“Coming to Arlington is so fun because we get to play in front of our crowd,” Avery Skinner could hardly contain her happiness after making her VNL 2025 debut in front of the home fans last week. However, while the Olympic medalist was just glad to be playing on USA soil, the turnout at the UT Arlington College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, didn’t exactly back up her sentiments. Naturally, fans can’t help but think how things could have been different if the USA Volleyball had decided on a different venue.
Texas is one of the hotspots when it comes to having some of the most ardent volleyball fans in the United States. From the Texas Longhorns to the LOVB Houston, there certainly isn’t any shortage of emphatic teams to fuel the love for the sport, either. And still, everything pales in comparison to Nebraska, often hailed as the Mecca of volleyball in the country. With the VNL 2025 failing to pull the crowd to the stands in Texas, fans opened the floodgates on the debate on whether the Cornhusker State should have been the place to host the international volleyball tournament.
On July 9, TEAM USA opened its VNL 2025 Week 3 by defeating Thailand 3-1. However, while the victory put the host nation one step closer to making it beyond the round-robin stage of the competition, the low number of fans showing up at the match was something that couldn’t be ignored. In a post on X from the previously mentioned date by Avid, more details on the attendance were shared.
“Tonight’s VNL match in Arlington had a reported attendance of 1753 (most of which were Thai fans),” read the social media post, underscoring how even the VNL 2025 didn’t manage to excite fans enough to make them rally behind the national team. But wait, there’s more. The post further added how the USA Volleyball didn’t even come close to replicating the success of the sport that the NCAA has been enjoying in recent years. “*38* NCAA teams have a higher average than that. *Every* PVF team averaged more than that,” the sighs were loud enough for anyone to take notice.
Tonight’s VNL match in Arlington had a reported attendance of 1753 (most of which were Thai fans)
*38* NCAA teams have a higher average than that.
*Every* PVF team averaged more than that.
LOVB doesn’t publish it.
The WNT deserves better @usavolleyball @volleyballworld
— Avid (@AvidVolley) July 10, 2025
Truth be told, the PVF (Pro Volleyball Federation) has found incredible success since its journey began in 2024. In Nebraska, the women’s pro league found incredible success, which resulted in the state recording some of the top attendance records at volleyball games in recent history. Moreover, it was here where the Nebraska Huskers made history: In 2023, a record 92,003 fans showed up at Memorial Stadium to watch the match between Nebraska and Omaha.
With that in mind, the fans couldn’t help but point out how the VNL 2025 would have fared much better than it is doing now, only if the USA Volleyball had decided to host the competition where the sport is genuinely adored. “Come over to Nebraska, preferably Lincoln!” one fan urged the country’s apex body for volleyball to reconsider its decision to make Arlington play host.
The story is developing
The post Fans Demand US Volleyball to Seek Nebraska’s Help Amid Ongoing VNL 2025 Attendance Struggle appeared first on EssentiallySports.