Over the past week or so, we’ve talked about sporting events taking place outside of the confines of their normal venues. This all started with a Tweet about the famed Battle of Bristol between Virginia Tech and Tennessee. The two schools met at Bristol Motor Speedway back in 2016 which led me to wonder about other examples of mismatching sports venues. While tracking these events down, a kind follower informed us about Volleyball Day in Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers regularly find themselves near the top of the rankings in collegiate volleyball and enjoy regular support from Nebraska faithful. Taking advantage of that rabid support, Nebraska elected to move their match against UNO from the Devaney Center to Memorial Stadium. The result? Ahead of the match, Nebraska has sold more than 90,000 tickets.
In fact, the Cornhuskers could come very close to overtaking the record for largest attendance at a women’s sporting event. The record is currently held by a Champions League soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou Stadium in 2022. The number to beat for Nebraska is 91,648. However, regardless of whether the Cornhuskers manage to set a new record or not, Volleyball Day has to be seen as a massive win for Nebraska, the sport, and women’s sports as a whole.
Other Records at Stake
In fact, the largest attendance for a women’s sporting event represents just one record up for grabs. The largest NCAA volleyball regular-season attendance belongs to Wisconsin. Just last year, the Badgers brought in a crowd of 16,833 for their match against Florida. Nebraska and Wisconsin hold the post-season NCAA volleyball record courtesy of their 2021 NCAA final meeting. The American record for attendance of a women’s sporting event came from the 1999 FIFA World Cup Final featuring the USA and China. That number? 90,185. Nebraska’s home volleyball attendance record came last year when the Huskers hosted Creighton. The Devaney Center welcomed a crowd of 15,797, the previous regular-season volleyball attendance record before Wisconsin’s match against Florida. Each of these records faces the danger of being broken when Nebraska volleyball hits Memorial Stadium later tonight. Of course, the volleyball records look set to be shattered.
For those hoping to tune in and catch the massive crowd on hand at Memorial Stadium, check out the Volleyball Day schedule below.
Volleyball Day In Nebraska Schedule
University of Nebraska Kearney vs. Wayne State – 4:30 p.m. CT
Nebraska vs. University of Nebraska Omaha – 7:00 p.m. CT