The Wayne State College beach volleyball team is headed to the big city as they take on the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Nebraska for their season opener on Friday, Feb. 25 at 8 a.m. 

“Our only expectation is to compete,” Head Coach Scott Kneifl said. “Every time we get an opportunity to compete whether it’s inside on the hardwood or in the sand, we want to compete to the best of our abilities. We had a couple of groups play really close last time we played them, and we had one group beat them. Both of us have really nice players so it should be fun.,” 

The last time the programs met was March 5, 2020. The Wildcats were down 2-0, until rallying back and winning match #3 24-22 in the first set and 14-6 in the second; and the remaining two matches ended in the Cornhuskers winning the competition 4-1. 

The ‘Cats’ only home game this season, due to weather, is their last regular-season matchup vs Ottawa University (Kansas) on March 23. 

“It’s a little sad that we don’t get any home-court tournaments or games, but it is fun to travel to places like Florida and Arizona, and compete there,” Lauren Jacobsen said. “This is my last hurrah, so I’m looking forward to playing with my teammates and traveling with them one more time and making memories with them,”  

Besides Lincoln, the team will have a majority of their matchups in Central Arizona, and if all goes well, they will end the season in Tavares, Florida for the championship tournament. 

“I’m looking forward to going to Arizona,” Jessie Brandl said. “We went last year and thought it was super fun and such a beautiful place, so I think it is super exciting that we get to travel and play the game we love the most.”