January 31, 2024

As a part of the AVCA’s previously announced partnership expansion with Volleyball World, AVCA members can begin taking advantage of their 1-year exclusive access to VBTV’s Video on Demand (VOD) content on Feb. 6. VBTV’s VOD content includes full indoor and beach matches available right after the match ends, highlights, original series, interviews, and more. How to access your free subscription:

• All AVCA members will receive an email from digital@volleyball.world on Feb. 6. To ensure receipt, designate digital@volleyball.world as a “safe sender.”
• Follow the steps in the email to create you AVCA-sponsored free account.

Not a member and want to take advantage of this amazing member benefit? Join the AVCA by March 24, 2024, to be included. 

The first record has been broken as 11,624 fans filled the CHI Center in Omaha for the first match in Pro Volleyball Federation history. The attendance mark from the contest between the Atlanta Vibe and Omaha Supernovas sets a record for a women’s professional volleyball match in the United States. The Vibe took the Supernovas to five sets for a 3-2 win. Watch the replay on YouTube!

Current league standings here. Up next on the Pro Volleyball Federation schedule:

• Thursday, Feb. 1: San Diego Mojo at Atlanta Vibe 7:00 PM ET

• Saturday, Feb. 3: San Diego Mogo at Omaha Supernovas 7:00 PM ET

• Wednesday, Feb. 7: Vegas Thrill at Omaha Supernovas 8:00 PM ET

Another Pro Volleyball Federation team has announced their name and logo: the Indy Ignite will compete in Indianapolis beginning in the 2025 season.

2024 VNL 2024 Match Schedule Released

The top teams on the planet will battle in the last major event before the Paris Olympics. The 16 women’s and men’s national teams will compete from May 14 to June 30, with 104 matches in each gender taking place across nine different countries.

Watch the VNL 2024 on VBTV! The U.S. will host women’s matches in Arlington, Texas May 28-June 2.

After announcing its recent inclusion to the HBCU Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) as a member of the NAIA, Wilberforce University adds women’s volleyball and soccer to its athletics department lineup beginning in the 2024-2025 season.

Regent University (NCCAA) has announced the addition of men’s volleyball beginning in the 2024–25 season. Katelyn Totherow, current women’s volleyball head coach, will also lead the men’s program. The addition of the program is in line with the university’s pursuit of NCAA Division III membership.

Wingate University announces addition of beach volleyball as 26th intercollegiate sport; Hannah Givens named head coach. The inaugural Wingate women’s beach volleyball season will begin in the spring of 2025. Wingate now gives the South Atlantic Conference four schools with beach volleyball, joining Carson-Newman, Catawba and Tusculum. More here.

The DIII Women’s Volleyball championship will be broadcast on ESPN+ as part of the NCAA’s new ESPN media deal (see page 5 for details). The DIII Presidents and Management Council noted adding women’s volleyball supports the division’s commitment to gender equity.

The 38th annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day is Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024! This celebration encourages girls and women to play and be active, and honors coaches working daily to inspire female athletes and promote play. Get involved!

The AVCA is now accepting nominations for the 2024 AVCA Boys Watch Lists: Senior athletes will be added to AVCA Boys High School All-America Watch List. Non-senior high school athletes will be featured on the AVCA High Risers List. Please nominate all of your deserving athletes to ensure they are recognized and we bring more attention to the sport!

Learn from the best and attend a high school volleyball coaches clinic near you hosted by AVCA Signature and Affiliate Partners. Check out the full schedule and find registration info here! Coming soon:

• AHSAA (Alabama) – February 6
• MHSVCA (Missouri) – February 23-24
• SDVBCA (South Dakota) – March 22-23

AVCA Players of the Week

• National Collegiate Men
• Division III Men

Where to Watch This Week’s Top Matches

Check back here each week to see a list with television and/or streaming info for matches between teams ranked in the AVCA polls!

The NAIA announced that it has selected Greeneville, Tennessee and the Greene County Partnership to be the host of the 2024 and 2025 NAIA Beach Volleyball National Invitational. The 2024 event (April 25-27) will be the third that the sport will have in invitational status, after having grown from emerging status.

The finishing touches are being made to Mt. San Antonio College’s new Beach Volleyball facility and adjacent Wildlife Sanctuary. The new home of the Beach Volleyball team has six regulation courts, a multimedia LED scoreboard, broadcasting capabilities, and much more.

Wisconsin Parkside Athletics announces first-ever endowed scholarship: Through the generosity of Nancy & Terry Paulson, the Parkside Volleyball Endowed Leadership Scholarship will support Ranger student-athletes who demonstrate leadership ability, earn the respect of their teammates, and display pride for the University and volleyball program.

USA Volleyball Indoor NTDP has Big Things Planned for 2024 USA Volleyball is proud to announce that, starting in 2024, it will provide a dedicated pool of funds to assist athletes participating in NTDP events to overcome financial barriers. Athletes and their families will be able to apply for financial assistance to attend NTDP events.

USA Volleyball Ramps up Beach NTDP Programming for 2024 Training series, accelerators and major collegiate events are all part of the mix in 2024. Training Series give invited junior athletes the chance to train with and compete against some of the best athletes in the United States while receiving guidance from top coaches.

Todos Somos Voleibol hosts Marco Gracia Hinojos and Ruth Nelson organized a special recognition of the 60th anniversary of Olympic Women’s Volleyball. Guests included 1964 and 1968 USA Women’s National Team members, plus tributes from Yasuko Miyajima, Karch Kiraly, Dr. Terry Liskeyvych, and many more. Watch the recording!

USA Volleyball is set to celebrate some of the sport’s greatest athletes, coaches, officials and leaders at its 2024 Hall of Fame annual banquet and ceremony on May 22 – one day before the 2024 USA Volleyball Open National Championship starts in Columbus. Two beach volleyball greats will receive the All-Time Great Player Award at the ceremony: Dain Blanton and Karolyn Kirby. Read more.

It is important to build time into your practice for training technique and maximizing reps, however it’s fun to challenge your players with collaborative and competitive drills from the beginning of practice. Here are five non-scoring team drills to encourage challenging and fun practices.

A pre-tournament practice is critical for the team to perform their best. All of the heavy work should be conducted during earlier practices. Here are some keys to focus on during a practice before a tournament.

Volleyball in the Media

• AP: US women’s professional volleyball void is filled, and possibly overflowing, with 3 upstart leagues
• The Athletic: How a women’s pro volleyball league has gained support from Olympians to Joe Burrow
• NPR: The Pro Volleyball Federation for women debuts and draws a record crowd
• Politico: College sports giants struggle to get rescued by Congress – latest on proposals to legislate NIL

Volleyball MasterCoaches – Wednesday Weekly Buzz

This week our guest will be Bill Carter, the foremost expert on educating athletes, administrators and parents on NIL. We will discuss the new developments since he was last on the show. Then we will switch gears for our Buzz Reaction and the MasterCoaches will react to this past week’s PVF inaugural season with Executive Director of the PVF Jen Spicher. Tune in on Facebook or at volleyballmastercoaches.com. Coaches can also listen to our new podcast series on iTunes.

Volleyball Coaches Insider – latest educational content includes:

• Ball Control 1-on-1 Drill with Megan Wargo-Kearney – North Carolina State Univ.

• Shuttle Passing Drill with Melissa Wolter – Univ. of West Florida

• 2-Step Swing Drill with Matt Darling – Gannon Univ.

• Click here for more Volleyball articles and videos!

The online AVCA Career Center allows job posters to advertise a job opening, search resumes, manage candidates, and market open positions. Job seekers have the opportunity to post a resume, search for open positions, create job alert notifications, and access free career management resources. Recent posts include:

• Head Women’s Volleyball Coach – Missouri University of Science & Technology
• Assistant Coach Volleyball – Seton Hall University
• Assistant Women’s Volleyball Coach – Coastal Carolina University
• Director of Volleyball Operations – Texas Christian University
• Head Coach, Volleyball – Navarro College
• Prep Dig Volleyball Business Development Manager – Prep Network LLC
• Head JV/Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach – Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart

Coaching Hires and Contracts

Contact Alice Rogers to report a coaching transaction for At the Net.

Wingate University alum Hannah Givens will be the first head coach of beach volleyball. The inaugural Wingate women’s beach volleyball season will begin in the spring of 2025.

Alicia Roth announced as Head Coach of Jacksonville University Volleyball.

Rocky Mountain College Athletics is excited to announce the hiring of Aubrey Beaumont as the Battlin’ Bears’ next head volleyball coach.

Wheaton College has named Eric Plunkett as the head coach of the Wheaton volleyball team.

Goldey-Beacom names Alexa Poss as new volleyball coach.

Portland State Head Volleyball Coach Michael Seemann signs extension through 2026 season. Seemann, who will enter his 18th season at the helm this fall, has guided the Vikings to eight 20-win seasons, five Big Sky regular-season titles and a pair of conference tournament titles.

Eastern Illinois athletics has announced the finalization of long term contracts for four head coaches, including volleyball coach Sara Thomas. This past season the Panthers won 28 matches and swept the OVC tournament winning all three matches.

The first stop on the inaugural German Snow Volleyball Tour sparked excitement on the slopes of the Allgau Alps last weekend. Four men’s teams took part in the historic event. The next event is set to take place Feb. 10-11, and the finals will be held in Oberstaufen Feb. 24-25. Both men’s and women’s teams are invited to sign up for the competition.