The first-ever Spikes Under the Lights event took place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas as four of college volleyball’s top teams battled for the chance at a $150,000 prize.
No. 1 Nebraska, No. 10 Penn State, No. 11 SMU and No. 17 Florida each received $200,000 for participating in the event, but only one team could walk away with an additional $150,000.
Nebraska and Florida were up first, and the top-ranked Cornhuskers got out to a strong start as they won the first set 21-19 after an exciting rally on set point.
The second set was highly competitive, but Nebraska walked away with the win after a monster serve to send the Huskers to the finals. Nebraska finished the match with 23 kills, 26 digs, a pair of aces and seven blocks.
SMU and Penn State squared off in the other semifinal game, and the Mustangs picked up a win in the first set after plenty of back and forth with the Nittany Lions.
The Mustangs then took the second set to advance to the championship match after Suli Davis, who finished with 11 kills, delivered a game-winning spike.
The Mustangs are a team on the rise in college volleyball, and picking up a win over a top-10 team was the perfect way to start the season.
This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.
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