NCAA volleyball continues its rapid growth with the inaugural Spikes Under the Lights exhibition at AT&T Stadium, as Nebraska, Florida, Penn State, and SMU headline the $1 million mini-tournament.
The made-for-TV event marks the Dallas NFL stadium's first women's college volleyball competition. Two semifinals and a championship match will take place within a three-hour broadcast window, all played in best-of-three formats.
Each NCAA volleyball team receives a $200,000 appearance fee. An additional $200,000 in prize money will be distributed based on tournament finish.
"We are excited and honored to be part of this historic event that showcases the continued growth of women's volleyball," Nebraska volleyball coach Dani Busboom Kelly said in a team statement.
"This will be a great opportunity to face some talented teams in an iconic setting as we ramp up to the start of the season. Hopefully a lot of Husker fans will be able to experience it with us in Dallas."
'Spikes Under the Lights' Underlines NCAA Volleyball Boom
Nebraska volleyball already knows how to fill big venues, after the Huskers drew a women's sports record 92,003 fans to a 2023 outdoor match at Memorial Stadium.
Penn State currently holds the record for NCAA tournament appearances with 45, alongside eight national championship titles. Nebraska has competed in 44 tournaments and won five titles, while Florida lists 36 appearances. Recent powerhouse SMU has subsequently reached three consecutive NCAA tournaments, and five overall.
AT&T Stadium seats more than 100,000 fans for special events. Organizers of the August 27th exhibition are shooting to overtake Nebraska's attendance record.
The NCAA is taking fans out to the (volley)ball game, as the Big Ten and SEC announced plans to close out its inaugural Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week inside Chicago's historic MLB stadium, Wrigley Field, this September.
To cap the six-day event, which will feature all 18 Big Ten and 16 SEC schools, the conferences will stage an outdoor doubleheader on Sunday, September 6th.
A trio of national champions will compete on the Chicago Cubs' home diamond, with five-time title-winners Nebraska taking on Missouri before eight-time victors Penn State battles 2020 champ Kentucky.
While volleyball will make its Wrigley Field debut in the challenge, it's far from the iconic stadium's first foray into women's sports, with the MLB venue previously hosting a record-breaking NWSL match between the Chicago Stars and Bay FC in 2024 before welcoming Ohio State and Wisconsin women's hockey to the Big Ten's Frozen Confines in early 2025.
"Bringing the SEC and Big Ten together for a championship-caliber volleyball showcase, culminating at an iconic venue like Wrigley Field, reflects the extraordinary momentum of the sport," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey in the event's Monday announcement.
How to attend, watch Big Ten/SEC Volleyball at Wrigley Field
Tickets to the September 6th doubleheader will go on sale at 11 AM ET on Thursday, April 9th, on the Chicago Cubs' website.
For fans tuning in from home, Nebraska will face Missouri at 7 PM ET before Kentucky takes on Penn State at 9 PM ET.
Both volleyball games will air live on FOX.
The 2025 NCAA volleyball championship game is officially on lock, as No. 3-seed Texas A&M and No. 1-seed Kentucky survived Thursday's semifinals to punch their tickets to Sunday's season finale.
After snapping overall top-seed Nebraska's undefeated season in last weekend's Elite Eight round, The Aggies kept their history-making hot streak alive, blowing past No. 1 Pitt as the first team to sweep the Panthers all year.
Leading the charge for A&M were sophomore outside hitter Kyndal Stowers and senior opposite Logan Lednicky, who registered 16 and 14 kills, respectively, on the Final Four court in Kansas City.
As for the last No. 1 seed standing, Kentucky survived No. 3 Wisconsin in a five-set thriller on Thursday, following the example of senior outside hitter Eva Hudson, whose 29 kills trailed only the semifinals-leading 32 posted by Badger senior outside hitter — and fellow AVCA Player of the Year finalist — Mimi Colyer.
With Kentucky hoping to add to their 2020 Division I title — the only NCAA volleyball championship in SEC history — the conference already owns the 2025 trophy, as Thursday set up the sport's first-ever all-SEC national final.
Though the 2025 SEC champion Wildcats seemingly have the edge over the conference's runners-up — Kentucky took down Texas A&M 3-1 in October — A&M's current momentum is undeniable, with the Aggies riding into Sunday's clash having ousted two No. 1 seeds and one No. 2 seed en route to a program-first national final.
"We are considered the underdog in a lot of these moments just [because] we haven't been here before. But we know we have all the right pieces," said Lednicky. "So why not us?"
How to watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball championship
No. 3 Texas A&M will battle No. 1 Kentucky for the 2025 NCAA volleyball championship at 3:30 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ABC.
Overall No. 1-seed Nebraska's perfect season is officially over, after No. 3-seed Texas A&M volleyball ousted the Huskers in a five-set Elite Eight thriller on Sunday, booking the Aggies a program-first trip to the Final Four.
Undaunted by Nebraska's 33-0 record, the Aggies jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Huskers stormed back to force a fifth-set tiebreaker — which A&M won 15-13, stunning a home crowd that hasn't seen a Cornhusker loss in Lincoln in more than three years.
"A lot of us are seniors, and we've been doing this for a really long time," said Aggie senior opposite Logan Lednicky. "And I think all the newbies came in ready to work, ready to grind."
Though Nebraska boasts five national titles — good for third on the all-time NCAA volleyball championship list — the Huskers haven't won an NCAA volleyball tournament since 2017, falling three times in the final and once in the semifinals in recent years.
With fellow No. 3-seed Wisconsin's Sunday Elite Eight upset win over four-time champ No. 1 Texas, the 2025 Final Four will now feature two squads — A&M and No. 1-seed Pitt — hunting a first-ever title.
Meanwhile, No. 1-seed Kentucky and the Badgers will be aiming for a second national trophy after earning their debut Division I championships in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
How to watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball Final Four
Texas A&M will kick off the 2025 Final Four against Pitt at 6:30 PM ET on Thursday, before Kentucky takes on Wisconsin at 9 PM ET.
Both semifinals will air live on ESPN.
With half of the Elite Eight now set, a few Big Ten underdogs still have a shot at disrupting the No. 1 seed stronghold at the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament this weekend.
The No. 3-seed Purdue Boilermakers are through to the quarterfinals after defeating No. 2-seed SMU 3-1 on Thursday, while the No. 4-seed Indiana Hoosiers, No. 3 seed-Wisconsin Badgers, and the still-undefeated overall No. 1 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers all face stiff Sweet Sixteen competition on Friday afternoon.
Coming off a strong regular season, the Big Ten could still field half of the quarterfinal round — though that would require the first No. 1-seed upset of the 2025 national tournament in the form of an Indiana victory over top-seeded Texas.
Bolstered by their defensive leader, senior middle blocker Madi Sell, the Hoosiers booked just their second-ever Sweet Sixteen trip with last week's win over No. 5 Colorado, with Indiana now hoping their lucky run continues against the 2022 and 2023 champion Longhorns.
Meanwhile, the No. 1 Huskers will look to keep rolling against No. 4-seed Kansas while the No. 3 Badgers aim to snag another Big Ten spot in the Elite Eight by ousting No. 2-seed Stanford on Friday.
How to watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament this weekend
The NCAA volleyball tournament's Sweet Sixteen action will wrap with four games on Friday, starting with No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Indiana at 12 PM ET.
The Elite Eight will then meet at the net on Saturday and Sunday to determine the last-standing teams heading to next week's Final Four in Kansas City.
All of this weekend's NCAA tournament games will air live across ESPN platforms.
The first two rounds of the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament saw a lot of chalk last week, as the four No. 1-seeds — Nebraska, Texas, Pitt, and Kentucky — all rolled to spots in this week's Sweet Sixteen.
The Longhorns ousted reigning national champion No. 8-seed Penn State with a second-round sweep last Saturday, while Kentucky became the only top seed to drop a single set through the first two matches when the Wildcats defeated No. UCLA 3-1 on Friday.
"I think what I liked is the concentration throughout the entire match. There were no letdowns," said Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott following his team's win over the Nittany Lions. "There's so many good teams right now. The sport continues to grow and continues to be dominant. I told them we don't need to play perfect, but we need to be good enough to win each night, and so that's what we did."
Along with the No. 1 squads, nearly every Top-4 seed advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, with the only Cinderella story coming from the unseeded Cal Poly Mustangs.
The 2025 Big West champions stunned their Power Four opponents last week, taking down No. 5-seed BYU and No. 4-seed USC in five-set thrillers to book a third-round matchup against No. 1 Kentucky — the Mustangs' first Sweet Sixteen berth since 2007 and second since the 1980s.
How to watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament this week
The 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament resumes when No. 2-seed Arizona State and No. 3-seed Creighton face off in the first of the two-day Sweet Sixteen slate at 1 PM ET on Thursday, with the Elite Eight then set to compete in the Regional finals on Saturday and Sunday.
All games in the Regional finales of the 2025 Division I tournament will air live on either ESPN2 or ESPN.
Led by undefeated overall No. 1-seed Nebraska, the college volleyball elite will begin their quest for the 2025 national championship on Thursday, when the first round of the 64-team NCAA Division I tournament hits courts nationwide.
The Huskers are still chasing a perfect season, entering the 2025 title hunt on a 30-0 run having dropped just six sets all season — including losing just one set since September 16th.
"I was expecting us to be great, but certainly not undefeated," said Nebraska alumna and first-year Cornhusker head coach Dani Busboom Kelly on a recent episode of the Welcome to the Party podcast. "They continue to exceed our expectations."
Busboom Kelly's roster is loaded with the kind of experienced connection that only comes when the core of players have competed together for three straight seasons — an increasing rarity in the transfer portal and NIL era.
That said, this core has unfinished business on the national stage, with the superstar junior trio of middle blocker Andi Jackson, outside hitter Harper Murray, and setter Bergen Reilly — all AVCA Player of the Year semifinalists — looking to bring the first NCAA trophy in eight years back to Lincoln.
"It's such a special row, because we just know that all of us have been through thick and thin together and our bond is so strong," Jackson told USA Today Sports earlier this week. "[And Busboom Kelly] gives us so much confidence and we know that with her as our coach, we just can play fearless."
Stacked tournament field looks to spoil Nebraska's season
Even with their "fearless" play, a host of stellar opponents await Nebraska in the NCAA tournament gauntlet, hoping to play spoiler — including Busboom Kelly's previous program, the Louisville Cardinals, who await the Cornhuskers as the No. 2-seed in their own regional quadrant.
Fellow No. 1 seeds Texas, Kentucky, and Pitt will also chase their eventual chance at the Huskers via their own regionals, where the Longhorns could see arguably the stiffest competition from both No. 2-seed Stanford — the winningest program in NCAA volleyball history — and defending champion and No. 8-seed Penn State.
With tickets to the 2025 Final Four in Kansas City on the line, the NCAA volleyball bracket's 64 squads will start serving at 16 campus sites on Thursday.
How to watch the first round of the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament
This year's NCAA volleyball finale begins when No. 5-seed Colorado takes on unseeded American University at 3 PM ET on Thursday, kicking off a two-day first round of 32 matches — with No. 1 Nebraska looking to handle Long Island University in their initial tournament tilt at 8 PM ET on Friday.
All games in the early rounds of the 2025 Division I tournament will air live on ESPN+.
With the 64-team national tournament bracket dropping in less than four weeks, the No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers remain the only undefeated squad in the 2025 NCAA volleyball season after back-to-back weekend losses snapped the previously unbeaten No. 4 Texas Longhorns' winning streak.
Downed in consecutive Top-10 matchups, Texas first fell to No. 6 Texas A&M in a tense five-set thriller on Friday before No. 2 Kentucky quickly handled the Longhorns in a Sunday sweep.
"We got to make sure that we are dialed in from the very first point. I thought our team fought pretty hard, but we didn't execute the level that we can," said Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott.
The weekend's volatile Top 10 results ultimately cemented Nebraska's standing as the team to beat, with the Huskers earning a unanimous No. 1 vote in the AVCA rankings for the third time this season on Monday.
Nebraska's dominance drives even deeper than the team's current 22-0 season record, with the Huskers only dropping six sets all year as they ride a 13-game sweep streak into their last eight regular-season clashes.
"I wouldn't say there's anything super unique or new that we're doing," said first-year Nebraska head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. "Putting our players in challenging situations in practice against other players has been pretty important."
How to watch Nebraska and Texas volleyball this week
Top-ranked Nebraska will next face unranked Illinois at 8 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on FS1.
Meanwhile, No. 4 Texas will look to bounce back when the Longhorns take on recently unranked Florida at 7 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on the SEC Network.
Wisconsin volleyball is off to the attendance races, with the No. 7 college squad averaging 8,620 fans per match this season to become this NCAA's best-attended program — narrowly beating Big Ten rival No. 1 Nebraska's 8,602 current average.
Other than the Badgers and Cornhuskers, no other college volleyball team has surpassed 6,000 fans per match this year, but Wisconsin is well on track to surpass even their own dominant attendance history in the sport.
If they finish the season in the top attendance spot, the Badgers will snap a six season streak logging the second-best average crowds per year.
Even more, Wisconsin is on their way to blasting through their program-best mark, set when 7,761 fans per match filled the bleachers in 2022.
The growing demand for Badger volleyball is also translating into significant revenue boosts for school.
"We're really, really excited; we're going to exceed $2 million in volleyball ticket sales for the first time ever," Wisconsin deputy athletic director Mitchell Pinta told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel earlier this week. "And we're largely sold out for the rest of our matches at the Field House for the remainder of the season."
Should the Badgers reach that $2 million mark, they will see a massive 25% increase over the $1.6 million the team garnered just two seasons ago, and a near 18-fold growth from the $111,809 in volleyball ticket sales that Wisconsin logged in 2013.
Ultimately, the sky's the limit for both Wisconsin volleyball — and the sport at-large.
"If there's a saturation point on the demand for Wisconsin volleyball, we certainly have not seen it yet," said Pinta.
How to watch Wisconsin volleyball in action
With conference play kicking off this weekend, No. 7 Wisconsin will host unranked Big Ten foe Rutgers at 8 PM ET on Friday, before paying a visit to also-unranked Iowa at 3 PM ET on Sunday.
Both Big Ten battles will stream live on B1G+.
College volleyball is back on the scene and the top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers kicked off the 2025 NCAA season in style last weekend, defeating both the No. 3 Pitt Panthers and No. 6 Stanford Cardinal with respective 3-1 and 3-0 results in the annual AVCA First Serve event.
The weekend wins mark a hot start for incoming Nebraska head coach and former Husker Dani Busboom Kelly, as the ex-Louisville Cardinals leader aims to push her alma mater to their first NCAA title since 2017 — following in the footsteps of Nebraska's four-time national champion coach John Cook, who stepped away last January.
"Dani's an awesome coach, and we've had so much fun with her, especially in this off-season," said Nebraska junior middle blocker Andi Jackson. "It's been just really fun getting to know her as a person and as a coach, and we've done a lot of really, really cool things."
"That intro was pretty unbelievable to start off college volleyball. For them to set the stage and set the tone that this sport is big-time was awesome," Busboom Kelly added after the Huskers' season-opening win on Friday.
Hot on No. 1 Nebraska's heels in the 2025 NCAA volleyball preseason rankings is reigning champion Penn State, with the pair leading the Big Ten's charge as the conference battles battles the also-stacked ACC for domination this season.
The No. 2 Nittany Lions also started their 2025 campaign with a big weekend win, sweeping the No. 12 Creighton Bluejays on Saturday's AVCA First Serve court.
How to watch top NCAA volleyball on Monday
The AVCA First Serve season kick-off wraps with two top-ranked matchups on Monday, when No. 2 Penn State will face the No. 14 Kansas Jayhawks at 6:30 PM ET before the No. 11 Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies at 8:30 PM ET.
Both matches will air live on the Big Ten Network.