What Volleyball Day Means to Nebraska
August 30 is a special day in Lincoln, Nebraska. The University of Nebraska cancelled all in-person classes, clearing the schedule of everyone associated with the school to get to Memorial Stadium. The stadium hosted a volleyball doubleheader, as Wayne State and Nebraska-Kearney kicked off the day before the hometown Cornhuskers took on Omaha in the main event.
And for these two matches, over 90,000 people made their way to the capital of the state. Yes, for volleyball.
Why does it mean so much to Nebraska? Here’s why this is the one place that could pull this off.
Nebraska Is a Volleyball Dynasty
Nebraska residents love their Huskers in any sport. They travel in full force, they plan weekends around their Big Red and they make games an event. When the Huskers are good at something, Nebraska fans will always show up.
And the Huskers are always good at volleyball. Always.
Since the AVCA poll was introduced in volleyball in 1982, Nebraska has been ranked every week of its existence. John Cook has coached Nebraska since 2000, and he’ll only just hit 100 losses in Lincoln this year (unless the Huskers can sweep the season with one loss or fewer, which they’ve managed twice.
That’s an average of four losses a year against roughly 30 wins. When you win like that in anything, people will come.
Nebraskans Grow Up With Volleyball
Because of Nebraska’s strength in volleyball, girls all over the state dream of wearing the red and white. That’s true in towns big and small in the state. Current Nebraska assistant Jordan Larson and Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly are both examples of girls from tiny Nebraska towns who came to Lincoln, won a national title and went on to long careers in the sport, Larson as a player and Busboom Kelly as a coach.
That creates generations of fans who understand the sport and pass it down to their children. And that builds a love across the state that helps fuel the dreams of future athletes. When it all comes together, this is the result.
Nebraska Fans Make Volleyball an Event
The Nebraska Coliseum was a special place to watch volleyball, and I say that from experience, having been in 2006. The Devaney Center isn’t quite the same, but Nebraska fans make it a great place in its own right because they’re always loud and always into the match.
There’s a reason that Nebraska’s the only public school women’s program that genuinely turns a profit year after year, and it’s the fans. They’ve made this event possible, and Wednesday gave them a chance to show just what volleyball means to Nebraskans. This is both a celebration of the sport and the state.