Williston’s Volleyball team is hoping to get a boost in popularity after a recent college game showed just how excited people are about the sport.
On Aug. 30, 92,003 fans crowded into Lincoln Memorial Stadium at The University of Nebraska to watch a volleyball game. Little did they know that by simply attending the match, they were making history. Although ranked competitively at #4 in the NCAA, the Nebraska Women’s Volleyball team had only previously played in their 10,000 seat stadium.
As well as breaking their own record for most fans at a volleyball game, they also broke the record for most people in attendance at any women’s sporting event in history. Previously, the record stood at 91,648 during the 2022 UEFA women’s champions soccer league semifinal, where Barcelona took down Wolfsburg, a German club team.
The world-record breaking Nebraska Women’s volleyball game was an emotional night for some people, including Williston’s Varsity Volleyball head coach, Tyla Taylor.
“I watched it, and I literally was tearing up. I was just so excited. Like wow, this many people are interested in volleyball. It felt like such a surreal moment,” she said. “I had goosebumps and I just kept repeating to myself ‘Oh my gosh’ to my friend who was there, like, ‘Oh my gosh this is a monumental moment in history. This is so exciting and it’s volleyball.’ I almost couldn’t believe it. It was just so joyful.”
As of April 2023, volleyball was ranked the fourth most played women’s sport in the world following soccer, basketball, and tennis, according to The Women Achiever.
Taylor played volleyball all throughout high school and into college at Wesleyan University. She was especially excited to have a large group of girls trying out this year for the Williston team, and recognized a prevailing change in attitude toward the sport.
“I remember in high school I was talking to my friend about volleyball, and she actually said volleyball was kind of a joke of a sport, and she really made me feel bad about playing,” she said. “And now to think that just a couple weeks ago women’s volleyball became the most viewed sport and [had the] most fan attendance [of any women’s] sport that we’ve seen in the whole world, it’s so gratifying to feel part of that.”
Co-captain of the Williston team, Annika Song ’25, hopes the new excitement around volleyball translates to bigger and louder crowds on campus.
“I wish more people would come and watch our games because that also is very helpful and very supportive and makes us play better,” she said.
Now in her third year participating in the the school’s volleyball program, Annika has experienced a change in the popularity of the sport. She appreciates the number of people participating in program this year, and can see a major difference from when she was first introduced to the team.
“My freshman year there were way less girls trying out in the program, but now there’s way more people trying out, which I think is awesome ‘cause I love volleyball,” she said.
Kirsten Blaesing, a Biology teacher and new coach to Williston, but an expert in volleyball, started playing when she was in fourth grade. Volleyball has always been a part of her life, and Blaesing is beyond happy to watch so many girls get involved in the program and to watch the sport flourish.
“I love that there are so many athletes wanting to play volleyball and enjoying the sport and having fun with it, and to see it grow really means a lot to me as an athlete and as a coach,” she said.
Blaesing was also thrilled to see the Nebraska Volleyball team break the world record.
“When I was growing up, I only experienced it at my school and the schools that we went to, but seeing it on the TV, just having more visibility for the sport, more people can see it and learn about it and have it grow exponentially, which has been really awesome.”