A marquee volleyball night at Wrigley Field turned into something nobody expected once the first set got underway.
Nebraska and Missouri were set to meet in the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge, and the scene before first serve matched the stage. The matchup drew a near-record crowd of 43,067 fans to the home of the Chicago Cubs, giving the outdoor event the kind of buzz that made it feel historic from the start.
Then the weather took over.
With Chicago humidity climbing above 80 percent, moisture started collecting quickly on the outdoor TeraFlex court. The surface turned slick in a hurry, and players from both teams began slipping and falling over and over again. What had been billed as a showcase became a scramble to keep the floor playable.
Coaches and staff went into damage-control mode. They worked on the court with alcohol-soaked towels, pulled up floor decals, and even brought out leaf blowers in an effort to dry things out. At one point, players from Nebraska and Missouri were on their hands and knees cleaning the court themselves.
The efforts weren’t enough. Safety became the only real issue that mattered, and officials suspended the match with Nebraska ahead 11-7.
The Big Ten later said the event cannot be rescheduled at Wrigley Field, leaving a decision on when and where the match will be completed for later.
Nebraska’s all-time volleyball series edge over Missouri now sits at 74-3-1. Nebraska enters the 2026 season at 4-0, while Missouri is 3-1 overall.
In Other News...
Missouri Faces A Rivalry Hurdle Fans Know All Too Well
Missouri heads into Friday night with a familiar kind of pressure attached to a rivalry game that has been a long time coming. The Tigers will be in Lawrence to face Kansas, and it is the first time in 25 years Missouri has had a chance to win a true road game there. The last time the Tigers did it was back in 2001, during Gary Pinkels first season, and these programs have not met in Lawrence since 2005.
The setting adds another layer to a rivalry that already carried a long break before it picked back up last season. Missouris departure from the Big 12 led to a 14-year pause in the series, so even the return of the matchup has felt like a reunion with unfinished business. Now the Tigers get another shot in one of the sports more familiar border battles, with the location alone making this one feel different from the first meeting after the hiatus. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzous Shot At No. 1 Nebraska Ended In A Frustrating Twist
Missouris volleyball showdown with No. 1 Nebraska in the unusual setting of Wrigley Field was shaping up to be one of those late-season spectacles that felt bigger than a regular nonconference match. Instead, dropping temperatures and rising humidity turned the floor slick enough to force repeated stoppages while crews tried to clean and reset the playing surface.
After nearly an hour of delays, the match was suspended and the teams were left with a frustrated wait for a make-up date. Both coaches said they want to find a future opening to finish what started in Chicago, leaving Missouri with the sting of an interrupted chance against the nations top team and no clear answer yet on when the rest will be played. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Gets Its First Real Test In A Border Showdown Return
Missouri and Kansas each took care of business in Week 1 against FCS opponents, which means the long-awaited return of the border showdown arrives with both sides carrying a little momentum into Week 2 of the 2026 season. For the Tigers, the early look was encouraging enough to keep the buzz around a rivalry that has had a recent edge in Columbia, where Missouri has quietly built a winning run against the Jayhawks and owns a slight historical advantage.
The bigger reason for confidence, though, came from how Missouri looked in its opener. Donovan Olugbode stood out as the Tigers' top performer, and Austin Simmons gave the offense a steady, productive showing that should matter when the competition level jumps. Kansas will present a much cleaner measuring stick than either team saw in Week 1, and Missouri's first real test of the year now doubles as a chance to keep the rivalry momentum pointed the same way. [Read more 🡒]