How to Watch No. 1 Nebraska Volleyball in Spikes Under the Lights with Preview, Breakdown, TV

With a storied senior class desperate for a national championship, the top-ranked Huskers headline college volleyball's most prestigious exhibition event of 2026 in Texas.

Harper Murray smiles after a Husker point. | Amarillo Mullen

The long offseason wait is officially over — NCAA volleyball is back.

Aching from the sting of another heartbreaking NCAA Tournament loss, 2026 most likely marks the final ride for this historic Nebraska senior class, which has won three straight Big Ten titles, reached two Final Fours, two undefeated regular seasons and one national championship match. The only thing missing is the coveted championship ring and the Huskers are once again preseason favorites to win it all.

Armed with experience and depth at every position, Nebraska will once again be the envy of every program in the country and massive expectations to boot. That starts in Arlington, Texas, where the Huskers once again take the brighest stage that the sport has to offer.

While Thursday's Spikes Under the Lights is only considered exhibition matches, the pressure will be real, especially with a $1 million prize on the line. With the format being two out of three sets and three matches being played in just over three hours, it'll be a sprint that could require the Huskers to show off their depth that they showcased in this year's Red-White scrimmage.

Here's all you need to know as Nebraska takes the court under the AT&T Stadium lights Thursday night in Arlington.

How to Follow Along 

Game 1

• Matchup: No. 1 Nebraska (0-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. No. 11 SMU (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
• When: Thursday, August 27
• Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
• Time: 7 p.m. CDT
• Watch: TNT Sports/HBO
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Game 2

• Matchup: No. 10 Penn State (0-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. No. 17 Florida (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
• When: Thursday, August 27
• Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
• Time: 8 p.m. CDT
• Watch: TNT Sports/HBO

Game 3

• Matchup: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
• When: Thursday, August 27
• Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
• Time: 9 p.m. CDT
• Watch: TNT Sports/HBO
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Head coach Sam Erger has turned SMU Volleyball into nationally prominent program and ACC contender. | SMU Athletics

No. 11 SMU Scout

Head Coach

Sam Erger

• 5th Season at SMU; 6th as Head Coach
• Record: 101-31 (.765) at SMU; 128-40 (.762) as Head Coach
• 3x NCAA Tournament Apps
• 1x AAC regular season championships
• 2x AVCA Southwest Region Coach OTY
• Previous Head Coach at Hill College (JUCO)
• Previous Assistant at Baylor

2025 Finish

• L, 3-1 to No. 12 Purdue in NCAA Regional Semifinal

2025 Record & Awards

•  27-6 (17-3 ACC, 3rd)
• AVCA National Player and Coach OTY
• AVCA All-Americans: 1x First Team, 1x Second Team, 2x Honorable Mention
• ACC Setter of the Year
• All-ACC: 2x First Team, 2x Second Team, 1x Freshman Team.

All-Time Series

Series is tied 1-1 (Sept. 3, 2024, last matchup, 3-0 SMU) 

Key Returners

• Jadyn Livings | OH/OPP | Jr. | Former transfer from USC that earned AVCA Honorable Mention last season after finishing second on the Mustangs with 338 points, 310 kills, 159 digs and nine aces across 24 matches.
• Favor Anyanwu | MB | Jr. | A Texas native that returned to her home state after following Livings from USC, Anyanwu joined her teammate as an honorable mention All-American last year by compiling 1.67 kills per set with a hitting percentage that eclipsed .400 while tallying a team-high 178 blocks.
• Christa Wilburn | OH | Soph. | The 6-foot-2 second-year player played in all 33 matches last year as a true freshman and posted 122 kills and 190 digs. She earned a spot in the 2026 season opener against Texas A&M where she posted five kills on 11 swings.
• Natalia Newsome | MB | Jr. | The Arlington native set the program record for hitting percentage in a single season (.456), but her standout sophomore campaign was cut short with a season-ending injury after 18 matches.

Jadyn Livings returns to lead the SMU attack after compiling the second-most points for the Mustangs in 2025. | SMU Athletics

Impact Newcomers/Transfers

• Suli Davis | OH | Soph. | Transferring from BYU after her head coach retired, the Texas native was a second team All-American as she broke nearly every freshman record with the Cougars, including sets played (119), total kills (541), kills per set (4.55), total points (591.5) and points per set (4.97).
• Gabi Placide | OPP | Sr. | Tasked to replace Jones on the right side, Placide transferred from Ole Miss where she led the Rebels in points en route to All-Region honors.
• Hannah Beauford | S | R-Fr. | A former top-70 prospect that sat in 2025 to redshirt and now leads the SMU offense in her first college playing season.
• Victoria Harris | L/DS | Jr. | Tranferring in to take care of libero duties for the Mustangs, Harris comes over from South Carolina where she was fourth in the SEC with 4.11 digs per set (399 total) while adding 120 assists nad 16 aces.

Key Departures

• Malaya Jones | OPP | Graduated | One of the country's top opposites (outside of Olivia Babcock) last season, Jones ended her career as an AVCA First Team All-American after setting the SMU rally scoring record for most kills (526) and points (600 in a single season).
• Averi Carlson | S | Graduated | All-American setter for the Mustangs in 2025 when she stockpiled 11.35 assists per set with 28 aces and 257 digs, which totaled to be third most on the team.
• Kennedi Rogers | OH | Transfer | The Texas native transferred to Tennessee after her freshman season with SMU when she earned All-ACC honors by hammering down 175 kills on a .272 hitting percentage alongside 30 blocks.
• Madison Scheer | OH | Sr. | Used as a spark off the bench last season, Scheer averaged 2.03 kills per set in 74 sets while notching eight aces in her final college campaign.
• Jordyn Schilling | L | Graduated | A former Big South Libero of the Year at High Point, the California native spearheaded the backrow defense for the Mustangs as the team's libero in 2025 with 2.99 digs per set.

Suli Davis established herself as one of the sport's top young talents as a freshman at BYU before transferring to SMU. | BYU Athletics

Outlook

 With virtually zero history of success before her arrival, SMU volleyball head coach Sam Erger has pulled off one of the greatest program turnarounds in recent memories despite the Mustangs being her first Division I head coaching job.

With only two NCAA Tournament appearances since 1996 prior to Erger's hiring, SMU has reached three-straight postseason tournaments, including the regional semifinal last season that marked the school's best-ever finish. Averaging 25 wins over her first four completed seasons, Erger jumpstarted her fifth campaign by sweeping the defending national champions (Texas A&M) in style at the AVCA Showcase last weekend.

Erger was an early adopter of the transfer portal to build up her rosters and she used it to her advantage again before the 2026 campaign. The Mustangs lost some juice from their Sweet 16 team in All-Americans Averi Carlson (Setter) and Malaya Jones (Opposite). Plus, they saw All-ACC freshman outside hitter Kennedi Rogers transfer to Tennessee and starting libero Jordyn Schilling exhaust her eligibility. Erger could breath a little with the return of AVCA All-American Honorable Mention Jadyn Livings as well as starting middle blockers Favor Anyanwu and Natalia Newsome — who was hitting a school-record .456 after 18 matches before suffering a season-ending injury.

The biggest addition ended up being one of the sport's bright young talents in BYU transfer Suli Davis. Following the retirement of Heather Olmstead, Davis returned to her home state to join Erger and the Mustangs after being earning AVCA All-American Second Team honors as a freshman. Gabi Placide steps in for Jones at opposite after leading Ole Miss in points last season while South Carolina transfer Victoria Harris takes over libero after finishing fourth in the SEC in digs per set (4.11). Erger kept the setting duties in-house, relying upon redshirt freshman Hannah Beauford to run the offense after the former top-70 prospect sat out in 2025.

Despite it only being an exhibition, SMU is a worthy opponent for Nebraska. The Mustangs looked clinical against the defending champions, tallying a .333 hitting percentage while holding the Aggies to a .125 clip. Granted, Texas A&M was coming off a four-set match the night before and lost one of the stars to an injury in warmups, but it was impressive nonetheless. I still expect Nebraska to come out on top, but let's say they do it in a third set, winner-take-all scenario.

Penn State's Kennedy Martin, right, high-fives teammate Addie Lyon last season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

No. 10 Penn State Scout

Head Coach

Katie Schumacher-Cawley

• 5th Season at Penn State; 14th as Head Coach
• 103-32 (.763) at PSU; 228-178 (.562) as Head Coach
• 2024 NCAA National Champions
• 4x NCAA Tournament Apps
• 1x B1G regular season title
• 1x VB Magazine Coach OTY, 1x B1G Coach OTY
• Previous Head Coach at Penn & UIC
• Previous Assistant at Penn State, UIC & Illinois

2025 Finish

L, 3-0 to No. 3 Texas in NCAA Second Round

2025 Record & Awards

• 19-13 (12-8 B1G, T-6th)
• AVCA All-Americans: 1x First Team, 1x Honorable Mention
• B1G Libero of the Year
• All-B1G: 2x First Team, 1x Second Team

All-Time Series
Nebraska leads 30-13 (Nov. 28, 2025, last matchup; 3-0 NU)

A former All-American at Florida, setter Alexis Stucky rejoins Kennedy Martin after transferring to Penn State. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Projected Lineup

• Kennedy Martin | OPP | Sr. | If not for Pitt's Olivia Babcock, Martin would likely be considered college volleyball's most lethal offensive player. Coming off three-straight All-American campaigns — including first team picks in 2024 and 2025 — Martin racked up 5.42 kills per set on a .319 clip last season while setting the Penn State rally scoring record for single-season points (728), points/set, total kills and kills/set.
• Whitney Lauenstein | OH | Sr. | The former Husker and Waverly native looks to establish routine playing time for the first time since 2022 following two seasons at Texas where she played in a combined 23 sets over 10 matches.
• Emmi Sellman | OH | Jr. | The 6-foot-4 Ohio State transfer returns to State College after recording 257 kills, 156 digs, 41 blocks and 10 aces as a starter on the pin last year with the Nittany Lions.
• Ryla Jones | MB | Jr. | A rising middle blocker at Pittsburgh for her first two collegiate seasons, the Maryland native transferred to Penn State over the winter after combining for 222 kills, 202 blocks and a .393 hitting percentage across two seasons and 184 sets for the Panthers.
• Gabrielle Nichols | MB | Soph. | A heralded recruit in the 2025 recruiting class for the Nittany Lions, Nichols totaled 49 blocks and 68 kills in 70 sets and 26 matches as part of her true freshman season.
• Alexis Stucky | S | R-Sr. | Established herself as a top distributor at Florida after earning third-team All-American honors as a true freshman in 2022 before suffering a devastating knee injury only nine matches into the 2023 season. After bouncing back with two above-average campaigns in 2024 and 2025, Stucky arrives in Happy Valley having reunited with former Gator teammate Martin and aiming to deliver PSU another deep tournament run.
• Ava Falduto | L | Jr. | A dangerous server, Falduto has been one of the country's top defensive specialists in the past two seasons and now finally has the opportunity to spearhead PSU's defense as the starting libero.

No. 17 Florida Scout

Head Coach

Ryan Theis

• 2nd Season at Florida; 19th as Head Coach
• 16-12 (.571) at Florida; 418-153 (.732) as Head Coach
• 15x NCAA Tournament Apps
• 3x Big East regular season titles, 1x Big East tournament title, 3x MAC regular season titles, 4x MAC tournament titles
• 3x conference COTY awards
• Previous Head Coach at Marquette & Ohio
• Previous Assistant at Florida, Northwestern, Indiana & Eastern Illinois

Coach Ryan Theis led Florida to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his first season at the helm. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

2025 Finish

L, 3-0 to No. 7 SMU in the NCAA Second Round

2025 Record & Awards

• 16-12 (9-6 SEC, 5th)
• AVCA All-Americans: 1x Third Team
• All-SEC: 1x First Team, 2x Second Team, 2x All-Freshman

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 9-4 (Aug. 24, 2018, last matchup; 3-1 Florida)

Florida outside hitter Jordyn Byrd returns for her redshirt junior campaign after leading the Gators in points and kills in 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Projected Lineup

• Milica Vidacic | OPP | Soph. | The 6-foot-4 Serbian earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors last year after appearing in 26 matches and recording 159 points on 133 kills, 31 blocks and 10 aces. She's one to watch for a breakout sophomore season.
• Jordyn Byrd | OH | R-Jr. | An All-SEC Second Team pick last season, the Florida native returns to Gainesville after leading the Gators with 457.5 points and 425 kills in 2025.
• Aniya Madkin | OH | R-Jr. | Former Arkansas transfer that posted 266 points on 246 kills and 33 blocks while starting in 11 of her 28 matches played. Watch out for Kira Hutson or Kansas transfer Selena Leban to have an impact here as well.
• Alec Rothe | MB | Jr. | Continued her ascent with a breakout 2025 season when she paced the team with 111 blocks while collecting over 200 kills on a .314 hitting percentage. Expected to step in as the Gator's top middle blocker following the transfer of Jaela Auguste to Wisconsin.
• Brianna Holladay | MB | Soph. | Flashed as a freshman at Virginia Tech in 2025 when she racked up 108 blocks and is expected to start for the Gators.
• Taylor Parks | S | Jr. | Having filled in for the injured Stucky in 2023, Parks now takes over the starting setter role after Stucky transferred to Penn State.
• Lily Hayes | L | Soph. | Became the first Florida true freshman to open the season as the starting libero since 2006 last year. Finished her first collegiate campaign averaging 3.62 digs per set and delivering 14 aces.

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