In a display of skill, grit, and pure sports excitement, the University of Nebraska women’s volleyball team not only prevailed on the court but also in living rooms across the nation, when the volleyball match got more viewers than the Nebraska football game on Oct. 21.

The Cornhuskers squared off against the Wisconsin Badgers in what has been dubbed the “Match of the Century,” which has left sports fans buzzing and gave the Huskers a 3-2 win.

Nebraska women's volleyball draws astonishing amount of viewers

The women's volleyball match drew an astonishing 612,000 viewers, Kaleb Henry of Sports Illustrated reported, making it the most-watched regular-season volleyball game across any network. The match aired at 8 p.m. eastern time on Big Ten Network.

The viewership numbers outdid those of the Nebraska men’s football game the same day, which saw the Huskers beating Northwestern 17-9. That game only drew 560,000 viewers and started at 3:30 p.m. eastern time on Big Ten Network.

“Both teams delivered on the hype of an undefeated No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup with a thrilling five-set match,” Big Ten Network executive Michael Calderon said, via Larry Hamel of Volleyballmag.com. “It was a tremendous introduction to Big Ten volleyball for any first-time viewers who will undoubtedly be back to watch more Big Ten volleyball during the final five weeks of the season. We believe there is still plenty of room for more growth.”

This has been a statement season for the Cornhuskers volleyball team both in terms of how well they've been playing and how many people they've gotten interested in the game. In August, a match between Nebraska and Wisconsin, set inside Memorial Stadium, broke a world-record for the highest-attended women's sport event, with over 92,000 fans in attendance. The previous record was 91,648 at the women's soccer game between FC Barcelona and Wolfsburg in April 2022.