No. 1 Nebraska volleyball (23-0, 12-0 Big Ten) plays at No. 12 Oregon Saturday at 9 p.m. CT on BTN, then at No. 18 Washington Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT on FS1. The Oregon match is already a sellout at Matthew Knight Arena. The bigger picture is how many people keep showing up for this team.
The ratings
- Nebraska vs. Texas on Aug. 30 averaged 1.04 million viewers on FOX, the second-most watched volleyball telecast ever on the network, per Nebraska’s weekend notes.
- Nebraska vs. Wisconsin on Oct. 10 averaged 945,000 viewers and peaked at 1,025,000 on FOX.
- Nebraska vs. UNLV on Aug. 29 drew 430,000 on FS1, the most-watched volleyball telecast in that network’s history.
The crowds
Nebraska is on pace to lead the country in volleyball attendance for a 13th straight season, averaging 10,875 through 13 home matches. The Huskers’ average road crowd of 8,195 would rank second nationally by itself. Oregon’s sellout is the latest proof that people will fill a building when the Big Red comes to town.
The product
Bergen Reilly just picked up her third Big Ten Setter of the Week honor this season and the 16th of her career after the Michigan and Michigan State sweep. Nebraska leads the country in hitting percentage (.337) and opponent hitting percentage (.110). Paul Sunderland and Anna Connelly have the Oregon call on BTN. John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will be on the Huskers Radio Network for both matches.
Two ranked road tests. A sold-out Saturday night. A national audience that keeps finding the channel.
Featured image: Photo: Thundrplaya. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NebraskaVolleyball2012.jpg.
