Wisconsin volleyball set all sorts of firsts in their championship match against Nebraska, the most important of which being their first national championship in program history.
With two passionate Big Ten fan bases meeting at the summit, viewers were locked in as a champion was crowned. Wisconsin and Nebraska drew 1.19 million viewers in their five-set thriller on Saturday. That number has since been confirmed to be a collegiate volleyball record for viewers.
Nebraska area news anchor Bill Schammert of 1011 NOW provided some context to the numbers. Wisconsin’s national championship match against Stanford drew less than half of that total, while Stanford’s championship matchup with Nebraska did not reach 1 million viewers in 2018.
Think people like to watch volleyball?! Nebraska vs Wisconsin on Sat drew 1.19 million viewers…
April 2021: 696K ⬆️ 70% (TX vs KY)
2019: 533K (Stan vs WI)
2018: 938K (Stan vs NE)
2017: 1.01M (FL vs NE)Waiting to see if it’s highest ever.. but wow! #Huskers | #GBR pic.twitter.com/NrQk6XQ8ci
— Bill Schammert (@BillSchammert) December 21, 2021