(WBAP/KLIF) — ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Four women’s college volleyball teams will play for a total of $1 million in a made-for-TV exhibition at AT&T Stadium in August, event organizers announced Tuesday.
Florida, Nebraska, Penn State and SMU are the participating teams in Spikes Under the Lights on Aug. 27. Two semifinals will be followed by a final, with all played in a best-of-three set format designed to fit a three-hour broadcast window. Semifinal matchups and broadcast details will be announced later.
GSE Worldwide and Full Day Productions formed a partnership to put on the event. A Full Day spokeswoman said each team would be paid a $200,000 appearance fee. An additional $200,000 in prize money will be at stake, with the largest portion going to the winner. Sports Business Journal first reported the purse structure. Each school will decide how it distributes the money among players.
Spikes Under The Lights will be the first volleyball event of its kind at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Organizers plan for it to be an annual event with rotating participants.
“We are excited and honored to be part of this historic event that showcases the continued growth of women’s volleyball,” Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. “This will be a great opportunity to face some talented teams in an iconic setting as we ramp up to the start of the season. It should be an awesome night and hopefully a lot of Husker fans will be able to experience it with us in Dallas.”
Nebraska hosted a 2023 outdoor volleyball event at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln that attracted a crowd of 92,003, the largest attendance ever recorded for a women’s sporting event.
Spikes Under the Lights will feature three longtime powers and a program on the rise. Penn State has made a record 45 NCAA Tournament appearances and won eight national championships. Nebraska has 44 NCAA appearances and five titles and Florida has 36 appearances. SMU has played in three straight NCAAs and five overall.
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