Husker merch fuels Lincoln’s volleyball economic boost

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – As fans cheer for the Huskers volleyball team on Friday, businesses in Lincoln are seeing an increase in sales in Husker gear.

As the NCAA volleyball tournament begins, Lincoln could see the benefits.

With a No. 1 seed, if the Huskers make it past the first two rounds, they will host the Sweet 16 and Elite 8.

Local businesses like the Best of Big Red hope the tournament is a win for the community, both on and off the court.

“We’ve seen an uptick in all of our volleyball gear, jerseys, T-shirts,” general manager Joey Rupp said. “We just got the back-to-back T-shirts and hats in. Those are selling like crazy. Especially with the tournament being in town, we’ve seen a lot of traffic come in to get gear to go to the game.”

And with the demand for volleyball merchandise at an all-time high, businesses plan to keep up with the increase in sales.

“We win six national championships, it’s going to continue, you know, throughout the year,” Rupp said. “People are going to be buying stuff in the summer, next fall. They’re going to be just as pumped as they were this year for the volleyball team.”

Those who traveled far and wide to support the Huskers were buying their game day gear Friday.

Jay and Jane Ezier drove from Texas on Thursday night to head to Friday’s game and plan to go to Saturday night’s game as well.

“We’ve gone to three of the national championship,” Jane said.

With local businesses thriving, many are looking ahead to future events and hope a championship win will have a lasting impact on the economy.