lowthern@lopers.unk.edu
UNK volleyball has joined with Nebraska University, Nebraska Omaha University and Wayne State to bring fans “Volleyball Day In Nebraska.” The event will be on Aug. 30 in iconic Memorial Stadium.
The event has everyone enthusiastic, including UNK athletic director Marc Bauer.
“We are excited to be in partnership with UNL and be considered for this opportunity,” Bauer said. “It’s going to be an amazing experience for our student-athletes.”
The competition was one UNK volleyball coach Rick Squiers doesn’t take lightly.
“We pretty much came to the conclusion that this isn’t the kind of thing you say no to,” Squiers said. “We have a chance to be involved, we’re going to make sure we say yes to that.”
“Volleyball Day In Nebraska” will start with the Lopers facing an experienced Wayne State team in an exhibition match at 4:30 p.m. The Divison II squads will be followed by the Huskers’ team playing the Mavericks at 7 p.m. Unlike UNK’s match with Wayne State, the Division I matchup will count towards the two teams’ regular season records. The two matches will be followed by a concert by an artist who hasn’t been announced yet.
Many numbers have been thrown out of the total attendance for the event, and some said it will attract more than 50,000 people. One of the goals of the day is to break the home attendance record for a volleyball match, which is currently held by Wisconsin at 16,833. That record was set last season when the Badgers defeated Florida in five sets. The game was in the Kohl Center, which is where Wisconsin’s basketball teams play.
The match between Nebraska and Creighton at the CHI Health Center in Omaha last season originally broke the record with 15,797 people in attendance. The highest-attended volleyball match ever was the 2021 NCAA Championship between Nebraska and Wisconsin with 18,755 people.
The venue will be a unique experience that libero Jensen Rowse said will bring the team together.
“It’s something that is new for all of us,” Rowse said. “It’s something that will only happen to us one time, so it will be really special who we spend it with.”
Outside hitter Emersen Cyza said the experience will be beneficial to the youth on the Lopers’ team.
“It’s such a good bonding experience for our team,” Cyza said. “We are very young, and it’s such a good opportunity. And we get to go to a concert afterward.”
Although the artist hasn’t been announced, people within the Loper program have some ideas on artists to bring in. Zach Bryan, Taylor Swift, Post Malone and Kiss were those recommended by UNK volleyball coaches and players.
UNK volleyball will receive $50,000 for participating in the event, as long as everything goes to the full outdoor plan.
“$25,000 will be given to the volleyball program, whether it’s new gear, travel budgets or scholarships,” Bauer said. “The remaining $25,000 will be broken evenly between the remaining women’s athletic programs at our institutions.”
The budget breakdown is a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
The exhibition match will not count toward the Lopers’ record. This will allow the players to soak in the atmosphere without as much pressure.
“Wayne State is in our region, and when we have played them in the regular season, it usually had huge implications,” Squiers said. “To remove those implications will certainly help us enjoy the experience a little bit. At the same time, we’re going to try to win.”
