Wrigley Field volleyball match between Nebraska and Missouri postponed after humidity leads to wild towel effort

Nebraska and Missouri tried to play a volleyball match at Wrigley Field on Sunday night in what seemed like a fun, unique battle for the two programs as part of the Big Ten-SEC Volleyball Challenge.

It was just way, way too hot and humid in Chicago for the game to work.

The Big Ten suspended the match after a long delay on Sunday night, ending the contest early in front of a sold-out crowd at Wrigley Field. It's unclear when the match will be played between the two schools, if at all.

"Due to weather conditions affecting the court surface, Sunday's volleyball match between Nebraska and Missouri has been suspended," the Big Ten said in a statement. "Despite best efforts and in collaboration with all parties, rescheduling at Wrigley Field is not possible. A decision on match continuation at the point of suspension will be announced at a later date."

The court, which was built in the outfield of the Chicago Cubs' iconic ballpark, was incredibly slippery throughout the match. Just three points into the opening set, everybody stopped, grabbed a towel and started wiping the floor, players included.

They even started pulling up the floor decals, trying everything to make the court less slippery so it could be played on. It was quite the scene.

That seemed to do the trick, and play quickly resumed after that. At least, it did briefly.

Towels were being brought out constantly as humidity levels in Chicago were pushing 80%. Play stopped again when Nebraska jumped up 11-7 in the first set for another floor cleaning, though it was far less eventful as the first one was. Instead of cleaning the court, players from both teams started doing the "Cupid Shuffle" together. The vibes, even though volleyball wasn't being played, were incredibly high.

Eventually, after a long delay, officials opted to simply postpone the match for the night. There was a contingency plan that included playing on Monday night if needed due to weather, but the teams won't return on Monday. It's unclear if they will get to resume the match at any point this season.

No. 1 Nebraska's match with Missouri came after No. 3 Kentucky beat No. 13 Penn State in the first game of the doubleheader, which marked the first volleyball matches ever held at Wrigley Field. The first contest went off without a hitch.

While it was a great idea, and players seemed to have fun across the board despite all of the delays, volleyball at Wrigley Field just didn't work out on Sunday night.