In 2024, Northwestern put on the biggest volleyball event in school history, selling out Welsh-Ryan arena for the first time ever in its conference matchup against Nebraska. Although the ‘Cats dropped the matchup, getting swept at home, that specific contest can be seen as the launching pad for the beginning of the turnaround for the Tim Nollan-led program.
This season, the Wildcats’ success surpassed all expectations of the college volleyball world. NU finished with its first winning record since
2022, upsetting Oregon and Illinois on its way to a 17-win season. That includes one of its best non-conference records of the decade.
Now, Nollan and company seek to build around Rylen Reid in her final season in Evanston with a young core that includes Bella Bullington and Kayla Kauffman — an exciting group that’s looking to make noise in the Big Ten.
Another squad that’s been making noise in the conference — and one that’s been doing so for years — is the former No. 1 team in the nation in the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who not only ran the table and went undefeated in Big Ten play, but won all but one set against conference opponents. Although their shocking loss to No. 3 seed Texas A&M spelled the end of their season in the NCAA Tournament, the ‘Huskers showed the nation just how difficult it is to defeat a program with an entire city backing them at each match.
“Each match” includes a potential appearance at Wrigley Field, which has been discussed amongst Nebraska officials this year. Back in October, former Nebraska head coach John Cook sparked the Wrigley Field speculation, saying the school was working on potentially arranging a game to be played inside the Friendly Confines. An opponent for the event wasn’t named for the event, but if the Cornhuskers were to create a list, the ‘Cats should be at the top of it.
Why would the world love Northwestern vs. Nebraska in Wrigleyville? Let’s dissect.
Wrigley Field: a site of neutrality
Over the years, ‘Cats faithful have showed up to Wrigleyville to watch midday football against conference opponents. However, a gripe shared amongst many over the past couple of years — especially those from the Chicagoland area — is the lack of a true “home game” feel whenever Northwestern travels down the red line.
In 2024, Ohio State fans took over the Friendly Confines when they came to Wrigley, creating a “scarlet sea” of sorts in the stands that matched the Coca Cola sign in left field. The Buckeyes went on to demolish the ‘Cats that game, winning 38-7.
Later on in the year, NU and OSU faced off again in Wrigleyville, this time in a Big Ten baseball marquee that the Wildcats came out on top in, but once again, the contest felt more like a neutral site than a Northwestern home game, with the stands split almost 50-50 between purple and scarlet on the night.
With Nebraska potentially coming into Wrigleyville, there’s no doubt that the stands will bleed majority red if the two school were to go through with scheduling this anomaly of a game. However, the goal of this contest isn’t to promote NU athletics in a different light, like football and baseball had done in their own ways in the past.
The mission of this game would be to further grow the sport through potential catalysts of the future of volleyball in a setting that could potentially capture national attention. From the naked eye, the average volleyball fan may find this laughable and ask, “how?” Well, I’m glad you asked.
A unique stage for two programs in unique places
In terms of identity, Northwestern and Nebraska volleyball aren’t that much different from each other.
Yes, the ‘Huskers have the virtues of recent success, while the ‘Cats have struggled since the mid-2010s. But at the end of their respective seasons, both squads find themselves rebuilding for their futures. NU’s biggest losses are Ayah Elnady and Sienna Noordermeer, the former getting an All-Big Ten Second Team nod and the ladder a team captain in her final collegiate season. For Nebraska, Big Ten Player of the Year Bergen Reilly and AVCA All-American Rebekah Allick both run out of eligibility, leaving the Cornhuskers to center their squad around rising seniors Andi Jackson and Harper Murray.
At their cores, Northwestern and Nebraska are two young teams seeking vengeance in 2026. Although they took a step up, the Wildcats left some big wins on the table in 2025, notably against then-No. 25 Baylor at the start of the year and against formerly ranked UCLA in the middle of their conference slate. Nebraska will return the majority of this season’s squad that saw its title hopes die at the hands of Texas A&M in its regional final.
Pitting both squads against each other on such a grand stage would give them the national attention they both frankly deserve.
Guaranteed cinema for the sports world
Everyone loves to see their sport take on a wacky, intriguing venue.
Everyone remembers when the Yankees and White Sox played on the Field of Dreams site, when the Braves and Reds played the Speedway Classic on a literal racetrack, or when Michigan State and North Carolina played basketball on the flight deck of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. Volleyball inside Wrigley Field is a spectacle that ranks right up there with some of the best the sports world has seen.
At its core, this game has the potential to be a catalyst of growth for volleyball — a sport that teams like Nebraska have been popularizing over the past decade. Although Northwestern might not be the same caliber of team as the Cornhuskers, the ‘Cats have been doing their part in spreading volleyball around the city of Chicago.
Personally, I’ve seen Welsh-Ryan Arena trend upwards in attendance whenever Nollan and company take the court, as the court level section seemed to fill itself out more and more as the season wore on.
A packed Wrigley Field would be the best opportunity for these programs to tell their stories: Nebraska — a program of rich history and one of a few schools in the nation that can lay claim to true collegiate volleyball royalty; and Northwestern, an overlooked program that’s breaking ground and building up towards breaking its “glass ceiling” in its quest for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2010s.
Two hungry teams in the most distinct venue ever imaginable? Sounds like a guaranteed classic.
