They already knew it was history in the making, but turning the most attended indoor regular season volleyball match ever into a five-set thriller was just icing on the cake.
A total of 17,675 people filled the CHI Health Center Omaha Tuesday night to see No. 1 Nebraska square off with in-state rival and No. 18 Creighton, and it was a match that had plenty of buildup.
Creighton volleyball coach Brian Rosen told the media it wasn’t even his team’s biggest match of the year. Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly seemed somewhat bummed she wasn’t getting to coach against Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who built Creighton into the volleyball power it is today.
Between the bulletin board material, the anticipation and the adoration of two large fan bases, Nebraska and Creighton teamed up to prove that Nebraska is still the volleyball capital of the country.
“I would have never dreamed to coach in an environment like that,” Rosen said after the match. “I thought it was incredible. It was really fun in those stress moments that the fan bases were fighting against each other. I honestly couldn’t even tell what either of them were saying anymore because they’re both so loud and so into it.”
Nebraska won in thrilling fashion, defeating the 18th-ranked Bluejays 25-17, 21-25, 25-18, 24-26, 15-9. If it’s possible, the match may have still been closer than the score suggests. Both teams struggled to find consistency in the match. Nebraska looked dominant early, but a slew of unforced errors led to the Huskers dropping set two. They rebounded in the third before being outlasted by a Creighton team that didn’t want to go home in the fourth.
Ultimately, Nebraska made the plays they needed to make in the fifth and final set to keep their undefeated season intact, but the close match proved par for the course compared to how the last few matches between these teams have gone.
“I’ve missed a lot of heated battles,” Busboom Kelly said. “I’ve always watched them on TV, and luckily, they’re always on a night where you can typically watch. It definitely met my expectations from a game (perspective) and the crowd, and just how into it people were.”
Rosen said the match also acted as somewhat of a toast to the coaches who led the teams last season. Former Nebraska coach John Cook had his fair share of battles with Bernthal Booth near the end of their time with their respective teams, and Rosen said he was glad to help carry on that legacy.
“17,675 people – she’s the reason,” Rosen said of Bernthal Booth, who was in attendance for the match. “I think what her and coach Cook built with this rivalry match, however long ago it started, I know that they dreamed of this as well, and it was 15,000, you know, three years ago or four years ago and 17,000 now. I just think we’re trying to build on what they started, and I know Dani would say the same thing. We are so fortunate to be following two incredible coaches who built their programs to where they are now.”
Those same two teams are on slightly different trajectories to start the 2025 season. With the win, the top-ranked Huskers are now a perfect 9-0 on the year, while Creighton drops to 5-5. If the close match wasn’t enough of an indicator, the Bluejays may be the best 5-5 team in the country, considering all five of their losses have come to nationally-ranked opponents this season.
Tuesday night, there had to be a winner and a loser, but following the historic match, you might not have been able to tell which team lost by how excited the players were to just have the opportunity to play in that kind of environment.
“Me and Andy and Harper were up there, and we were like we’re going to have to scream at each other during this play,” Nebraska junior setter Bergen Reilly said. “It’s super exciting and it’s super fun to be a part of, and it’s just a great atmosphere to be in.”
“At one point, one of the Nebraska girls went back to serve, and it was so loud in there,” Creighton senior outside hitter Ava Martin said. “They were kind of going back and forth. You could hear the two different chants, and I don’t know, I just think it’s such a fun environment to play in. We kept saying win or lose, this is something really special, so don’t take this moment for granted.”
The attendance of 17,675 people broke the NCAA’s regular-season indoor volleyball match attendance record, which was previously held by Marquette. Wisconsin beat Marquette 3-1 in front of 17,037 fans back in 2023. Ironically enough, matches between Creighton and Nebraska were No. 3 and No. 5 nationally before the latest rivalry renewal took the top spot.
“It was just another example of why the state makes volleyball so special,” Busboom Kelly said. “I know there’s a lot of Nebraska (fans), but there were tons of Creighton fans, too. When I left the last game we played in here, it was like 90% Nebraska fans, so it’s a testament to Creighton and how much their program’s grown — not only that they’re still competing at a high level, but they’ve brought a lot of people into their program.”
It’s now “on to the next one” for both teams, but it’s safe to say the historical match between the Huskers and Bluejays won’t be leaving the memories of coaches or players anytime soon.
“It was really cool to see both sides of the state kind of come together in one big showcase as they put it and support both sides and just really be present and want to support us,” Creighton senior middle blocker Kiara Reinhardt said. “.I think that means so much, and it was a phenomenal environment. It’s always so cool to play off the energy and just keep going with it. It’s definitely something I’ll be very, very grateful for.”
Nebraska Volleyball 2025 Schedule
Home matches are bolded. All times central.
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
Source link
