The idea itself was brilliant.
Nebraska would play Missouri in a women’s college volleyball match at Wrigley Field, home of MLB’s Chicago Cubs.
The Cornhuskers’ volleyball program is one of the most popular in the country, having previously filled Nebraska’s football stadium for a match.
College volleyball is one of the nation’s fastest-rising sports in popularity, too. The scene and stage would arrive at the perfect time.
And on Sunday night, Nebraska and Mizzou were there, on a court constructed in Wrigley Field with adoring fans there to watch them. There were 43,067 fans in attendance.
The players and fans just didn’t get to watch a whole lot of actual volleyball.
What Happened?
Nebraska and Missouri had to suspend the match.
The volleyball court became slippery due to the logos on the floor combined with the recently high humidity.
It wasn’t safe to play on the floor, and even after a lot of effort, they couldn’t solve the problem.
The volleyball court surface issues led to many people teaming up to tear logos off the court at Wrigley Field.
The Nebraska-Missouri match, televised on Fox, was eventually suspended. pic.twitter.com/OP96KjOQ53 https://t.co/8Bz28APWvw
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 7, 2026
On a night that was supposed to be glorious for volleyball, it instead ended as a bummer.
What Next?
The Big Ten issued a statement after the match:
“Due to weather conditions affecting the court surface, Sunday’s volleyball match between Nebraska and Missouri has been suspended. Despite best efforts and in collaboration with all parties, rescheduling at Wrigley Field is not possible. A decision on match continuation at the point of suspension will be announced at a later date.”
A couple of obvious things to note from that.
The first is that, if and when this match resumes, it won’t be played at Wrigley Field. They obviously had to get this scheduled in advance, and with the Cubs likely heading toward the playoffs as well, there are too many variables (including the weather) to get it back to the ballpark.
The statement also doesn’t guarantee that the match will actually be resumed. Since these aren’t conference foes, it isn’t necessarily a total necessity.
The teams played just 18 points before the match was totally suspended — the second time it was delayed as they tried to get things in order.
Nebraska led 11-7 at the point of suspension. It had the potential to be a big match, with Mizzou coming in at 3-1 and Nebraska at 4-0 (without yet dropping a set).
This experience will likely impact how volleyball teams schedule these marquee events, but they won’t stop trying. There’s a clear interest in this sport, and the tough night at Wrigley Field won’t stop that from being true anytime soon.
Cubs’ Wrigley Field a Nightmare for Nebraska-Missouri Volleyball Match