Tom's Take: Nebraska volleyball stopped. The Wrigley Field party didn’t

But that doesn’t mean the evening wasn’t a home run.

Nebraska’s match against Missouri at Wrigley Field ended in abrupt disappointment when the match was called because of court conditions.

It was the right call. It wasn’t worth endangering a player’s health on a slippery court just to complete a match. Goodness, as soon as Bergen Reilly slipped on the second point of the match, you couldn’t watch the rest of it without holding your breath or cringing.

There were other slips — on both sides of the net.

At one point, players were reluctant to jump at the net. NU’s Andi Jackson made a couple of kills simply by reaching up from her flat feet.

It didn’t take long for Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly to voice her concerns. DBK was up early talking to Big Ten officials. You can only imagine what was going through her head as she watched her players slip on the court.

Soon, the match was stopped so the court could be dried. The "ball boys" were on their hands and knees, wiping it down with towels.

Then Jackson began doing the same. So did a handful of Mizzou players.

Before you knew it, the court was covered with players from both teams on their hands and knees, drying the court.

Crazy? Yes. A bad look for the event? Perhaps.

But by then, it was too late to ruin a great evening for the sport and the schools involved. This was a home run in so many other ways.

The Fox TV cameras showed a packed house at Wrigley (thank you, Nebraska fans) in volleyball’s latest attempt to push the boundaries of the sport’s potential and appeal. With the court positioned behind second base and fans situated around it, the scene was surreal and big time.

Somehow, Kentucky and Penn State managed to get through a four-set match without a lot of noticeable slipping. But the volleyball itself took a back seat to the party around it.

On TV sets nationwide, you saw fans — young and old — having the time of their lives. Many weren’t even close to the court. They watched on the giant video screen in left field.

They were there to watch their teams. But it was also one of those events people attended because it was historic. And, of course, it was at Wrigley.

Everywhere you looked, you saw joy. And then, when the delays started, the concert and dance party began.

As the players stood to the side waiting during the delay, you could hear the fans singing in unison. Then both teams joined in.

Then they began dancing.

Fortunately, Fox stayed with the scene. What could have been a boring delay turned into a rock concert with the players leading the charge.

What the audience at home saw were two groups of young women making the best of a bad situation. It wasn’t time to sit and mope. It was time to party.

They saw that amazing people play this sport. Not spoiled, not entitled. Just normal college kids doing their thing.

Then things really got amazing.

After the suspension was announced over the public-address system, both teams came back to the court. With a handheld microphone, the four NU seniors spoke.

They thanked Nebraska and Missouri fans for coming out and making the evening special.

But that wasn’t it. Jackson took the microphone over to the Missouri team and began to sing. She encouraged the Tigers to join in.

They did.

Soon, both teams were together, singing.

Then they waved to each other and to the fans, and they were off.

Without question, there was disappointment.

If you had invested money in travel and tickets to see Nebraska play a match at Wrigley Field — including my wife, Jennifer — it was a bummer.

But all those Husker fans got their money’s worth in other ways.

They still got to see a volleyball match in one of the most iconic outdoor venues in sports. They got to see their team, dressed in red pinstripes, take the court and get several points in.

They were still able to witness volleyball at its best — on the court then away from it. It was a cool evening, all the way around.

Was this the last time at Wrigley? Probably.

Was this the last outdoor volleyball match? Maybe.

The organizers and Big Ten were reportedly prepared for slippage problems and had a special court made for the event. It didn’t matter. It didn’t make it through the first set of the second match.

It makes you appreciate how Nebraska got through the match at Memorial Stadium three years ago.

These events are good for volleyball and college sports. But if this is the last outdoor volleyball match, so be it. They’ve already proved they can do it outdoors.

It’s not worth endangering the health of the players. That always must come first before growing the game.

Something tells me that, even while suspended, Nebraska did that anyway.