Nebraska Volleyball is Changing the Women’s Sports Landscape
By: Emily Hricak
September 10, 2023
Photograph: Dylan Widger/USA Today Sports
As a woman and former competitive athlete, tears were brought to my eyes when I heard about the record-breaking Nebraska volleyball match. It wasn’t because a player got an obscene amount of aces, or because there was a ridiculously long rally. On August 30th, 2023, the University of Nebraska broke a world record for hosting the greatest number of attendees to a women’s sporting event in history.
A whopping 92,003 fans attended this match at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a point of comparison for my fellow USC students, the LA Memorial Coliseum can hold up to 77,500 people. So, how did Nebraska’s volleyball program generate such a loyal fanbase?
Coach Terry Pettit was hired in 1977 with a mission to make women’s volleyball the sport of Nebraska. In general, women’s volleyball programs are more popular at beachside universities, but Pettit was determined to break this stigma. He strategically scheduled their matches after the University of Nebraska’s home football games so spectators would be encouraged to attend while they were already out around campus. Sure enough, Husker volleyball gained a loyal fanbase and continuously sold out their matches. Cook and the university’s athletic director decide to host a match at the Memorial Stadium, the Husker’s football facility. Though ambitious, 82,000 tickets for the match sold in a mere three days (92,003 ended up attending when standing-room tickets were later issued).
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You may ask, “So what?” and “Emily, why is this making you so emotional?” This match stands for something bigger. Though I typically stray away from making generalizations, I can say in confidence that, as Americans, we praise men’s sports way more than women’s. The NFL and the NBA are at the forefront of our minds when we think of the word ‘sports,’ even for us women. They receive more coverage in the mainstream media and more money is poured into their programs. This groundbreaking match is a hint at what our future could look like if more attention is paid to women’s sports.
In an interview with the Guardian, Lexi Rodriguez, captain and libero for the Husker volleyball team, said, “It’s so huge for little girls to get to see a woman’s sport and volleyball being played on this big of a stage and having so many people invest in it, I think, is huge. When you’re little, you have big goals and big dreams. And having this to look kind of look up to is something that little girls will keep in the back of their mind when pursuing the sport of volleyball.”
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I couldn’t have said it better than Rodriguez myself. Having other female athletes to look up to when I played volleyball was my motivating force to keep working hard. I grew up attending the USC women’s volleyball games at the Galen Center; I’d stand for the whole game, simply in awe of how good the girls were. They were my role models and instilled confidence in me that I could, one day, be like them too.
Women have always been great at sports, but they’ve rarely gotten the platform to prove themselves. Thinking beyond athletics, this event will go down in history as a time when women were given a chance and completely knocked it out of the park.
This heartwarming account of the record-breaking Nebraska volleyball match resonates deeply. As a fellow woman and former athlete, I understand the emotional impact of witnessing a women's sporting event draw an unprecedented 92,000 fans. The dedication of Coach Terry Pettit to elevate women's volleyball in a non-traditional setting is commendable, challenging stereotypes and cultivating a devoted fanbase.
The significance of this event extends beyond the sport itself. It serves as a beacon of hope for a future where women's sports receive the recognition they deserve. Your reflection on the disparity in coverage and funding between men's and women's sports strikes a chord. The words of Lexi Rodriguez beautifully capture the essence – providing little girls with inspiring role models on a grand stage.
This blog post is truly inspiring to me. I've often felt that women's sports don't get nearly the amount of coverage or recognition they deserve. Whether it be on a professional level, or highschool level, there has always been an underappreciation for them. My most relevant experience of this was waiting in a 2 hour line to get into one of the USC’s Men's basketball games, but being one of 16 people in the stands for the women's game the following month. I can only imagine how that Nebraska team must've felt. Having all those people in the stands would terrify, yet excite me.
As a former competitive athlete and a woman, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride and hope. To think that this man fans showed up to support a women’s sporting event is nothing short of inspiring, especially considering how men's sports usually dominate the limelight. You're right, this event is a milestone not only for women's volleyball but for women's sports in general. It will not only serve as a source of inspiration for countless young girls, but also change perceptions and show that women atheletes are just as capable and deserving of recognition.
It is so encouraging to see the continued growth of awareness and attention for women's sports! All Nebaska fans I know (for any sport!) are so passionate, so I'm sure the energy at the venue was electric. There is definitely a lack of attention and representation of women in sports and media, but hopefully changes, such as this Nebraska women's volleyball game, will generate more excitement around these events, and potentially even motivate younger girls to pursue a future in sports!