Florida drops exhibition vs Nebraska in historic preseason matchup

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Florida volleyball took on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in front of a packed house at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday night in the Spikes Under the Lights exhibition match. It was the first time ever that collegiate or professional volleyball was played in an NFL stadium while also marking the first time volleyball was broadcast live on TNT.

The 17th-ranked Gators were unable to take a set in the best-of-three format against the top-ranked Huskers, but were still able to make things interesting, with 18 ties and 10 lead changes across the match. Nebraska earned a narrow 21-19 victory in the first set while taking the second set, 21-18.

Logan King paced the Orange and Blue offensively with nine kills on a .350 hitting percentage, adding a solo block and a block assist for a team-high 10.5 points. Selena Leban added five kills and an ace, while Parks led the offense with 17 assists.

Defensively, Lily Hayes led the team with six digs, while Taylor Parks and King each added five of Florida's 23 total digs. The Gators finished with 3.5 team blocks, King contributing 1.5 of those.

"This was an unbelievable opportunity and we're so honored to have been invited and a part of it. It was pretty neat," head coach Ryan Theis said. "You never know how these are going to feel or look, and they did a great job. It was a great event."

Next up, Florida opens its regular-season schedule against the Stony Brook Seawolves at the O'Connell Center on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 1 p.m. ET. The Gators will be seeking their seventh straight home-opening victory.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida drops exhibition vs Nebraska in historic preseason matchup

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