Nebraska volleyball sets world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event, at above 92,000, school says

Nebraska’s football stadium hosted its women’s volleyball match on Wednesday. Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald/AP CNN  — 

Memorial Stadium was the place to be on Wednesday night when the University of Nebraska women’s volleyball team hosted in-state opponent Omaha.

The official attendance of 92,003 in Lincoln – at what normally is the university’s football stadium – set the world record for the largest announced crowd at a women’s sporting event, according to the school.

The previous record was set in April 2022, when 91,648 soccer fans in Barcelona, Spain, gathered to witness a UEFA Champions League semifinal between Barcelona and Wolfsburg at Camp Nou.

Trev Alberts, the school’s athletics director, addressed the Nebraska crowd following the outdoor match, which the five-time national champions won 25-14, 25-14, 25-13.

“Nebraska has the best fan base in the world, the best volleyball fans in the world,” Albert said before introducing head coach John Cook.

Cook told the crowd they proved to be the best fans in the country with their showing.

“And I was thinking this morning, there’s only three things that shut down the University of Nebraska: 1) snowstorms, 2) Covid, 3) Nebraska volleyball in the stadium. So students, you’re welcome. … From one of our players, she said tonight, ‘The impossible is possible.’ So thank you very much. There’s no place like Nebraska,” Cook said as the crowd cheered.

The previous US record attendance for a women’s sporting event was 90,185 for the United States-China soccer World Cup final in July 1999 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

During what the school called “Volleyball Day,” the record-setting crowd gave a roaring ovation to the fourth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team as players walked onto the court.

The Huskers (4-0) have sold out an NCAA-record 306 consecutive regular season matches. However, Wednesday’s match will not count towards the streak because it wasn’t played at the team’s Bob Devaney Sports Center court.

Before Wednesday, the largest announced attendance at a NCAA volleyball match was 18,755, when Nebraska played Wisconsin in the NCA A final at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, in December 2021.

Stadium capacity for football is listed at 85,458.