The Fan’s Side of State Volleyball

November 09, 2026

By Riley Lawrence

When most people think of state volleyball, they probably think of the very intense games. But what most people do not think about is the experience that they have to plan out if they really want to have a good time.

One thing that most people do not think about until they get to it is the long car ride. The average car ride to Pinnacle Bank Arena from Pierce is two hours and 30 minutes. Most students prefer to carpool with their friends or ride with their parents in order to save gas, money, and to keep company. Other students, including the team, cheerleaders, and the band, also rode together on a bus.

“I feel like it is a good thing that we are able to ride as a team. We have a lot of fun, and we have very good conversations. We basically just get a trip to state as well," Eleanor Bauermeister, a sophomore cheerleader, said.

Whenever somebody tells you of a good time at a sporting event, most of the time it is due to the fact that they participated in fun activities before or after the game(s) or even both.

“Yeah, me, Noah, Aiden, Lawson, and Kendall went to Scheels before the game and went and looked around, and I looked at the Legos. After the game, we also went to Chick-fil-A,”  Gavin Lubischer, a senior, said.

Having state volleyball at Pinnacle Bank Arena is a huge plus for the experience because most people are able to go to places that are not around the Pierce area. Pinnacle Bank Arena also offers many things inside of the arena. 

Some of the things that Pinnacle Bank Arena offers are many different concession stands. Pinnacle Bank Arena has 15 different concession stands throughout the entirety of the arena. Some of these include Haymarket Place, State Fair, Capitol Terrace Grill, Sandhills BBQ, and a fan favorite, Valentino’s. 

Lincoln is full of many different food spots, especially many places that are not available in the Pierce County area. Some of these food spots include Chick-Fil-A, Old Chicago, and Buzzard Billy’s.

“Before I went to the game on Wednesday, a couple of my friends and I went over to Buzzard Billy’s to get some pregame food. I tried the alligator bites, and they were very good,” Brayden Wolken, a junior, said.

Although Pinnacle Bank Arena has many things to offer, the city of Lincoln also has many tourist attractions, food, and shopping spots throughout the city. 

Lincoln offers many different places where people can either go shopping or just hang out with friends. But Lincoln is very big and offers many sources of transportation if you do not want to drive a car. The most popular source of transportation is rentable electric scooters.

No matter the outcome, fans were still able to leave Lincoln with a positive day.