Two weeks after court condensation stopped the first attempt, the former conference rivals will start over indoors in Lincoln.
Andi Jackson said she would like to have another riff-off. Ryan Hunter is up for another dance competition. Everyone agreed that they wanted to play volleyball.
Nebraska and Missouri will try to play a match for a second time Wednesday night. The first attempt at Wrigley Field on Sept. 7 was suspended after 18 points, two delays and persistent condensation on the court.
Now, instead of playing outdoors in the Friendly Confines, the match will be contested inside John Cook Arena, where the conditions are expected to be ideal for volleyball. The match will start at 0-0 and is set for a 6 p.m. start and will air on BTN.
“That was supposed to be such a fun game for us, and it still ended up being a really cool experience,” senior Harper Murray said. “It's exciting that we get to still play them and finish that game because that was a game that we were looking forward to and talking about for so long. I'm excited for them to come here, and I'm sure they're excited too.”
Scenes from the initial Nebraska-Missouri match, including Ryan Hunter reacting after a dancing competition; Missouri's Tia Phinezy calls for cheers from the crowd; and Hunter and other Huskers help wipe down the court during one of the breaks in action. | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
In the days after the suspension, NU Deputy Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator Kristen Brown began talking with other administrators about possible dates to make up the match. She identified two good options: Tuesday, Sept. 22, and Wednesday, Sept. 23. They could also have played after Thanksgiving, but those plans weren’t seriously considered.
She consulted with Missouri administrators and they were thinking the same dates. At that point, they got officials from the Big Ten and SEC to figure out the television and location details.
Because the event in Chicago was hosted by the Big Ten, Brown said Nebraska got priority hosting the rescheduled match.
Once they figured out the date and location, Brown’s next task was to figure out how to get people in the stands. She said they talked through all the options, but given the lack of information about the fans at Wrigley Field and the limited turnaround, they opted to add the tickets to season ticket package.
“We talked through all of the possible options, and obviously, we would have loved to accommodate all of the Nebraska fans, right, but you saw that it was probably of the 43,042, 42 was us, and so there wasn't really a fair way to accommodate everybody. So we decided to give a bonus to our season ticket holders.”
NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said she was glad the administration handled the logistics of rescheduling the match and she didn’t have to worry about it.
The one downside to adding the match to the schedule is it eliminates the first long break between matches. Usually they would have used the break to go harder in practice and focus on skill development.
“On the flip side, you learn a lot playing against opponents, and you get to adjust and practice some mental things that are tough to simulate in practice,” Busboom Kelly said. “I think it’s going to be good for this team to have that added match.”
Missouri last played at the Devaney Center during the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where the Huskers swept them in the second round.
Only setter Sierra Dudley and reserve defensive specialist Kaylen Rush were on that team, with Dudley recording 29 assists against NU as the Tigers hit .089 in the match.
Even though the on-court action was limited in Wrigley, the teams seemed to enjoy each other’s company. After the match was suspended, the Nebraska seniors addressed the crowd and Jackson invited the Tigers to join her in singing “Since You’ve Been Gone.”
While such festivities aren’t likely to repeat, Jackson said she hopes the Tigers enjoy playing in the Devaney Center.
“I think they'll have a really really good time here,” she said. “To get to play whenever we play at the Bob in front of that many people, I think will be super special for them. It makes me really happy because I know that we obviously couldn't do that at Wrigley, but I'm excited for their team to get to experience it.”
