Nebraska Heads to Michigan to Play in Front of a Pair of Record Crowds

Harper Murray practically grew up in the Crisler Center.

Nebraska’s junior outside hitter is from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and her family has season tickets to all sorts of sporting events at the Michigan arena. Her sister, Kendall, played a few volleyball matches there. She often went to games with her brother, Deric, played basketball in college, and they bonded over watching the Wolverines play hoops.

When Murray arrives in the 12,707-seat arena on Sunday, she will be part of the first-ever Michigan volleyball sellout as the Wolverines (12-5) host the top-ranked Huskers on Sunday.

“Crisler is a great place, and I love all the facilities that they have there,” Murray said. “It’s super homey for me, and it’s fun to go around there and just see everything.”

Before Nebraska takes on the Wolverines, it will face Michigan State (14-2) Friday night in what is expected to be another record-setting crowd of more than 10,000 people. The Huskers played in front of the largest attendance since their last visit to the Breslin Center, with a crowd of 7,326 on Oct. 6, 2023.

The road trip continues a recent trend where the Huskers will play in front of large, and often friendly, crowds. Nebraska set attendance records on the road this season at Lipscomb and Rutgers, while also drawing more than 11,000 fans at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, where many were wearing red.

Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly said the biggest shock to her since returning to her alma mater wasn’t the sold-out arenas, but the support the team receives away from home.

“It’s not just volleyball people that enjoy watching any volleyball. It’s true Husker fans and to see them there, and know people traveled really far to come watch us on the road, it’s unique,” she said. “There’s nowhere else in the country like that. I can guarantee that. It’s such a blessing, and it just makes road games almost as fun as home games.”

Harper Murray (27) records a kill against Michigan during Wednesday night's match. — Harper Murray records a kill against Michigan during Wednesday night's match. Murray will face her hometown Wolverines again on Sunday. | Amarillo Mullen

Ohio State holds the current record for the Chrisler Center, with 8,137 fans attending a match on Sept. 29, 2017. However, the Huskers are No. 2 on the list from their last visit in 2023, with a crowd just 300 people smaller than the record.

“It’s exciting for Michigan, too, to have that many people at their match against us,” Murray said. “I hope for their program that it continues to grow. I have a lot of connections back to that program with a lot of my friends there, so I’m excited to see them again. It’s always fun playing in front of a big crowd. I’m just grateful that we can bring our fans to Ann Arbor.”

Between the matches, the Huskers will visit the Murray family house in Ann Arbor, where they will be hosted by Harper’s mother, Sarah.

Busboom Kelly likes to take the team to a player’s childhood home when they are nearby for an away match. She said it’s a fun outing and breaks up the routine monotony of a road trip.

“It gives everybody, including the staff, a different perspective of a player, seeing where they grew up and how they grew up,” Busboom Kelly said. “It creates a little bit of a homey atmosphere. I’ve never been to a player’s house and left thinking that wasn’t a great time.”

Homestate Setters

Omaha native Morgan Burke makes up half of Michigan's two-setter system. — Omaha native Morgan Burke is Michigan's starting setter and one of two Native Nebraskans the Huskers will see this weekend along with Michigan State's Malayah Long. | Michigan Athletics

While the Huskers travel to Michigan to take on two Big Ten teams, they will face a pair of setters from Nebraska.

Michigan junior Morgan Burke is an Omaha Skutt graduate, while Michigan State redshirt freshman Malayah Long is a Lincoln Southwest product.

After splitting time running a 6-2 offense for stretches this season, Burke has taken over as the solo setter for the Wolverines.

Long redshirted her first collegiate season at Marquette before transferring to East Lansing this year. She was reunited with first-year Michigan State coach Kristen Kelsay, whom Long connected with at VC Nebraska when Kelsey served as the recruiting coordinator in 2023.

It’s quite common for the Huskers to face players from their home state across the net, as 74 Nebraskans are playing Division I volleyball, including many starting at major programs.

“It’s just a lot of pride in that the state is a volleyball state, through and through, from the highest level to the smallest level,” Busboom Kelly said.

Hello, Again

Nebraska's Taylor Landfair and Michigan's Cymarah Gordon battle at the net. The Huskers and Wolverines will face off the the second time in a month on Sunday. | Amarillo Mullen

Nebraska played its first Big Ten match against Michigan on Sept. 24 and will face the Wolverines again just over three weeks later. The Huskers will have a quick turnaround for Michigan State as well. After playing the Spartans on Friday, MSU will travel to Lincoln for a match eight days later.

Facing a team twice in a small window allows the Huskers to focus more on their side of the net rather than doing an opponent deep dive. While they will update the scouting report, it is more of a refresher for the second meeting.

“Sometimes in the season, you forget to take that time on yourself when you’re going from opponent to opponent to opponent,” Busboom Kelly said. “These next two weeks again being playing Michigan and Michigan State so close together, we can return, ‘Oh yeah, I remember that from two weeks ago,’ so we don’t have to spend as much time. So it’ll be a good week of training.”

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