A non-Volleyball fan watches a match at the Devaney Center

[knapplc]

A fun kind of read from an Ohio State grad who now writes for SB Nation. He was able to visit the Devaney Center for the Michigan State match and wrote up a piece about his experiences.

Nebraska Volleyball: A View from Outside

I am not exaggerating when I say the arena was louder than any of the Ohio State men’s basketball games I attended as an undergraduate, even if a good 4,000 more people may have showed up in Columbus from time to time. To create an environment like that, for a non-football or basketball sport, with the right match of arena, is impressive.

And the product itself, even for a layman like me, is still exciting. I can appreciate the mental toughness it would take to have to immediately forget your last play, be it a success or failure, given that each point may only last ten seconds or so. I can appreciate the precision and attention to detail in altering the course of the ball by the slightest amounts to try and find space between swarming arms in a defense. And I can appreciate just how dang cool it is to see athletes just smack the hell of the ball, sprint four feet out of bounds to keep it in play, and then scream in joy like teenagers after they score, because hey, all of that was fun.

As big time college athletics can feel increasingly encroached by the sanitization of professionalism, it’s enjoyable to see players still show legitimate excitement after pulling off a difficult move. They should! Burying a volleyball in front of 8,000 screaming fans is an achievement worthy of more than a stoic fist pump.

I’ve been around enough, and written about college athletics enough, to know that building this kind of culture, this kind of environment and atmosphere, is unusual. I recognize that part of this is likely due to the fact that there isn’t a ton else in Nebraska for Cornhusker athletics to compete with, but there are plenty of other schools in rural areas that would be unable to build an atmosphere like I saw tonight.

 

[Dbqgolfer]

Cool read.  My older brother recently retired, and has gone to a couple on NU's volleyball games this year.  Said it's really cool to be there.  Hope to make it sometime.

 

[STL Husker]

I agree.  Runza's are gross.

 

[84HuskerLaw]

Any die hard Husker football fan should certainly go to a volleyball match to experience real excitment.  Those games are every bit as much fun as football and you don't get any bigger as a fan that me and Husker football.   

I am sure the volleyball is NOT as great an atmosphere as it had in the colliseum but NU women's VB is tops in the nation in terms of home court crowd, excitment and so on.  It is a MUST see and I would venture that many a Huskerboard member would love to regularly attend VB matches if they could.   

In the colliseum it was amazing, like a 3000 member pep club with coordinated chants, clapping, cheers, etc.   No doubt it will lose some of the close up 'feel' and intensity in a big gym but still a huge home court crowd in VB has to be about as intimidating as any in any sport in the country.  

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

I agree.  Runza's are gross.

I don't mind them.  In fact, I could eat a gross of them in a month.  Greencrocers' apostrophes are a lot more gross, and imply gross negligence with the English language.

/s