The University of Nebraska volleyball team officially broke the world record for the largest crowd for a women’s sporting event on Wednesday night, with more than 92,000 spectators.
“I think it will elevate the sport of volleyball even further and put it on a good trajectory. Everyone here, we have witnessed history. We played for everyone, even for the highest person in the stadium. And I think our fans felt like they were all a part of it,” USA Varsity head coach John Cook said after the game.
On social networks, the “Huskers” of Nebraska had announced their intention of wanting to dethrone the record which had so far been held by the women’s teams of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, whose match had attracted just over 91,600 spectators last year, in 2022.
“We’re going to make history,” said a promotional video released shortly before the event. The field at the university’s football stadium had been completely redesigned to accommodate this, making room for a large volleyball court as well as audiovisual equipment.
The new high was finally confirmed at the end of the evening by the team and different sports television networks like ESPN. In total, precisely 92,003 people attended the match.
“It’s so big for younger girls to see a women’s sport being played on such a big platform. When you’re young, you have big dreams and big goals, and things like that are what keep them in your head,” player Lexi Rodriguez said emotionally after the event.
For her part, player Andi Jackson spoke after the game about an “incredible” day for her team and the sport of volleyball in general. “Honestly, I can’t even describe how grateful I am to be a part of this,” she said at a press conference, saying she still realizes what just happened.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, the “Huskers” team also did not fail to highlight the feat, thanking their followers for coming out in such large numbers. “There’s no other place like Nebraska,” the squad insisted.
