Nebraska volleyball is on a dominant run through the Big 10 conference. The 2023 NCAA Championships runners-up haven’t lost a game in the Big 10 conference since September, going on a sensational run of 21 straight wins, and brushed aside the Washington Huskies for what was their 18th sweep of the season in a 25-21 win. As the team did their work, the fans did not fail to play their part as well.

At the Alaska Airlines Arena on Saturday night, Cornhuskers registered their win in front of a sold-out crowd of 9,768. It set a program attendance record for Washington, surpassing the previous high of 8,648 fans from November 2014, when No. 5 Washington defeated top-ranked Stanford. Home game or away, Husker Nation has never failed to stand by their team. So, when a Big 10 Network presenter tried to put across a different reason for the historic attendance, it did not sit well with them.

The incident happened during a post-game interview with the Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook. “Coach, you guys are so fun to watch, and you’re having a little bit of a Caitlin Clark effect. So what’s it like drawing these huge crowds everywhere you go?” the presenter asked the head coach. Cook was wise enough not to get into any elaboration along the line. He came up with a rather neutral reply.

“You know that’s a great call by you Courtney. It’s been bizarre, I mean, everywhere we go and I think this all started with a stadium match last year. There’s just the whole country knows about the Nebraska Volleyball and, I mean we broke a record every place we go. They’re selling out. But it’s great for women’s volleyball,” Cook said. But it was not missed by the onlookers.

Husker’s Max lead writer Kaleb Henry posted about the commentator comparing the Husker’s impact on volleyball with Caitlin Clark’s impact on women’s sports. “JFC @BigTenNetwork really called Nebraska’s impact on volleyball attendance records ‘a little bit of the Caitlin Clark effect,'” Henry wrote on X with a hint of disapproval.

Clark became a standout during her time with the Iowa Hawkeyes, even before she turned pro. Clark’s popularity became apparent when she helped the Hawkeyes shatter the women’s basketball attendance record. 55,646 fans turned up to watch the exhibition game, and most of them cheered especially loud for Clark and the Hawkeyes. Since then, the momentum has only grown.

Clark continues to draw massive crowds as part of Indian Fever and even won two ESPY awards in 2024. However, Nebraska volleyball fans argued that Nebraska didn’t need the ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ to have a record-breaking impact on the sport. Well, looking at the number, it seems they have every reason to say that.

Last year, Nebraska and Omaha shattered the all-time record for DI women’s college volleyball attendance when 92,003 fans packed Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, home of the Cornhuskers football team, on August 30. In fact, the regular season match officially broke the world record for attendance at any women’s sporting event.

It surpassed the 91,648 in attendance at a 2022 UEFA Women’s Champions League match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg at Camp Nou. On December 14, 2023, the national semifinals between Nebraska-Pitt and Wisconsin-Texas at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, broke the indoor record at 19,598. The record then fell again during the national championship on December 17, 2023, with 19,727 in attendance to watch Texas sweep Nebraska.

But while 2023 has been the highlight year in terms of attendance, it is not new for the Nebraskans to show up for their team time and again. Take a look at these top ten attendance records in women’s collegiate volleyball:

Attendance                                                                  Teams that played                                                  Date

If you look at the table, majority of the games had Nebraska as a team and some of those date back to a time when Caitlin Clark was in high school! Well that is not the only reason why Nebraska has almost become the volleyball capital of the USA.

In January, the inaugural match of the Pro Volleyball League kicked off between the Omaha Supernovas and the Atlanta Vibes. According to the Front Office Sports, the opening match of the PVF’s league was attended by 11,624 fans, making it the biggest gathering in “U.S pro volleyball history”. But it did not just end there.

In February as The Omaha Supernovas took on the San Diego Mojo at the Nebraska city. As per a post by Hurrdat Sports in X, 11,403 fans gathered at the CHI Health Center. “@OmahaSupernovas holds the top two attendance records for U.S. pro women’s volleyball,” the post mentioned. With all these number to boast, naturally the Nebraska fans did not take the Caitlin Clark reference kindly.

Fans remind Nebraska’s volleyball legacy long before the WNBA star’s rise

“I’m legit so annoyed by their stupid obsession with one person out of the multitudes of incredible women’s athletes in the world. You never see this in men’s sports commentary.” one Nebraska Cornhuskers fan commented on the post. “Ya I caught that too and quickly eye rolled,” wrote one disapproving fan. However, others had a far harsher take on the present’s comment.

“Didn’t you hear? Caitlin Clark is why Nebraska had 92,003 fans in Memorial Stadium last year. Phew! Could not have done that without her,” a Nebraska volleyball said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. While Caitlin Clark was already a college athlete extraordinaire in 2023, it’s crucial to note that the Husker’s record-breaking game came ahead of the exhibition basketball match.

The Huskers made women’s sports history a month before the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa set the women’s basketball record. Other fans doubled down on this point. A netizen said Nebraska volleyball is building a legacy with its own caliber and Clark shouldn’t be associated with that success. “They have been doing this way before the ‘Caitlyn Clark effect’ was a thing.” the x-user commented.

One fan took things even further. “I took great offense to that. These ladies have been doing it before CC was even born,” the individual commented. Nebraska has one of the most successful volleyball programs in the country. Founded in 1975, Nebraska volleyball has become a shining example of the impact Title IX has on women’s sports.

The fan argued that the success and popularity coming Nebraska’s way is a result of the four decades of progress and Caitlin Clark didn’t have a role to play in volleyball’s success. Yet what do you believe? Do you think women’s sports including volleyball have benefited from the ripple effects of Caitlin Clark’s fame? Write your views in the comments.