Nebraska Volleyball Day
LINCOLN – A day like no other.
In front of an ever growing crowd, the UNK Volleyball team fell in an exhibition match at Memorial Stadium to Wayne State on Wednesday night.
But no one will remember the outcome. They will remember the event.
The exhibition, however, involved two of the most storied programs of the past few decades in Division II. On top of the history, UNK was voted No. 16 in the preseason AVCA Coaches poll while Wayne State arrived at No. 4.
UNK dropped Sets 1 and 2 25-17 and fell in the final set 15-12. All players for both UNK and Wayne State saw action during the matchup – giving each side memories that can last longer than the final outcome of the exhibition.
The Lopers enjoyed the moment, however, arriving for warmups in sunglasses as each player became accustomed to the sun that was setting across the entirety of the court on Tom Osborne Field. Head Coach Rick Squiers would claim after the matchup that UNK would need to adjust to the wind, sun, and surface but overall faced a terrific opponent that made their Volleyball Day matchup difficult.
As the game continued, more fans donned in Blue, Gold, Yellow, Black, and plenty of Husker Red arrived throughout Memorial Stadium. When the match went final, the stands were nearly full in anticipation for the Nebraska/Omaha matchup to follow.
UNK now heads to Salt Lake City to open their season on the road, wrapping their exhibition schedule.
More photos, a full exhibition recap, and more will be available at Central Nebraska Today.