History. Huskers. Again.
Nebraska volleyball is set to face Missouri at Wrigley Field in September. It will mark the first-ever volleyball match at the historic venue.
Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: Nebraska volleyball is set to play in a unique venue that wasn’t built for volleyball matches.
Oh, you have? Great, let’s dive in.
When the Huskers take the court at Wrigley Field next September, it won’t feel like a surprise. It will feel like a continuation of something that has already been building. It’s something that, in a lot of ways, Nebraska helped start.
The announcement itself is easy to understand on the surface. The Big Ten and SEC are launching a conference challenge. Every team gets matched up. The week builds toward a doubleheader in Chicago, played inside one of the most recognizable venues in American sports.
Nebraska vs. Missouri. Penn State vs. Kentucky. National broadcast window on FOX. Primetime.
That’s the framework, but the setting matters more than the structure.
“Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week culminating at Wrigley Field brings together the highest level of women’s volleyball competition, at one of the most iconic venues in the country,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said in a statement. “As women’s volleyball participation, sponsorship, attendance and viewership continue to grow, we look forward to providing this unique opportunity to showcase the exceptional competition.”
That growth is more visible than ever, and measurable too. In Nebraska’s case, it’s already been proven.
Three years ago, the program hosted an outdoor match inside Memorial Stadium for Volleyball Day in Nebraska that turned it into something larger than the sport itself. More than 92,000 people showed up. The record mattered, but the reason behind it mattered more. People weren’t there out of curiosity. They were there because Nebraska had built something worth showing up for.
That’s the context for Wrigley.
