Nebraska volleyball eyes attendance bump from outdoor match

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska will attempt to set the NCAA volleyball attendance record next season when it plays an outdoor match in Memorial Stadium.

The school announced Friday that the football stadium, which seats 85,000-plus, would host a doubleheader on «Volleyball Day in Nebraska» on Aug. 30. The Cornhuskers will play Omaha in a regular-season match, preceded by a Division II exhibition between Wayne State and Nebraska-Kearney.

The attendance record is 18,755, set when Nebraska played Wisconsin in the 2021 national championship match in Columbus, Ohio. Wisconsin holds the record for largest regular-season crowd, drawing 16,833 for its match against Florida in September.

The Cornhuskers have won five national titles and sold out an NCAA-record 303 consecutive regular-season matches. They averaged 8,190 fans per match last season and have led the nation in attendance every year since 2013.

Of the 14 largest NCAA regular-season volleyball crowds, 13 have involved the Cornhuskers. Wayne State and Nebraska-Kearney also rank in the top 10 in Division II attendance.

«At Nebraska we're always aiming to dream big and raise the bar, and there can't be a much bigger way to do that than to play a match outdoors in a 90,000-seat football stadium,» coach John Cook said. «We're excited that we're going to be able to include three other local schools as well to make it a statewide celebration.»