Nebraska’s Capital City Proves It Belongs on the World Stage

The fourth weekend of August was an epic one in Lincoln, Nebraska. 
 

Over the span of four days, the state’s second most populous city hosted the 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association’s First Serve at Pinnacle Bank Arena, a hugely popular eight-team event with national television coverage by ESPN, FOX, FS1 and the Big Ten Network, as well as the Lauf Gravel Worlds 2025 gravel cycling and running championships, which brought nearly 2,400 participants from 48 states, 22 countries and six continents to the capital city. 
 

Both the AVCA and Gravel Worlds events were held during the weekend of August 20 through 24, and they further established Lincoln (already a major sports tourism destination) as a serious player on the world stage. 
 

“The number of national and international visitors we had in Lincoln over the course of four days was probably unmatched,” says Derek Bombeck, director of Sports for Visit Lincoln, adding that the two events combined for an estimated economic impact of $5 million ($2 million for Gravel Worlds and $3 million for AVCA’s First Serve), which is on par with a University of Nebraska home football game.
 

“I was out at the gravel race at about 5 in the morning and then left straight from there to meet with some of our volleyball clients who were in town,” recalls Bombeck. “Then I was at volleyball events until 11 at night. I kept doing that all weekend.” 
 

It’s a schedule Bombeck better get used to; Lincoln will host two more major events with overlapping dates again next year. 
 

The 2026 National High School Finals Rodeo will be back in town at the Sandhills Global Event Center from July 19 through 25, while the 2026 WIAWIS USA Archery Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) Target Nationals & JOAD U.S. Open will be held at the Lincoln Sports Foundation indoor/outdoor sports complex from July 23 through 26.
 

“It’s all about putting on great signature events in Lincoln,” Bombeck says. 
 

Volleyball and Gravel 

There’s no denying that Lincoln is, as Bombeck calls it, “the volleyball capital of the world.” 
 

After all, what other city in the United States could host a collegiate volleyball match in a Big Ten football stadium and bring in more than 92,000 fans, as “Volleyball Day in Nebraska” did at Memorial Stadium in 2023? That event, in which the Nebraska Cornhuskers defeated the Omaha Mavericks in three straight sets, posted a new world record for attendance at a women’s sports event. 
 

“The university’s volleyball program is fantastic with its fan support,” Bombeck says. “Nebraska leads the country in volleyball sellouts, with a very knowledgeable fan base. So people love to come to Nebraska to host volleyball events because they know they’re going to get support from the entire state.” 
 

That’s why it’s no surprise that 45,000 tickets were sold for the AVCA First Serve, which featured the first six matches of the 2025 NCAA Division I women’s volleyball season at the 15,300-seat Pinnacle Bank Arena. Even more impressive: Almost one-quarter of all tickets were sold outside of Nebraska, with 11 percent of tickets sold to fans located more than 400 miles from Lincoln. 
 

The event also attracted representatives of some of the top volleyball organizations in the country, including USA Volleyball, the Pro Volleyball Federation, Athletes Unlimited and League One Volleyball (LOVB). 
 

The city also hosted an AVCA Block Party each day, allowing fans unable to get tickets to still experience the event’s atmosphere and watch games on a simulcast. 
 

“This was one of the biggest events I’ve ever been part of hosting,” Bombeck says. “People traveled a long way to Lincoln specifically to see this event. We want everyone in the country to see why Lincoln is the volleyball capital of the world, and every time they are looking to host an event, we want them to think of Lincoln first. It was great stepping stone for future events.”
 

In another part of the city that weekend, the multi-purpose Sandhills Global Event Center was headquarters for Gravel Worlds. Formerly known as the Lancaster Event Center, the expansive facility is in the midst of a massive infrastructure update that will allow Gravel Worlds and other events even more room and flexibility. 
 

“Lincoln has become the de facto home of this event,” Bombeck says. “There are other gravel racing events across the country, but we’re looking to become the largest gravel cycling event in the world within the next five years.”
 

Gravel Worlds participants take on the rolling, scenic backroads of Lincoln’s Lancaster County (as well as three other counties) across cycling distances of 75, 150 and 300 miles and running options ranging from 5k to 50k. The 2025 event also donated $100,000 to support bike- and fitness-related nonprofits and advocacy groups.
 

“A cool aspect of this event is that it is streamed all over the world on the Gravel Worlds YouTube channel and has professional riders in studio announcing the event. Live broadcasts start at 5:45 a.m.,” Bombeck says. “If you watch the Tour de France, it provides viewers that kind of access to the riders.” 
 

Lincoln will host Gravel Worlds again next year, during which organizers hope to make the event safer than ever by posting traffic officials at every intersection to ascertain participants can navigate their routes without interruption. The course will change, too, thanks to the area’s diverse landscape. 
 

“Lincoln and Lancaster County have excellent gravel roads that are maintained properly,” Bombeck says. “We also have incredible community support. When you have races going up to 300 miles, it’s truly a statewide effort. And it starts and ends in Lincoln. We want to make sure the event stays here for years to come.” 
 

That’s Not All 

In addition to the AVCA First Serve and Gravel Worlds, Lincoln welcomed several other major national events in 2025. They included: 
 

• The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open, the second major event of this year’s Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour, was held at Sun Valley Lanes & Games from June 10 through 17. This was the venue’s sixth time hosting a PWBA Tour event since 2015, and a field of 108 of the world’s best female bowlers participated in the 56-game marathon. 
   

• The 2025 Tire Rack Sports Car Club of America Solo National Championships rolled into Lincoln Airpark over Labor Day weekend for a return engagement. The spacious airpark was transformed into an autocross venue for high-end and special-built cars to race on temporary circuits, and the event attracted more than 1,000 drivers. 
   

• The 2025 Lincoln Challenger, part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour and the United States Tennis Association Pro Circuit, took place at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center at the University of Nebraska from October 12 through 19. Professional tennis returned to Lincoln for the first time in almost 50 years in 2024 with the first iteration of the Lincoln Challenger. 

On top of all that, the Sandhills Global Youth Complex is completing its first full year as a large-scale baseball and softball destination. With eight lighted, all-turf fields designed for use by community members as well as national travel teams, the facility had hosted 2,300 games by mid-July, with another 600 events scheduled for the rest of the year, according to Bombeck. 

The complex also is home to Nebraska Wesleyan University’s baseball and softball teams and includes fields designed for hosting games and tournaments for players of all backgrounds and abilities. Due to the multi-purpose nature of the complex, fall use will include soccer, as well.

“Overall, great things are happening in the world of sports in Lincoln,” Bombeck says. SDM