A volleyball match in Nebraska has become the most-attended women’s sporting event in history.
A whopping 92,003 people paid to see the hotly contested match between the University of Nebraska and the University of Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday night.
The match was played at Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium, the regular home of the University of Nebraska’s American football team.
The attendance smashed the previous record for a women’s sporting event, which was set at 91,648, when Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2 during a Champions League match at the Camp Nou Stadium in 2022.
Fans hold up mobile phone lights during match
The game also smashed the US record attendance for women’s sport, which was previously held by the 1999 World Cup final, when 90,185 watched the match between the US and China in California.
“We took a chance by playing in Memorial Stadium, and to go for the record and break it… I don’t think anybody could have envisioned that when this whole thing started,” Nebraska coach John Cook said.
He added: “It feels like a great accomplishment for this sport called volleyball played by women.
“It’s a state treasure. We proved it.”
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Pic: AP
The stadium, which typically holds 85,000, managed to squeeze in another 7,003 people with seats and standing room on the pitch.
It was the University of Nebraska’s Cornhuskers that won the match 3-0. The team are five-time National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s volleyball champions.
Player Andi Jackson told ESPN: “It’s incredible. I don’t have enough words to describe it.
“We were walking out of the tunnel after the second set, and we heard on the speaker we had just broken the world record.
“Everyone was trying to stay locked in, but we were also so excited. I can’t describe how grateful I am to be a part of it.”
Pic: AP
Volleyball is extremely popular in Nebraska, and the past 306 consecutive regular-season matches have been sold out.
It recently surpassed basketball as the number one sport for girls in high schools across the US.
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