Humidity Halts Big 10/SEC Volleyball Doubleheader at Wrigley Field

While Kentucky defeated Penn State in four sets, a later than anticipated finish opened the door for worsening weather during the Nebraska vs. Missouri match. Humid Chicago lakefront conditions became too much as moisture increasingly covered the court throughout the night, and the second match was suspended indefinitely. As volleyball continues to fill large and prominent venues—including football, basketball and now baseball stadiums—conversations are already mounting regarding the viability of outdoor matches in the future. Last night, Nebraska Coach Dani Busboom Kelly emphasized that “there is a reason why our sport is indoor,” while Missouri’s Dawn Sullivan added that finishing the match was “not worth the health of her athletes.”

Match Suspension

In a tale of two matches, the Chicago lakefront humidity eventually won out as the night progressed, leading to an unfortunate suspension of play. Though the first match between Kentucky and Penn State went off seemingly without a hitch, the same cannot be said for the second. After only three points were scored between Nebraska and Missouri, match play was suspended for nearly 30 minutes due to a slippery court surface. While play later resumed with Nebraska jumping out to an 11-7 lead, a second 15-minute delay ultimately opened the door for a planned rescheduling.

In a statement released at 10:34 p.m CST, the Big Ten officially announced its plans to call off the late Sunday evening match. After dozens of towels, fans, leaf blowers, and man-hours were deployed in hopes of salvaging the night, the playing surface was deemed unfit for play. Noting “best efforts” and “collaboration with all parties,” the Big Ten declared that “rescheduling at Wrigley field is not possible.”

Future of Outdoor Matches

In response to the match suspension, both Nebraska’s Dani Busboom Kelly and Missouri’s Dawn Sullivan expressed a sense of relief. The two coaches also noted that their players were skeptical of continuing the match following multiple instances of slipping. While Busboom Kelly commented that the sold-out event “was on its way to being a very, very epic moment for our sport,” she added that “unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate.”

After the match, Busboom Kelly said the two coaches were “in agreement early on” regarding the unlikelihood of continuing play. While she called the event “amazing,” Busboom Kelly subsequently noted her opposition to “put[ting] any athlete at risk for injury.” Coach Sullivan similarly expressed gratitude for the “cool experience,” simultaneously asserting that playing was “not worth the health of [the] athletes.”

Immediate reactions from Busboom Kelly, Sullivan, and the broader sports world may point to an unclear future for outdoor volleyball matches. While Sullivan called the playing environment “hard,” Busboom Kelly was more emphatic in her opposition. The Nebraska coach emphasized that she “do[es] not think outdoor is what we should be doing,” adding that “there’s a reason why our sport is indoor.” Busboom Kelly went on to say that there are “opportunities to do some incredible things for the sport” in “indoor arenas or football fields indoor or baseball fields that have domes.”

From the Archives

At Big Ten Volleyball Media Day last month, players and coaches from Penn State and Nebraska shared their thoughts on potential weather disruptions at the Wrigley Field matches. When discussing desired conditions, Penn State Coach and Chicago native Katie Schumacher-Cawley said that her team was hoping for a “nice calm sunny day,” as well as an “early evening.” Additionally, All-American Bergen Reilly of Nebraska commented, “you never know what the weather could bring…we’ve got to hope for some good weather.” While Sunday’s conditions were perfectly pleasant for spectators, the Taraflex court—as explained by Busboom Kelly—is a “unique surface” that does not mix with “the humidity.”

Major Event Sponsors

On August 27, it was announced that Allstate would serve as the title sponsor for the upcoming Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week. According to the Big Ten’s press release, the two-year sponsorship serves as part of the major insurance company’s “growing support of women’s athletics,” which includes both the Allstate Big Ten Women’s Championship Series and the Allstate SEC Women’s Champions Cup. At Sunday’s doubleheader, the brand was featured on-court, on-screen, in video banner advertisements, as well as with the “Allstate Set Point.” As part of its partnerships, Allstate is also set to sponsor the 2026 SEC Volleyball Tournament in November.

In addition to the Allstate partnership, the German brand STRAUSS was included as the other on-court sponsor. Currently, the performance workwear company is prominently involved in both Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as the exclusive batting helmet sponsor. Joining  Allstate and Strauss, major companies like Discover, Genesis USA, and Dr. Pepper, among others, served as in-stadium event sponsors on Sunday. Also, Adidas hosted a brand activation outside the stadium featuring NIL student-athlete partners from Nebraska and Penn State.

Notably, Sunday’s event included sponsorships from two professional women’s volleyball leagues— League One Volleyball (LOVB) and Major League Volleyball (MLV). There have been slow, yet consistent calls to merge the two leagues within volleyball circles. For example, Coach of #5 ranked Louisville Dan Meske recently said that volleyball “need[s] one” professional league in order to help “grow the sport.”

What’s Next

With rescheduling at Wrigley Field not in the cards, Coach Sullivan said that the “conferences need to talk” and determine when Nebraska and Missouri “have dates available to play.” Additionally, the Big Ten’s statement announced that a decision “on match continuation” will be provided “at a later date.” Given that conference play starts for both teams later this month, it is possible that finding a workable date could be a tall task in the short-term.

In terms of the latest national rankings, both the Big Ten and SEC currently have three teams ranked in the top 12. In the Big Ten, Nebraska remains at #1, Penn State moved up one spot to #12, and Wisconsin also jumped one spot to #5. Meanwhile in the SEC, Kentucky and Texas both stayed put at #3 and #9 respectively, while Florida took a massive leap from #17 to #10.

For the Big Ten, another major first comes this November with the inaugural postseason conference tournament in Fishers, Indiana. Held from November 20-25, the event will include the top-15 regular season conference finishers. The SEC’s November 20-24 conference tournament is set to be held in Savannah, Georgia, and include all 16 member institutions.