Whenever there’s history in the making, Nebraska Volleyball’s name always surfaces! This Saturday, they dismantled Ohio State’s winning plans, defeating them 3-0 on their home court in Columbus. With this victory, the #2 Nebraska Volleyball team secured their 8th conference win of the season. What’s historic about that, you ask? Aside from the record-breaking 4,156 spectators watching live at the Covelli Center, the match was streamed on a renowned platform, making waves this weekend.

The Nebraska Volleyball vs. Ohio State match on October 19, 2024, made history as the first-ever collegiate volleyball match to be broadcast on NBC. Notably, this season marks NBC’s debut in airing the sport, and yesterday’s game was their ‘marquee match.’ But it’s not just NBC—over 83 Big Ten Conference matches (the most ever) are scheduled to be aired on TV this season, with nearly 68 of them on the Big Ten Network. Other networks airing the games include FOX, FS1, and Peacock.

Big Ten volleyball matches were selected for broadcast due to the conference’s remarkable success in the sport. Notably, 20 of the last 24 NCAA finals have featured a Big Ten volleyball team. As a result, NBC isn’t just airing this Nebraska Volleyball game; over the next few days, they’ve scheduled three more matches: Wisconsin vs. Purdue, Penn State vs. Wisconsin, and a showdown between debut conference members Oregon and UCLA.

This marks a major achievement for the sport, whose popularity has soared in recent years. Yesterday’s game was a testament to that! For Nebraska Volleyball, in particular, they recognized that a renowned linear network kicking off its first-ever broadcast was a historic opportunity. And as reigning Big Ten champions, they made sure it was one to remember—especially Harper Murray, who delivered an outstanding performance with 14 kills and a .406 hitting efficiency.

But, how many records are too many for Nebraska Volleyball? Well, just recently as the Cornhuskers took on Louisville, they set a new ESPN viewership record. Even though it was a non-conference match, it became the most watched regular season volleyball game for ESPN, averaging at 684,000 viewers and peaking at 808,000! And, the way the Huskers played this weekend, the NBC viewership figures must have been exceptionally good too.

The historic Nebraska Volleyball vs Ohio State game on NBC

Over three sets, 25-18, 25-18, 25-16, Nebraska Volleyball clinched a comfortable victory against the Buckeyes. A total of 48 kills and 56 digs, the team was on a roll last night and not once did they look out of sync, as was the case in a recent match.

However, a few exceptional performers stood out, namely Murray and Merritt Beason, with the latter recording 13 kills and a .345 hitting efficiency. Starting in Set 1, Beason served a 6-0 run, propelling the Huskers to a 12-7 lead. The Buckeyes quickly matched up, narrowing the margin to 17-15. But despite Rylee Radar’s 1,000th career kill, the Huskers closed the set at 25-18.

Set Two was a team effort right from the start. Andi Jackson, Murray, and Beason combined for a total of 4 kills, allowing the Nebraska Volleyball team to take a comfortable 4-2 lead. Blocks and contributions from Taylor Landfair and Rebekah Allick, along with a good serve by Olivia Mauch, forced the Buckeyes to call a timeout at 10-6. A notable comeback from Ohio then prompted the Huskers to call another timeout at 21-16, after which the last two points carried them to a 25-18 win.

The final set looked pretty comfortable for the Big Red team. After securing the first two points, they jumped to a commanding 10-1 lead. By this time, Ohio State’s momentum was visibly shaken. Nonetheless, they managed to pull the score to 19-11, but the final result favored the Huskers. With the way Nebraska Volleyball has been performing this season, do you think they are in good shape to claim another Big Ten title? Share your thoughts below!