For Missouri volleyball, Sunday’s matchup with No. 1 Nebraska is about more than stepping onto one of sports’ most recognizable fields.
It is about measuring where the Tigers stand.
Missouri will travel to Chicago this weekend for a historic outdoor match at Wrigley Field, where it will face a Nebraska team loaded with talent and expectations. The Huskers enter as the nation’s top-ranked team, making the matchup one of the biggest tests on Missouri’s schedule.
For the Tigers, the most realistic goal
may not be leaving Chicago with a victory. Nebraska has too much experience, too much firepower and too many proven pieces for Missouri to expect anything less than a dominant performance from the Huskers.
A 3-0 Nebraska victory would not make the trip unsuccessful for Missouri.
Instead, the Tigers can use the match as a measuring stick.
“This is such a unique and special experience for us,” freshman outside hitter Ceylin Kuyan said. “We’re going to do our best to beat Nebraska.”
The matchup also brings Sullivan back across the net from Nebraska for the first time since 2024, when Missouri faced the Huskers during John Cook’s final season as head coach.
This time, the Tigers will see a different Nebraska program under Dani Busboom Kelly, but the standard remains familiar.
“It’s still Nebraska,” Sullivan said. “I think just playing Wrigley Field is such a unique match and such an iconic place.”
Nebraska has no shortage of names capable of making Missouri pay for mistakes. Harper Murray remains one of the country’s most dangerous outside hitters, while Andi Jackson gives the Huskers a physical presence in the middle. Against a team with that kind of balance, Missouri cannot afford to spend the afternoon simply reacting.
Sullivan knows the Tigers have to make Nebraska uncomfortable.
“We’re gonna go out there, and we’re gonna serve tough,” Sullivan said. “And we’re gonna make sure we work really hard in transition and cover.”
That plan starts at the service line. If Missouri can push Nebraska out of system, the Tigers can create opportunities to defend and transition before the Huskers establish their offense.
The challenge is doing it consistently.
Missouri learned that lesson in its recent match against No. 25 Oregon, another nationally competitive opponent. The Tigers showed stretches of fight and depth but ultimately saw the Ducks pull away.
Freshman Maizy Agnello said the biggest takeaway from Oregon was how much Missouri could rely on its depth and competitiveness.
“We really showed a lot of grit and fight throughout that game,” Agnello said. “It was a very fun game.”
That fight will be necessary against Nebraska, especially with the unique environment adding another variable.
Missouri practiced outdoors to prepare for Wrigley, giving the Tigers a chance to experience how wind, sunlight and an unfamiliar backdrop can alter the game.
“The wind, you gotta use that wind to your advantage,” Sullivan said. “And then just feeling the air.”
Kuyan, who came to Missouri from Turkey, said the faster pace and technical demands of college volleyball have already forced her to adjust. Saturday will present another adjustment.
“The ball is flying more, but we have to adjust,” Kuyan said.
For Agnello, who was reclassified and is the youngest player on Missouri’s roster, the opportunity is another chance to test herself against players with considerably more experience.
“I love being challenged,” Agnello said. “It’s a big opportunity for me, and it’s challenging me, and I like that.”
That mindset may be the most important thing Missouri takes into Wrigley.
The Tigers should not need to convince themselves they can beat Nebraska. They need to prove they can execute against the best team in the country, maintain composure when momentum swings and continue playing their own game when the Huskers inevitably create pressure.
Sullivan said controlling those emotions will be one of Missouri’s biggest objectives.
“It’s a little bit more just controlling emotions,” Sullivan said. “Instead of thinking so much about what they are doing, we got to continue to do what we do well.”
For Missouri, that means serving aggressively, defending relentlessly and finding transition opportunities whenever Nebraska gives them an opening.
The Tigers may walk into Wrigley as significant underdogs, and Nebraska should have enough firepower to make the result decisive.
But a 3-0 loss does not have to define the weekend.
Missouri can leave Chicago with something more valuable: a clearer understanding of what separates themselves from the nation’s best and a blueprint for closing that gap.
And for a young team still learning what it can become, there may be no better classroom than Wrigley Field.
First Serve will be back next Monday previewing the SEC/ACC challenge, and The Fifth Set will return Friday previewing the Mizzou tournament.
