Nebraska, Texas Will Kick Off the 2026 Season in Las Vegas

In a city full of glitz and glamour, Nebraska will begin its season with one of the marquee matches of the 2026 season. 

The Huskers will play rival Texas at the T-Mobile Center on Sunday, Aug. 30, as part of the first-ever Players Era Volleyball Showcase. NU will open the season the day before with a match against UNLV. TCU will also participate in the event with matches against Texas and UNLV.

Teams will also have a chance to win a share of $1 million in NIL opportunities. Broadcast and ticket information will be released at a later date. 

“Playing in the first volleyball Players Era event is an exciting opportunity for our program,” Nebraska head coach Dani Busboom Kelly said in a release. “Nebraska wants to be at the forefront of new events and opportunities for our players and our sport. Having the opportunity to face our long-standing rival, Texas, is the icing on the cake. 

“Not only will Vegas be an amazing location to start our season, playing UNLV and Texas will set a tone from the beginning. We want to thank MGM Resorts and Players Era for believing in volleyball and Nebraska to make this event possible.”

T-Mobile Arena has a capacity of 18,000 and can be expanded to 20,000 with standing-room tickets. It is home to the Las Vegas Golden Knights, which means the Huskers will play in venues that are the primary homes of NFL, NHL and MLB teams this fall. 

Texas went 23-3 a year ago, was the SEC Tournament runner-up and advanced to the Regional Final for the 18th time over the last 20 seasons. TCU went 21-11 last year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. UNLV went 13-15 in 2025. 

The match is part of what NU associate head coach Jaylen Reyes called the “traveling circus” during the first two weeks of the season. 

After the Huskers play an exhibition at AT&T Stadium with Florida, SMU and Penn State, they head west to Las Vegas. Then NU goes to South Dakota State on Wednesday, Sept. 2, before heading to Chicago for a pair of matches. The Huskers will face DePaul at the 10,000-seat WinTrust Arena on Friday, Sept. 4 and then play Missouri at Wrigley Field two days later. 

Nebraska will host home matches the following weekend, with Baylor and New Mexico coming to Lincoln. The Huskers are also expected to play Creighton at Pinnacle Bank Arena during the nonconference season. 

NU has faced TCU twice in program history, most recently in 2024, and has never played UNLV.

The Huskers lead the overall series against Texas 33-25. The former Big 12 rivals have met five times in the postseason since the Huskers left the league in 2011. NU won the 2015 national championship match over the Longhorns, while UT got its revenge with a sweep for the 2023 title. They also met twice in 2021, with Texas winning in April as part of the bubble NCAA Tournament at the CHI Health Center in Omaha. However, Nebraska answered with a four-set win in Austin, Texas, in the regional finals. 

The Longhorns hold a 7-3 advantage since the schools stopped playing conference matches. Their last regular-season meeting was in 2016, when No. 1 Nebraska swept No. 2 Texas on Aug. 27 at the Nike VERT Challenge in Eugene, Oregon.

“Burnt Orange and Husker red in Vegas – the volleyball world will be watching,” Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “We are beyond excited to rekindle the biggest rivalry in college volleyball as Texas and Nebraska meet on one of the biggest stages imaginable in Las Vegas. The passion, tradition, energy, and fan support behind both programs make this something truly special for the entire volleyball world. This is going to be an unforgettable atmosphere, and I encourage fans to get their tickets now because this event will sell out fast. Vegas. Texas. Nebraska. Prime time. The biggest rivalry in college volleyball.”