Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Volleyball Day in Nebraska Breaks World Record; Huskers Sweep Omaha
Mission accomplished.
When Wisconsin took the NCAA record for attendance at a volleyball match, Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook wanted it back. Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts and other administrators wanted even more.
On Wednesday night, the Huskers broke the NCAA regular-season record (16,833), NCAA match record (18,755), American women’s sporting event record (90,185), and world-record attendance for any women’s sporting event (91,648) with a Memorial Stadium crowd of 92,003.
The largest attendance for a Nebraska football game in Memorial Stadium is 91,585 from 2014's game with Miami.
"I hope we set a new standard for football games for fans for the energy they can bring," Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook said.
On the court, it was a pair of sweeps.
Wayne State swept Nebraska-Kearney in their exhibition match as tens of thousands of fans were already in attendance. As the crowd filled in, the main event took center stage.
Nebraska swept Omaha 25-14, 25-14, 25-13 to improve to 4-0.
The Huskers hit .262 while holding the Mavs to -.080. Omaha committed 25 attack errors to Nebraska's eight.
No Huskers reached double-digit kills. Andi Jackson led in that category with eight on .500 hitting. (Complete stats here.)
But what happened during the match seemed like a blur as 92,003 celebrated the sport of volleyball in Nebraska. The team took part in the famed Tunnel Walk, hype videos played between sets, and a fireworks and light show immediately after the match had the crowd roaring before country music artist Scotty McCreery took to the stage.
In a post-match presentation, Cook said there are only three things that can shut down the campus at UNL: Snowstorms. COVID. Nebraska volleyball.
