Everything was set up to be a perfect night of volleyball for Mizzou and Nebraska.
43,067 fans packed Wrigley Field, the second-highest attended event in the history of the venerated ballpark behind only Jackie Robinson’s first game in Chicago.
But mother nature threw a curveball as condensation on the court forced a series of stoppages, and eventually, the suspension of the match.
This could have easily been a massive letdown for both teams — after all, the match was expected to be one of the highlights
of not only their respective seasons, but this year in college volleyball as a whole. Instead, the two sides engaged in dance competitions against each other to help keep spirits up in the ballpark and came together following the announcement of the match’s suspension to sing ‘Since U Been Gone’ by Kelly Clarkson.
We didn’t learn much from an on-the-court perspective Sunday. But both teams still made an impact and showed they deserve the opportunity to finish what they started on a national stage.
No decision has been announced on whether or not to continue the match at a later date, or where that would take place. Resuming the action in either Lincoln or Columbia is likely a possibility, given the challenges involved in securing a prominent neutral site in a shortened timeframe.
But if the two teams (and two conferences) are able to work around those challenges, here are five venues that make sense and would still provide a unique atmosphere and experience:
T-Mobile Center, Kansas City
Of all the possible neutral sites, T-Mobile Center makes the most sense. Kansas City is a natural meeting point for these two schools — which is exactly why they’re playing a basketball game here in December, likely making it easier to get an additional event scheduled.
The arena also does not have a team with regularly scheduled games it has to work around to fit other events, which leaves plenty of open dates to work with. This option would likely be the easiest to get done, and T-Mobile Center still provides an elevated environment that’s capable of making the match feel like a major event.
The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis
Want to go even bigger? How about a former NFL stadium that hosted a men’s basketball Final Four, the first-ever Big 12 Championship Game in football and major acts like Beyonce (twice), Taylor Swift and The Rolling Stones (twice)?
This venue would provide a somewhat more balanced mix of fanbases, and Nebraska fans would still travel well enough to make this more than worth the stadium’s while. Events at The Dome are also few and far in between these days, meaning there would be no shortage of open dates to pick from.
The Enterprise Center is also a solid option. But there’s no doubt The Dome at America’s Center would not only provide more seating, but also a more unique environment.
United Center, Chicago
It didn’t take long after one of the pauses in the action Sunday for one of the most prominent voices in college volleyball, Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield, to suggest resuming the match later at another iconic Chicago sports venue.
The United Center would be a step down in capacity, but it can still hold nearly 21,000 (up to more than 23,000 when factoring in standing room only tickets) — the highest capacity in the NBA and second-highest in the NHL. Mizzou also already has an existing relationship with the United Center thanks to the men’s basketball game against Marquette that will be played there in November.
The toughest part of making a match at the UC a reality is its busy schedule, especially once the Bulls and Blackhawks get back in action. But if there’s a window where the match would fit in, it would be a guaranteed sellout for the United Center, and that’s tough to pass up.
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
We’ve already brought up The Dome at America’s Center, but there’s also a current NFL stadium within driving distance of both schools. U.S. Bank Stadium has been host to a variety of sports in its first decade (including, interestingly enough, Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball early in their season), but it’s never hosted a volleyball match.
In fact, there has never been a regular season volleyball match played inside an NFL stadium. The first-ever matches inside an NFL stadium took place in August during the ‘Spikes Under the Lights’ exhibition tournament at AT&T Stadium — an event that featured the Cornhuskers.
Playing a regular season match at U.S. Bank Stadium, especially after the unusual suspension at Wrigley that garnered plenty of headlines, would be enticing for both the stadium, the teams and (maybe most importantly) FOX.
American Family Field, Milwaukee
If the teams wanted to recreate aspects of the ballpark atmosphere they got a taste of at Wrigley, there is exactly one retractable roof MLB ballpark in a reasonable driving distance of both schools: American Family Field.
Milwaukee is no stranger to hosting major volleyball events. Fiserv Forum hosted the AVCA First Serve, an event that featured eight matches across four days to begin the 2026 college volleyball season, less than a month ago.
This also plays off the escalating rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and the Brewers, who would likely relish the opportunity to host an event that was suspended due to weather impacts at Wrigley. American Family Field also has plenty of open dates between Brewers road trips and a season that will likely end in early-to-mid October (that’s a Brewers postseason joke, for the uninitiated).
And it’s a well-established fact that Huskers fans love to imbibe when they travel for sporting events — many downtown bars and restaurants in Oklahoma City ran low on beer when Nebraska played there in the first two rounds of March Madness this spring. That would not be an issue in Milwaukee, a city famous for its many breweries and its love for the beverages made within them.
When you look at all the factors, American Family Field may actually be the ideal location to resume the match. The setting, alongside the context surrounding the change in venues, would be a massive draw for viewers in person and on television while also generating a significant amount of media attention. And it would provide the players with a stage and environment similar to the one they expected (and experienced for only a short time) before weather got in the way.
