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![\"Four](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/articles-spikes-under-the-lights-2026-07-29.jpg\" "\\"Four")
<\/p>\nPublished on July 29, 2026<\/p>\n
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Full Day Productions<\/a> and GSE Worldwide (GSE)<\/a> announced the launch of Spikes Under the Lights, a premium women\u2019s college volleyball showcase debuting Thursday, August 27 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. In a first for the sport, the inaugural event will feature a $1 million prize pool – the largest ever awarded in women\u2019s college sports – as four of the nation\u2019s top programs, Nebraska, Penn State, SMU, and Florida, compete in a high-stakes, primetime showdown.<\/p>\n The three-hour event will air live in primetime on a major national network, placing women\u2019s college volleyball on one of the largest stages in sports and entertainment. Broadcast partner details will be announced in the coming weeks. Spikes Under the Lights will mark a historic milestone as the first women\u2019s college sporting event to be staged at AT&T Stadium, and one of the first women\u2019s sporting events of any kind to take place in an NFL venue.<\/p>\n The event will feature a single-night, high-intensity competition format with two semifinal matchups followed by a championship final, all played in a best-of-three set structure designed for broadcast. The showcase will mark the first volleyball event of its kind at AT&T Stadium, one of the most iconic venues in sports with a capacity of up to 100,000, with a scalable configuration designed to optimize both in-stadium atmosphere and broadcast presentation.<\/p>\n From the producers behind the ESPY Awards, NFL Honors, Met Gala\u2019s livestream and Netflix\u2019s first live tennis event, The Netflix Slam, Full Day Productions has built a reputation for producing premium, culturally resonant broadcasts. With Spikes Under the Lights, the company is making a deliberate move beyond production, identifying the rapid rise of women\u2019s college volleyball and strategically investing in the creation of its own IP.<\/p>\n \u201cSpikes Under the Lights represents a pivotal shift in how Full Day goes to market. We\u2019re not just showing up as a service provider, but as the equity investor; driving the total experience as the ultimate value creation vehicle,\u201d said Nickole Tara, Chief Business Officer, Words + Pictures & Full Day Productions. \u201cThis showcase isn\u2019t just about the competition on the court; it\u2019s about<\/p>\n building a property with real prize money, real stakes, and a reputation that compounds year over year. We believe that growth begins when you move from renting a seat at the table to building your own.\u201d<\/p>\n GSE Worldwide has built a diversified portfolio of owned and operated event IP across sports and entertainment, including the Pickleball Slam, Major League Pickleball, the Champions Series, and the World Series of Beach Volleyball. As part of its broader platform, the company identifies high-growth categories and invests in creating premium live experiences that extend beyond competition into culture. With fully integrated capabilities across production, distribution, partnerships, and commercialization, GSE is focused on developing scalable properties that engage audiences and deliver long-term enterprise value.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen\u2019s volleyball has been building momentum for years, and we believe it is one of the most compelling growth stories in sports today,\u201d said Jon Venison, Head of Productions at GSE Worldwide. \u201cWhen you bring together top programs, a national broadcast window on a major network, a meaningful financial incentive, and a venue like AT&T Stadium, you\u2019re not just hosting an event, you\u2019re helping enhance the future of women\u2019s volleyball. This is exactly the type of owned live events we are focused on building as we continue to expand our platform.\u201d<\/p>\n Women\u2019s college volleyball is experiencing a surge across attendance, viewership, and athlete visibility, creating a clear market opportunity. Spikes Under the Lights is designed to meet that demand at scale, pairing elite competition with meaningful investment and premium presentation.<\/p>\n In addition to the on-court action, fans can expect a fully immersive in-stadium experience, with enhanced production elements, premium broadcast production, and a live entertainment component.<\/p>\n The inaugural lineup brings together powerhouse programs and emerging contenders:<\/p>\n
The showcase will highlight some of the sport\u2019s brightest stars, including Nebraska standout Harper Murray, one of the most prominent NIL athletes in women\u2019s college sports, alongside a roster of top-tier talent.<\/p>\n Spikes Under the Lights is designed as an annual tentpole event, an owned and operated franchise that will evolve year over year with a rotating field of top programs, emerging rivalries, and returning stars.<\/p>\n
\nNebraska \u2014 a perennial title contender with one of the sport\u2019s most passionate fan bases
\nPenn State \u2014 a legacy program with a championship pedigree
\nFlorida \u2014 a nationally recognized powerhouse
\nSMU \u2014 a rising program gaining national momentum
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