Nebraska volleyball breaks world female sports attendance record
A volleyball game in Nebraska seems to have made history Wednesday night – not on the court, but in the stands.
In addition to winning their game against Omaha 3-0, the Nebraska Cornhuskers said they broke the world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event after the game held at Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium drew more than 92,000 fans.
“Husker Nation, you did it,” the team said in a statement. Tweeter. “The WORLD RECORD for a women’s sporting event is in Lincoln.”
“There’s NO PLACE like Nebraska,” the team said.
“The attendance of 92,003 set the record for the largest crowd to attend a women’s sporting event in the United States. The crowd of over 92,000 also surpassed what is widely considered the world attendance record for a women’s sporting event,” the Huskers said. stated in a separate online article.
While 91,648 people attended a football match in Barcelona, Spain was widely credited as the previous record for women’s sports attendance, at least one game from the unofficial 1971 Women’s World Cup in Mexico City reportedly drew 110 000 people, according to the Associated Press. The American record for female sports participation was 90,185 in the 1999 FIFA World Cup Final between the United States and China at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Guinness World Records did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
The team was looking to break records after announcing last spring that it would make the game a one-day celebration of volleyball, a sport that enjoys huge popularity in Nebraska.
The Huskers typically host games at their hometown facility, the Devaney Center, with a sold-out volleyball schedule 306 straight regular-season games, according to the team. The Devaney Center has a maximum capacity of 13,595 people, according to the University of Nebraska’s official athletics website.
Wednesday’s game does not count in this streak since it was played at Memorial Stadium, allowing the Huskers to aim for record attendance.
“We took a chance playing at Memorial Stadium and going for the record and breaking it…I don’t think anyone could have imagined that when it all started,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. , according to the AP. . “It looks like a great achievement for this sport called women’s volleyball. It’s a state treasure. We have proven it.
According to the Huskers, the game also broke two NCAA records on Wednesday night by surpassing past records for any NCAA volleyball game and one NCAA volleyball regular season game. The NCAA does not track attendance in all sports, and NBC News was not immediately able to independently verify this claim. The NCAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
Fans and spectators defended the Huskers for the achievement on social media, with a poster written on X, formerly known as Twitter: “What an amazing atmosphere! Kudos to the players and fans for their incredible support.”
“I’m so happy to see the support for women’s sport! It’s so great for these ladies!” another wrote.
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