Nebraska Huskers found redemption against Maryland after they had lost to Penn State 3-1 just a day ago. Many of their players had been vehemently trolled because of the loss to the Nittany Lions. The players replied brilliantly as they came back from a one-set deficit to beat Maryland and win a share of the Big Ten title. However, there was another headline present in the game.

The Nebraska Huskers and Maryland game broke the record for the highest attendance at any of the latter’s home games, as 13,071 people watched the match in the arena. This blows the previous record of 4,522 completely out of the water, which Maryland set against Penn State in 2014. The record could lead Maryland to great things as more people will pay attention to their program. But Nebraska’s involvement in all of this can’t be ignored.

The second-ranked team’s presence was one of the major factors in the attendance being so high. Nebraska coach John Cook spoke about the whole thing after the match. Talking at the press conference after the Nebraska Huskers vs. Maryland game, John Cook spoke about the attendance record and what this means to his opponents. He said that the coaches were blown away looking at the amount of people that had come to watch them. The fact that Maryland had organized the senior night after the game made the occasion even more special.

“They have like eight or nine seniors, and they’re all out there. A lot of people stayed. So what a special night for them,” he said. Cook also talked about how this exceptional record could help them build a much better team for the future as they could attract better players for recruitment.

“I mean, that’s huge. We can go around and say, Hey, we got 13,000. Now they’ve seen it, and they can do it,” said Cook. But the Nebraska Huskers coach then talked about the situation, which Maryland needed to look into quickly. Cook wanted them to upgrade their gym in which they play their games.

He said, “Maybe it will help them build a new facility or something. That’s what I’m hoping happens. Because they really should have their own volleyball facility there. Because that gym they play in is really an add-on gym. It’s not really a… I mean, have you been in there? It’s metal bleachers, and yeah.” The coach believes that the attendance record, which his team played a lot of part in, could help them make these developments to their stadium.

Big Ten Records Nebraska Huskers have broken alongside other teams

The Nebraska Huskers have previously helped a lot of teams set records when they have played against them. This includes their viewership record with the Wisconsin Badgers. In 2023, during a match between both rivals, the TV viewership reached a huge 612,000 impressions. This made the match the highest viewed in NCAA volleyball history.

It was a brilliant step for the team to make the sport mainstream. But the most insane part about the whole thing was the fact that the Huskers football team played the Northwestern Wildcats the same day but got less viewership than the volleyball game. This shows how huge the Nebraska volleyball side really is. Another record that Nebraska helped a team break was during last year’s NCAA final.

The Huskers, alongside the Texas Longhorns, brought a huge attendance of 19,727 people to watch the game, setting the record for the second highest attended women’s volleyball game in history. This was a huge deal, as Tampa, Florida, has not seen a game with this level of attendance since then. Thus, the Nebraska Huskers are an NCAA volleyball giant and have done amazing things for the sport. Hopefully, they continue doing the same in the future.