(Reuters) – The University of Nebraska set a world attendance record for a women’s sporting event on Wednesday when 92,003 fans flocked to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln to watch its volleyball team play Omaha.
The previous record of 91,648 was set when Barcelona hosted Wolfsburg at Camp Nou in April last year in a Women’s Champions League soccer match.
The outdoor stadium, which usually hosts the university’s American football games, has a listed capacity of 85,458, but attendances have exceeded 90,000 in the past.
“I’ve probably cried five times today. It’s been a very emotional day,” coach John Cook, who has led Nebraska to four NCAA championships, told a news conference.
“We took a chance by playing in Memorial Stadium and to go for the record and break it. I don’t think anybody could have envisioned that when this whole thing started. It feels like a great accomplishment.”
The match was announced in February as part of “Volleyball Day in Nebraska”. Nebraska won 25-14 25-14 25-13.
The university said on its website the team have sold out 306 consecutive regular-season matches, although Wednesday’s event will not count towards that streak since it was not held at their home arena.
Nebraska have led the U.S. in attendance every season since 2013, and been involved in eight of the top nine crowds in NCAA volleyball history.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Hyderabad; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
