The score line shows Wayne State defeating Nebraska-Kearney 25-17, 25-17, 15-12 in an exhibition Wednesday afternoon.
But the stat line everyone will remember is a simple five-digit number: 92,003.
That was the attendance for Volleyball Day in Nebraska at UNL’s Memorial Stadium, a number that set a new world record for the largest attendance to a women’s sporting event, and the Wayne State volleyball team enjoyed being a part of that historical evening of volleyball.
In a post-game interview, Wildcat setter Rachel Walker and middle hitter Maggie Brahmer both said it was something they and their teammates will never forget.
“Just grateful to be invited and to live in a state that cherishes this. This is so cool,” Walker said. “My mom coached me in volleyball and I’ve always been around volleyball, and to grow up in a state like this is a huge blessing and to be a part of it at this level, it couldn’t have been a better experience.”
“You don’t think growing up that you’d ever experience something like this . . . and here we are playing on the same court with (Nebraska). It’s just a whirlwind of emotions,” Brahmer added.
There is no way you can prepare a team to play the indoor version of volleyball in an outdoor setting such as the one set up in Memorial Stadium, and Walker and Brahmer both said it was something they visualized in the days leading up to the big game.
“We do have beach volleyball in the spring, but I don’t think anything can prepare you for playing indoor volleyball outside,” Walker said. “We practiced here yesterday and got a feel for it and then just tried to visualize everything and get your mind right. Seeing ourselves in the stadium and doing those things in our head really helped.”
“It was a change,” Brahmer added. “But coach (Kneifl) said the great ones adjust and that’s what we did and I’m proud of our girls.”
Once the game started, the Wildcats were able to focus and come away with the exhibition win.
“After the first couple of points, it kind of felt like we were back at Rice Auditorium, which isn’t quite the same, but we just tried to take a moment and take it all in, and it was great to see that many people come to watch some high-level volleyball,” Walker said.
“After you subtract all the elements and the weather and the sun and the people, it’s just a game of volleyball,” Brahmer said. “Toward the third set, the wind picked up a little and the sun went down and there was some shade . . . but it was just another challenge.”
After taking in all the activities during the Nebarska-UNO game, the team spent the night in Omaha and boarded a plane early Thursday morning for their season-opening play in the Golden Eagle Invitational this weekend in Irvine, Calif.
Complete story in next week’s edition of The Wayne Herald.
