Super women

It’s not uncommon for me, a born and true Nebraska boy, to have shivers sent up my spine each and every time “Sirius” by the Alan Parsons Project comes on. 
Hearing it blaring inside the confines of Memorial Stadium is enough to motivate me for any battle from Wisconsin to McNeese State.  
Yet, hearing it last week watching Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook walking the red carpet flanked by Husker captains Lexi Rodriguez and Merritt Beason hit an entirely different chord.
I had to wipe tears from underneath my sunglasses as a group of girls experienced something very few in sports ever have -- bursting through the tunnel in front of 92,003 fans.
I tried to watch the replay back several times since last Wednesday and each time, without fail, I can immediately feel the burning sensation underneath my eyes. 
It was special. It was unheard of. It was Nebraska volleyball. 
Three-by-three, surrounded by former Huskers and family members, the Huskers entered Memorial Stadium and with it, a new age and era of women’s athletics. 
On Aug. 30, 2023, Nebraska and its fans set a multitude of records, including number of fans for a NCAA volleyball match, the all-time Memorial Stadium attendance record as well as the USA and world record for highest attendance for a women’s sporting event. 
It was billed as Volleyball Day in Nebraska and I don’t think anyone quite envisioned when this was announced over six months ago that it would looked like THAT.
It was special. It was unheard of. It was Nebraska volleyball.
For me, it was a top two sporting event I’ve had the pleasure of attending, and it wasn’t No. 2. Coolest moment in the 100 years of that iconic stadium? It’s got to be up there. 
Women’s sports have always had a special spot for me. While I loved my time writing about the Wayne State football team in college, I had the most fun covering WSC volleyball and women’s basketball. 
They were winners, sure. But it’s about providing those teams something they’ve earned and deserve -- the same coverage as the guys.
I still use that to this day. I work just as hard to adequately cover our area volleyball teams as I do the football programs. I want the girls basketball teams to have that top spot as often as the boys do. 
I think about those girls competing, often as the opening act for the boys as the headliner, particularly in the winter season. There is typically a small crowd for the girls game before most everyone else trickles in for the boys game. 
That’s what we’re trying to change. Those girls work just as hard for a fraction of the reward. Volleyball Day in Nebraska proves otherwise. 
What happens from here?
Like I said, women’s athletics will never be the same. At some point, somewhere, Nebraska’s all-time women’s contest attendance record will break.
The sport and arena are unknown, but don’t, as a diehard Nebraska fan, be upset when that mark comes down.
Instead, celebrate women’s sports and be proud that Husker Nation was a small part of making those opportunities possible for girls. 
It was special. It was unheard of. It was Nebraska volleyball. 
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.