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Nebraska Volleyball Season Opener Among Most-Watched Matches Ever on ESPN

The AVCA First Serve Showcase in Kentucky garnered more viewers than the population of Lincoln, nearly breaking a Nebraska volleyball television viewing record for ESPN. The first match of the season eclipsed the Wisconsin-Louisville match by over 100,00 viewers.

Austin Jacobsen

Kentucky volleyball and Nebraska volleyball fans cheered on their team during the AVCA First Serve Showcase at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. on Aug. 27, 2024
Kentucky volleyball and Nebraska volleyball fans cheered on their team during the AVCA First Serve Showcase at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. on Aug. 27, 2024 / Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

A season-opening victory continues to grow more impressive for Nebraska volleyball.

On Thursday, ESPN released its television audience viewing details regarding the AVCA Volleyball First Serve Showcase that kicked off the season Tuesday night at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.

The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball program downed No. 9 Kentucky in four sets, 25-21, 22-25, 25-15 and 25-20. The match between the Huskers and Wildcats became the second most-watched live regular season NCAA women's volleyball match on all ESPN platforms. The top match remains the 2023 matchup between Nebraska and Stanford, which Nebraska won 3-1 in California.

Over 344,000 viewers tuned in to the Nebraska victory over Kentucky. The hot start for the Huskers came around 120,000 viewers shy of the top ESPN viewing record. The Wisconsin-Louisville match drew around 210,000 viewers in total. The No. 5 Cardinal downed the third-ranked Badgers in four sets.

The Huskers will continue their schedule Friday night, battling Texas A&M Corpus-Christi at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, with the game to be broadcast on Nebraska Public Media. After a home match Saturday night against TCU, Nebraska's next televised match will be a nonconference test Tuesday at SMU on the ACC Network.

Nebraska's next ranked matchup features No. 12 Creighton on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in Lincoln. The match will be televised 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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