The Coaches Group Chat

S2E1: National Team Announcement, 2025 Predictions, and Gender Disparities in the Sport

• Matthew Houlihan, Arielle Houlihan, Chad Gordon • Season 2 • Episode 1

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Our latest episode is packed with predictions about the upcoming college volleyball season, covering everything from champion favorites to potential up-and-coming teams. With discussions on coaching changes, player developments, and the overall shifting landscape of the sport, we eagerly lay out our thoughts and invite listeners to join in on the excitement.

  • Discussion on Erik Sullivan's new role as head coach of the women's national team
  • Predictions for the MPSF Championship focusing on UCLA
  • Analyzing the competitive nature of the Big West Conference
  • Delving into MIVA Championship predictions with emphasis on Ball State 
  • Insights on the most improved teams and players to watch 
  • Conversations about the impact of coaches switching from men's to women's volleyball 
  • Light-hearted discussion on teams embodying grit and spirit this season
Arielle:

Okay, season two is brought to you by nobody currently.

Chad:

Non-disclosure agreements only Could be you.

Arielle:

We've said no to everybody so far.

Chad:

Money is no object.

Matt:

Money is the only object Except it is exactly an object that we are looking for Give it to us. We take Venmo.

Arielle:

This is the best pitch deck of all time. This is the best pitch deck of all time.

Matt:

Before we get into the prediction episode, can we briefly chat about the news of the day today?

Arielle:

Since it's going to drop tomorrow, john Wallace's best friend got the national team job.

Matt:

Congratulations to John Wallace on being named the head coach of the women's national team.

Chad:

Best friend of the head coach of the women's national team, best friend of the head coach of the women's national team.

Matt:

It's kind of like the assistant to the regional manager, that's. John Wallace, now Eric Sullivan named head coach of the women's national team Chad. You called it not the Vegas odds favorite here. What?

Chad:

do you think you called it? No, I called it not the Vegas odds favorite. That's what he. You think you called it? No, I, I called it, not the vegas.

Arielle:

That's what that's what he texted saying this is not the vegas pick.

Chad:

I don't think you called it no, I don't, I mean this, I think solely was like on people's list somewhere, but like, not probably in like a podium finish, um. So again, obviously, like you know, I met him for the first time, uh, you know, a couple weeks ago and yeah, he went on a bourbon tasting tour with us. Wait, yeah, you were there, he was there I was not there for that yeah, you guys, you guys declined that guy was holding in all those secrets while we were tasting that.

Chad:

That's old forester, that's definitely true. Um, and yeah, I mean again like he seems like a great guy. I've heard a lot of people speak really highly of him, but you know, I'm sure that they reached out to dan fisher, reached out to hamley, reached out to I mean probably reached out to Hambly, reached out to I mean probably not like John Cook, but like some of these coaches. And so I just I wonder, you know, hey look, I'm just, I'm really happy at my university, I'm really secure. I make probably more money than this position pays anyway. So, as prestigious as it would be to, you know, be doing, be doing this, going into LA oh, you think he was an?

Matt:

option.

Chad:

A, you know, know I I don't want to imply, but I thought we were going to hear about this a couple weeks ago yeah, yeah, that's true. Um, and my, my guess I thought it was going to be fisher, or hamley probably, and I just wonder if the money wasn't there or the the situation wasn't there, yeah, so he did.

Matt:

He does check off a lot of the boxes that we oh 100 percent.

Chad:

yeah, like 100% yeah.

Matt:

Like international experience. I think obviously LA 2028, they wanted an American, they got their guy, in that sense for sure.

Arielle:

I mean, he's been working with Sparrow, with men's, for years. So, I think that it kind of makes sense now looking at it.

Chad:

Specifically that everyone is UCLA Sparrow UCLA, you got Eric UCLA, you got Karch UCLA, Just everyone is ucla sparrow, ucla you got eric ucla, you got carts ucla, just a bunch of bunch of bruins in there, interesting, yeah, I mean that's probably the knock right if you're, if you're scrolling through volley talk today not that I was, of course but like you know, it's a username, it's the old chad cornyn.

Matt:

There you go. I respect that going to be on Volitalk like own it.

Chad:

Own it with your name. Yeah, I'm not, I'm not out here to like troll people or anything. Um what? Yeah, you can go look, I don't, I don't, I don't do much.

Arielle:

Uh, so it has seven other usernames.

Chad:

Kevin conversations with himself. I'm really good at this, yeah, uh, but you know, I think the knock was like, hey, this is a old boys club kind of thing, uh. And also maybe you know, hey, look, he's been on these rosters before. But you know, hey, what does the team manager do or what is you know whatever his title is on these squads, but at the end of the day, like he's been to two olympics, he's, you know, been on staff recently. Yep, uh, not as a player, obviously, like yeah this guy knows what's going on.

Chad:

He knows what's going to be, you know, expected in these gyms and yeah, you know I. I hope he brings some more of that men's side stuff to to the women's game. I would love to see that, so for sure we will see I don't think any of these hires have been bad hires.

Arielle:

I will say like, yes, old boys club can be said about all of this. I get why people say that, but from my perspective on this, I think CEO of USA Volleyball men's national team, women's national team, all of these to me look like pretty good hires here.

Chad:

Yeah, I don't disagree.

Arielle:

So I think the game goes in a good direction, hopefully under all of this leadership.

Matt:

There you go, spraw Spraw off to a hot start on the hiring for sure. Shall we get into our predictions. First episode of the year is usually how we began last season too.

Arielle:

We annually do this In all of the years that we've been doing this we always start with predictions. We definitely nailed it last year. We just decided to record it now.

Matt:

Yes, let's get into it. Mpsf Champion is the first item on the docket. Chad, you want to kick us off on this one?

Chad:

UCLA- UCLA, all right and moving on.

Matt:

And the Dark Horse.

Arielle:

Wait, do you have a different one?

Matt:

No, it's UCLA for me. But I will add in one note the preseason poll has USC at two. It's got. Let me see here, Let me pull up the exact info BYU at three, Pep at four, Grand Canyon at five, Stanford at six, then Concordia and then Vanguard and Menlo rounding it out. I'm just saying I'm going Stanford at two. I'm a homer, I think we're all a little bit homers, but I think Stanford is highly underrated in this poll, even though, yes, they're replacing pretty much their entire, entire starting lineup. I think there's going to be big things for them this year. That's all.

Chad:

I mean we're biased because it's a lot of our kids.

Matt:

We're so biased on it. Get the start this year but I don't know why you'd have any impression that we're biased.

Arielle:

We're about as biased as you get on it.

Matt:

Well, I don't coach there anymore, so now I can talk as much as I want to about them without fear of repercussions.

Chad:

So you overrank them when we send eight kids to BYU. They can be second. Let's be real.

Matt:

I was a weight. I was just a big old weight. So now that that weight's been lifted, they're going to the top, ready for takeoff. All right, unanimous UCLA as the MPSF champ for us. Great Into the Big West. Big West has a little more parity here. I think let's go. Ariel, who's your champion of the Big West?

Arielle:

You know I will say Long beach because I like nikolov so much um, but I like I do think that there's some. Yeah, I don't know.

Arielle:

I like there are like a couple teams in the big west, this big west this year for sure um, obviously I like irvine and I think irvine has the last couple years has like kind of been on an upward slope, like of how they're projecting. So I like irvine, yep, um, and would like to see them be successful. But I gotta I, after watching nikolov, I've gotta he's not he's not.

Matt:

He's not a bad replacement for Setter, for them?

Arielle:

Yeah, probably one of the best freshmen I've seen.

Matt:

So are you locking in Long Beach?

Arielle:

Yeah, I'll say Long Beach.

Matt:

Chad.

Chad:

Yeah, I think I've got Long Beach too. I mean I would be interested to see what UH does. I watched a little bit of their first couple matches. Tread's got some big pins to work with this year. Irvine is kind of that high ceiling like low floor team for me. I'm just like yeah, like if Hendo gets going and you just can't touch him and he's hitting five, six hundred, it's like, oh yeah, irvine can be the giant slayer.

Matt:

Yeah.

Chad:

But man, just watching like a little bit of Long Beach, like over the past couple couple weeks, it's like they're gonna do whatever they want to do and they're good like, like barring injury, like that's gonna be a really tough team to slow down for sure long beach did have to cut like 250 kids off their roster yeah, they really.

Matt:

They really took a hit in terms of their enrollment big hit with the uh roster cap issue. The 18-man roster is certainly uh, that's I think that's a topic for another episode, but for sure an interesting dynamic playing out there. I agree, long Beach State is the one I think they're going to be regular season champs. The tournament's being played at Hawaii and so for that reason.

Matt:

I think that UC Irvine is going to win the Big West tournament. Niffin is going to pull out some Niffin magic. I think Long Beach and Irvine are going to get into the playoffs here and they're both going to be very, very much problems when it comes down to it. I think I've got them two in the juggernaut category along with UCLA problems when it comes down to it. I think I've got them, too, in the juggernaut category along with UCLA. Those are my three right there. That, I think, are that level of part of my French, but, holy shit, that's a team you don't want to face. That's my Big West prediction, sold, moving on.

Arielle:

We're all picking the same things every round here, almost Hot takes. We're heading towards the Midwest now. Now, we're all picking the same things every round.

Matt:

Here we're heading towards the Midwest now. Now we're getting into the MIVA, I'll lead off. I know there's a little bit of differences here for the MIVA champ. What does he know?

Arielle:

that we don't. I know what she's going to say. You never know what I'm going to say. I could switch it right now.

Chad:

Quincy to the moon hey man you never know.

Arielle:

Okay, what are you going to say?

Matt:

I have one ball state as my Amoeba champion, reason being one man, and one man only. Patrick Rogers might be my favorite player. Have you seen this guy play?

Arielle:

Patrick Rogers no, at ball state I think he did.

Matt:

yeah, you watched him play for last year he's the uh, he's there uh, a little bit smaller outside. They've got tanasha, who's the uh the uh. Black outside hitter, who's really really good as well yep and then patrick rogers is the is I think he's the actually the one, but he plays a lot of like international style jam, wipe off speed. Doesn't make a ton of errors, rips a serve.

Arielle:

I didn't think that they were very good. I didn't think he was great in Austin, but they return everybody. They got his setter right. No, their setter was a freshman last year and he's good Brazilian kid, yeah.

Chad:

And they got I forget who they got transferring in, but he was on. He was a miva all-american elaine. He was the opposite from quincy. Yes, there you go to the moon. Quincy, no longer to the moon, because that kid's now that kid's now on ball state biggest winner for sure. Um, but yeah, those three pins, that's a legit yeah, it's a legit combo.

Matt:

They're playing at stanford this week and I am stoked to watch that. It's gonna be really good matches. Um yeah, ball state's mine what do you?

Chad:

got does that mean?

Arielle:

uh, I like loyola actually that's what I was gonna say, shane davis to the moon shane.

Chad:

Davis to the moon, obviously right, play there, want some natties. There is back now. Um, you get meyer back in the middle. Van buren on the right. Yep, um, oh, shoot. Who's it left? Uh, daniel abek kovic, I think oh yeah he's the czech guy from uh from last year right six, seven, whatever outside like that guy's really really good I think I had him smooth as well statistically, was like my freshman of the year or something last year, I can't remember um and owen smith.

Chad:

No-transcript I don't know why that even needed to be said. That was the assumption. Don't blow it, Shane.

Arielle:

Yeah, that's basically it.

Chad:

It's like UCLA Don't blow it Hawks, but this one will be easier obviously. Loyola to the moon.

Matt:

His family is amazing.

Arielle:

I'm going to go with Loyola too. I think Shane Davis, some Shane Davis magic is great.

Matt:

Yeah, love seeing Shane back on the on the men's side of the game. And yeah, I mean Parker Van Buren is the front runner. For me, the player of the year.

Chad:

And that is for good reason.

Matt:

All right, I like it On to the Eva Chad One, two, three Penn State.

Chad:

There you go, easy chad, you get to start uh, if not, henno, if for some reason, like, all of the swings are just wearing on him and irvine is shaky, then I would go.

Chad:

Mr long beach state himself, that's the simone nikolov, I mean me and chad are on the same brother as the freshman all-american freshman player of the year yeah, I mean he's I don't know, like maybe I'm just drinking the Kool-Aid or whatever, but like I watched a little bit, I'm just like, yeah, like there's nothing that guy can't really do right now. Like he's bombing serves. He's a huge blocker. Obviously he's getting everybody one-on-ones Long Beach is playing really fast and he's just creating space for guys like that's what it's supposed to look like and no offense to like college, but like this is practice for him, right. Like he's playing in vnls yeah, not in ncaa stuff like different he's out, here he is.

Matt:

He is clip farming division one talent. Right now he's making guys look silly.

Chad:

Yeah, and it is quite honestly, it's hysterical yeah, it is really do we think nicole is going to get bored of like posting stuff or like he jumps, lands and like the ball just falls for a kill, like how many times is nicole's?

Matt:

oh, it's best wet dream.

Chad:

Yeah, okay, save sport but yeah, a hundred percent right, like someone who's just doing crazy stuff all the time, all the right. It's like heno, kind of like oh, oh, I can just jam it with two hands he had to play against Alberta.

Matt:

Whoever they were playing in that North American challenge and I saw within like 10 minutes of it happening, there was seven views from the pyramid of people recording them. Everyone is just always recording and then immediately it gets uploaded Immediately. It's at 10,000 likes. Nakoba's went to a million views within like eight hours.

Arielle:

The most impressive thing that I've seen him do so far is he takes the first ball and then runs the net and jumps the Taylor Averill jump screen.

Chad:

He's really committed, he's taking full approaches towards that middle Full approaches starfish Full approach starfish. It's really committed. He's taking full approaches towards that middle Full approaches starfish Full approach starfish, it's wild stuff.

Arielle:

Yeah, the kid's playing chess.

Matt:

He's out there goofing a little bit.

Arielle:

I love it yeah.

Chad:

I think when you're that confident in your skill set, you can start taking fake approaches out of the back row mid-rally on a high ball.

Arielle:

It's like, oh, this is not gonna struggle. Yeah, yeah, against these teams. Okay, this is glazer central right now, but I'm gonna switch my. I'm gonna switch mine because I have been an andrew rowan fan ever since. He kicked the shit out of us multiple times when he was a senior in high school. Like he, the kid is good, and like I am, he's gonna.

Arielle:

He's definitely gonna have something to say this year, but I am excited to watch that be the challenge of like there's another kid here. That is elite level here, and ucla is really, really good, and rowan has been a huge part of that, and so I'm gonna go with player of the year for rowan I like that.

Matt:

I like that. I'm uh, I'm in the same vein as you. Actually, obviously, I think nikolov is a front runner, heno is a front runner. Um, irvine is going to rely heavily on heno. Similarly, this year for ucla, cooper robinson is gonna be my yeah, that kid's good he is certainly capable of being the guy.

Matt:

He's one of the most physical players, uh, in all of college volleyball right now. For ucla to succeed, cooper robinson has to be the man and has to honestly take his game to a whole nother level as well. He doesn't have the same amount of support that he did last year. Um, he's going to get some support for sure, with r stepping in or whoever else fills that OH2 position, but he's got to be the guy for them and I think he's. He's poised to kind of be that superstar that isn't really getting all of the all the credit that the other guys currently are. He's he's getting plenty of social media apply. I know Holly does a great job for them, but not quite the level of the others.

Matt:

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how he does kind of I think that kid's most improved from club until now oh yeah, I mean physicality wise is a whole nother level I mean him, and him and rama are just monsters.

Chad:

Yeah, when it's just like step clothes and just go over the top and like down, that's, that's a good problem to have, but now it's like all right, can they do that night in, night out, like without champlain out there like really?

Matt:

steady. Yeah, like they hold. Like I had a little ball, is the ball control gonna gonna hold? Yeah, who holds down that libero spot for them? Yeah yeah, there's. There's definitely some question marks for ucla to figure out, but they've got the pieces, don't?

Chad:

blow the box. Glad we're on the same page there.

Matt:

Uh, all right, speaking of most improved you said most improved player from club to college for cooper robinson we're moving into most improved team. Who's gonna be the most improved team this year?

Arielle:

can we have the least improved team too? I was just. I was just spitballing cut.

Matt:

Try not to piss people off too much.

Arielle:

Fine, okay, fine um most improved team yes, most improved team all.

Matt:

While you look up your notes, I'm gonna go for my little tie right here. I got ball state accounts. Obviously didn't make the tournament last year but has all the pieces that are needed to make that run. They added added in the Quincy Oppo. I think Donan does some amazing things. Obviously they've shown a deep run once already when they got in there and I think they've got some veteran leadership now that's poised to kind of carry them so much further than they got last season. So for them I'm seeing an outright MIVA championship taking down Loyola Chicago and making their way to a at least Final Four run would be my guess for NCAA.

Arielle:

I think that a Dark Horse Most Improved team could be USC. That also could completely bomb and not be it, but I think they have the pieces there to be able to be the most improved team.

Matt:

They've had like three back-to-back top recruiting, Not top but.

Chad:

I think one through three Podium podium podium.

Arielle:

Yeah, there's no reason they shouldn't be the most improved team.

Matt:

Yeah, I mean from where they finished last year in the Mpsf. Their preseason rank is number two. Yeah, they've got, they've got a complete set of pins. Now their middles are they probably got the best grouping of middles across the country. I can't think of another one that would be better than them right now uh, their setters. Caleb blanchett oh yeah, who's who's solid?

Arielle:

he's a little bit undersized, but like he can, he can move the rock around, um yeah they to me are like I don't yeah, I don't really know what most improved or like should do better. Yeah, I think that that would be my pick for that that's a good pick.

Chad:

Definitely high expectations compared to last year.

Arielle:

Yeah, that's the difference between, like most improved, and high expectations.

Chad:

I would expect for, with what usc has for them to be successful I would love to see them win more matches and then I will buy into.

Arielle:

The usc is trending up yeah, I know I, I don't even know if I agree, I agree with the roster for sure, like they're definitely overdue.

Chad:

Uh, I'm actually, I'm going back to the miva, I'm back in Loyola, you know, lost. Lost in the semis, the second round, I think, of the of the Miva tournament last year um yeah, I just I like, I like the pieces they return.

Chad:

Obviously I like Owen Smith, uh, but yeah, I think Shane's gonna get him. Not that like Hawks is a bad coach or anything like that, but like I think I think Shane being back home don't Not that Hawks is a bad coach or anything like that, but I think, shane being back home, don't blow it, hawks. He's like I'm never watching this podcast.

Matt:

These guys are stupid.

Chad:

No, I think they'll be a reinvigorated team. A lot of energy around that Just because Shane has led that program specifically to the end zone here a couple times. Um, so I think he'll they'll be as as ready for that moment as that's a good debate on high expectation versus most improved too, for sure, yeah, I mean I, I would say loyola sure would have.

Matt:

I think in most people's eyes loyola has tempered expectations because of the switch of coaching staff. But obviously Shane's a pretty I'm not gonna say seamless but a much more seamless plug than another option. He knows the he knows the program Well.

Arielle:

he's the right, he's an alum.

Matt:

He knows the group of guys in that program, he knows the staff, he knows how to work that university and he's had success there. So I think that for sure is something that the while and he's had success there. So I think that for sure is something that while expectations may be low, they still have the roster and pieces to be able to do it.

Arielle:

And so it's a good recipe for Loyola. I will say that when Shane was successful at Loyola, there was such a strong group of kids from the Chicago area that were staying in Chicago, milwaukee area that were in Milwaukee and they were staying in Chicago, milwaukee area that were in Milwaukee and they were staying at Lewis and Loyola and I don't know if it's the same landscape as it was back then.

Matt:

Yeah, that's fair. They had a very core group of kids that came in all from the Midwest that were yeah, it was a very, very special group. Yeah, for sure. So I like it. We will see All good picks. I like those. Let's move on. Let's get out of the positivity we're going to go to the biggest loser of the year Biggest loser.

Arielle:

The biggest loser of this year could be anybody that doesn't put themselves out there on social media. That's good at volleyball right now.

Chad:

That's a good point.

Arielle:

Like that, like, if you have such an this is easy coming from me, obviously, but like you have such a platform to be able to like, like, bring the sport to a different level, and so we're going to go over biggest winners and I think that's what my biggest winner is going to be. But, like, biggest loser to me is if you're good and you are playing high level volleyball, if you're any of the people that we talked about on this podcast, you probably should be posting and like capitalizing on this because you can number one you get the attention on it, you can make some money off of it.

Arielle:

You can bring the sport to a different level, yeah, I'm going to go next, if you don't mind, because I might sponsor us. Yes, also. Yeah, hang out with us on the podcast Still available.

Matt:

My biggest loser of the year is men's coaches being poached. Ah to the women's.

Arielle:

The women's side. Yes to the women's to the women's.

Matt:

The women's have more money than the men and so that is probably definitely have more problems also, but there is more money and so the top talent I see, with everything that's changing with 18 roster spots, nil and just the arms race of what's happening. I love men's volleyball, but I feel like men's volleyball is in a tough position for that, and so the top talent for men's programs or up and coming men's staff will probably look to the women's game to find a more secure, more supported role or position. That's what I fear. I hope I'm wrong, but that's what I believe is going to be.

Arielle:

The biggest loser this year Are you telling us you're taking a woman's college coaching job?

Matt:

No, I'm quite happy with my low paying podcast on a couch job, so I'm going to stay right here?

Arielle:

No, me neither.

Matt:

We don't like having bosses, so yeah, so we're out on that.

Arielle:

I think we're a level ahead of where everybody else is on that one.

Chad:

We'll call it that.

Matt:

Look at Jackson. I want Jackson's life. I don't want that stress. Yeah, I don't want that stress. But yeah, that's what I think Biggest loser. I think we're going to see some men's coaches jump ship, head to the women's game no-transcript.

Chad:

I know our favorite game is like Google. Public employees salary.

Arielle:

Sometimes it's our favorite game on a bar.

Matt:

If you don't play that game, you should check it out. It's a great game. It's a really fun game.

Arielle:

It's actually very easy.

Matt:

Everybody's our university university, university.

Chad:

You can see it within like 30 seconds and it's kind of sad, it's it's it's tough, right. So even if you're I don't know what hawks is this is making, maybe maybe it's like 100k or something like that right as a top assistant at a top program, super cool. But if you are I don't know jalen's making a nebraska or like what, what eric was making a tech, but like you're making probably north of 200 would be my guess correct at all these programs right at the top.

Chad:

Women's program yes, yeah and so it's like it's not even comparable, right I could? I could take a really good job over here and make double the money, and again you just with bonuses and camps and all of those things too, that men's is not this you you add in the support that those programs get in comparison and it's a big difference. Yeah, so for anyone who's like. Oh why are the men's coaches going to the women's game?

Arielle:

It's money.

Chad:

It's always money, every time.

Arielle:

But if everybody puts themselves out there on social media, we could change the whole entire thing.

Chad:

I have like a thousand followers. I'm massive. Everyone follow Volleydork, chad. Biggest loser, oh, biggest loser. I don't know that it's like a huge, it's not like a huge loser, uh. But one thing I don't like coming out of covet is all these back-to-backs with the same team. It's just bugging me and I I understand it when it's teams like hawaii or byu or stanford when there was no travel partner sure I'll give you that pacific. Bring back pacific, are you?

Matt:

listening to head coach university presidents no they aren't.

Chad:

That's our biggest demographic of people that follow this podcast but it's just like oh, man, like you know, you play a thursday at long beach and then you play the friday at uc, san diego or whatever, and she's like oh, like you know, if you have a kid that's injured at any point and you happen to back up with you know a team that you maybe should beat or whatever it is, and you're gonna maybe drop two instead of dropping one and then getting them back for the next, I don't know. I just I was looking at schedules. Uh, recently I was like I just don't, I don't really like that what's so give me, just so I can clarify what's your preference.

Matt:

What would you like that travel partners?

Chad:

yeah just just imagine like how it is on the women's side. Right, it was like hey, look like, whatever, we're gonna go to michigan, you know, in october, and then they're gonna come to us in november, yeah great gotcha.

Matt:

So you want a home and away, you don't yeah?

Chad:

but like, so you still get the home in the way with the men's, I mean, except for like uh or something like that. Uh, but it's just like. Okay, like when UCLA is going to play whatever San Diego, right, they're going to play in Pauley on Friday and then they're going to go down to San Diego on.

Matt:

Saturday, it's like right, you just want, you want to see a couple of you know a month between those matches, so that there's yeah.

Chad:

Yeah, right, so you can. Oh, I have more than eight hours to make an adjustment. Or again, if you're unlucky with injuries or whatever.

Arielle:

Jackson's out. All right, Obviously not a big enough loser. He's like yeah, that was bullshit. Bad answer, Chad. I'm going over here to.

Chad:

Bobby. Yeah, there's more pets with Bobby. That's fine, but that's fair.

Matt:

Okay, I can see where you come from on that.

Chad:

It's not the worst loser, but it's yeah, it's a medium loser.

Matt:

It is certainly an annoyance. A little bit yeah, all right, let's go to positivity. Biggest winner of the year.

Arielle:

You kind of cued yourself up, so let's take it away. Superstars are the biggest winner of the year. Put yourself out there. You're going to get the benefits of putting yourself out there. Probably get some negatives too, but who's talking? It's fun.

Matt:

Give me your superstars.

Arielle:

Who's obviously besides everyone that we, everyone that we have talked about, those are my superstars and, honestly, kioni yeah and uh like I don't know anyone who can like sing and dance. I don't know I I think, again obviously like people with personality.

Matt:

Neil, you better, you better start busting out some Irish jigs on that CSUN sideline, all right.

Arielle:

Yeah, anybody with some personality, anybody that I think makes this sport look more fun.

Matt:

Yeah, there's definitely an argument for that as you look at it. Fun. Yeah, yeah, there's definitely an argument for that as you look at. I mean, that's one of the cool factors of where we're where we're at, social media wise, when someone does something cool or when someone is a personality and will put themselves out there. Keone is a great example. Keone is a fantastic player. Is he a vnl level model player? No, but he is a extremely good player. He puts himself out there.

Arielle:

He's got a personality he's entertaining to watch, yeah, yeah it's, it's love me or hate me, it doesn't matter.

Matt:

And now he's at a place, too, where he gets to shine a little bit more, because he's going to be on the court a ton for byu, and byu has a fantastic social media team around them. Yeah, so right, they're making videos for him, they're helping him out and they are, you know, they're going to help him really raise his brand value, and that's what I think a lot of kids will start to look for. Is what that? What that opportunity looks like for them as they're making a college decision or they're making decisions about where they go to, whether it's college or club volleyball? Same idea, same concept.

Arielle:

Yeah, for me it's just a call to coaches to support your kids in creating and putting themselves out there, because it's effing good for the sport.

Matt:

Chad, you want to take a stab for your biggest winner.

Chad:

I thought I had something and now I can't remember it at all.

Arielle:

Jack's like like damn it, everybody loses.

Chad:

Yeah, I know and he votes with his feet again. No, I mean, I I think kind of to piggyback on that a little bit. Right, there's definitely the possibility for men's volleyball to really benefit from huge viewership. Just massive turnout from the women's side this fall in association with love, pvf, athletes on the like, everybody else that's going on. Hopefully there's a lot, of, a lot of eyeballs on volleyball this this spring. Um, just in the ecosystem, uh and, and hopefully we can benefit from that as as the men's side of the sport. But yeah, I don't, I don't know, I'm not sold on that. I don't know if that could also be a detractor. You know, if you're that kid in Nebraska who's like oh yeah, I love Lexi Rodriguez, I don't really care about men's volleyball Like sorry, loyola, lewis and Miva teams, I don't know how that's going to play, but I think obviously there's. You know, you talk to anybody in Kentucky while we were there, right, like there's a palpable sense of momentum, so hopefully the men's side can jump aboard, matt.

Matt:

Well, I mean, guys, it's obvious the biggest winner of the year is obviously John Hawks, inheriting just an absolute juggernaut of a team. He's got every piece he possibly needs and he's stepping right into it. And now he lives in california sorry, chicago, california's just gonna be a little bit better for the family there. Yeah, hawks of the win, that's a huge win for hawks. So shout out to you, hawks, yet again don't blow it, he would never.

Chad:

He would never this.

Arielle:

That's so mean like who does that?

Matt:

hawks. We love you. I you've got tough skin. I know you're fine, but like stop you got a really good group.

Chad:

He doesn't. He doesn't watch this he also.

Matt:

well, it would be fair to Hawks in this. To be fair, he did help recruit all of these kids 100%, so it's not like he's coming in and being you know. He went to Long Beach and inherited all these kids. I would like a Hawks rebuttal to Art going after him.

Chad:

Going after I'm not going after Hawks. I think he only does Rob's podcast. Yeah he's got an exclusivity agreement.

Matt:

He's not allowed to breach that. Well, there you go.

Arielle:

Any other closing thoughts? What about Grittiest Team?

Matt:

Oh, Grittiest Team. Well, I mean you want me to start. I mean it's obviously CSUN, it's just them, it's just JLo, they might as well change their mascot from Matadorsadors.

Arielle:

We talked about grand, grand canyon last year being the greatest team. Yeah, but nick slide's gone. Yeah, the graduate everyone, yeah, well yeah, hickman and slider gone.

Matt:

So yeah, sorry, that's a big grit's gone big. Uh, I'm selling that off I sell that stock quickly on the green.

Arielle:

It's not that they're not gonna have some of it they got that kid that we like from the bench now. Oh, jackson her, yeah, yeah, yeah, he's got a little bit in him, yeah but he, he don't got that jackson hickman in him. No, but they're like, but he's, he was I that kid was chirping. Yeah, he's gonna be around the show maybe there's a new like freshman that can take his place on. I'm backing him up and they could have a place.

Chad:

The archetype yeah, they could have a theme yeah, I know it's season jaylen phillips donovan constable yeah, neil, and some random guys from europe I mean always right, like always some random guys like you've just never heard of them and they'll go off and hit 40 kills on you.

Arielle:

Yeah, they're gonna be good. Donovan is the next light of 2025 for ncaa men's football.

Matt:

I can agree with that. He's got. Yeah, he can fling the rock around. He knows how to get his hitters in the best options and he is not going to back down and he's a gamer, yeah, he'll game. Long Beach lost some grit too, because they lost 35 guys on the sidelines, so they were just getting strength in numbers on the ground.

Arielle:

I just think that Long Beach talks about grit a lot. They're pretty grit. There's a grit in there, but you can't talk about it if you're going to be gritty.

Matt:

That's just kind of a Long Beach ethos. In general, though, long Beach, in terms of Southern California, is just a grittier place.

Arielle:

That's true, they are grittier. You've got the oil rigs.

Matt:

They have oil there, the dirt bags. It's not your Manhattan Beach, you know, hoity toity, it's like welcome to Long Beach. Mofo, give me your lunch money.

Arielle:

I'm not involved with branding of Southern California man.

Chad:

The Long Beach.

Matt:

Give me your lunch money. That's a good nickname, Dustin Wan. Do you approve of this nickname? That's funny. Probably I wonder how many times Dustin got his lunch money taken in Long Beach as a kid.

Arielle:

Have you ever gotten your lunch money taken?

Matt:

No, Unless it was by my dad. No private school.

Chad:

Yeah, private school, private Catholic school.

Matt:

Any other podcast news? No, okay.