Ask anyone in Nebraska, and they’ll vouch that volleyball is easily one of the most popular sports in the state. Thanks to the Cornhuskers’ domination on the court, volleyball has been enjoying its heyday at the collegiate level for quite some time. However, it seems like the ongoing VNL 2025 isn’t able to tap into the large fanbase despite the massive growth of the sport in the NCAA scene in recent months.

After the first two weeks in Brazil and Serbia, the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2025 has finally returned to home soil for the third week of the international volleyball tournament. And, unsurprisingly, the host country is looking like every bit of the reigning Olympic silver medalist it is. Unfortunately, though, there aren’t many fans to witness the triumphs firsthand.

The VNL 2025 action is unfolding in Arlington, Texas. In the first two matches against Thailand and the Dominican Republic, the USA Volleyball won both with a solid 3-1 margin. But the on-court elation was overshadowed by poor turnout numbers at the UT Arlington College Park Center. As per a post by Avid on X from July 11, the VNL isn’t reaping the benefits of the sport’s post-COVID popularity.

“It’s wild that there’s been so much growth in the support of volleyball post-covid…. participation at all time highs, NCAA VB attendance/views records… yet the national team gets no benefits from that, attendance is down in VNL,” laments the social media update, while claiming that poor marketing on the USA Volleyball’s part could be the reason behind such shambolic numbers. To prove the point, Avid also shared past attendance records from previous volleyball games. According to the attached screenshot, the VNL 2025 records are nowhere close to the numbers Lincoln, Nebraska, recorded back in 2019.

The sadness is justified, though. After all, the collegiate women’s volleyball is responsible for one of the highest-ever attendance records in women’s sports in general. In August 2023, a staggering 92,003 volleyball fans packed the Memorial Stadium to watch the Huskers sweep the Omaha Mavericks and helped send out a message about what women’s sports can truly achieve. Since then, NCAA volleyball has undergone a revolution of sorts. And thanks to the Huskers’ immense popularity, even Nebraska’s foes have started experiencing stellar growth of their own just by virtue of crossing paths with the Lincoln program.

Moreover, with the rise of multiple professional volleyball leagues, including the League One Volleyball and Real Pro Volleyball, the sport has been reveling in its newfound popularity for months. In light of such details, it’s understandable that Avid’s social media post broods over how the USA national team isn’t being able to recreate such excitement among the fans despite their incredible form at the VNL 2025.

Thankfully, though, the team is doing its work with diligence despite how packed, or empty, the stands are.

The USA continues laying the groundwork for a triumphant VNL 2025 finish

The USA Volleyball started off the VNL 2025 with a major fumble. In the first week of the competition, held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the American women lost all the first three matches (3-0 against the reigning Olympic champs, Italy; 3-0 against hosts Brazil; and 3-2 against Czechia). However, they managed to find their groove and shut out South Korea to finish Week 1 on a high note. The team then traveled to Serbia, where the USA improved its VNL 2025 record significantly and won all four matches against Serbia, Poland, the Netherlands, and France.

The excitement for Week 3 was high. For more reasons than one. Not only would this stretch of the VNL 2025 be played on home soil, but it would also see siblings Madisen and Avery Skinner reunite once again to represent the national team. With her Olympic medalist sister by her side, the 3x NCAA champ Madi helped Team USA to post a thunderous 3-1 win over Thailand in the opening match of the third week of VNL 2025.

Just one day later, the Dominican Republic fell to Eric Sullivan’s girls by the same margin. After a day’s rest, the hosts will lock horns with their northern neighbors. With the streak of victories, Team USA now sits atop a comfortable 6-4 record at the VNL 2025, and the hopes of making it to the competition’s final round look pretty solid.

Do you think there will be more fans than there have been in recent games in case the team manages to go beyond the round-robin segment of the international tournament? Do you think this squad has what it takes to bring the VNL trophy home for the first time since 2021? Tell us in the comments below.