Nebraska Wins Spikes Under the Lights as Volleyball's $1 Million Weekends Arrive

By faNILy Team · August 28, 2026

College volleyball just played inside an NFL stadium, and the No. 1 team in the country looked right at home. Nebraska won Spikes Under the Lights at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Thursday, August 27, sweeping Florida in the semifinal and SMU in the championship, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The money

The event carried a $1 million purse, with Nebraska, Florida, Penn State, and SMU in the field, per the Associated Press. The Dallas Morning News reported Nebraska took home $350,000, a $200,000 appearance payment plus a $150,000 title bonus. SMU earned a $50,000 runner-up bonus. Amounts for Florida and Penn State weren't disclosed.

The AP noted earlier this year that the Spikes matches are exhibitions, not regular-season games.

The scene

The event drew a crowd of notable names, including Candace Parker, Kerri Walsh Jennings, and ESPN's Holly Rowe, per the Dallas Morning News. One Nebraska fan who traveled from Boston told the paper: "It's very hard to get tickets to Nebraska volleyball matches, and I saw it online, and I jumped on it."

That's a telling detail. Demand for top volleyball programs is strong enough that fans will cross the country for a neutral-site exhibition.

Next up: Las Vegas

Volleyball's second million-dollar event is this weekend. The Players Era Volleyball Showcase runs August 29-30 at T-Mobile Arena, according to the AP, with Nebraska, UNLV, Texas, and TCU in the field and $1 million in NIL opportunities on the table.

Saturday: Nebraska vs. UNLV; Texas vs. TCU
Sunday: Nebraska vs. Texas; TCU vs. UNLV

Unlike Spikes, these matches count toward the regular season. And Sunday's Nebraska-Texas match pairs the top two teams in the AVCA preseason poll, per Sports Illustrated.

Two models, one message

The two events take different approaches. Spikes pays teams for appearing and winning. Players Era frames its purse as NIL opportunities. But the message is the same: organizers see real money in women's volleyball because they see real fan demand.

Players Era CEO Seth Berger pointed to "record ratings and surging attendance" when the Vegas event was announced.

Why stadium-sized events keep coming

Putting volleyball in a football stadium or a Las Vegas arena only works if people show up and tune in. Organizers are betting that the sport's audience has outgrown its usual gyms. For players, these stages mean bigger audiences and a shot at reaching fans who've never been to a match.

The fan angle

Volleyball players have some of the most loyal followings in college sports, and events like these introduce them to new fans. If you watched Thursday and found a new favorite player, now's the time to follow along. The regular season is just getting started.