Key Takeaways
- The Big Ten and SEC will stage an outdoor volleyball doubleheader at Wrigley Field on September 6, closing out a six-day, 34-team challenge event
- Nebraska, Penn State, Missouri, and Kentucky will compete in primetime matchups airing live on FOX
- All 18 Big Ten and 16 SEC volleyball programs are participating in the inaugural Challenge Week
- Wrigley Field has previously hosted record-setting NWSL and Big Ten women’s hockey events
- Tickets go on sale April 9 at 11 AM ET through the Chicago Cubs’ website
34 Programs, One Week, a Wrigley Field Finale
The Big Ten and SEC announced Monday that their inaugural Volleyball Challenge Week will culminate with an outdoor doubleheader at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on September 6. The six-day event features all 18 Big Ten and 16 SEC programs, making it one of the largest early-season scheduling partnerships in college volleyball.
The Wrigley doubleheader will feature five-time national champion Nebraska against Missouri at 7 PM ET, followed by eight-time champion Penn State against 2020 titleholder Kentucky at 9 PM ET. Both games will air live on FOX.
“Bringing the SEC and Big Ten together for a championship-caliber volleyball showcase, culminating at an iconic venue like Wrigley Field, reflects the extraordinary momentum of the sport,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.
Wrigley’s Growing Role as a Women’s Sports Venue
Volleyball will be new to Wrigley Field, but major women’s sporting events are not. The Cubs’ ballpark hosted a record-breaking NWSL match between the Chicago Stars and Bay FC in 2024 and welcomed Ohio State and Wisconsin women’s hockey for the Big Ten’s Frozen Confines in early 2025.
The trend reflects a growing playbook across women’s college and professional sports: placing events in iconic, high-capacity professional venues to drive attendance, media coverage, and mainstream visibility. Nebraska’s Volleyball Day at Memorial Stadium has proven the model works, regularly drawing 90,000-plus fans for a single match.
What Primetime Volleyball Means for the Youth Pipeline
Nationally televised college volleyball in a venue like Wrigley Field raises the sport’s profile in ways that trickle down to the grassroots level. Higher visibility drives club enrollment, recruiting interest, and family spending on travel tournaments, training, and gear.
A 34-team scheduling framework between the two most powerful conferences in women’s volleyball also creates a repeatable model. If Challenge Week expands in future years, it could become one of the sport’s signature early-season events, with downstream effects on how youth players and families evaluate the recruiting landscape.
Tickets for the September 6 doubleheader go on sale April 9 at 11 AM ET through the Chicago Cubs’ website.
Source: Just Women’s Sports, JWS Staff, March 31, 2026
Photo: https://huskers.com/news/2026/03/30/huskers-to-play-missouri-at-wrigley-field-on-sept-6
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