Nebraska’s ‘Volleyball Day’ draws record crowd of 92,003

Big Ten members Nebraska and American sports as a whole experienced a historic day on Wednesday, when the Cornhuskers’ women’s volleyball team played in front of a crowd of 92,003, setting a new world attendance record for women’s sports events.

Part of the festivities of the ‘Volleyball Day in Nebraska’, an event held to celebrate the popularity of the sport in the state, the duel between Nebraska and Omaha was played outdoors at Memorial Stadium, the college’s American football venue, in Lincoln, which also had the biggest crowd in its 100-year history.

Planned for months, the ‘Volleyball Day in Nebraska’ also included a match between Nebraska-Kearney and Wayne State and a music concert, drawing the biggest crowd ever seen at a women’s sports event.

“It’s incredible, I don’t have enough words to describe it,” said Nebraska middle blocker Andi Jackson. “We were walking out of the tunnel after the second set, and we heard on the speaker we had just broken the world record. Everyone was trying to stay locked in, but we were also so excited. I can’t describe how grateful I am to be a part of it.”

The record-setting attendance of 92,003 is celebrated at the packed Memorial Stadium (Photo: Nebraska)

Nebraska, who won the match 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-13), had 306 consecutive sold-out crowds heading into Wednesday’s match and already owned both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) attendance records for a single match and for a regular season match.

“I think it’s huge for little girls to see women’s sports and volleyball played on this big of a stage and having so many people invested in it,” libero Lexi Rodriguez commented. “When you’re little, you have so many dreams and big goals and I think having something to look up to like this is something a lot of little girls will keep in the back of their mind when pursuing volleyball.”

Following the victory in the historic match, Nebraska, who are undefeated in the season with four wins, will play another non-conference match on Sunday, against Kansas State, on the road.

HISTORY ‼️‼️@HuskerVB sets the world record for the Most Attended Women’s Sporting Event of All Time. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/oKVIP8ZNyu

- Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) August 31, 2023

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