Court Captains: A Volleyball Podcast

Welcome back! We’ve got a big episode for the Captains this week. We have many updates on VNL moves and speculations: we talk about potential challenges for PVF teams if players depart for national team duties and who might fill in (one important update since time of recording: we know Morgan Hentz will be present for the remainder of Atlanta’s PVF season!).  We also talk through recent transactions these teams are making as last-ditch efforts to furiously push into their playoff mojo, as well as answer some questions from listeners! And of course, recaps for the seven matches from week 14. This week we had strong performances from San Diego, an intense post-match interview from Columbus, and continued dominance from Atlanta. Into data? We love this stats sheet courtesy of r/pvf! Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back, Captains! Ian and Kelly are hosting solo this week as we cover week 13 of the PVF. Another seven match week. Atlanta drops a match, but secures their spot in the PVF Championships in May. Thrill, Rise, and Fury each won one and lost one and Mojo barely dropped a tight 5 set match to Omaha.  Into data? We love this stats sheet courtesy of r/pvf! Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back, Captains! PVF had six matches in week twelve, so we review transactions made before the trade deadline (spoiler, no trades were made) and get right into match analysis. We continue to see Atlanta crushing, San Diego going up in the standings, plus the fight for 3rd and 4th keeps getting interesting. We also chat through some of our experience at our first in-person PVF match, in Grand Rapids against Vegas this past Saturday. Plus, Nikki characterizes the dynamics of each teams’ friendships. Into data? We love this stats sheet courtesy of r/pvf! Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back, Captains! This week we’re coming at ya with all you wanted to know about the VNL… from people who had never heard of the VNL. We also explain what court captains ARE! Can you believe we’ve never done that? Our namesake! We can’t wait to see you in Grand Rapids! PVF played 5 matches in week eleven. We saw San Diego get some wins and their best attendance turn-out all year against Columbus. Bethania de la Cruz from Orlando received this week’s Player of the Week honors. We also discuss the benefits of playing your bench. TL;DR: Give those women some playing time! Into data? We love this stats sheet courtesy of r/pvf! Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back, Captains! This week we talk about how you CAN get good sushi in Omaha. Really! REALLY. You have to believe us. We also chat about some disappearing transactions and Nikki’s idea to make the schedule less grueling.  PVF played SEVEN matches in week ten. Atlanta almost had all sweeps, Columbus just couldn’t get that magic they had last week back, and Omaha got some wins at home. Into data? We love this stats sheet courtesy of r/pvf! Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back, Captains! This week we start by talking about the increased player salary details shared by PVF CEO Jen Spicher in a recent match at Vegas. Then we discuss some waiver/practice squad definitions so you can track movements and make sense of the PVF Transactions page. PVF played four matches in week nine. Atlanta’s 5-match win streak was snapped by Columbus, along with their “undefeated in 2-point sets” record - but they keep the number 1 spot in the standings! Plus, we got to see a Mojo sweep, and we do love getting out the brooms. Into data? We love this stats sheet courtesy of r/pvf! Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back, Captains! We have a BONUS episode for you. Now that we’re halfway through the inaugural PVF season, we picked our all-star rosters based on the first 8 weeks of play. Here were our rules: - 14 player roster, just like PVF regulations - “Standard” starting roster, plus one backup for each position - Two wild card spots, can be any position Let us know what you thought of our picks! Comment on our Bonus Episode instagram post @courtcaptainspod with your reactions. Into data? We love this stats sheet courtesy of r/pvf! Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back, Captains! Big trade news in the PVF this past week as Tori Stringer of the Atlanta Vibe was traded to the Columbus Fury in exchange for two first-round draft picks. We review how that looks in the context of current trade policies, and discuss some of our theories / implications. Also this week, a big interview dropped with LOVB’s Director of Operations, Tom Hogan. Nikki listened to the whole hour so you don’t have to, and provides a rundown of the discussion points and new information we have on the second US women’s pro volleyball league to come onto the scene in 2024. PVF played three matches in week eight. Atlanta secured its number 1 spot again with a win over Omaha. “The Blue Teams”, Orlando and Omaha faced off resulting in an Omaha win, and finally Vegas overcame Grand Rapids, in a game that gave us our first setter Player of the Week!  Apologies to those who don’t like coughing sounds. It only happens in the first 5 seconds of the episode. Enjoy! Into data? We love this stats sheet courtesy of r/pvf! Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back, Captains! Ever wonder what a PVF travel day looks like? This week we imagine the insane travel weekend Orlando had, on an extremely detailed level. We also politely request that Grand Rapids’ and San Diego’s bird mascots get together for a little rumble. And: do you know what the Yellow Pages are/were? Ian drops some knowledge. PVF week seven of play brought us five matches, where Atlanta and Omaha stayed on top of the standings, bringing both of their win streaks up to 3. We talk through an impressive Vegas 4-set win over Columbus and a couple 5-set thrillers for Orlando. We’re having a great time in this episode, and hope you do too. Into data? We love this stats sheet courtesy of r/pvf! Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back! This week on Court Captains we… had sound issues :(  We’re accidentally doing a Goldilocks thing with our audio on this episode (Nikki’s too loud, Kelly’s too quiet, Ian’s just right) so bear with us and maybe keep your volume down - we’re sorry! We’re learning! Week six of PVF action brought us seven matches - at least one from every team in the league. Columbus maintains their win streak with another dub (they’ve won their last 4) and Atlanta & Omaha reaffirm their top-of-the-standings position. We discuss the more recent presence of short serves in the league, Bolt6’s dislike of pancakes, and away Columbus fans at Orlando getting frisky. Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back! This week on Court Captains we’re chatting about week five of PVF matches. We witnessed our first “swappy” as Nikki has demanded we call them, Mojo picked up their first win (not just any win - a HUGE upset against the #1 team), and Columbus climbed the standings on an impressive 3-0 hot streak. We know you were all eager to hear our takes on the new NCAA double contact rule, so we discuss that along with some *GOSSIP* we gathered from the YouTube live match chat (thank you chat, we love you chat!)  Notable Timestamps 9:07 Omaha at Columbus 15:48 Orlando at Vegas 18:04 Grand Rapids at San Diego 22:44 Columbus at Vegas 26:55 Omaha at Orlando 30:25 Vegas at Columbus Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And as always, look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back! This week on Court Captains we’re talking through a very busy week four of PVF action - EVERY team played this week, so we have much to discuss. We talk about some organizational PVF news and then match analysis, including a handful of teams with a bunch of lineup changes, Omaha’s win streak, and Grand Rapids taking another match away from Vibe to slide into the number 1 spot in the standings. After match chats, stay with us to hear us talk about middle-of-the-court name games, time-out opinions, and the complexity of pro athletes having full careers outside of volleyball. Notable Timestamps 05:39 Match analysis starts 39:58 Player of the week predictions 41:54 Nikki’s takes Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back! This week on Court Captains we’re talking about the week three PVF matches - five of the league teams played two matches. And, we got to see Vegas Thrill for their first two matches of the year. We dive right into match analysis, talking through serve efficiency % (thanks PVF for updating your website!), a deep dive on legendary setter Alisha Glass Childress of the Thrill, why a team might switch out their setter, and front row pre-serve lineups. Notable Timestamps 1:51 Match analysis starts 34:40 Player of the week predictions 36:10 Listener Q&A Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back! This week on Court Captains we’re talking about the week two PVF matches. We got to check out San Diego Mojo twice, against Atlanta Vibe and Omaha Supernovas. In our Stats Corner this week, we chat through how the teams are measuring serve receive performance as well as what breakpoint means in volleyball terms. We still do not know what serve efficiency % is or how to calculate it, so don't ask us!  Then we discuss the two matches from the week. Nikki establishes herself as a Mojo apologist/hopeful, Ian doubles down as a de la Cruz stan, and Kelly gives her recs on mid-game blocking adjustments. Notable Timestamps Stats Corner: 3:05 PVF Announcements: 14:50 Match Discussions: 19:00 Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome back! For our second episode we’re talking about opening Pro Volleyball Federation week observations - we saw two thrillers and a sweep! 5 out of the 7 teams played their first matches this week. First we chat through what we’re seeing in these arenas and some of the rules and regulations the league is implementing. We give a breakdown of some common stats you’ll want to know, and then talk about each of the three matches that took place during the ~inaugural~ week of the season. And yes, the pun was intended. Timestamps: Volleyball Stats Explanation: 12:14 Match Discussions: 28:00 Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com And look out for us in the PVF YouTube livestream chat!

Welcome to Court Captains: A Volleyball Podcast! For our first episode we’re telling you: what is the PVF and who the hell are we? TLDL: the PVF is the Pro Volleyball Federation - a new women’s professional volleyball league in the US. With this podcast we are planning to bring you weekly episodes reviewing the action of the PVF. We’ll bring our takes (they’ll be various temperatures), our opinions (we typically have many), and our feelings (also many). This week we go through some history of women’s professional volleyball and how we got here, followed by some detail on how the PVF was created and who’s behind it. We’ll also do a bit of a preview of the teams and what you can expect! We’re so excited for this season! Hope you come along with us. Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com