Nebraska volleyball’s Wrigley disaster should kill this outdoor experiment for good

When it comes to the Nebraska volleyball team, two things are true at once: No other program draws fans the way the Huskers do, but not every idea for drawing big crowds is a good one. The volleyball matches at Wrigley Field were not a good idea.

Playing matches inside one of the most iconic stadiums in sports history was a great idea on paper. The Huskers were clearly excited to get a shot at it, and that was especially demonstrated when Bergen Reilly got a little teary-eyed when she and the other seniors announced the cancellation. But the reason behind canceling the event was something everyone should have seen coming. A conference whose headquarters are based in Chicago especially should have seen this coming.

The problem began rearing its ugly head in the match before Nebraska met Missouri late on Sunday night. Penn State and Kentucky were the opening card, and as the sun went down and the humidity hit 75%, the outdoor volleyball court started to get slick as condensation formed. The warning signs were there as players started slipping. By the time Nebraska took the court, they played three points in the first set before the powers that be decided to suspend the match so that everyone could grab towels and try to dry the court.

It quickly became clear that all the towels and fans in the world weren’t going to make the court safe to play on, and the Big Ten canceled the match. There’s a possibility that Nebraska and Missouri could meet later in the year, but it won’t be at Wrigley, and that’s perfectly fine with head coach Dani Busboom Kelly.

Nebraska volleyball’s canceled Wrigley match exposes the fundamental problem with outdoor events

“This was amazing, and I applaud the effort,” Busboom Kelly said after the cancellation. “But there is a reason why our sport is indoor. There’s a lot of amazing indoor arenas or football fields indoors or baseball fields that have a dome. We played at one this year. There are opportunities to do some incredible things for volleyball. I do not think outdoor is what we should be doing.”

The entire situation was frustrating because Nebraska was clearly ready to be the biggest draw in the sport once again. More than 43,000 fans filled Wrigley Field, setting an Illinois state record for a volleyball match. The Huskers also love that they are one of the biggest reasons women’s volleyball continues to see a surge in popularity.

However, the Nebraska volleyball team is not the Harlem Globetrotters. They’re not the Savannah Bananas. The Huskers want to take care of business and win a national title. It’s not their job to get fans in the seats. Now the team has to deal with a trip to Chicago that ended with more time dancing and squeegeeing the court than time playing the game. That kind of thing can’t ever happen again.

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