If there’s one thing for certain, it’s how Nebraska loves collegiate volleyball. Fans of the Nebraska Huskers are never too shy to cheer for their team with harmony every time they lock horns with their NCAA opponents. And the team’s latest bout against the Washington Huskies wasn’t different either. On November 9, John Cook’s team stomped over the Washington squad with its 18th clean sweep of the season. However, there was still something that the Nebraska fans were irked about.

In the Big Ten conference, the Huskers are on a stellar run. Boasting a perfect 14-0 record, the 2023 NCAA runners-up team is looking to bring home the title this time around. And yet, things got a little tense after their victory at the Alaska Airlines Arena. One interviewer opined the Huskers fans were feeling the “Caitlin Clark effect.” But the Lincoln loyalists, being the volleyball connoisseurs they are, had only good things to say about Washington’s milestone from the match.

Nebraska Huskers contribute to Washington’s milestone feat

The official Big Ten Volleyball’s X account shared that the match between Nebraska and Washington was played out in front of a sold-out crowd of 9,768 fans in Seattle last weekend. Now, considering the ticket prices start from $35 and can go all the way up to $175, we can take $100 as the average ticket price for matches at the Alaska Airlines Arena. With that and a sold-out venue, last Saturday’s match could have well raised $976,800, and the Nebraska Huskers fans know when to laud a seminal achievement like this.

The most recent attendance surpassed the record set in 2014 when the Huskies faced Stanford, which was 8,648 attendees. While the loss at the hands of second-ranked Nebraska was a blow to the guts, it’s easy to understand that the folks over at Washington were pretty elated to see their fans turn up in throngs to support the team. But that couldn’t entirely evade the controversy that brewed up.

When John Cook was faced with the Caitlin Clark reference, the seasoned volleyball coach managed to meander around the statement like a pro and instead lauded the Nebraska Huskers fans for playing their part in selling out the arena on Saturday. And now, the NU fans have once again arrived to clear the air around the debate once and for all.

Fans reclaim the Huskers’ status from the WNBA star

It seems like people have forgotten how Nebraska has been at the top of its popularity even when Caitlin Clark was still in high school. With that in mind, one should absolutely believe Clark has very little impact on the Huskers’ fan following. Noting that Dustin Schlake rightfully claimed that what we’re seeing is the Nebraska effect. Albeit a few spelling errors, this fan makes the right assumption as their comment reads, “This program will be remembered as the one that flipped the script and purt womens volleyball anove womens basketball for draw and advancement of the sport.” For years, the Huskers fans have filled stadiums to the brim, and Dustin’s statement isn’t unfounded.

“THIS IS THE NEBRASKA VOLLEYBALL TEAM EFFECT!!” Annie Kates also vigorously bashed the keyboard as she urged to keep Caitlin Clark out of the conversation. When the women’s basketball star’s name was mentioned to Cook, fans already expressed their dissatisfaction. And now, they took to social media like Annie to remind everyone that they’ve been Huskers fans for much longer than Clark has been around.

Cory also shared the Big Ten volleyball’s post and captioned it “The #Nebraska effect,” bolstering the claim that the second-ranked team of the NCAA doesn’t need Clark to bring exposure or doesn’t rely on her to give them any extra boost in popularity. Scott, too, reiterated the mass phenomenon we witnessed at the Washington match by commenting, “The Nebraska Effect!“

VB Adrenaline also claimed that the Huskers are experiencing some truly blissful times, especially this year. That might be a reason to egg the Nebraska team to win its first NCAA title since 2017, and this fan-run page noted, “The #NebraskaEffect been prevalent even more so this yr,” along with highlighting that the sophomore team members are some of the best athletes in the squad in years. What do you reckon? Voice your love for the Huskers in the comments!