, 2023, last matchup in NCAA Second Round; 3-0 NU

Missouri outside hitter Paige Felder leads the Tiger's attack after turning over most of its starting lineup from 2025. | Missouri Athletics

Key Returners

Paige Felder | OH | Soph. | Played part-time in 2025 as a freshman, but has stepped up to deliver a team-leading 47.5 points — including 36 kills — and seven aces as a sophomore.
Maca Lobaglio | RS | Soph. | Another underclassman that's developed over the offseason to grab a starting role, the right-side attacker from Argentina ranks third on the team with 34.5 points and 28 kills.
Nina Mandovic | S | Jr. | The Serbian distributor steps into a starting role with the Tigers and has dished out eight assists per set, three aces and 33 digs in four matches this season.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Lauren Larkin | MB | Jr. | The Utah State transfer didn't appear in the team's first two matches, but she's been a monster in the last two, posting 28 points on 24 kills (.564 clip) and four kills in just two matches and seven sets.
Ceylin Kuyan | OH | Fr. | True freshman from Turkey that was a two-time best outside hitter and one-time best opposite with the Turkey U19 Girls' National Team; averaging 2.83 kills per set through her first four college matches.
Eva Smith | MB | Fr. | The North Carolina native is the last of four players for Mizzou to produce over 30 points, but she's hitting over .400 in 33 swings while pacing the Tigers with 17 blocks.
Ainoah Cruz | L | Sr. | Transferred to Mizzou after three seasons at Evansville where she collected 1,384 career digs, 337 assists and 60 aces; takes over the starting libero spot for MU and has tallied 60 digs and 4.62 per set.

Former Mizzou libero Maya Sands was a third team All-American in 2025 after recording 511 digs and 4.69 per set. | Missouri Athletics

Key Departures

Caylen Alexander | OH | Graduated | Spent her last college season in Columbus and earned All-SEC Second Team honors after racking up a team-high 422 kills (4.22 K/S) while also adding 193 digs (1.93 D/S) and 25 aces.
Tyrah Ariail | MB | Graduated | Another one-year transfer, Ariail was second on the team with 353.5 points and 258 kills on a .364 hitting percentage. Plus, she anchored the Tiger's blocking effort with 112 and 1.08 per set.
Maya Sands | L | Graduated | Turned pro after her final college season in which she delivered 507 digs and 4.65 per set to earn AVCA All-America Third Team honors and winning the 2025 SEC Libero of the Year award.
Janet DeMarrais | OH | Graduated | Team captain and second outside hitter in 2025 for Mizzou. She finished her college career with 926 kills and 127 blocks across102 matches in four years.
Regan Haith | MB | Graduated | The Lincoln native and Pius X graduated posted 151 kills and totaled 103 blocks (1.07 B/S) in her final college season.
Marina Crownover | S | Transfer | Tallied more than 2,100 career assists and 24 double-doubles in her two seasons at Missouri before transferring to Oregon over the offseason.

Outlook

Mentored by former Nebraska volleyball player Christy Johnson-Lynch at Iowa State for over a decade, Dawn Sullivan finally got her shot to run a program. Taking over UNLV in 2018, the Kansas State graduate guided the Rebels to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, two Mountain West conference titles and one NIVC Championship. Posting a 109-38 record in five seasons, Sullivan leveraged her success into the head coaching role at Missouri prior to the 2023 campaign.

Sullivan immediately matched her best postseason finish at UNLV with an NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance before leading the Tigers to a Sweet 16 berth in 2024. That led to a contract extension, which will keep her in Columbus through the 2029 campaign. However, 2025 proved to be a step back for a program on the rise under Sullivan. The Tigers went 17-11, but missed the postseason entirely after being upset by No. 14 seed Ole Miss in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.

That makes 2026 an important season for Sullivan, who has to replace essentially the whole starting lineup. Nearly all major contributors are gone, including AVCA Third Team All-American libero Maya Sands and All-SEC Second Team outside hitter Caylen Alexander. One-year transfer Tyrah Ariail led the Tigers in blocking, but she left alongside fellow middle starter and Lincoln native Regan Haith after exhausting their eligiblity. Second outside hitter Janet deMarrais also graduated while starting setter Marina Crownover transferred to Oregon after racking up over 2,100 career assists in two seasons with Mizzou.

Lauren Larkin transferred from Utah State and has racked up 28 points in just her first two career matches with Missouri. | Utah State Athletics

With the roster attrition, Sullivan went shopping in the portal. Utah State transfer Lauren Larkin didn't play in the team's first couple of games, but she's been a star in the last two contests with 24 and four blocks while hitting over .500 as a starting middle blocker. A pair of freshman locked down starting roles after fall camp in Turkish outside hitter Ceylin Kuyan and middle Evan Smith, who are both among the team leaders in points and kills. Ainoah Cruz has the tall task of replacing Sands, but she's been very effective so far with 60 digs and over four per set in Mizzou's first four contests of the season.

Playing part-time in 2025, sophomore Paige Felder has stepped up to become the top outside hitter for the Tigers as the Utah native leads the team with 47.5 points. Fellow sophomore Maca Lobaglio starts on the right side for MU and ranks third on the team with 34.5 points while Serbian setter Nina Mandovic averages eight assists per set as a junior starter.

There's a lot of youth on this roster, which makes you think that Sullivan is anticipating a transition year as her team gains experience in a growing volleyball conference. The Tigers were slotted ninth in the SEC preseason poll and that feels right for a team replacing its entire starting lineup with over half being underclassmen.

That's what makes Sunday's stage so much of an advantage for the Huskers. I don't anticipate much resistance from Missouri, so give me NU to sweep in a sold-out Wrigley Field.

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