S4E5: All-Puerto Rico Team, Volleyball Fumbled the Gays, Middles Obsolete?

WEBVTT

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Hey everybody, welcome to the coaches group chat.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>I'm updating my phone while we are recording today.

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<v Matt Houlihan>We had a very busy week.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Or when I say we, Ariel had a very busy week with all of her appearances.

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<v Matt Houlihan>She was bringing home the bacon for the Hulahan family with Super Bowl appearances.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Can you give us can you give us a little lay of your your week for us?

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Yes.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Uh lay of the land of the week.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Um the Super Bowl is the craziest event I've ever been around and attended and whatever my entire life.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>It's it's actually uh the entire city changed.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And I've been in San Francisco a million times and I've never seen San Francisco the way that it was this past week.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Multiple cities, because they sh they were doing stuff in San Jose as well.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>That's true.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Um Yes, I barely even have words to describe what the uh I don't have words apparently.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>I have zero words.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Zero words, one word zero words, pick a word.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Um it was crazy.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>It it felt like everything turned into Super Bowl.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Storefronts were different, uh restaurants were rented out and turned into activations for brands.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>It was everywhere you went.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>A street was shut down, and there were people gathering around and sh and cameras and things and red carpets and pop-ups and the whole thing, it was actually insanity.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And it felt like um, I think I'm so exhausted, not even because I did so many things, but it's because I felt like I needed to be doing things the entire time.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And I was like, oh, I'm missing something, or I'm going, I need to be at this, or I need to be whatever.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And so there was times where we would just like we went back to the hotel and we were just like, I just need to sit for a little while and not it is crazy how much this event takes over cities.

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<v Matt Houlihan>It's absolutely a little background story.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Months ago, I went and toured a space in San Jose by San Pedro Square, so an active area that they were gonna have some super stuff, Super Bowl stuff going on.

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<v Matt Houlihan>And I toured this space for a volleyball gym for putting a cord into it, and they said you can't have it until March because we have subleased it for four months for this brand that is literally just using this space.

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<v Matt Houlihan>It was about 2,000 square feet for the Super Bowl.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

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<v Matt Houlihan>So they were setting it up a pop-up shop four months just as an activation, and they only used it for essentially the week before the Super Bowl, the week of the Super Bowl, and I think they're they're closing up shop now.

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<v Matt Houlihan>For two weeks, they rented this thing, but for four months and built this entire thing out.

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<v Matt Houlihan>And then that takes us to the Benito Bowl.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Then Benito Bowl.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, the Benito Bowl.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Which I in my Pilates class this morning, the instructor was like, How did everybody like it?

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And people, there were like five people that were like, We loved it, so that you could tell that the people in the back that didn't like it like couldn't say anything, and it made them feel very uncomfortable.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And I was like, I loved it.

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<v Matt Houlihan>The silent majority.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Yes, exactly.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, polarizing, yeah, polarizing across the board.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>But I I thought it was incredible.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, I mean, great.

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<v Matt Houlihan>I I was just sad because we didn't get to see our Puerto Rican best friend watch that layout in real time.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>I was also at Pilates with his wife this morning, and she gave me the uh play-by-play on his emotions.

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<v Matt Houlihan>I'm sure he was crying.

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<v Matt Houlihan>He was probably crying.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>I mean, I watched 25 TikToks today of uh people crying watching it, and like it was the it's very like representation matters, and that was an automatic of representation matters.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Speaking of representation, because we were so inspired by Bad Bunny, we decided that here on the Coaches Group chat that we were gonna put together our all Puerto Rican team from NCAA men's of volleyball.

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<v Matt Houlihan>And I think we we tapped into some some areas of Daniel's brain that he didn't know he had.

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<v Matt Houlihan>He started he started dropping some real Puerto Rican ball knowledge right before we started recording today.

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<v Matt Houlihan>So uh I think what what we'll do is we're gonna go one, we'll go, each of us has two.

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<v Matt Houlihan>We'll go down the list one by one, but I think Daniel Daniel brings a different era of Puerto Rican, so I'd love for the other thing.

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<v Speaker 3>Are you saying that because he's older than us?

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yes, yes, but he looks like the youngest of us.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>So you don't know what you're gonna get here.

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<v Matt Houlihan>So hit us.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Give us give us your your guy and your why.

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<v Daniel Rasay>Uh this was tough for me because Puerto Ricans were hot when I was playing in college, and even before, like when I was falling in love with volleyball, there's a lot of Puerto Ricans that were really good.

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<v Daniel Rasay>So my first pick is Jose Canonis, who was the setter at Penn State.

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<v Daniel Rasay>I think he's probably number one all-time assists career leader there.

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<v Daniel Rasay>Uh hopefully Peter Chris knows who that is.

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<v Daniel Rasay>Um but I got to battle against him in a final four of a national championship, but he was a lefty setter, and he uh made me want to be left-handed so I could turn and crush, but it was never that good.

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<v Daniel Rasay>There you go.

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<v Matt Houlihan>There you go.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Who were his pins in that in that final four?

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<v Daniel Rasay>Uh Carlos Guerra, who is uh from Mexico.

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<v Daniel Rasay>Um there was an opposite Kolhasar, I think he was Canadian.

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<v Matt Houlihan>So Pav's been on this Latin grind for a while though.

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<v Matt Houlihan>He's he's got the the influence.

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<v Daniel Rasay>Yeah, I mean their uh their Libera was Puerto Rican, Ricky Mate, he was Puerto Rican, I believe, too.

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<v Daniel Rasay>So yeah.

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<v Daniel Rasay>Love it.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>The mention of Peter Chris made me think like, I wonder why men's volleyball program, not men's volleyball, I guess all volleyball programs don't have like a history lesson that they make their freshmen learn, like hazing, like not hazing, but like what we would do in Sigma Kai or Delta Gamma or whatever.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Here's your founders.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Your founders, and you have to like go through pledging.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>I feel like all of the redshirts and all of the freshmen should have like they should have to know everything about the program.

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<v Matt Houlihan>And there should be secret handshakes.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Should we lead that for Pacific Men's Volleyball?

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<v Matt Houlihan>Ooh, I love that.

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<v Matt Houlihan>I would say there's a degree where I'm sure most schools are like this, right?

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<v Matt Houlihan>Pacific had all American way, and so you walk down the hallway to all the coaches' offices.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, but like so the best players are there, right?

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<v Matt Houlihan>The picture of you got, you know, you got Chris Thomas.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Nobody knows.

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<v Matt Houlihan>There was no repercussion if I didn't know.

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<v Matt Houlihan>I wasn't getting it.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>I think there needs to be some like hazing.

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<v Chad Gordon>Yeah.

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<v Chad Gordon>I think is the word you use here.

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<v Chad Gordon>Um I'm not sure.

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<v Chad Gordon>Oh, yeah, you're not allowed to say that.

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<v Chad Gordon>You're not allowed to say anything like that.

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<v Chad Gordon>You're right.

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<v Chad Gordon>No hazing.

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<v Chad Gordon>Some polite shenanigans.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>But I do think that like everybody uh in that's involved in a program should know the history of your program.

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<v Matt Houlihan>I would agree with that.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Having a having a little bit of like a history book at uh on your your team manual or whatever you hand out at the beginning of the year, that'd be great.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Because there's no way Peter Chris knows the name of the best Puerto Ricans in Penn State Man's volleyball history.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Okay, continue.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Continue to do.

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<v Matt Houlihan>What's who is your Puerto Rican number?

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, we're going we're going on the list.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Oh, okay.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>My first one is uh I'll go Penn State 2 with Dennis DeVaye.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Libero, baller.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Was baller.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Uh like one of the first liberos that I ever saw play that I like was making like jaw-dropping plays consistently that you were just like, oh, damn.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Was he the one that went against Shoji in the championship game?

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Yes.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And I felt like that he like he was just like a libero that you watched.

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<v Matt Houlihan>He's flashy for sure.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Yeah.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>I remember him being very flashy.

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<v Chad Gordon>Yeah.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>So yeah, Dennis DeVay.

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<v Chad Gordon>Chad.

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<v Chad Gordon>In my mind, I I don't know which Uno card to play, because I could play the Libero card or I could play the Penn State card here.

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<v Chad Gordon>And we'll just we'll keep it with Penn State, it's fine.

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<v Chad Gordon>Uh, but yeah, in that 2010 championship, the Penn State setter Edgardo Edgardo.

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<v Chad Gordon>Goaz.

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<v Chad Gordon>Uh yeah, I mean a 6'5 setter, like kind of in that generation of like bigger dudes, and this guy was just so athletic.

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<v Chad Gordon>And I mean, Penn State had such a crazy run only to be, you know, stifled and sh you know, swept by Brad Lawson.

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<v Chad Gordon>You know, when you have Dan Rosai.

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<v Chad Gordon>Yeah, I mean, I mean, that's like what one of the last years of playing all the way to 30.

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<v Chad Gordon>Yeah, like I think I looked at the scores earlier and I was like, oh man, like Sanford like in total control of that match.

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<v Chad Gordon>Like, that was pretty cool.

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<v Chad Gordon>But yeah, anyway, the second best Puerto Rican to come out of Penn State.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Okay, now we've covered Penn State.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Well, I'm going, I'm going hometown hero of University of the Pacific, friend of the pod.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Friend of the pod.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Javier Cacaracas Caceres.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Javier Caceres.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Babani himself.

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<v Matt Houlihan>The man with the dance moves, the man, the career dig leader at University of the Pacific, Javier Caceres.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Just a fantastic representative representative of Puerto Rican volleyball.

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<v Matt Houlihan>He's the the youngest of what, like 17 brothers, who all were amazing liberos.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And led the MPSF in digs because we could because we could inside out, and so he had to dig a lot of balls.

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<v Matt Houlihan>So yeah.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Now Javier uh another kind of in that same vein of our our Penn State Libero, just very flashy, yeah, defensively, made some probably one play per set where you were just like oh draw jaw to the floor.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Like, oh my, how did he do that?

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>So he doesn't know now.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Exactly.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Now now he gets trying on the volley court now, and he like screams anytime the ball comes near him and then fakes an injury.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Uh let me bring it around the horn and we'll go.

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<v Matt Houlihan>I think we leave Daniel for the end here on uh on our final Puerto Rican.

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<v Matt Houlihan>My second, same same era in my era of playing, Josue Rivera, outside hitter from BYU.

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<v Matt Houlihan>We haven't had a pin hitter from the Puerto Ricans uh yet on the on the top six list here.

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<v Matt Houlihan>All of ours were the best.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Jose a an entertainer is what I would say.

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<v Matt Houlihan>You know, at BYU, at Hawaii, you've got to be able to entertain the crowd.

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<v Matt Houlihan>And he, man, oh man, he was with him and Jalen Reyes both just they ran amok on the floor.

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<v Matt Houlihan>They just loved the crowd.

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<v Matt Houlihan>And he was undersized, but had a cannon, great out of the back row.

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<v Matt Houlihan>And obviously, like most Puerto Ricans, like when we face a 12-year-old Puerto Rican team, you're gonna say they're gonna have but good ball control and they're gonna bring a ton of energy, and their parents are gonna be real loud.

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<v Matt Houlihan>So he checked all three boxes.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Okay.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Deep cut.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>My mine is also an attacker.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Uh he goes by Rourke.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And the story of Rourke, uh, he I don't know where Rourke is now.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Do you?

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<v Matt Houlihan>He's probably playing 12s again.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>We it's probably true.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>We show up to day one of uh Dallas, Texas, or Phoenix, Arizona.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Phoenix, Arizona.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>I remember it well.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Um, and during 12s at Nationals, you just like everybody gets there, and then all the coaches are just like bouncing from court to court looking for a big kid in hitting lines, like who's got what?

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And that year there were three Puerto Rican teams that were all pretty decent, but Vaqueros, it was Vaqueros, right?

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, I think it was Vaqueros.

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<v Matt Houlihan>I'm not sure.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Uh it might have been Turmar.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>We had this kid, and he had Rourke, uh R-O-A-R-K, on the back of his jersey, and that kid single-handedly clobbered us, clobbered us single-handedly.

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<v Matt Houlihan>It was it was John Costi, your your younger brother who doesn't play volleyball and I were coaching that team together, and we thought we had it.

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<v Matt Houlihan>We thought we were winning it all.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Yeah, it was like we've got it.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And then Rourke just took it from us.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>Just stole it.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Rourke was like 18.

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<v Matt Houlihan>He was 18 years old.

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<v Matt Houlihan>All over our poor 12.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>We did see Rourke again a couple years later, and we and he looked exactly the same.

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<v Arielle Houlihan>And we were like, oh man, Rourke.

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<v Matt Houlihan>No, we knocked we not we knocked him out at 16.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

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<v Matt Houlihan>You knocked him out at 16s.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, yeah, I remember that.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

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<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

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<v Matt Houlihan>He was the same exact player.

00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:36.480
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, he was the same player.

00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:38.159
<v Matt Houlihan>But man, he gave us nightmares.

00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:41.759
<v Arielle Houlihan>Yeah, so that kid's for sure on my all Puerto Rican team.

00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:45.919
<v Arielle Houlihan>That kid was put the state on his back.

00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:47.039
<v Arielle Houlihan>State?

00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:48.080
<v Arielle Houlihan>Is it a territory?

00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:48.639
<v Arielle Houlihan>Territory?

00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:50.080
<v Arielle Houlihan>The territory on his back.

00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:50.480
<v unknown>Yeah.

00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:55.919
<v Chad Gordon>You guys ever think uh the 12s had a different way, like maybe some cross-training at dive bars and smoking cigs?

00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:58.399
<v Chad Gordon>It's the worst.

00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:00.960
<v Chad Gordon>Yeah, 100%.

00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:04.000
<v Chad Gordon>Puerto Ricans are onto something at the 12s, that's for sure.

00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:08.320
<v Chad Gordon>Yeah, he is sneaky good.

00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:09.919
<v Chad Gordon>He's like, I've been playing since I was eight.

00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:13.679
<v Arielle Houlihan>He's like, I've been in bars since I was eight years old.

00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:20.240
<v Chad Gordon>Um I think honorable mention got put in Gabby just for five seconds.

00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:21.200
<v Chad Gordon>That's the easy answer.

00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:30.799
<v Chad Gordon>No one wanted to take it's it's the layup, but I mean he's the only Puerto Rican who's like in the USA gym and like that kind of stuff, and you know, I think is a natural successor right now in the pipeline to Matt Anderson.

00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:33.279
<v Chad Gordon>But he's honorable mention, so we'll just pass right over him.

00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:36.159
<v Chad Gordon>Um I went back with a Libero, current Libero.

00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:42.879
<v Chad Gordon>I think he's a senior right now, uh, but McKendry's Diaz has just been playing lights out for Nikki.

00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:43.679
<v Chad Gordon>Yachty.

00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:45.679
<v Chad Gordon>Yeah, for the last few years.

00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:47.200
<v Chad Gordon>He's one of those kind of unsung guys.

00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:47.759
<v Chad Gordon>Kids good.

00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:49.679
<v Chad Gordon>He was at Pepperdine and then he transferred to Minnesota.

00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:51.440
<v Speaker 3>And where did he play Club?

00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:52.240
<v Speaker 3>Do you remember?

00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:53.200
<v Chad Gordon>He's from Orlando.

00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:54.720
<v Chad Gordon>Yeah, I want to say 352.

00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:56.399
<v Arielle Houlihan>Is it 352?

00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:57.279
<v Arielle Houlihan>It may be.

00:13:57.279 --> 00:13:57.919
<v Arielle Houlihan>I don't know.

00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:01.200
<v Arielle Houlihan>Yeah, I think it was 352.

00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:05.679
<v Chad Gordon>Um, but no, he's he's just one of those guys who just goes about his business and just puts up great numbers.

00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:06.480
<v Chad Gordon>Yeah, he's good.

00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:12.879
<v Chad Gordon>Um was one of I'll be honest, like one of the few Puerto Ricans I could I could think of off the cuff that are currently active today.

00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:13.600
<v Chad Gordon>Yes, yes.

00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:16.320
<v Chad Gordon>Yeah, I was I was struggling with like who's who's out?

00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:19.679
<v Chad Gordon>I mean like Rourke probably somewhere, but like I don't know.

00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:21.039
<v Arielle Houlihan>We need to look that up.

00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:21.840
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:22.799
<v Matt Houlihan>I like it.

00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:24.799
<v Matt Houlihan>We got a current, we have we were covering all the bases here.

00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:26.240
<v Matt Houlihan>Doc, bring us back.

00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:27.600
<v Daniel Rasay>Way back.

00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:35.919
<v Daniel Rasay>Uh I mean this was this was tough for me because like I said, Portuguese were hot when I was um playing, but Hector Soto.

00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:46.159
<v Daniel Rasay>Um there's bitches, those wrongs they there must be some YouTube videos of him because he had a 50-inch vertical.

00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:50.000
<v Daniel Rasay>Um probably about 6'6 or so, went to IPFW.

00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:55.120
<v Daniel Rasay>Oh kind of after Loy Ball put them back on the map.

00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:58.879
<v Daniel Rasay>Because I think they made a final four during his time.

00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:10.559
<v Daniel Rasay>But there was a legend that when they came and played at Hawaii, he was bouncing the ball straight down and hitting the jumbotron in uh hitting warm-ups, and kind of everyone was just in awe because 50 inch vertical 6'6.

00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:15.120
<v Daniel Rasay>That's pretty I guess that's more normal now than it was back then.

00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:19.600
<v Matt Houlihan>But that's some that's some Lionel Marshall Cuba Cuba style YouTube videos.

00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:20.399
<v Matt Houlihan>Pretty good.

00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:20.639
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:22.399
<v Matt Houlihan>The whole videos in slow motion.

00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:22.639
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:26.960
<v Daniel Rasay>It's probably really grainy, but maybe you can find a YouTube video from back then.

00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:28.639
<v Matt Houlihan>But here's the story.

00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:32.000
<v Matt Houlihan>I was talking with I believe this was a Brad Keller story.

00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:36.159
<v Matt Houlihan>We're talking about like recruiting videos or like funniest recruiting videos you ever see.

00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:38.720
<v Matt Houlihan>And he's talking about this Puerto Rican kid.

00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:44.799
<v Matt Houlihan>He said it was it was the funniest, but also just the best video of all time, because it's literally all he needed.

00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:57.759
<v Matt Houlihan>It was a one-minute slow-mo video of him hitting a naked two-ball, and his belt buckle is just above the net, and he just yachts this too, and that was it.

00:15:57.759 --> 00:15:58.639
<v Matt Houlihan>That was the video.

00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:00.879
<v Matt Houlihan>And this is like when you had to send it on a DVD.

00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:01.679
<v Matt Houlihan>That's perfect.

00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:04.720
<v Matt Houlihan>And Brad was like, number one, hilarious.

00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.440
<v Matt Houlihan>And number two, absolutely, we want this guy.

00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:10.000
<v Matt Houlihan>It's just like sending into the photo Juan Figueroa.

00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:10.480
<v Matt Houlihan>There you go.

00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:11.360
<v Matt Houlihan>Juan Figueroa.

00:16:11.360 --> 00:16:12.799
<v Matt Houlihan>Juan Figueroa.

00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:13.840
<v Matt Houlihan>Juan Figueroa.

00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:14.399
<v Matt Houlihan>That's it.

00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:15.039
<v Matt Houlihan>That's it.

00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:15.519
<v Chad Gordon>Yep.

00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:21.440
<v Chad Gordon>I'm imagining that, like, you know that photo of Jeff Menzel where like basically like his kneecaps are like above the net.

00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:21.600
<v Chad Gordon>Yeah.

00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:24.240
<v Chad Gordon>He's just like, he's got his ready to swap the ball.

00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:27.519
<v Chad Gordon>Yeah, it looks like a water polo goalie.

00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:33.360
<v Chad Gordon>Um, I'm like, imagine just like printing out that photo, mailing it to like Brad Calegar, like, hey, I apply.

00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:35.279
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, here's here's my cover letter.

00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:45.440
<v Matt Houlihan>This is gonna sound clickbaity to all the the viewers out there, but I promise you, this is not this is very Why did volleyball fumble the gays?

00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:48.960
<v Matt Houlihan>I've been watching Heated Rivalry.

00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:49.200
<v Matt Houlihan>Great.

00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:50.480
<v Matt Houlihan>I have.

00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:52.799
<v Matt Houlihan>I had because it's it's so culturally relevant.

00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:55.039
<v Matt Houlihan>So I had to throw on an episode, and it is good.

00:16:55.039 --> 00:17:05.119
<v Matt Houlihan>You watched an episode of Heated Rivalry, yes, and I had to understand I just needed to understand what was going on, and immediately my immediate thought when watching this was this was volleyballs.

00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:06.240
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, I agree with that.

00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:10.799
<v Matt Houlihan>Now, volleyball has always had a history of just gay athletes playing it.

00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:18.079
<v Matt Houlihan>It's been one of the more openly, openly gay sports for athletes in in my perspective, obviously just being in it and living it.

00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:26.160
<v Matt Houlihan>Um, and I'm seeing hockey just get all this coverage, and there's all like all the support from the gay community notoriously, and I'm like, Yeah, they're demographic.

00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:27.759
<v Matt Houlihan>Volleyball, what are we doing?

00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:40.799
<v Matt Houlihan>Like, this is this is such a great opportunity for us to have embraced the gay community and been like, This is this is our sport, these are our people, but we have never embraced the gay community in any like culturally relevant way.

00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:49.920
<v Matt Houlihan>And so I I made a video about it and I sent it to our fellow, our fellow Beta Bay coach who is also gay, and was like, Hey, am I gonna get canceled for talking about this?

00:17:49.920 --> 00:18:01.200
<v Matt Houlihan>And he's like, No, but his point was ever there's lots of people in volleyball that are gay, and so the heated rivalry factor of it being hockey is what makes it more like culturally relevant.

00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:05.680
<v Matt Houlihan>Like there's a lot of people that are uh a faux pas there.

00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:09.279
<v Arielle Houlihan>But that wasn't the case though, however many years ago.

00:18:09.519 --> 00:18:10.079
<v Matt Houlihan>Correct.

00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:17.200
<v Arielle Houlihan>That has only recently become more of a uh culturally accepted thing.

00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:21.519
<v Matt Houlihan>Now you got Jordan Lucas dropping 30 kills on USC hitting 500.

00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:22.000
<v Matt Houlihan>Yep.

00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:26.880
<v Matt Houlihan>And he's just I I want just a clip of all of his celebrations after each kill.

00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:27.279
<v Matt Houlihan>Yep.

00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:29.039
<v Matt Houlihan>It is pure entertainment.

00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:33.359
<v Matt Houlihan>You get if you got Jordan Lucas after he's done playing college volleyball to be a commentator.

00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:35.119
<v Matt Houlihan>Commentator 100%.

00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:40.240
<v Matt Houlihan>The the ratings and views you would get would be incredible.

00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:56.400
<v Arielle Houlihan>Okay, so I was watching ice skating with the Winter Olympics, and I was watching uh Tara Lipinski and Johnny Ware that were commentating, and they obviously are incredible and very, very watchable and hilarious.

00:18:56.400 --> 00:19:04.400
<v Arielle Houlihan>And my automatic comment to you guys was like, why do we not have gay announcers for volleyball?

00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:10.000
<v Arielle Houlihan>It would be so much more entertaining and so much funnier and much more watchable for all of us.

00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:19.680
<v Arielle Houlihan>Even like two gay volleyball players commentating on women's volleyball, it would be the funniest thing and the best thing I'd ever heard, and just like rip it apart.

00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:43.359
<v Arielle Houlihan>In like not a like you would I feel like they would be able to get away with more of like like two you going out and like commentating on women's volleyball and ripping it apart is one thing, but two gay guys doing it is another thing, and it would be more ex I think it would be better, like and more accepted and funnier and just better for TV.

00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:50.079
<v Matt Houlihan>I'm just looking at it from the perspective of like there's so there's already such a large gay community within the volleyball community.

00:19:50.079 --> 00:19:51.359
<v Matt Houlihan>Right.

00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:57.359
<v Matt Houlihan>I'm I I'll I'll I'll throw this over to Daniel in a second because he's actually played in a Nagva Nationals tournament.

00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:04.799
<v Matt Houlihan>But right, you've got the North American Gay Volleyball Association running massive tournaments all around the country every single year.

00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:05.200
<v Matt Houlihan>Yep.

00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:14.400
<v Matt Houlihan>And there's such a sub not even a subculture, a culture within volleyball that hasn't truly been tapped into in any mainstream way from the volleyball perspective.

00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:20.880
<v Arielle Houlihan>I don't know.

00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:30.319
<v Arielle Houlihan>I just don't think it I think in other sports it's become this huge thing, and I think that we're it's getting like we're dated in the lack of support.

00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:32.799
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, I don't know.

00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:46.079
<v Matt Houlihan>I I just I would love to see us lean into it more rather than it be like it's not like volleyball is pretending to not have gay athletes or that it's not a part of our community.

00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:47.599
<v Arielle Houlihan>We're just not highlighting anything.

00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:49.599
<v Matt Houlihan>We're just not we're not highlighting it.

00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:57.279
<v Matt Houlihan>We're not putting it on the stage of of being able to make it a make it a more impactful setting from what we could do.

00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:00.400
<v Matt Houlihan>So that was just one of the thoughts I had when I watched that episode.

00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:19.680
<v Arielle Houlihan>Maybe okay, thought bubble of do you think that there's a part of volleyball culture that everybody has to hide who they are, no matter who you are, because there is a box that you need to fit in in volleyball, and that's been the culture of the way things have gone.

00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:27.920
<v Daniel Rasay>I think it's part of men's and boys' volleyball is it's always been more of a girl sport.

00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:42.720
<v Daniel Rasay>And so I think it's that long history of it trying to prove that it's you know not a girl sport, and that's why people are gonna shy away from um highlighting the gay people that play volleyball because of that.

00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:50.559
<v Daniel Rasay>And I think we are in a uh state of the world where it's it should be highlighted now.

00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:52.319
<v Matt Houlihan>Right.

00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:52.880
<v Matt Houlihan>I see that.

00:21:52.880 --> 00:22:03.039
<v Matt Houlihan>So there's the there's definitely when I was growing up and playing the stigma, quote stigma of it would be that it's a girl sport and Therefore, people wouldn't apply legitimacy to it.

00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:04.240
<v Matt Houlihan>We still get that all the time.

00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:14.799
<v Matt Houlihan>The amount of beta-betay comments that we get when we go our videos that go viral of people being like, what a waste of talent or girl sport or just stupid comments like that.

00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:15.279
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:27.279
<v Matt Houlihan>It's like you think you I I think there's a way that you flip that on its head where people think that they're insulting and instead we just lean into lean into what makes one.

00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:32.480
<v Arielle Houlihan>That's what we've done, at least with Bay to Bay, like we literally could care less on that.

00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:33.279
<v Matt Houlihan>But yeah.

00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:34.480
<v Matt Houlihan>But food for thought.

00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:36.880
<v Matt Houlihan>I'm I'm and I don't think we have the the correct answers.

00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:47.039
<v Matt Houlihan>I just saw that as a you can see the cultural cultural moment happening right now where you've got every you've got the gay community and you've got girls all showing up to the boy aquarium.

00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:47.279
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:53.200
<v Matt Houlihan>It's just hilarious, which is just the greatest name ever for a pro sports arena.

00:22:53.440 --> 00:23:00.960
<v Arielle Houlihan>Yeah, girl, like people yeah, a NHL game yelling, Kiss is the funniest thing that I've ever seen happen.

00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:02.079
<v Arielle Houlihan>Like it's incredible.

00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:11.759
<v Matt Houlihan>Like and so I think volleyball has that built-in opportunity that you know whether or not it's a missed opportunity, I don't know.

00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:18.079
<v Matt Houlihan>I think it's something for all of us to consider as we're as we're looking for ways to grow the sport of volleyball.

00:23:18.079 --> 00:23:25.440
<v Matt Houlihan>Moving us along here, our last little topic of discussion, brought up by Chad Gordon, a very strong observation.

00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:27.119
<v Chad Gordon>I really like this one, yeah.

00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:29.119
<v Matt Houlihan>Are middles obsolete now?

00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:36.240
<v Matt Houlihan>We've seen the movement of just pin hitters moving into the middle and taking away the positions of the big bruisers.

00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:37.200
<v Matt Houlihan>What's your what's your thoughts?

00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:37.920
<v Matt Houlihan>Lay the land.

00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:43.839
<v Chad Gordon>Thought number one is that middles a few years ago, very, very important, because otherwise I'd be sleeping on the couch tonight.

00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:44.160
<v Chad Gordon>Okay.

00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:45.599
<v Chad Gordon>It's true.

00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:48.799
<v Chad Gordon>Allegedly.

00:23:48.799 --> 00:24:05.200
<v Chad Gordon>Um Yeah, I think you've seen this with certain teams over the past you know couple of decades where you know maybe you have a dearth of middles on your team and you slot in a lack of, a gap, a want, a need for.

00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:12.799
<v Chad Gordon>Um and maybe you put in your backup right side, you put in your fourth outside hitter or something.

00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:18.400
<v Chad Gordon>And hey, if it's a perfect pass, commit, and if it's a high ball, just go and jump next to the guy.

00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:19.279
<v Chad Gordon>Like how hard could it be?

00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:21.279
<v Chad Gordon>And you're gonna hit like a one and a half.

00:24:21.279 --> 00:24:26.880
<v Chad Gordon>And I think you know, obviously, the easy example here is you know, a guy that you know we we grew up with, right?

00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:30.640
<v Chad Gordon>Taylor Averill, where you know, leaves Irvine, goes to Hawaii.

00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:34.000
<v Chad Gordon>Hey, we don't have a roster, or we're not gonna put you on the right.

00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:35.680
<v Chad Gordon>Can you hit a front one?

00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:40.240
<v Chad Gordon>And he becomes a first small American and he's on the national team, and now he's got a medal from the Olympics.

00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:42.640
<v Chad Gordon>Voted best middle blocker in the world.

00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:47.759
<v Chad Gordon>That's pretty high praise uh and pretty embarrassing for all the other guys who trained his medals forever.

00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:51.920
<v Chad Gordon>Um but that's sorry, uh, one Maxwell Holt, but that's okay.

00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:54.880
<v Chad Gordon>Um and I think you're seeing it now.

00:24:54.880 --> 00:25:03.039
<v Chad Gordon>I mean, Irvine has done this for years, uh, of just, you know, NIF wants to be creative with how he scores points.

00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:09.440
<v Chad Gordon>And so if he has a guy who, hey man, maybe you're the third left, I can just have you hit a two-ball and go be an athlete.

00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:20.079
<v Chad Gordon>Because I think when you like your default is like, man, I have to hit a bunch of high balls against, you know, four hands, six hands, whatever it is, and then it's like, oh, I just have to beat one dude, and the ball's gonna be right here every time.

00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:21.440
<v Chad Gordon>It's like, oh, you're over here?

00:25:21.440 --> 00:25:22.559
<v Chad Gordon>I'm just gonna hit it over there.

00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:24.400
<v Chad Gordon>This is really not that hard.

00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:33.920
<v Chad Gordon>Um, and I'd be interested to see if this phenomenon kind of grows as you know the verbiage around volleyball is like, hey, you gotta train people to do everything.

00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:41.920
<v Chad Gordon>Why can't you you know have more pins just finding their way into more creative situations in the middle?

00:25:42.160 --> 00:25:44.400
<v Matt Houlihan>Let me layer in a little a little extra on top of that.

00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:46.880
<v Matt Houlihan>Take take USYRIVAN as a good example right now.

00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:50.319
<v Matt Houlihan>Both of their middle blockers were former pins that NIF has converted.

00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:58.000
<v Matt Houlihan>This past week they played a game where for a big portion of, I believe, two of the sets, they didn't use a Libera.

00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:05.440
<v Matt Houlihan>They just had they had the middles going around, they were hitting out of the back row, they were passing, they were doing everything.

00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:08.319
<v Matt Houlihan>And it was very creative.

00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:15.920
<v Matt Houlihan>They did lose the set to Concordia whilst doing this, but it still was one of those ones where you kind of look at it and you go, hmm, that's interesting.

00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:17.839
<v Matt Houlihan>I could I could see something in there.

00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:23.440
<v Matt Houlihan>I could see a world where uh the benefits would be out would outweigh the cons, right?

00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:25.359
<v Matt Houlihan>Of of trying to try something like that.

00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:28.079
<v Matt Houlihan>But Daniel, what's your what's your perspective on this?

00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:30.160
<v Matt Houlihan>Is there is there legs to this idea?

00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:32.640
<v Daniel Rasay>NIF is just going back in time.

00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:48.960
<v Daniel Rasay>We he and I both played in a time where there was no liberos, and so you had to be good volleyball players, and right now you probably want your best volleyball players to be on the court at all times, and sometimes middles aren't your best volleyball players.

00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:54.480
<v Daniel Rasay>So he's not being creative, he's just taking it back to the old school.

00:26:54.880 --> 00:27:01.119
<v Arielle Houlihan>I think this is just a product of him talking to himself because there is no actual assistant coach.

00:27:01.119 --> 00:27:09.519
<v Arielle Houlihan>Like Brinkley's there, kind of, and like he's just there in his own mind, and this is just a product of NIF volleyball.

00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:14.319
<v Arielle Houlihan>NIF is in the simulation, and usually he's had somebody to like talk these things through.

00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:15.839
<v Arielle Houlihan>Someone that can convince him not to be.

00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:35.839
<v Matt Houlihan>He gets to go full crazy, yes, exactly.

00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:37.440
<v Matt Houlihan>He's in he's playing in the sandbox right now.

00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:37.920
<v Matt Houlihan>That's what he's doing.

00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:38.400
<v Arielle Houlihan>Exactly.

00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:42.559
<v Arielle Houlihan>I did make the joke earlier to everybody that we should nominate Niff as assistant coach of the year.

00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:43.359
<v Arielle Houlihan>Yeah.

00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:46.720
<v Chad Gordon>He's literally, he's doing all the jobs.

00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:48.240
<v Chad Gordon>I'd give it to him.

00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:49.519
<v Chad Gordon>I mean, I get it.

00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:53.119
<v Chad Gordon>No, but I mean it's it's one of those interesting, I think, tactical things, right?

00:27:53.119 --> 00:27:54.960
<v Chad Gordon>Of like, hey, I pass the ball to 12 feet.

00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:57.359
<v Chad Gordon>I don't need to fire in this this three ball.

00:27:57.359 --> 00:27:59.039
<v Chad Gordon>Here's just kind of just like lob.

00:27:59.039 --> 00:28:02.480
<v Chad Gordon>It's like a little like 32 over here and just kind of run like a little back two over there.

00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:07.920
<v Chad Gordon>You keep some weird spacing, you don't let blockers like really start to cheat one way or the other.

00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:09.920
<v Chad Gordon>And these guys are just like, oh, it's not a one.

00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:15.599
<v Chad Gordon>I'm just I I hit a two ball from ten, like it's it's I can easily feel where the blocker is.

00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:20.000
<v Chad Gordon>If if you've been a pin hitter your whole life, like that's a really easy and natural thing to do.

00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:23.279
<v Chad Gordon>So I'd be interested to see how that opens up also with the back row, right?

00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:29.039
<v Chad Gordon>If you're gonna keep these guys in more rotations, you know, if do you have four guys or five guys on routes?

00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:35.599
<v Chad Gordon>I mean, do you start looking like nine man out here of just like I get some random crossing patterns just uh just a mess with people?

00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:41.359
<v Speaker 3>Who's got the best third outside in the country right now?

00:28:42.160 --> 00:28:42.960
<v Matt Houlihan>Third outside.

00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:44.400
<v Matt Houlihan>I'm just thinking of uh examples of it.

00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:49.359
<v Matt Houlihan>Justin Todd for Hawaii is an example of a former pin that they trans turned into a middle.

00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:50.880
<v Matt Houlihan>He was an opposite before this?

00:28:50.880 --> 00:28:51.839
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, opposite.

00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:54.079
<v Matt Houlihan>Or it might have even been a left side, but yeah.

00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:58.400
<v Arielle Houlihan>There's some interesting ones out there that could be utilized in funny ways.

00:28:58.640 --> 00:28:58.880
<v Matt Houlihan>Certainly.

00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:01.519
<v Matt Houlihan>I think there's a lot of a lot of teams that could look at it in that way.

00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:08.079
<v Matt Houlihan>It's really blocking, I think it's probably it's insistent blocking that's the hardest skill for the middles to get to get under their belt.

00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:08.720
<v Chad Gordon>That's the big piece.

00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:10.720
<v Chad Gordon>Well, I mean, McHenry was in the middle, right?

00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:11.359
<v Chad Gordon>Bang off.

00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:26.960
<v Chad Gordon>I mean, you're getting these guys who just like I mean, I think I've had beers with Jones where it's like, what would happen if you just put okay, you're gonna play TJ, Taylor Sander, and Aaron Russell, and like, alright, if it's TJ and Aaron, what if Sanders like hit a two-ball?

00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:28.400
<v Chad Gordon>Like, oh my god.

00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:28.720
<v Chad Gordon>Yeah.

00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:30.559
<v Chad Gordon>Like, what are you gonna do against that?

00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:33.599
<v Chad Gordon>Someone needs to put Taylor Sander in the middle.

00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:34.880
<v Chad Gordon>See what happens.

00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:36.160
<v Matt Houlihan>Yep.

00:29:36.160 --> 00:29:36.799
<v Matt Houlihan>Yep.

00:29:36.799 --> 00:29:40.240
<v Matt Houlihan>It is a it is a is it the new the new offense?

00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:41.839
<v Matt Houlihan>Is it the is it the future?

00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:45.920
<v Matt Houlihan>I think we you will continue to see more of this start to play out.

00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:49.039
<v Matt Houlihan>I think you'll start to see more of this in the women's game too, right?

00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:53.680
<v Matt Houlihan>Where you just get some more you get you get more uh offensive turns.

00:29:53.680 --> 00:29:58.640
<v Matt Houlihan>The big piece that I think I look at is who can serve too.

00:29:58.640 --> 00:30:10.720
<v Matt Houlihan>And usually the pinhitters are gonna be in a more consistent, higher level serving level than typically middles because and this is no fault of the middles, there are so many times in club where the middles never serve.

00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:10.960
<v Arielle Houlihan>Yeah.

00:30:11.119 --> 00:30:12.160
<v Matt Houlihan>I'm guilty of this too, right?

00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:16.240
<v Matt Houlihan>If I'm looking for a role for one of my bench guys, they're gonna go in and serve for the middle.

00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:16.480
<v Matt Houlihan>Yep.

00:30:16.480 --> 00:30:27.599
<v Matt Houlihan>And so they just have way less reps in development level than the pinhitters do on the serve side, and then you get to college and all of a sudden you have to serve, and so it's usually one of the weaker serves that you're gonna face on a team.

00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:38.079
<v Matt Houlihan>You flip that, you put a pin in there who's been serving their whole life, you get a you get you shave a couple points every now and again on your sets, and you're looking you're looking pretty damn good.

00:30:38.079 --> 00:30:38.640
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

00:30:38.640 --> 00:30:45.759
<v Matt Houlihan>So it's it's there's part of the development that we have that starts to kind of kneecap middles.

00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:54.559
<v Matt Houlihan>The same thing that coaches have talked about on USA right sides is so much of the club system for USA right sides is 6-2s and playing time.

00:30:54.559 --> 00:31:03.759
<v Matt Houlihan>And yeah, so no one no one allows the right sides to really play through the back row, so they lose that development until they get to college, and then they need to try and get up to speed.

00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:13.920
<v Matt Houlihan>So there's some interesting dynamics at play, but you can see where people are are finding some unique slivers and some unique opportunities to improve their team a little bit with us.

00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:17.680
<v Arielle Houlihan>Well, it's funny, I've seen the trend for I don't know, maybe 10 years now.

00:31:17.680 --> 00:31:24.240
<v Arielle Houlihan>Their college coaches are asking late in the game, are asking, like, we just need a big body in the middle.

00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:27.759
<v Arielle Houlihan>Like, where do you guys have anybody, some big bodies in the middle?

00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:31.440
<v Arielle Houlihan>And we're like, no, we put them all on the pin when they were 13 and 14 years old.

00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:46.480
<v Arielle Houlihan>Like, that's been the way that we have developed our kids is we've taken those kids that were typically middles, we've tried to put them on the pin from earlier, and if that doesn't end up working out and the passing is really that difficult, then they go to the right and then they go back to the middle.

00:31:46.480 --> 00:32:05.359
<v Arielle Houlihan>And like that, but does the kids that are smaller and develop that the quickness, we've been able to be very successful with those kids in the middle, and but the projection of them to the next level is not as high because they need those big bodies.

00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:07.200
<v Arielle Houlihan>Yeah, you still don't need to be size.

00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:26.960
<v Arielle Houlihan>But I wonder if, yes, if you need size across the board, but I wonder if that will start changing and you'll start seeing some uh six, five middles that are just twitchy and can jump, but can like they're more athletic, like a Max Gregory kid that is just like speaking of NIF creativity.

00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:27.519
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah, exactly.

00:32:27.519 --> 00:32:28.880
<v Matt Houlihan>Like that setter into the middle.

00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:35.759
<v Arielle Houlihan>But it's setter in the middle, like that that's the type of stuff that like I wonder if we start seeing more of that kind of stuff that they can be successful.

00:32:36.400 --> 00:32:37.839
<v Matt Houlihan>What are you and then we turn middle into middle?

00:32:38.079 --> 00:32:38.960
<v Arielle Houlihan>You seem like a crazy person.

00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:40.400
<v Matt Houlihan>We'll turn middles into setters.

00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:43.519
<v Arielle Houlihan>You just look like an evil mad scientist.

00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:46.400
<v Matt Houlihan>Uh well, I was going, I was going NIF mode right there.

00:32:46.400 --> 00:32:49.039
<v Matt Houlihan>We'll turn the setter into a middle and the middle into a setter.

00:32:49.359 --> 00:32:50.799
<v Chad Gordon>But it's the what's the quote?

00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:54.160
<v Chad Gordon>It's like the show me the incentives and I'll show you the outcome or whatever, right?

00:32:54.160 --> 00:33:04.160
<v Chad Gordon>It's just like okay, if you have 43 subs, sorry, man, I'm gonna go with the small ball control kid who's been playing since he was eight, yeah, instead of the 14-year-old middle who's coming out for the very first time in his career.

00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:04.559
<v Chad Gordon>Yep.

00:33:04.559 --> 00:33:06.640
<v Chad Gordon>And then by default, it's self-fulfilling, right?

00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:13.680
<v Chad Gordon>Of like, oh, well, okay, I don't serve, so therefore I don't work on serving, therefore I don't think of myself as a server, and then I'm spiraled, oh I got to college.

00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:14.960
<v Chad Gordon>Shit, six subs.

00:33:14.960 --> 00:33:15.200
<v Chad Gordon>Yeah.

00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:16.240
<v Chad Gordon>Better figure this out.

00:33:16.400 --> 00:33:21.680
<v Matt Houlihan>Like and all of a sudden, as a college coach, you're looking, how can I how can I point square from the service line?

00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:23.599
<v Matt Houlihan>I put a pin in the middle, yeah, problem solved.

00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:29.359
<v Arielle Houlihan>I'm surprised that I haven't had any conversations with college coaches saying, like, do you have any middles who can serve?

00:33:29.359 --> 00:33:38.240
<v Arielle Houlihan>Like, I don't ever get that question from anybody of like, do you or I don't know if that's what they're looking at of like how do they serve?

00:33:38.240 --> 00:33:40.640
<v Arielle Houlihan>Because I feel like that should be something to look at.

00:33:40.960 --> 00:33:55.279
<v Matt Houlihan>Well, yeah, if you think about it from a first principle perspective of I'm trying to point score and I'm trying to be efficient offensively, it's not you're not looking at positions, you're looking at probably size, and then you're looking at the overall volleyball player.

00:33:55.279 --> 00:33:55.839
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

00:33:55.839 --> 00:34:05.200
<v Matt Houlihan>And I think it's easy to get stuck in the I'm trying to fill these boxes with these players that fit this general criteria.

00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:11.199
<v Matt Houlihan>So much of so much of college coaches like you're you don't want to be quote, be embarrassed, right?

00:34:11.199 --> 00:34:13.840
<v Matt Houlihan>You like you need to make the right selections on oh, that's a good middle.

00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:15.119
<v Matt Houlihan>Oh, that was a good middle too.

00:34:15.119 --> 00:34:21.119
<v Matt Houlihan>Oh, we got a good libero there, we got a good setter, rather than I got a really good volleyball player.

00:34:21.119 --> 00:34:24.480
<v Matt Houlihan>I'm he could be a right, you could like Cameron Cossey's a great example.

00:34:24.480 --> 00:34:29.280
<v Matt Houlihan>Great example, was a setter, was he was a left side, he was a right side.

00:34:29.280 --> 00:34:33.280
<v Matt Houlihan>He was a he was our starting opposite going through uh his 18th year.

00:34:33.519 --> 00:34:35.440
<v Arielle Houlihan>But he had a tough time getting recruited.

00:34:35.440 --> 00:34:36.000
<v Arielle Houlihan>Correct.

00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:56.400
<v Arielle Houlihan>Which is such a bummer because that kid was a great volleyball player and had a hard time with and that may be other things, but like that that is there's a lot of kids that are out there like that, that are like good across the board and their their stock is higher, but it's the kids that I they're six eight and they're whatever.

00:34:56.800 --> 00:35:02.800
<v Matt Houlihan>It just takes one college coach to say yes to you to find the right spot, and he did find a very good spot for himself.

00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:06.400
<v Arielle Houlihan>He went in dirt and he was setter of the week for Big West this week.

00:35:06.639 --> 00:35:16.079
<v Matt Houlihan>He was this week, and he went in as a left side, and then I think last year, NIF said, Hey, we're training you full time as a setter.

00:35:16.079 --> 00:35:17.920
<v Matt Houlihan>They had three setters coming into this.

00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:20.719
<v Matt Houlihan>They're I think he was the second setter on the depth chart.

00:35:20.719 --> 00:35:23.199
<v Matt Houlihan>Their starting setter got injured, and now he's got to run the show.

00:35:23.199 --> 00:35:27.280
<v Matt Houlihan>And but he's he's played that position before, he understands what that's like.

00:35:27.280 --> 00:35:30.079
<v Matt Houlihan>He can also hit, he can also, he also has a good serve.

00:35:30.239 --> 00:35:40.159
<v Chad Gordon>He does all of these things so well that you're finding that's so funny because like when you watch him play, like you'd probably think like, wow, like this guy has like a really live arm rather than like his hands are like kissed by God.

00:35:40.159 --> 00:35:47.199
<v Chad Gordon>Yes, but it's also one of those things of like if that guy doesn't go down, is Cameron Costa the middle of the year for Irvine, right?

00:35:47.199 --> 00:35:51.440
<v Chad Gordon>Like, I mean because you would put his arm somewhere out there because he can serve and he can hit some balls.

00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:54.400
<v Chad Gordon>Yep, and hey, we can teach you to read block, you know.

00:35:54.400 --> 00:35:56.159
<v Chad Gordon>Yep, it's interesting.

00:35:56.400 --> 00:36:02.239
<v Matt Houlihan>It is so much, so much creativity coming out coming out the gate here from the men's volleyball season.

00:36:02.239 --> 00:36:03.440
<v Matt Houlihan>Jackson, anything?

00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:06.960
<v Arielle Houlihan>We got we're that's a good episode.

00:36:07.280 --> 00:36:11.280
<v Matt Houlihan>Ladies and gentlemen, another great episode of the Coach's Group Chat.

00:36:11.280 --> 00:36:13.199
<v Matt Houlihan>We are heading to Washington, DC.

00:36:13.840 --> 00:36:17.679
<v Arielle Houlihan>I'm leaving in eight hours to go run a volleyball tournament with my family.

00:36:17.679 --> 00:36:20.559
<v Arielle Houlihan>And Chad's coming.

00:36:20.719 --> 00:36:21.119
<v Matt Houlihan>Yeah.

00:36:21.119 --> 00:36:22.800
<v Matt Houlihan>And my middle fiance.

00:36:23.119 --> 00:36:23.920
<v Arielle Houlihan>And your middle.

00:36:24.239 --> 00:36:32.880
<v Matt Houlihan>And I am also coming because I want to see the Barry Goldberg Court at American University this weekend and help run the event for Bon Bon.

00:36:32.880 --> 00:36:34.960
<v Matt Houlihan>But we'll be back again next week.

00:36:35.440 --> 00:36:36.000
<v Arielle Houlihan>Go ahead.

00:36:36.239 --> 00:36:39.440
<v Matt Houlihan>For another Rousing Coach's group chat.