That was some ‘serious domination’ by Penn State. The Nittany Lions won their eighth national volleyball title, their first in ten years, with a straight-sets victory over Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center. Katie Schumacher-Cawley became the first woman ever to coach a team to an NCAA championship. Penn State struggled through the match but was able to defeat the Cardinals in straight sets, 25-23, 32-34, 25-20, and 25-17, to complete a season with a record of 35-2. Their amazing run to the Final Four involved a comeback against Big Ten foe Nebraska in the championship match.

Even though Louisville Volleyball faced a tough loss, there was a heartwarming silver lining. Despite the challenges, fans showed up in droves at the KFC Yum! Center. They supported the Cardinals, which allowed them to keep their record intact and show that real fans are seen regardless of victory or defeat.

Lincoln Arneal hopped on X after the finals to share, “Today’s championship match sets a new NCAA tournament attendance record with a crowd of 21,860. That’s 134 more people than the semifinals on Thursday. Louisville is doing a great job as host.” Even though Louisville didn’t come out on top, they still managed to make history in a big way!

Even Emily Ehman couldn’t hide her excitement as she shared on her X account, “It’s official: there are 21,860 fans in attendance at the KFC Yum! Center to set the #NCAAWVB postseason attendance record yet again. That breaks the previous record of 21,726 set during the semifinals on Thursday.” The energy was electric, with fans filling the stands to support their teams.

But what really happened on that infamous Thursday? In the semifinals, Nebraska competed with Penn State. Despite having all four No. 1 seeds through to the Elite Eight, Thursday’s 2024 NCAA volleyball semifinals had the biggest shocks as both Nebraska and Pitt, the overall favorite, were beaten by their conference rivals.

College volleyball postseason fans filled the stands with 21,726 people in attendance, the most ever for a college volleyball match as Louisville volleyball knocked off Pitt 3-1 and Nebraska narrowly lost to Penn State in a five-set match. And although the record books were turned that day, there is still one record that has not been beaten!

Louisville Volleyball’s home trails just one record!

Louisville Volleyball has been on a record-setting spree this season, especially with their latest record of crowd attendance. But they are still lagging behind one legendary attendance record. Nebraska was simply fantastic last year, attracting a record turnout of 92,003 fans at the Memorial Stadium, who saw their five-time NCAA champions thrash Omaha 3-0. As soon as the Huskers took the first two sets, the announcement of the number of people in the hall excited the red-dressed Nebraskans.

The event, known as “Volleyball Day in Nebraska,” was a culmination of months of hype for a state that has long been at the forefront of volleyball enthusiasm. The match also surpassed the previous record of 91,648 for the women’s sports event that was witnessed in April 2022 during the Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Wolfsburg. The tickets for the doubleheader were cheap initially but soon sold out, and the tickets were being sold for as high as $400 on the black market.

So, while Nebraska holds the top spot, Louisville volleyball isn’t far behind. Their recent impressive crowds are proof of the sport’s growing popularity, and with continued momentum, they’re carving their place in volleyball history.