Any collegiate sports fan should already know by now that the Nebraska volleyball program has one of the strongest fandoms in the country, even without considering the time when 92,003 fans flocked to the Memorial Stadium in 2023, setting an attendance world record. Moreover, the release of the “No Place Like Nebraska” documentary last pre-season only added to the craze. And now, it looks like the Huskers have done it again.

Volleyball undoubtedly is a sport that’s on the rise in the USA. With the introduction of several professional women’s leagues, more and more fans are jumping on the bandwagon. And it’s safe to say that Nebraska volleyball is leading the charge: As the Huskers began their 2025 season, they once again proved just why they have the best fans in the country’s collegiate circuit.

An X post by Avid from August 25 shared the incredible viewership numbers from last Friday, when the Huskers took on the Pittsburgh Panthers for the AVCA First Serve Showcase. “Nebraska-Pitt on Friday night earned 771,000 viewers on FOX to become the second most-watched regular season match ever,” announces the sonorous caption of the social media update.

“It is the most watched regular season match that did not include an NFL lead-in,” the post shared some more incredible information. That is quite a feat for any college sports, or just regular sports, for that matter! As per some reports, the Cowboys vs Giants match on Thanksgiving Day 2022 drew a staggering 42 million viewers, and continues to be the most-watched regular season game on any platform. In light of such jaw-dropping numbers, it’s only natural that Nebraska volleyball fans would pat themselves on the back for the 771,000 milestone they attained on Friday during an NCAA match early into the season.

But really, is the Huskers community still that new to making records? Last year, the volleyball match between Nebraska and Louisville averaged 684,000 viewers and became the most-watched regular-season volleyball match on any ESPN platform. If that wasn’t all, riding high on the Huskers’ success, even pro volleyball leagues in Nebraska regularly post high, often record-setting, attendance records.

Maybe that’s why fans urged the USA Volleyball to ask the Cornhusker State’s help when the VNL couldn’t generate enough footfall at Arlington, Texas, in July. Such public requests definitively underscore how Nebraska volleyball continues to set the trend for others to follow. Thankfully, though, the large number of viewers who tuned in on FOX for the Friday game were in for a thrilling show. So were the fans who got to watch the Sunday match versus Stanford, we’d wager!

Nebraska volleyball starts off the season with back-to-back bangers

This is the first NCAA season that the Huskers will play under the new management. After twenty-five long years as the boss of the Nebraska volleyball program, the legendary John Cook announced his retirement in January. Subsequently, former Huskers’ national champion player and assistant coach, Dani Busboom Kelly, was appointed as the next head coach to continue building on Cook’s legacy. And as the former Louisville boss takes over the Lincoln program, it seems like Huskers loyalists don’t have to worry about seeing their favorite team mess up.

Nebraska started its official NCAA season by taking on #3 Pittsburgh on Friday at the Pinnacle Bank Arena and walked away from the match with a comfortable 3-1 win. On Friday against the Panthers, opposite hitter Harper Murray led the Huskers with a team-high 15 kills, and on Sunday, she posted 10 more kills and nine digs against the Cardinals. Taylor Landfair, who came back after a redshirt season, got eight blocks on Friday and did fairly well in the next match as well.

Andi Jackson received the MVP honors in the first match of the tournament, while middle blocker Rebekah Allick was awarded the same on Sunday. The Huskers now stand at 2-0 in the Busboom Kelly era, and it remains to be seen if Nebraska volleyball can earn its first national title since 2017 with the new blood at the helm. Do you think they can?