OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A third professional volleyball league is making its debut in Omaha this week, highlighting Nebraska's growing influence in women's sports.
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Athletes Unlimited Volleyball will host the first half of its championship series at Liberty First Credit Union Arena beginning Friday.
The four-week league operates differently from Major League Volleyball and LOVB, with teams changing each week and points given based on individual stats.
"There's just not a better place to come bring a volleyball competition," said Cassidy Lichtman, AU's vice president of volleyball and a former two-time All-American at Stanford.
The decision to bring the league to Omaha reflects the increasing popularity and revenue in women's sports across the country.
From college competition to professional leagues, Nebraska has become a major catalyst in the growth of women's athletics.
"I don't think I could have imagined this, you know, six or seven years ago before we started that I was going to have this kind of explosion and have this many opportunities (for volleyball)," Lichtman said. "When I graduated college, I had to move to Poland two months later to play."
The numbers support Nebraska's volleyball prominence.
The Omaha Supernovas were part of 19 of the top 20 most-attended professional volleyball matches in the United States in the past two years.
"I will say this for the rest of my career, but I never had this as a young child," said Brooke Nuneviller, Athletes Unlimited and Omaha Supernovas outside hitter. "The fact that, you know, we can be that to young girls and boys that just have hope to play professionally in the states, it's something we're very grateful to be doing."
According to research by the McKinsey Global Institute, between 2022 and 2024, revenue from women's sports grew 4.5 times faster than revenue from men's sports.
They predict by 2030 women's sports could generate $2.5 billion in revenue.
"Now it's like every time you turn on the TV you can watch a college match, you can watch a pro match," Lichtman said.
Of the 44 athletes in AU volleyball, 40 are current or former players in either the MLV or LOVB, bringing more high-level competition to Nebraska.
"This is like playoff volleyball from point one and it's super competitive," Lichtman said. "There's a lot of joy out there on the court, and I think the fans can feel that and it resonates with them."
The first match in Omaha is Friday at 5:30 p.m. and the last match is Monday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m.
The league will then head to Madison, Wisconsin for the final two weeks of the championship.
Click here for the full schedule of the matches in Omaha.
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