On October 19, Nebraska Volleyball brought out their black jerseys and top-notch form for their match against the Buckeyes. In 2022, the Covelli Center witnessed the Cornhuskers being thrashed for a four-set win by Ohio. But Saturday’s match was primed to be historic for one special reason.

So far, volleyball lovers have had the option of flocking down to the venues, watching the stream online on Peacock, or opting to lend an ear to the Huskers Radio. But Saturday marked a breakthrough. It saw the first of three Big Ten Conference volleyball matches being televised nationally by NBC. Moreover, that was the maiden match in the history of collegiate volleyball to have made it to this network. But why so? Here’s the reason decoded.

NBC’s historic step to televise college volleyball like Nebraska Volleyball, explained

It all started in August 2024, when the Big Ten Conference announced that the volleyball schedule for this season would feature the highest number of televised matches in history. Up from 64 in 2023, a total of 83 matches were set to be seen via Big Ten Network, FOX, NBC, Peacock, and FS1. Out of these, 68 were to be streamed by the BTN, which would cover all 18 conference teams, including Nebraska Volleyball.

BTM started with the Pittsburgh vs. Oregon match in August, followed by the FS1 and FOX networks airing the “College Volleyball Showcase” at Finserv Forum, which featured 4 schools: Texas, Wisconsin, Stanford, and Minnesota. However, when it came to NBC, 4 matches were shortlisted.

• October 19 (Saturday): Nebraska at Ohio State – Columbus
• October 26 (Saturday): Wisconsin at Purdue-West Lafayette
• November 9 (Saturday): Penn State at Wisconsin – Madison
• November 29 (Friday): Oregon at UCLA-Los Angeles

The main reason behind this has been Big Ten volleyball’s increasing popularity over the past years. Remember last season, October 2023, the Big Ten volleyball telecast on FOX turned the highest tuned in regular season in women’s college volleyball history with 1.66 million viewers joining? The same year, the NCAA Tournament championship match between Texas and Nebraska Volleyball averaged up to 1.7 million viewers. This was a 115 percent spike from the 2022 season match.

When we’re not speaking of viewership statistics, Big Ten volleyball still remains a largely followed and impactful conference. Their teams have made it to 20 out of the last 24 NCAA finals. Plus, 7 former players from 5 Big Ten schools have represented the nation on the grandest stage, the Paris Olympics.

Speaking of the sports popularity, it has spiked in the recent past as well. The three highest crowds to have ever attended a women’s college volleyball match were all in 2023. 92,003 were present for the Nebraska vs. Omaha match. Even the number 1 volleyball team, Pittsburgh’s coach Dan Fisher stated, “It just feels like the last two tears, that it’s not niche anymore, it’s mainstream.”

Plus, ABC broadcasted a regular season game (Nebraska vs. Louisville) for the first time this September. The same match peaked in terms of ESPN viewership, setting a new TV record. It became the highest watched regular season game, with 684000 viewers on average, with an 808,000 peak figure. Thus, all these factors demonstrate the growing popularity of the sport, a major reason why NBC and other mainstream platforms have turned to college volleyball.

How to watch Big Ten Conference volleyball games this season?

Starting from October 20, all of the upcoming Big Ten Conference volleyball matches can be watched via BTN, the Big Ten Network, by tuning in on the scheduled timings. However, there are a few exceptions.

• October 24 (Thursday)—Wisconsin at Indiana—can be watched via FS1 at 7 p.m.
• October 26 (Saturday)—Wisconsin at Purdue can be watched via NBC at 3.30 p.m.
• November 9 (Saturday)—Penn State at Wisconsin—can be watched via NBA AT 3.30 p.m.
• November 29 (Friday)—Oregon at UCLA—can be watched via NBA at 4.30 p.m.
• November 29 (Friday)—Ohio State at Minnesota—can be watched via FS1 (Time TBD).