One night. One million dollars. One historic venue. One winner.
That’s what is at stake for four of the top-ranked women’s college volleyball teams as they compete in the inaugural “Spikes Under the Lights” volleyball tournament at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Thursday.
The lowdown
The fast-paced, best-of-three set format tournament will feature two opening matches followed by a winner-take-all championship round. Nebraska will take on Florida in the first semifinal match followed by Penn State against SMU. Each team will be paid a $200,000 appearance fee and an additional $200,000 in prize money will be at stake with the largest portion going to the winner — the $1 million purse is the largest ever in women’s college sports. Each school will determine how it distributes the money among its players.
Featuring four teams in the current AVCA Top 20 rankings, Spikes Under the Lights will be the first women’s college sporting event played at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and the first women’s college volleyball event played at an NFL stadium. Set at the 50-yard-line, the volleyball court will replace the Cowboys’ field for one historic night.
In August 2023, Nebraska drew a record crowd of 92,003 fans at its volleyball showcase at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Organizers for Thursday’s event said it is “not expected to set an attendance record” at AT&T Stadium but instead, the hope is to showcase women’s college volleyball in a new venue and create new “firsts” for the players and teams.
Schedule
Match 1: No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 17 Florida, 8 p.m., TNT
Match 2: No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU, 9 p.m., TNT
Final: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2, 10 p.m., TNT
What to know for each team
Nebraska
After suffering its first loss of the 2025 season in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament Elite Eight regional finals against Texas A&M in December, Nebraska ended its almost-perfect season in an upset. After losing three times in the national championship match since 2017, the No. 1-ranked team heads into the 2026 season with high expectations.
Led by four seniors, Nebraska wants to send a message to the volleyball world: It can return to the top. Senior Andi Jackson told ESPN, “We’re really focused on going and putting on a good show. We want to have the best experience we can. But it’s a tough balance because we don’t want to put too much pressure on it because we don’t want to get there and play in fear and be so worried about all these little things.” Jackson emphasized that the team has put “too much pressure on ourselves, especially in these last three years when I’ve been here, towards the end.”
This season, the Huskers will rely heavily on their four seniors, especially Harper Murray, an AVCA first-team All-America selection and three-time All-Big Ten first-team player. Nebraska will look to take advantage of the moment, clean up its past errors and return to championship dominance. At AT&T Stadium, this will be an opportunity for the Huskers to remind the volleyball world of their dominance after their Elite Eight exit and showcase their veteran leadership.
Florida
The Gators experienced the pitfalls of the transfer portal last season, and as a result, the program lost some big names. But in the wake of losing to SMU in the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament, Florida secured five transfers under second-year head coach Ryan Theis. In addition to Alec Rothe and Jordyn Byrd, who return to the lineup, Florida added depth to its roster with outside hitter Kamryn Chaney, middle blocker Brianna Holladay, outside hitter Selena Leban, setter Olivia Klimis and setter Bri Denney. The bolstered roster for the 2026 season will also include freshman Nadi’ya Shelby.
For Florida, this season is about a fresh perspective on the court. New season, new team. How will this roster, built off transfers, stack up against programs like Nebraska and Penn State who have been developing their rosters for years? Will the transfers be the secret weapon for the Gators?
The newly equipped Gators will face the Cornhuskers in the first match — the first meeting involving the programs since 2018.
Penn State
What happens when two former Florida players team up for their final women’s college volleyball season? For Penn State, this season will be defined by the dynamic duo of Kennedy Martin and Alexis Stucky.
After playing two seasons at Florida, Martin joined the Nittany Lions and made an immediate impact. Last season, the right-side hitter earned first-team All-America and first-team All-Big Ten honors while also setting program records for the 25-point rally scoring era in single-season points (728), points/set (6.22), kills (634) and kills/set (5.42). Martin holds the program’s records for both points and kills in three-set, four-set and five-set matches in the current scoring era.
This season, Martin is joined by her former Gator teammate, Stucky. The setter transferred to Penn State at the end of the 2025 season after a highly successful four years at Florida. Earning one All-America honor, two all-region awards and two All-SEC accolades, Stucky enters the season with 3,047 career assists, 80 aces and 626 digs. Martin and Stucky landed on the preseason All-Big Ten team.
The No. 10-ranked Nittany Lions are facing SMU for the first time in program history.
The Mustangs are still defining their women’s volleyball program. But as Nebraska’s Jackson told ESPN, “SMU is creating waves, and they’re a really strong program. They’re coming up and dominating.”
After defeating Florida with a 3-0 statement victory in the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament, SMU found itself in the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance. The victory tied the program’s single-season record with 27.
Building off last season’s strengths, coach Sam Erger landed three of the top rising high school volleyball stars for her 2026 roster: Levariya Pinder, Elle Vandeweghe and Victoria Shupe. As her program rises, Erger said she wanted to continue to develop and create a powerhousem. Pinder, a Dallas native, will be this team’s secret weapon. The dual athlete, who will compete in both volleyball and track and field, wants to make an impact in her hometown. Thursday’s event will be her first opportunity to display her abilities in front of the Mustangs’ fanbase, the volleyball world and her Dallas community. The 5-foot-10 pin hitter enters SMU as the the nation’s No. 37-ranked high school player and No. 12 for her class in Texas. Her talents will help fill the void of outside hitter Kennedi Rogers, who transferred to Tennessee. The former SMU freshman standout led the Mustangs to an NCAA tournament victory over Florida with 14 kills on a .440 hitting clip.
No. 11 SMU will look to build off of its momentum from last season as the Mustangs enter the 2026 season with a stacked freshman class and returning players such as middle blocker Favor Anyanwu and outside hitter Jadyn Livings.
Source: www.espn.com
