Tale of Two Cities

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was volleyball, it was basketball, it was a match that will be forever memorable, it was a game that will be immediately forgotten ...

The day started with a volleyball match in Lincoln.  I was able to add women's volleyball to the list of NCAA tournament events I have photographed (along with baseball, men's and women's basketball, and men's soccer) by shooting the Regional semifinal match between Penn State and Nebraska before 8,000 fans who showed up for a Friday morning 11am match.  

Penn State won the first two sets overcoming late Nebraska leads in both sets and the Nittany Lions had two match points in the third set before Nebraska roared back to take the set.  The winning point in the third set created one of the loudest arena noises I can ever remember.  Nebraska took the fourth set, setting up a fifth set where the noise got louder with each Nebraska point peaking at match point. Nebraska's coach said afterwards he couldn't ever remember being in a louder building.

I will remember this match for being one of the most spirited and loudest crowds I have witnessed as a photographer, ranking with Doug McDermott's Senior Day game when he scored his 3,000th career point and the 2011 Nebraska v Ohio State game when Nebraska scored the final four touchdowns to win.

This volleyball match will be an instant classic.

Leaving Lincoln, I headed back to Omaha for a basketball game between Creighton and Longwood.  Go ahead, look it up, the school does exist.  Creighton broke an arena record for most points in the first half and cruised to a 113-58 very lopsided win.  Creighton had nine dunks, eleven layups, made 12 three-point shots, and dominated in just about every aspect of the game.  For me, the photograph highlights of the game came during breaks from faces in the crowd and the contests on the court. One of the first images picked up on the wire services from the game was of a fan in an ugly Christmas suit.

This basketball game should be immediately forgotten, although the ugly Christmas suit might become an instant classic.

To finish off the day/night, I ventured over to the downtown mall area to capture some of the one million lights put up by the city for the holiday season. 

It was a long day, it had memorable moments, it had forgettable moments ...