The SMU volleyball team added another first-of-its-kind event to its 2026 schedule when the Spikes Under the Lights event was announced earlier this month.

The event, which will take place on Aug. 27, at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys and nine FIFA World Cup matches this summer, will feature Nebraska, Penn State, Florida and the Mustangs competing for a $1 million prize pool. Each team will 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," SMU head coach Sam Erger said. "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."

When the event became a reality, the players wasted little time posting about it, adding one more thing to look forward to 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."

The opportunity is almost like a dream come true for Erger.

After Nebraska and Omaha broke the outdoor women's volleyball attendance record with more than 92,000 fans at Memorial Stadium in 2023, Erger's competitive side kicked in, and the wheels started to turn. 

Not many venues could fit that many people, but one that came to mind was AT&T Stadium. So when SMU was invited to participate in an event in its own backyard, the answer was an "immediate yes."

"Five years ago, I couldn't have imagined this, and then you start dreaming about it," Erger said. "Now it's real. I'm really excited that people believe we're at a place where this is a legitimate investment that's worthy and that we can go do something like this."

This season will also see the Mustangs in the inaugural Paradise Invitational, the first destination tournament for volleyball, in the Bahamas. SMU will also play in the AVCA First Serve for the first time in program history.

"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, national runners-up, perennial powerhouses and Final Four regulars — an impressive group for SMU to be included with.

"We're essential to college athletics. The SMU brand and volleyball are on the rise," Erger said. "It's a great decision, I think, to invite a mix of teams, some that have traditions, some that are really making new waves. I think it's great, and, again, I can't stop smiling about how exciting it is."

It will make for a challenging schedule that also includes facing Texas in the Showdown at the Net, as ACC teams face SEC opponents. 

But as both the sport and the program continue to grow, these are opportunities the Mustangs not only don't want to pass up but also want to embrace and be part of.

"People want to watch, get behind, and attend entertaining things and entertaining products," Erger said. "We're at a point where volleyball is that. Everyone that's involved in this event recognizes that and has put this together. And as much as we want to win a national championship and be great in December, which we absolutely do, this is still really important stuff."

It's also about creating opportunities. There are volleyball players who paved the way for these opportunities. SMU wants to be part of making sure those opportunities continue and grow for the next generation, especially with how big the sport of volleyball is in the city of Dallas.

"The little girls and their parents around Dallas will surely want to bring their kids out to see these girls perform, because a lot of their kids are on that same path," Erger said. "They're all playing volleyball — juniors and club — and these opportunities, they're only going to grow. 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?"