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Wrigley Field fails the challenge of outdoor volleyball for SEC/Big Ten Challenge Week

Byline photo of Penelope Cloonan
Penelope Cloonan, Executive Editor
September 11, 2026
The inaugral Southeastern Conference/Big Ten Challenge Week culminated on Sept. 6 with a historic outdoor volleyball doubleheader at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois in front of 43,067 fans. The University of Kentucky claimed a 3-1 victory over Penn State in the venue's first-ever volleyball match. However, Chicago humidity and severe court condensation forced officials to suspend the match between the University of Nebraska and the University of Missouri due to player safety concerns, with no current plans for rescheduling.
The inaugral Southeastern Conference/Big Ten Challenge Week culminated on Sept. 6 with a historic outdoor volleyball doubleheader at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois in front of 43,067 fans. The University of Kentucky claimed a 3-1 victory over Penn State in the venue’s first-ever volleyball match. However, Chicago humidity and severe court condensation forced officials to suspend the match between the University of Nebraska and the University of Missouri due to player safety concerns, with no current plans for rescheduling.
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The first week of September saw the inaugural Southeastern Conference (SEC)/Big Ten Challenge Week for women’s volleyball. Between Sept. 1 to 6, 34 teams from two of the biggest collegiate sports conferences in the U.S. faced off at host campuses around the country. Throughout the week, anticipation grew for the final two matches set to take place at Wrigley Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs. When the day finally came, Wrigley Field was transformed. Tarps covered parts of the outfield to accommodate floor seats in addition to packed stands surrounding the temporary court just past second base. While it is not unusual for baseball fields to be rented out for other events—mainly concerts and pop-up soccer events—it was an intriguing choice to put the game of indoor volleyball outside.

The University of Kentucky and Penn State played the first match to be hosted at Wrigley Field, or any MLB ballpark for that matter, on Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. CDT. Despite initially tight gameplay, Kentucky took home the first two sets, in large part due to the efforts of outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye. Penn State was able to disrupt Kentucky’s momentum and take home the third set. The fourth set went to Kentucky in a landslide win 25-15. Match one ended with the fourth set, and Kentucky went home with the honor of winning the first volleyball game hosted at Wrigley Field. Surrounded by 43,067 fans, it was the second most attended Division I women’s volleyball game in history. Anticipation only grew for the closing match.

Nebraska fans have shown up big for their team before. In 2023, 92,003 fans gathered in Memorial Stadium—University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s football field—to watch Nebraska take on the University of Nebraska at Omaha on home turf. Dubbed “Volleyball Day,” it was the most attended Division I women’s volleyball game in history. Nebraska took the crowd’s energy and swept Omaha 3-0. The game took place in late August at 7 p.m. CDT, in the historically much drier state of Nebraska. It is a credit to the weather in Nebraska above all else, that this event was able to take place. The fans filled the space they were able in record-setting numbers, but Nebraska itself kept the game going by keeping the court dry. The same cannot be said for the state of Illinois.

First serve for the final event of the night—University of Nebraska vs. University of Missouri—was set for 8:00 p.m. CDT. The first set began with dominance from Nebraska, which was quickly undercut by frequent falls. Only three points in, the game was paused due to player safety concerns. Moisture had built up on the court and was causing players to slip and slide during play. The towel crew came out first, then players from both teams joined to try and dry the court as well. After a long towel break, play resumed.

As spectacular as the matches were, Wrigley Field is just not set up to host late-night outdoor volleyball. Chicago lies off the shore of Lake Michigan and is famous for its tumultuous weather, namely windy humidity. Throughout the night, between each match and set, blowers and a towel crew came out to try and relieve some moisture from the court. Additionally, the court where the games were played was made of top of the line flooring—Taraflex—and was reportedly treated with special moisture resistant coating. The organizers were aware of Chicago’s conditions, and tried their best to mitigate those effects. Their plans failed.

Practice and the earlier match had drier conditions, which the teams could play comfortably through. By late evening, the humidity had become too much, and despite frequent pauses in play to try to keep players safe, the game was suspended. The score as it stands as of print was 11-7, favoring Nebraska.

The Big Ten Conference defeated the SEC with a record of 16-13. As of print, the match between Nebraska and Missouri has not been rescheduled. Rescheduling at Wrigley Field is not currently possible both due to the on-going MLB season and continued weather concerns impacting player safety. Kentucky and Penn State hold the honor of playing the only outdoor volleyball game at Wrigley Field, and it is looking like it will have to stay that way.