Athletics

50 Years of Women’s Sports

N Our Voice by Maggie Griffin

50 Years of Women’s Sports

It’s an honor to share my story in celebration of the 50th anniversary of women’s sports here at Nebraska.

Although I didn’t grow up here, I consider myself a Nebraskan now.

After all, I’ve lived here for over half my life.

It’s not often that a sports team can truly feel the support of an entire community, but that’s exactly what you get when you play volleyball here at Nebraska.

Every match, you feel the love and support from the fans, who are not only some of the loudest and proudest but also some of the friendliest and most respectful to the opposing team.

The entire community embraced and celebrated us like we were their own daughters.

And I think that’s one of the things that makes Nebraska so special, and what I would like readers to understand.

People love their sports here — and they certainly love their women’s volleyball.

I think it’s important for current athletes to recognize and appreciate this unique opportunity.

Being a Husker student-athlete, particularly on the volleyball team, is unlike anything else.

You may even break world records here and play in front of 92,000 people in a sold-out football stadium.

But in all seriousness, being a Husker athlete isn’t easy, of course, and comes with its own set of challenges, but I hope current athletes realize that they are a part of something truly unique and have an entire community behind them.

It’s an experience you’ll cherish for a lifetime.

VBALL pic
"The high point of the season for me was an image the general public didn't see. The photograph below was provided by Laurie Thomas, a former Nebraska Volleyball player, who returned to watch the stadium match that set a world record for attendance at a women's atheltic event of 92,003.
 
Beneath the stadium, an estimated 110 former Nebraska volleyball alumni, lined the tunnel between the locker room and the football field where a stage and been built for the volleyball match between the Huskers and Nebraska-Omaha. They were there to provide support to the 2023 version of the program that they had played for.
 
Some were former national team players. Some were former All-Americans. Some were former players that you may not be familiar with. They became physicians, teachers, coaches, spouses and mothers. They share something in common that wasn't available to women before 1972, the opportunity to compete and be a part of a team. They also share the self-confidence that comes from that opportunity.
 
They have been impacting their communities in ways that weren't possible before there was Title IX and Nebraska Volleyball. As the Nebraska team walked before them they had tears in their eyes. So did many of the current players who passed before them."
 
Terry Pettit, Former Nebraska Volleyball Coach

Coming to Nebraska

I grew up in Chicago and started my college volleyball career at Michigan State before transferring here to Nebraska in 2005.

I remember my first matches were against Hawaii and Stanford up in Omaha at the Quest Center — now known as the CHI Health Center.

I’ll never forget the feeling of walking out in front of 17,000-18,000 people.

It was a little intimidating at first, not going to lie, but once the match started, I just got lost in the game and played like I always had.

That was my very first Husker volleyball experience.

And the rest of my career was equally as breathtaking.

Just 16 months later, for example, in December of 2006, I won a national championship with Nebraska. It was all-the-more special as we fell short the year before and lost to Washington in the title game.

On top of that, we got to win the trophy in 2006 in Omaha — in front of our home fans — which was an experience second to none.

There were a lot of tough matches and pressure-filled moments throughout the season, but we had such a talented and competitive team that we were able to rise to the occasion and take home the title.

I’ll never forget the feeling of walking through the lobby of the Hilton Hotel that night, which is attached to the Quest Center, and seeing the entire lobby full of red.

It was just an incredible sight to see, and I’ll cherish that memory for the rest of my life.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to compete and win a national championship for a program and community that means so much to me.

A new chapter

After college, I moved back home where I got a job in finance.

But truthfully, I just was not feeling super fulfilled.

I still missed volleyball.

I still missed that feeling of being part of a team.

That’s what got me to pursue my professional volleyball career.

I played a season in Puerto Rico before signing a contract to play in the Netherlands. I spent some time in Switzerland as well.

But after a couple seasons, I began to miss home and wanted to kick off the next part of my life — although I had no idea what that would look like at the time.

All I knew was that I wanted to come home.

And so I did.

I moved back to Lincoln, and one day, I was talking with my friends, and we brought up the idea of starting a volleyball club.

At the time, there were not that many clubs around and with my background in both business and volleyball, we thought it was a great idea.

So, in 2010, I started the VCNebraska volleyball club, which has grown significantly over the years and is now one of the premier clubs in the state.

We went from 36 kids to now having 60 teams in a 98,000 square foot facility.

I love what I do, and I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to share my passion and knowledge of the game with the next generation of volleyball players.

There are so many life lessons that I learned through volleyball that have helped shape me into the person I am today, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to give back and hopefully have a positive impact on the lives of the young athletes I coach and work with.

Husker volleyball certainly helped prepare me for this chapter.

And throughout the last 50 years, I know women’s sports here at Nebraska prepared many athletes for their next chapters just as well.

Go Big Red!