The Nebraska volleyball program will host the University of Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Stadium as part of a local doubleheader celebrating the impact of volleyball on the state of Nebraska. The University of Nebraska-Kearney will play Wayne State College in an exhibition match at 4:30 p.m. to start the event. Memorial Stadium gates will open at 3:30 p.m.
UNK and Wayne haven’t met on the volleyball court since the fall of 2015. This year, Division II teams cannot begin regular season play until Thursday, Aug. 31; both the Lopers and Wildcats are flying out of Nebraska on Aug. 31 to respective tournaments in Utah and Florida.
KRVN’s Jayson Jorgensen spoke with Loper coach Rick Squiers about being involved in such an event.
Following the Nebraska-UNO match, a concert featuring a national recording artist will take place on a stage on the Memorial Stadium field. The musical artist will be announced at a later date. The Huskers’ Teraflex court will be positioned near the north end zone of Tom Osborne Field with the concert stage closer to midfield.
In conjunction with Friday’s announcement of the matches, Gov. Jim Pillen will make a special proclamation celebrating the impact of the sport of volleyball in Nebraska.
“This is going to be a fantastic celebration of volleyball in the state of Nebraska,” Nebraska Vice Chancellor, Director of Athletics Trev Alberts said. “Our Husker program has long been a source of pride throughout the state, and we are also proud that the success of Nebraska volleyball has played a large role in the exponential growth of the sport in Nebraska. We know our great fan base will embrace Volleyball Day in Nebraska and turn out in full force for this historic event. Go Big Red!”
“This is going to be a special day for the sport of volleyball in this state,” Nebraska head coach John Cook said. “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. We’re excited that we’re going to be able to include three other local schools as well to make it a statewide celebration. A Nebraska volleyball ticket is one of the hardest tickets in town to get, so we’re pumped that this match will give so many more fans an opportunity to come watch us play and be part of a historic day.”
Tickets for the match will go on sale to Nebraska volleyball season-ticket holders on Tuesday, April 25. Tickets to the outdoor match will not be part of the Nebraska volleyball season-ticket package and must be purchased separately. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, April 26. A ticket will gain entrance to both volleyball matches and the concert. Tickets will be $25 for adults and $5 for high school age and under. Ticket information for Nebraska, UNO, UNK and Wayne State students will be announced at a later date. Everyone, regardless of age, must have a ticket for admittance. Ticket sales will begin with North Stadium and the furthest north sections in East and West Stadiums. All seats will be reserved.
The Nebraska-UNO outdoor match will be televised on the Big Ten Network and streamed on the FOX Sports app. Streaming and possible television details for the UNK-Wayne State match are to be determined.
93.1 the River, and 106.9 FM in Kearney are planning on broadcasting the UNK match that day.
The Huskers Radio Network will broadcast the Huskers-Mavericks match on their radio affiliates. A live audio stream will be provided at Huskers.com and the Huskers App. The match will occur during the second week of the regular season. The Huskers will open the 2023 season with three matches at a home tournament at the Devaney Center from Aug. 25-27.
A few volleyball attendance records will be worth keeping an eye on as ticket sales begin. The largest-ever crowd for an NCAA volleyball match is 18,755 when Nebraska played Wisconsin on Dec. 18, 2021 in the NCAA Final at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The largest NCAA regular-season crowd is 16,833 when Wisconsin hosted Florida at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 16, 2022.
In order to count as an official NCAA volleyball record, the official attendance must be counted at the conclusion of the second set of the Nebraska-UNO match. Anyone entering Memorial Stadium after that point will not count toward the total attendance.
The Husker volleyball program has sold out 303 consecutive regular-season matches, though the Memorial Stadium match would not count toward the streak as it is being played outside the Huskers’ main home facility, the Devaney Center. Nebraska’s sellout streak is an NCAA women’s record. The Huskers have led the nation in attendance every season since moving into the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2013.
