The SMU volleyball team will participate in the Spikes Under the Lights event on Aug. 27 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys and nine FIFA World Cup matches this summer. The event will feature Nebraska, Penn State, Florida, and SMU competing for a $1 million prize pool. Each team is set to receive $200,000, with an additional $200,000 awarded to the winner.
“I’m just thrilled. I think it is an arriving moment for SMU volleyball, for women’s college volleyball, and for women’s sports,” said SMU head coach Sam Erger. “It’s a huge deal. There’s a massive payout, at least by college volleyball standards, and it’s just going to be a really exciting thing that we are honored to help kick off.”
Erger said that when news of the event became official, players were eager to share their excitement about participating in such a significant competition this season. “We told our team a little bit. They’ve known about it secretly, just that it was sort of in the works,” Erger said. “To see their faces light up because they have an idea of how big of a deal this is … the excitement is palpable.” She added that being invited to play at AT&T Stadium felt like “a dream come true” after seeing Nebraska and Omaha break attendance records with over 92,000 fans at Memorial Stadium in 2023.
This season’s schedule also includes participation in the inaugural Paradise Invitational in the Bahamas—the first destination tournament for volleyball—and marks SMU’s debut appearance in AVCA First Serve. “Athletes want to be attending schools that are a part of these things,” Erger said. “You want to be at programs that push boundaries and go to the Paradise Invitational and First Serve Showcase, and that’s what we’re all about.” The fields for all three events include recent national champions as well as perennial powerhouses.
SMU’s challenging schedule features matchups against Texas during Showdown at the Net as Atlantic Coast Conference teams face Southeastern Conference opponents.
Looking ahead, Erger emphasized both growth opportunities for her athletes and broader impacts on local youth: “The little girls and their parents around Dallas will surely want to bring their kids out to see these girls perform… We’re starting the first event with a million dollars. What’s it going to be in 10 years? What’s it going to be in 15 years?”
