Nebraska Coliseum

One of the foundations for Nebraska’s athletic success is its outstanding facilities, and few home courts in the country are as tradition-rich as the Nebraska Coliseum, the home of the Husker volleyball program. Over the years, the 4,030-seat NU Coliseum has provided the Nebraska volleyball program with an unmatched home-court advantage.

“Winston Churchill said ‘in the beginning, we build buildings. In the end, we are shaped by the buildings we live in.’ I think the Coliseum shapes Nebraska volleyball,” Former Nebraska volleyball coach Terry Pettit said. “It’s an environment that creates intimacy. It’s a classic structure and in a lot of ways reflects what the Nebraska program is all about.”

The Coliseum, which sits nestled on the University campus, is a beautiful display of architecture highlighted by its powerful Roman columns gracing the front steps. But while it’s beauty is appreciated by Husker players, coaches and fans, it is one of the most dreaded places for opponents to play in the sport of volleyball, and arguably one of the toughest places to play in college athletics.

“If the volleyball gods wanted to build a volleyball court, the Coliseum would be it,” NU coach John Cook said. “It’s a very intimate setting. Everyone feels part of the event.”

During the Terry Pettit/John Cook era, the Huskers have qualified for 29 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and the Coliseum crowd has willed the Huskers to many victories in the historic building. Cook credited the NU Coliseum crowd with willing the Huskers to a come-from-behind, 3-2 win over South Carolina in the 2000 NCAA second round that kept the Huskers’ national championship season alive.

Nebraska volleyball has had unmatched success in the confines of the cozy Coliseum, posting 17 undefeated seasons and compiling an all-time record of 495-32 (.939) under its roof. The Huskers are 210-14 (.938) since 1990 in the building, including 12 undefeated seasons in that span.

While these numbers are impressive, Big 12 and former Big Eight members managed even fewer wins. That’s because Nebraska doesn’t lose to conference opponents in the Coliseum.

Only five times in 34 years of regular-season Big Eight/Big 12 play has a conference opponent ever won on the Coliseum floor. In fact, during that time, only five conference opponents have managed to win in Lincoln. Nebraska suffered its first-ever regular-season loss to a conference foe in 1999, falling to Kansas State to snap a streak of 101 consecutive wins against regular-season conference opponents. Under John Cook, the Huskers have dropped only four Big 12 home matches at the Coliseum over the last decade.

Cook and Pettit said the home-court advantage is most valuable during its long, hard-fought battles.

“You feel incredibly confident when you get into a fifth game in the Coliseum because of the electricity in tight matches,” Cook said.

“The home crowd was a big advantage when we were fatigued or drained in the middle of a four- or five-game match,” Pettit said. “The players used the energy and electricity from the fans to pull them through difficult stretches. I don’t think that it’s as big an advantage against the elite teams, but it definitely makes a difference.”

Nebraska has used that success at home to propel it through the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskers have hosted an NCAA Tournament match every season since 1984 and have capitalized on each opportunity by compiling a 51-3 playoff record in the stoic building. And Nebraska fans have been rewarded by seeing eight of the Huskers’ 11 NCAA regional championships won on their home court.

Nebraska carried a 65-match Coliseum win streak into the 1999 season, but suffered a loss to No. 6 Pacific in the State Farm/NACWAA Classic semifinal. In 2002, the Huskers carried a 63-match home winning streak into its NCAA regional final match against Hawaii, but fell, 3-1. The Huskers won 82 straight matches at the NU Coliseum from 2004 to 2009, helping Nebraska set an NCAA-record 90 match home win streak.

The win streaks are a direct result of Nebraska’s frenzied crowds that routinely jam the building’s bleachers. The Huskers finished second nationally in attendance in both 2009 and 2010. Single-match tickets sell out in a matter of minutes. Nebraska enters the 2012 season with 164 straight sellouts in the building dating back to 2001.

The Coliseum surroundings create a unique volleyball- and fan-friendly environment.

“To appreciate the athleticism and the speed of the game, you have to be down close and the Coliseum provides that intimate setting," Cook said about the NU Coliseum atmosphere.

Fans have been known to line up as much as four to five hours in advance to see their Husker volleyball team in action. During the 2009 season, fans set an NCAA regular-season attendance mark of 13,870 for a match against UCLA in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Nebraska has averaged more than 3,000 fans for 17 of the past 19 seasons and have been ranked in the top three nationally in attendance each year for more than 20 years.

The Coliseum’s roots go back to the 1920s when it was the home for the Husker basketball team. NU’s cagers played on its hardwood floors from 1926 to 1977, when the construction on the Bob Devaney Sports Center was completed.

Since then, the volleyball team has been its lone tenant. In 1991, the Huskers had a one-year hiatus from the Coliseum while the building was being renovated and tailored for volleyball. The renovation provided a more comfortable atmosphere for players, coaches and fans. Among the additions were a new sound system, scoreboard, overhead lights and a new floor. Offices for coaches and administrators, as well as a conference/media room, were constructed for a better working environment.

Over the years, the building has seen numerous additions to add to the comfort of both players and fans, while keeping the tradition of the building and the Husker volleyball program. Over the past decade, locker rooms, training areas and coaches offices have all been upgraded to provide Husker student-athletes with some of the best facilities in the country. For fans, HuskerVision replay boards, a new scoreboard and new displays have been added, recognizing the great heritage and tradition of the program.

Additional seating for fans was created in 2005, with the addition of the Husker Courtside Club. This added 64 premium seats on the Coliseum floor, giving fans an up-close view of all of the exciting volleyball action, and making Nebraska one of the first programs in the country to add premium courtside seating for volleyball.