Listen To This Story
The Nebraska high school volleyball championships tip off Wednesday in Lincoln, and this year's tournament marks 50 years of high school volleyball in the state – coinciding with 50 years of the landmark Title IX law.
“50 years is really not that long," said Jennifer Schwartz, an associate director at the Nebraska School Activities Association. She oversees high school volleyball in the state, and for her, this state volleyball tournament is special.
“It’s a significant milestone in our history as female athletes," she said. "The fact that it coincides with the 50th year of Title IX is pretty special, too.”
Title IX is the landmark federal law that protects rights on the basis of sex. And the NSAA has a host of events lined up to commemorate the 50th anniversary, including recognizing referees who’ve served more than 25 years and other major contributors to volleyball.
There will, of course, be regularly scheduled state tournament matches. Face masks will be required this year, but Schwartz said it will be a nice bounce back year after cutting capacity to 25% last year.
“I hate to jinx us, but two years ago, right before the pandemic, we had hit record attendance," she said. "So I’m looking forward to maybe exceeding that mark again.”
The six classes – from A to D2 – will tip off competition at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Championship games on Saturday will be played at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, while some third place games will be hosted by Lincoln Northeast High School. All six championship games on Saturday will be aired live on Nebraska Public Media.
