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Nebraska Volleyball Breaks ESPN Television Records in Sweep Over Louisville

The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball program dominated on Sunday in their sweep victory over then-ranked No. 4 Louisville. ABC broke ESPN television records for a regular season volleyball match during the broadcast.

Austin Jacobsen

Nebraska volleyball players celebrate a point against Louisville.
Nebraska volleyball players celebrate a point against Louisville. / Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska volleyball continues to break the ceiling on the program's past accomplishments.

After becoming one of the top television draws in the AVCA First Serve Showcase on their season-opener, the Huskers pushed past a new ESPN record for viewership with their Sunday match sweep over then-No. 4 Louisville. The match averaged 684,000 viewers, becoming the most-watched regular season volleyball match on any ESPN platform. ESPN PR posted the results on Tuesday.

The broadcast peaked at 808,000 viewers, nearly double the amount of viewers from their season-opener against Kentucky at the KFC Yum! Center. The post added that nearly half of the viewers were women. The volleyball telecast was also the second most-watched regular season volleyball telecast on any network.

As Huskers Illustrated's Lincoln Arneal wrote on X, the match drew more eyes than the top two battle between Nebraska and Wisconsin last season.

Nebraska and Louisville had to compete with the National Football League's regular Sunday pregame shows on FOX and CBS, as well as the NFL Network when the game begin at 11:30 a.m. CDT. Midway through the second set, the Huskers and Cardinals broadcast fought with the opening contests of the NFL's Week Three slate that included seven games beginning at noon.

The Huskers dominated in the sweep over the Cardinals, handling their business from the start to claim a 25-16, 25-17, and 25-20 victory. Nebraska has proven to be good for television, including two sweeps of top five teams last week after handling Stanford Wednesday on the Big Ten Network.

Andi Jackson celebrates a block in the fifth set.
Andi Jackson celebrates a block in the fifth set. / Amarillo Mullen

The early-season stretch has pushed Nebraska back into their preseason ranking at No. 2, trailing only No. 1 Pittsburgh. The Huskers received a single first place vote in the latest AVCA Polls. Nebraska also adds star power into their broadcasts, featuring four players named to national watch lists.

Likewise, Nebraska received plenty of off-season attention with the "No Place Like Nebraska" documentary releasing prior to the start of the regular season in August. The documentary featured several key players off of last season's run that continue to be mainstays in 2024; Merritt Beason, Harper Murray, and Lexi Rodriguez, among others.

The Huskers begin Big Ten Conference play on Friday night, welcoming UCLA to the Bob Devaney Sports Center for a 7 p.m. CDT first serve. Nebraska then faces former Husker Ally Batenhorst and the No. 20 USC Trojans on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Both matches can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

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Austin Jacobsen
AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

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