Wrigley volleyball games serve as another notch in women's sports' growth

CHICAGO — For a volleyball match, it was one heck of a dance party. The experimentation with outdoor games is probably a thing of the past after Nebraska's match against Missouri at Wrigley Field was delayed twice and finally suspended after just 18 points because of excessive moisture on the court. But the fact the Big Ten and SEC even tried to pull it off, and 43,000-plus fans showed up for it, is yet another indication that the explosion of interest in women's sports isn't slowing. "If you're not on the bandwagon yet, you need to hurry up and get on because it's going to leave you behind. I'm serious," Kentucky coach Craig Skinner said after his team beat Penn State in the first match of the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge. "It's here, it's arrived and it's going to become a priority for TV and venues," Skinner added. "If you ever watched a game before and you watch these athletes do what they do, you will want to come back. And it's proving that over and over again. And I think we're all grateful to be part of it." Not always easy to keep track of gains in women's sports That women's sports are having a moment is not lost on anyone. Well, anyone but misogynistic Neanderthals. The WNBA recently reached a historic collective bargaining agreement, and there are record valuations in both the W and the NWSL. Ratings continue to rise, and sponsors are clamoring for a piece of the pie. But there are so many gains they sometimes begin to blur. Or, if you are partial to one sport in particular, you might not realize how widespread the milestones are. Which was what made these matches at Wrigley so significant. This was the first time the iconic baseball stadium hosted volleyball matches, and it was a spectacle. Kentucky setter Kassie O'Brien said she had looked around the empty stadium during a practice and thought there was no way it would be filled. It was, with 43,067 people turning out. "Tonight playing, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, it is filled,'" O'Brien said. "It was just super cool, and it completely exceeded my expectations." Most of the fans were there to see the Cornhuskers. Nebraska's fan base rivals that of any football program, and all of Wrigleyville was awash in red. Bars and restaurants were packed several hours before the matches, and Gallagher Way outside Wrigley could just as well have been a tailgate at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. There were many, many girls and young women, yes. But there also were college-aged men wearing red-and-white striped overalls and older fans happy to root for anyone with an "N" on their uniforms. Couples and families. "It's just phenomenal for younger female athletes coming up," said Andrea Gorman, who came with her 10-year-old daughter Brynn from Omaha, Nebraska, to watch the Cornhuskers. "Certainly when I was coming up, women's sports were 'less than.' Never televised," Gorman added. "The appetite for giving women an even presence, we've really turned that corner over the last couple of years." Celebrations about more than one game Fans were disappointed when the Nebraska-Missouri match was suspended, obviously, and there was a smattering of boos when the announcement was made. But the entire night had been a celebration of women's sports and the athletes who play them, volleyball in particular, and even a match that had barely gotten started before it ended could spoil that. During the first delay, when players from both teams were on their hands and knees helping to mop up the court, a few players took a break to dance when Justin Bieber's "Baby" came on the P.A. During the second delay, Missouri and Nebraska had a dance off while fans on the field and in the upper concourse formed conga lines. When the match was officially suspended, Nebraska's seniors came out to address the crowd, offering their thanks and apologies to the fans who had invested their money and time to come support women's sports. The reception for them was warm, and fans cheered them as if they left the field. "This obviously did not go as anybody wanted it to or planned, but up till the minute it was called, it was an incredibly first-class event," Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. "Our fans, volleyball fans in general — you had some of the biggest names in the sport of volleyball here tonight to witness this. It was on its way to being a very, very epic moment for our sport. "Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate," she added. "But I'm just really thankful for everybody who went out on a limb and invested a lot of money and time and manpower to do something pretty special for our sport." That the one match couldn't be completed is somewhat besides the point. It's the audacity to hold women's games in venues once considered beyond their reach that matters, and by that measure, this night was a resounding success.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wrigley volleyball games serve as another notch in women's sports' growth | Opinion