Recognizing Women's Collegiate Athletics and the Record-Setting Volleyball Day in Nebraska Event on August 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. RICKETTS. Mr. President, I am here today to join my senior Senator to celebrate this historic achievement for our State of Nebraska and women's athletics.

Nebraskans, we love our sports. And we are particularly proud of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cornhuskers. Today, I especially want to point out our pride in the UNL women's volleyball program. As my senior Senator just recognized, they are the No. 1 team in the Nation. We have had five national championships in volleyball in the State of Nebraska. It is the third most in the NCAA. That is also as many national championships as we have had for our college football team. The volleyball program has nine former Olympians. The Husker women have also played on the U.S. National Team. In fact, three of them are on that team right now. They are also pioneers in name, image, and likeness.

As my senior Senator pointed out, we just beat the previous No. 1, undefeated University of Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday night in a five- set thriller that lived up to its billing as the match of the century. In 2022, our volleyball team led the Nation with an average attendance of 8,190 fans per game. We have had 314 consecutive sellouts in the regular season. And for the last nine consecutive seasons, we have led the Nation in attendance.

But earlier this year, Nebraskans helped the women's volleyball program reach a new height, a world record. It was Volleyball Day in Nebraska: 92,003 of the best fans in sports jammed into Memorial Stadium to watch four women's volleyball programs highlight their talent. The Wayne State College Wildcats took on the University of Nebraska at Kearney Lopers, and the Omaha Mavericks took on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cornhuskers. The eyes of the entire world were focused on Memorial Stadium.

Right in my home State of Nebraska, we had the most highly attended women's sporting event in the world ever. As Omaha World-Herald columnist Tom Shatel wrote:

Volleyball Day in Nebraska may be the biggest Title IX statement of all time.

Volleyball Day demonstrated just how much progress we have made in providing equal opportunity to our daughters, granddaughters, and sisters in sports. Title IX was about leveling the playing field for women's athletics. And for over 50 years, it has done just that. And, of course, this is more than just about sports for many of these women. Athletics have been a pathway for scholarships, educational opportunities, and career pathways.

The University of Nebraska also prides itself in instilling life skills into its student athletes. The Huskers Women's Volleyball Program has been filled with remarkable student athletes in the truest sense of the word. They lead the Nation with 40 volleyball Academic All-Americans as part of a nation-leading 351 Academic All-Americans in all sports. They also have three NCAA volleyball Elite 90 award winners.

The players are the stars. But, of course, you can't have a good team without a good coach. The Nebraska women's volleyball program has a great one in Coach John Cook. Coach Cook has been a part of the Nebraska volleyball family for 23 years. During that time, the team has made the NCAA playoffs every single year. Under his eye, the women's volleyball team has won four national championships. And in September of 2022, Coach Cook celebrated his 800th career coaching win.

The Huskers' tagline is: ``In our grit, our glory.'' Volleyball Day in Nebraska and a new world record in attendance at a women's sporting event is the epitome of this motto.

Congratulations to everyone at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln whose grit made Volleyball Day possible and to all the other programs who participated.

I also want to thank vice chancellor and athletic director Trev Alberts and his team for their efforts. Thanks also to Coach Cook and his staff, and most especially, thank you to the women of the University of Nebraska volleyball program. You have given us something very special to be proud of. Truly, there is no place like Nebraska. Nebraska is what America is supposed to be.

And, finally, thank you to the senior Senator from Nebraska for introducing this resolution. I am proud to join you in recognizing this great achievement.

I yield back.

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