Perhaps indoor volleyball is best played indoors.
That would seem to be the lesson taken from the historic and, as it turns out, historically doomed women’s college volleyball game between Nebraska and Missouri that was supposed to take place at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
The match was delayed twice and eventually canceled, leaving administrators with the hassle of rescheduling. Though it seems clear there are no intentions to revisit Wrigley Field.
A valiant effort was made to play the match, however. In what will serve as the lasting image of the event, players and coaches from both squads got on their hands and knees and attempted to soak up the moisture on the floor in hopes of making the surface playable.
It did not work.
“It was on its way to being a very, very epic moment for our sport. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate,” Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly said.
“You don’t want to see any injury and put any athlete at a risk for injury. So I think we just kept looking at each other every time somebody would slip, and it’s like, ‘This probably is not going to work.’”
The moisture that prevented the game from being played was not due to rain. Instead, it was due to the lingering humidity in the area.
The cancellation came as quite the disappointment to the more than 43,000 who turned out for the event. However, most agreed with the decision.
“I don’t want anyone hurting themselves,” said Maria Jesinski, who drove six hours to the match. “I think it was the best choice.”