Nebraska sold out Memorial Stadium in 48 hours for its "Volleyball Day in Nebraska" outdoor event taking place Aug. 30. Approximately 82,900 tickets were claimed between the season-ticket holder and general public sales this week. That number, the university said, doesn't include field-level seating or indoor club seating.
It will be a doubleheader, starting with a Division II exhibition between Wayne State and Nebraska-Kearney at 4:30 p.m. local time, followed by a regular-season match between Nebraska and Omaha.
We dared to dream big.
— Husker Volleyball (@Huskervball) April 27, 2023
Husker Nation brought it to life. pic.twitter.com/gMM6uD8zkT
The 82,900 tickets sold is well above the attendance records for a regular-season volleyball game (15,797) and a NCAA Volleyball Tournament game (18,755) -- both games in which Nebraska played. However, Nebraska director of athletics Trev Alberts thinks the Huskers still have more ambitious goals to chase.
The record attendance for a women's sporting event in the U.S. is 90,185, which was set during the 1999 Women's World Cup Final between the U.S. and China at Rose Bowl Stadium. Alberts sees the number as something within reach.
"Nebraska fans never cease to amaze me," Alberts said in a statement. "We knew the interest in this match would be extremely high, but to sell out Memorial Stadium is truly remarkable. I've heard lots of talk about breaking the NCAA volleyball attendance record, but given the incredible demand for this event we want to explore every avenue to see if it's possible to challenge the record for the most attended women's sporting event in this country. We are truly grateful!"
The attendance record for volleyball belongs in the state of Nebraska. pic.twitter.com/KZoAkwHOkh
— Trev Alberts (@TrevAlberts) April 27, 2023
Nebraska has established itself as a volleyball powerhouse, which has led to the fans showing up year after year to support their team. Since taking over in 2000, coach John Cook has led the program to 22 NCAA Regional appearances -- including seven title games. Nebraska has won five national titles, with the last four happening under Cook.
"There is No Place Like Nebraska. What more can you say?" Cook said in a statement. "We knew there was a lot of interest in this event based on the reaction we've had the last couple of months traveling around the state and the country. But to sell out more than 80,000 tickets already? It's unreal. Our team was already pumped up about Volleyball Day in Nebraska, but now I can't even imagine how excited they are going to be for this. It's epic."
