Sticking with the Game: Juliann Faucette and Emily Ehman | LOVB in Paris

00:00:03
Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Tiffany Oshinsky, and this is serving pancakes with League One Volleyball. Over the next few episodes, we're going to follow Team USA's quest for goal at the Paris Olympics while also talking with talented people in and around volleyball and women's sports. Today's episode features two unique perspectives from the world of volleyball, Emily Emon and Julianne Fawcett. Emily played libera at Northwestern between twenty sixteen and twenty nineteen. However, she always knew she wanted to work in sports media, so she pursued journalism while playing for the Wildcats and is now the face of women's volleyball at the Big Ten Network. She also covers the professional and international game and contributes to Volleyball mag dot Com and ESPN. Julianne is a former three time All American at the University of Texas, having played from twenty seven to twenty ten. She's played professionally overseas in Europe and China, and was a member of the US women's national team in twenty sixteen. And julian pursued a career as a recording artist and published an EP then launched a podcast in twenty nineteen. Now she's coming back to Texas as a member of Love Austin and as the Longhorns player development consultant. Julianne Emily, welcome to Serving Pancakes. Thank you so much for being here.

00:01:18
Speaker 2: Thank you.

00:01:19
Speaker 3: I was so so excited to be here, especially alongside Julianne. I mean, the list of accomplishments just goes on and on. This is awesome.

00:01:26
Speaker 1: Thank you, right, I mean, Julian, I mean, your career has spanned multiple years. You've seen everything, You've traveled the world to play. So what has it been like for you to kind of take this break from volleyball now you're coming back.

00:01:41
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:01:41
Speaker 4: So the break initially was to have children, and I thought I was going to be finished with volleyball, but.

00:01:51
Speaker 2: Lo and behold, here I am.

00:01:53
Speaker 4: I had my son in twenty twenty, so during COVID, and during that time I got asked to out of retirement and play in Italy and so it was kind of a weird year obviously, and.

00:02:06
Speaker 2: I decided that it would be really cool.

00:02:09
Speaker 4: So yeah, I was three months postpartum when I got the contract, six months postpartum when I traveled to Italy, and so it was definitely a journey, something that was probably the most difficult thing I had done in the time that I've played volleyball. I've come back from injury, but coming back after having a baby mentally and physically is really difficult. So played the season. Felt like by the end of the season, I was in a really good place physically, but I just felt like the toll of taking your family overseas with a child, with a team or leagues that maybe don't have as much support and even knowledge of how to help moms, especially someone who was the first time mom, I just was like, I don't want to do that anymore. So, despite being in shape and feeling like I could continue you playing, I decided to step away again. And then this opportunity with Love came along.

00:03:05
Speaker 2: I had just had my.

00:03:07
Speaker 4: Twins who are now one and so yeah, I was just talking with some people at Love and we decided that we would give it a try. I would see if I could get in shape and see how my body felt. And I got to a place where I was like, I feel really good, and it's obviously a really exciting time for the sport of volleyball. Having this new league in America, being able to stay at home in Austin where I live, where my family and friends all are, and so it just was a no brainer for me to try. And I sent in some film and got a contract literally that same week.

00:03:46
Speaker 2: So I'm really stoked.

00:03:49
Speaker 1: That's amazing girl. I have seen your workout videos on Instagram, and I mean I had I have two kids, didn't have twins, but doing that after having two, like twins, your body and the what you can do, I'm so amazed. I mean, like that is absolute mom power, girl power, like eolute dominance.

00:04:10
Speaker 4: It's definitely been a journey and super hard. But during my pregnancy, I stayed pretty physical and I was in the gym and I lifted a lot, which was different from my first pregnancy. I did a lot of yoga and breastwork, which is great, but this pregnancy, I wanted to stay strong and I feel like that was a game changer in coming back to playing shape for sure.

00:04:34
Speaker 1: And Emily, I mean, you've been covering the sport now on camera in you know, online, what has changed since you graduated, Because I feel like even though you graduated in twenty nineteen, you know, seeing like Juliane as a mom coming back to play right, Like, that's absolutely amazing, just the growth of sport. Like, what have you seen in justin these few years since you've graduated college?

00:04:56
Speaker 3: Oh, I mean, the growth of the sport has been exponential. You know. I think back to when I was in college and we were just happy to have like a beat reporter or a student writer at a game, you know, or happy that a game was maybe on TV. They were only about you know, twenty five thirty matches back then on TV at least on Big ten network, and you know, a far few less on ESPN platforms and beyond. But I just can't believe how far it's come. There's more matches on TV than ever before. The viewership has skyrocketed every year among every single network, and then attendance records, we're seeing them shattered every single year. It feels like schools themselves individually are also shattering them every single week. It seems so the sport is growing so fast. Of course at the college game, and you look at high school you know, now it's one of the most participated in women's sports at the high school level, and then professionally, I think there's a lot more outlets that people are realizing that professional volleyball is really fun. You know, there's platforms like Volleyball World that you can watch, you know, some of the best leagues in the world. You can also watch a lot of these summer tournaments now that you were never able to watch before. So while the or it's growing, it's been really fun because it's been growing at every single level. You know, it hasn't just been the college game. It really has been professionally too, And to be honest, a really big part of that was because the team USA women's indoor team won gold in Tokyo, and that really helped the sport get a lot of eyeballs on it for maybe people that weren't volleyball fans before. But the cool thing about volleyball is once you turn it on TV, maybe you just stumble upon it, if you're a casual fan or had never watched before, it's really hard to turn off because of how fast paced it is. You know, there's not a lot of breaks. So once you have that game on it, it viewers stick to it because it's so fun to watch. And we've seen that grow, you know, a year over year and it's been really for me just so fun to be a part of that aspect of it on the other side of it all.

00:06:44
Speaker 1: Right, Well, before we talk about this game between the US and France, let's hear from twenty sixteen bronze medalist Courtney Thompson, who is in Paris and was at this game.

00:06:54
Speaker 5: What's up, guys, Corney Thompson here was serving pancakes and League one volleyball on the street of Paris after a super fun win. USA three France zero. Was an incredible match France. You know, it was their last game of their Olympics here in Paris, so they just showed up ready to full send and played really well. And I think because of the way the new pools are, USA had three days off, which in the Olympics is pretty rare, and they, you know, had They came out of the gates with two tough matches versus China and Serbia, so they couldn't quite find their rhythm, but towards the end they kind of got in there and it was a great win. And I think for them to make a run in this tournament, they're gonna need everybody on the roster, and tonight was very indicative of that. Kelsey and Jordan came off the bench in an incredible job kind of stabilizing the passing lane and also just getting some key kills in moments, and you could just tell they've been in so many tough moments and they know how to show up. And it was great to see Mike and JT made a good difference, especially in set three, which was awesome, and Chiaka and Haley getting some offense going in the middle, which was great, and Chiaka doing her thing on the block of course. So it will be a fun, fun few days here. We find out today where they'll land in the quarterfinals and who's next, and they could beat anyone and they're gonna have to use everything they got, so pretty excited to see where they go. But incredible win, fun night for them, and we'll see you soon.

00:08:29
Speaker 1: Lots of great stuff there from Courtney, And yes, the US did win in three straight sets, but those first two were real nail biers. The US eventually won twenty nine, twenty seven, twenty nine, twenty seven, twenty five, twenty and are now moving on to the quarterfinals on Tuesday. But let's talk about those first two sets. What was going through your minds. Go ahead, de Lane, you start.

00:08:51
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:08:51
Speaker 4: I mean, obviously France being the home team, the host country, it's tough, the environment, walking into that environment. Everybody there is much rooting for France despite them not coming out of pool play, it didn't matter. You know, they had nothing to lose. So that's a team that's scary to be is when you know they've got the crowd behind their back and they don't have anything to lose anymore. So they played free and they played lights out, and you know, there was times in the match where you felt like, oh, okay, we're good.

00:09:24
Speaker 2: USA's got this, but.

00:09:25
Speaker 4: Then they'd come back with an eighth. Tough serves. We couldn't get in system a lot of the time, and I think that really hinders us because our middles are amazing, So if we can't use our middles, then that puts a lot of pressures on our pin hitters. And I think any Jurs did an incredible job taking some really big swings out of system, but I just think that France put that pressure on. So those first two sets, I'm so glad we were able to pull it out because I know we needed just to win one set to come out of pool play.

00:09:53
Speaker 2: But for sure, when you.

00:09:54
Speaker 4: Go into a match like that, as temusay, knowing what's at stake, you just want to win and you want to win well, and so to be able to sweep that match, that's huge.

00:10:03
Speaker 2: They can go into quarterfinals with confidence.

00:10:06
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think you put a best at the end of the day of a win is a win, and advancing too the quarterfinals is the most important piece headed into this match, all the pressures on USA. France literally had nothing to lose. They had not want to set up until this point during pool play. Through their first two matches, USA only needed one set to advance. But really this match was kind of about getting consistency in their lineup. We've seen so many changes, especially at the outside position, throughout this entire tournament so far, which is also consistent from what we saw from Team USA all summer, rotating lineups nearly every single game during the VNL. So this was a really good opportunity for the US to come in and kind of thumb France, which which didn't happen. Of course, we saw those twenty nine to twenty seven first and second set wins, but it was definitely a nail Bider. I feel like my heart couldn't take it. And you're watching that early in the morning, like, come on, guys, we already know you can fight. We saw it against Serbia, you don't need to do it against France. It was fun to watch just because this team is always kind of keeping us guessing. I think at this point in the tournament, not very great position to be in to keep guessing, like what rotations we're going to use, who's going to play. But Karch is a heck of a coach, and you know he knows better than anyone, So I think when we head into quarterfinals, he's going to start the lineup that it feels most confident with. To me, I'm looking at the outsides and who gets that start, because right now it could be really any combination of the four.

00:11:25
Speaker 1: M HM and so Julian, you played at this profession, like the international level. Emily, you've covered it, you've seen this before. Do you think that because France didn't win any sets going to this game, do you sort of put their guard down or do you think it was just one of those where as you know, you said Emily, like France had nothing to lose, so they just came out guns blazing.

00:11:44
Speaker 4: I think USA knew they had to have a really good match going into the quarterfinals, so I think that there was no guard that came down. I think was more the pressure of the crowd and knowing like, Okay, this is a must win so that we can advance. And also the pool that they're in is difficult. You know, China and Survey are playing now, so that's going to decide who gets first and second and third place in the pool. And so I think that's the really important thing knowing going into a match like this there's a lot of unknowns and all you have to do, as Temusa is win this as easily and as best as you can. And they did their job. They came away with a sweep, even though it was tight in those first two sets. I think what Emily was saying about the outside, it's difficult to know going into this next match that they're going to have which outsides that they're going to use. But the great thing is is that everyone's proven that they can do what it takes to get the job done. And so you have two solid veterans in Kelsey and Jordan that you know are going to be super great at passing, They're going to handle the ball well, They're going to be crafty when it comes to the swings. And then you have Avery and Catherine who are hammering the ball and can put the.

00:13:00
Speaker 2: Ball away when needed.

00:13:01
Speaker 4: So it's just it's going to be matched by match what USA needs and so going in, whoever they draw is what kind of is going to It's going to come down to and I think Cards and the staff are going to make the right decisions, but even throughout that match, changes are going to happen. And I think that's the beauty of our team is that we're sacked, we have options, and so it's really cool to be able to see that they can pull out getting to the corner quarters with such a difficult pool, and then exciting to see.

00:13:30
Speaker 2: What happens next.

00:13:31
Speaker 3: Julianne, you mentioned kind of the how good this pool is, and really just across the board, this is the deepest Olympics that we've ever seen just in terms of talent. There are so many teams right now that will be in contention for a gold medal that could absolutely win. You know, you think of the top teams like Italy or like a Serbia should be but you never know it's going to happen, and tim Usa drew this pool, and honestly, if they were anywhere else it would have been just as hard, which is crazy to think about when you're facing a Serbia team that's that good and a China team that's that good. Came into this one again, they had all the pressure. They knew this was a great opportunity for them to try to get a good win as quickly as possible, to sure up that lineup, and then to get rest and go home because you only have, you know, potentially less than forty eight hours until your quarterfinal match, so they had a lot of pressure on them. I think you could see it to those first two sets. They were very tight, looked a little bit nervous. We saw defensive miscues that we don't normally see from this team, but that'll happen when you have players playing next to each other who haven't had a lot of time to practice. And then of course you know some players coming back from injury who took a lot of time off, like Jordan Polter who's been at the setting position. I think the better ball control they have, the better position they'll be in because yeah, she looks good, but at the end of the day, you know, you don't want to make her run as much as possible because we've already seen one set or go down with Lauren CARLINI. We don't need another one to go down to.

00:15:01
Speaker 1: The one thing I'm like loving about this team right now is that we are kind of seeing both the old guard and the new guard come in with you know, Avery Skinner Kavin Plumber coming in as the outside hitters, and then again coming in with Jordan Larsen and Kelsey Robinson Cook, and I feel like, you know, there's also these two different sides of the team when depending on who is in as outside hitter, right, Avery Skinner and Cavin Plummer, you get this hard hitting, insane powerful offense. With Jordan and Kelsey, you get that ball control that you you know that they really need, especially in this match against France, you know, with the service where they're struggling a little giving up, you know, five points at a time in both those first two sets, I feel like seeing how these two teams can handle and how Karch uses them depending on the situation is just fascinating to watch. And I feel like a lot of people don't realize what's happening when those two you know, they make that switch.

00:15:55
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, it's an important distinction when you have two heavy hitters like Plumber and Skinner, who you know can go in and just absolutely rip the ball, but at the end of the day, you need ball control. And you know, a lot of that is because they're veterans, with Kelsey and Jordan, you know, being toward the tail end of their career, they've had you know, twenty years of practice passing, where Skinner and Plumber, you know, their mid twenties, and it just takes time to get that ball control down. So at the end of the day, I think we're going to find out whether this team values ball control more or if they need some hitters put the ball down. And both totally make sense. Maybe you have some kind of a balance between them. You know, we saw what Plumber and Kelsey could do and for Kinnegliano last fall or last winner rather, they were incredible for that team. So that's a combination I would like to see. But it's also a little bit late in the tournament just to start throwing out combination, So I'm interested to see it. We'll see what Cards comes up with.

00:16:45
Speaker 4: Yeah, I agree. I think I think you could really do any combo here. You could put one big hitter in and you could have one ball control player in kind of balancing that. What we've seen is he's double subbed.

00:16:57
Speaker 2: Both of them, kind of had.

00:16:59
Speaker 4: Kelsey and Jordan together and then Avery and Catherine together going in, which I would also love to see a little bit at combo of both just to get that balance. But you know, they know best, and they know kind of the chemistry of the team and what's worked in practice. So I just think it's really cool that you can have any one of those combinations with a team. It means that the depth is big and wide and we're just you know, rallying going into this. And like Emily said, this is the deepest, toughest Olympics and volleyball that I've ever seen. And you know, I've been watching it since two thousand and four, you know, when I started playing, and you know, pining for my for my first Olympics, which I did never make. But you know, being on the national team and knowing kind of each year there's like two or three that you know are killer teams, and then the rest you can kind of, you know, gauge that we can get past them. But this year is it's insane. I mean there's six, probably six teams that could take the podium, take top spot, and so I just think that the depth that we have is is helpful and going into that, you know, you've seen such an up and down roller coaster with this team, but we just don't know how how hard it really is out there. You know, Tokyo didn't have any fans. Now you've got fans in the stands and it's a big crowd and everyone's excited, and everyone loves volleyball, and you know, the international game of volleyball is popular, so people know the sport. They're rooting for these all these different teams, and you know, we saw Italy crush Turkey. What that's crazy. So you know, it's just like it's just all of these different things happening within the game. And so to make it to where we are now going in I think, you know, fresh start, everyone's zero zero.

00:18:43
Speaker 2: At this point and you just use what you got.

00:18:47
Speaker 4: I think it's cool. It may not be great.

00:18:49
Speaker 2: That we didn't.

00:18:50
Speaker 4: We're not going into this next match kind of knowing what lineup that will go with. But it's also great that we've seen the depth and that we've seen the options that we have so that we know there's no fear in subbing. I think Karch is knowing that by now he's making those subs. I think the double sub is doing fantastic most of the time they go in and Jordan Thompson and Micah Hancock right now are you know, bringing points to the board when they sub, And so that's a huge factor too. So you just have so many options in our team.

00:19:19
Speaker 3: It's important to be deep, especially in an Olympic pool that's this deep. You know, you need to have a deep roster. You only get twelve on that roster, so you need to make sure that everyone's ready to go. Yep.

00:19:29
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:19:30
Speaker 1: And not only that, but I mean it was a huge I mean so much credit to Karch for adding Mica Hancock as that one of the alternates because with Lorne injuring her back and him being able to bring Micah is like clutch coaching right there right now. Julian, because you were on the US women's national team back when you played, how hard is it to make this team?

00:19:51
Speaker 4: Oh my gosh, it's it's hard, you know, even to be in the gym as one of the top twenty four or thirty girls down to the LAS. You know, roster cut is crazy, so you know it's intense, and you start at the beginning of a quad so you're going four years every summer hoping to stay in the gym. That's literally the goal of being on the US national team because there's so much talent coming out of college, but also the veterans are experienced and they've been there before. So there's just this combination of fresh talent and a combination of veteran badasses that you just have to be able to stay in the gym.

00:20:37
Speaker 2: And so.

00:20:39
Speaker 4: You know, the girls up until the last month before the Olympics are hoping to be on that roster and could could have been. That's the thing I would say that not a lot of countries have the talent that we do in volleyball to be able to decide at the last minute who's going to the Olympics. We had girls that got cut that easily could be there right now with their talent and their experience, and so it's it's it's tough, and to have been a part of that. And you know, looking back on my career, I had an amazing experience and I would say unique opportunity to be a part of that. As hard as it hurts when you're cut from a roster or even just from the national team in general and you step away from that, it just creates such a resilience in you. And also too, you're always a part of that. You know, every quad that goes through. You know, the girls that have been in the gym since twenty twenty one to now that aren't at the Olympics are a part of that. They put in the work, they put in the time, and they're supporting USA despite not making that Olympic roster.

00:21:54
Speaker 2: And that's what it takes. That's why we won goal.

00:21:57
Speaker 4: In twenty twenty twenty one, because you know, we have that depth and we have that support, and we're pushing each other day in and day out in that gym. That gym is brutal. Numbers matter, and you know every day that you walk in there, you have to you have to be prepared and so that mental training too comes with it. And I think that's why USA is where they're at for sure.

00:22:19
Speaker 1: And Emily, I was looking at the US women's roster, and if you include Micah Hancock with the starting twelve since you know she's playing right now, with Lauren being an alternate from that switch, but nine of them are Big Ten graduates, Big Ten alums? Do you play almost all of those? And I know, like Jordan Larson's you know a little older, so you probably didn't play her. But do you remember playing some of these women and covering them as a reporter?

00:22:45
Speaker 3: Yeah, well I remember playing against them, and I can say it wasn't very fun. They normally just took care of us pretty quickly, and I will say our team wasn't like amazing, But man, when you're going up against Haley Washington and Mica Hancock on the other side, you're like, well, this is gonna be fun. I can't wait to go home in an hour and a half. No, they were incredible. I mean it was It's crazy now thinking back to you know, when we would play against some of these opponents and you just kind of knew that they were going to be national team, if not Olympic players, and thinking back, it's like, I can't believe that I even had the opportunity to play against them and be like pretty scared while I was doing it, but you know, it's pretty cool looking back now on the other side of it, you know, seeing the personalities behind the players, because obviously you know when you're scouting them and you know their names, but at the end of the day, they're just a number and they're a scout to you. On the other side of it, it's been really fun to connect the dots of Okay, what makes this player so good, and what are they like off the court, and how does that feed into what's happening on the court. So I love being on this side of it, and also thinking back to having played against quite a few of them, the differences of what I see now versus.

00:23:53
Speaker 1: Then, Yeah, for sure. I feel like, you know, watching as a spectator these Olympics and seeing Alia Washington or Chiaka just crush the ball because I was a Labero too, and I'm like, I don't know if I would ever be able to dig that ball.

00:24:07
Speaker 3: No, absolutely not. I've seen something like even you know, if you haven't watched some non US matches, but if you've been watching like Italy or Turkey or any of those teams with the crazy opposites they have like I'm looking at the ball going up there and if there's a hole in the block or say, god forbid, they haven't opened at as a back row player, personally, I'm like, I'm putting a helmet on and running the other way. Absolutely not. I want no part of that.

00:24:30
Speaker 5: For sure.

00:24:31
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. And like you talking about who these women are as people that you're able to, you know, establish now as a reporter, I feel like, Julian, you're kind of doing that too, being this player development coach and working with younger girls who are learning. So what's that experience?

00:24:47
Speaker 4: Like, Yeah, so I actually haven't started yet, but I've been around the program for quite a while, and you know, I've recently moved back to Austin recently. I would say it's been three and.

00:24:57
Speaker 2: A half years.

00:24:58
Speaker 4: Ever since I've been back in Austin, And I step into practices and you know, hang out with Jared and the staff, and you know, it's it's really cool to see the level and just the program that Jarrett has built since I've been there, and so I'm really looking forward to being a resource and a mentor to these girls, especially the new ones, you know, the ones that are on the tail end of their college career may not need it as much. They know they've they've been through it, they've won two championships.

00:25:34
Speaker 2: At point, but you know it's going to be more.

00:25:38
Speaker 4: Of mentorship, helping them with nil, you know, just taking them out to coffee and asking them what they need, somebody that they can talk to. You know, Jarrett does a really good job of making sure that there is a woman on staff all the time. We have three brilliant men who you know are great assistants, fantastic sick volleyball nerds. Know, you know, Eric Sullivan's at Olympics on the men's side right now helping them out.

00:26:05
Speaker 2: So you know, the staff is.

00:26:07
Speaker 4: Stacked, and you know they're men and they're awesome. But sometimes the girls just need someone to talk to, and so to be somebody that can help them, who's walked through it, who's done it, who's been coached by Jarrett, I'm happy to help in any way. I know what it's like, and so I'm excited to just lend that experience and wisdom to them and then help on the volleyball side too. You know, sometimes it's little cues that can help younger girls, especially coming into college who just you know, they're so raw, they're so talented, they're eager to learn. So just sometimes just a small little queue that maybe helped me back when I was in college or at beginning pro And so I'm just I'm super excited to be back with Texas. It's kind of a full circle moment with love Austin, you know, being back at Texas now on staff, it's like wild what my career has.

00:27:03
Speaker 2: Become since starting playing.

00:27:05
Speaker 1: So I think the thing I love too about watching these women play and hearing what you're doing and being part of players and you emily like working with these women and getting to tell their stories and introducing them to people, is that yet we're you know, these are not just players, right. I feel like volleyball has been such a sport where because it's so team focused, you don't really know the individual players that much. But you know, with NIL, with the Big Ten Network, which I think was in the forefront of really getting women's volleyball out on television so that people could watch it more and increase its popularity and visibility. I feel like seeing all of this is really helped this younger generation be like I want to be like Julianne Fassett. I want to be you know, Jordan Larson. I want to beat Chiaho. What were they calling her Chiago her blogo because she was just dominating and blocking on the court, which I love. I mean, I feel like this opportunity to see these women and to know who they are is so huge that the sport hasn't had before.

00:28:07
Speaker 3: It's awesome, and it's coming from a lot of different avenues. You know, of course, you have more games on TV, so naturally you're watching these players more and hearing about them more. But you mentioned nil and really social media in general, that's kind of where we're getting to know these players. Yes, of course it's coverage from the TV side, and you know, now reporters that maybe have never covered volleyball before coming in and writing articles about them and seeing these stories. But you know, at the end of the day, a lot of it really is social media and a lot of these players getting on it and they're able to tell their stories and you know, the next generation can see them in a different light. That isn't just you know, with the number on their chest. It's you know, when they're off hanging out with their friends or they're at home doing a get ready with me or whatever it is. It's been so fun to watch, you know, especially the generation that's now in college get that recognition that so many players that came before them, you know, wanted and craved and would do anything for. It's been so fun to see that happen. And then also their response from the players. You know, I've been think back to a few years ago where it was, you know, you were kind of hesitant when media would come in. You obviously really welcomed it and wanted it, but there was this stigma that you know, they were trying to get you or you know, have some kind of story come out. But now it's like these players love it. You know, they're so excited every time we're in the gym with them, and you know everyone on mus have talked to us and get their story out there. So that part of it has been fun too, not only to tell the stories, but to have the athletes really want that and be so open to it has been fun because it's it's not the same for other sports, I can tell you that much.

00:29:47
Speaker 1: So going back to the match against France real quick, because you know, we talked about the twenty nine to twenty seven matches, which sets which were intense and stressful stands to watch. But you know that third match twenty five twenty a little more what we were expecting from the US. So overall, what impressed you ladies about this team in this match?

00:30:10
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think a lot of it was resiliency. You know, in those big moments, we're seeing this team come through. We saw it against Serbia during that second matchup in pool play, and we saw it again, you know during that second set, US funded off multiple France set points to eventually get the set. But I think the biggest thing for me is can we limit runs? You know, when we get stuck in rotations, are we able to get out of it quicker? We need to get better on the passing front to not allow you know, five point runs like we did in set one, or seven point runs like happened in set too. We got to be able to close a match.

00:30:43
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I agree.

00:30:44
Speaker 4: I think overall, going going forward, it's not letting those runs go. You know, we had big leads in those first two sets, and even in the third set. You know you saw a little bit when someone would go back to serve maybe one or two points go by, and so it's really about stopping the bleeding as soon as possible, knowing what to do. Hartch always says we know what to do every time out. He would say that when even when I was playing, we know what we need to do, and it's basically we just need to get a pass and we need to side out because when we have that pass, we can do us and that's runner offense. I'd love to see a little more back row swings coming out of the back because I think that it's super effective, but we have.

00:31:26
Speaker 2: To be able to pass.

00:31:28
Speaker 4: I do think our transition game can also get a little bit better. There was a little hesitancy on defense this match, but I saw from Serbia and China we were digging a lot of balls, but then we weren't getting good swings out of those digs and so to be able to transition. I always say, as a coach I've coached at the high school level for at a little while now, I always say defense wins games, but defense transition is where it's at. Like you have to score points off of defense. You can't just get the ball up and then freeball. It not at this level so we've got to get really good SLINKs and I think i'd love to see especially when Catherine and Aber are in a little more back row out of the pipe, and then obviously Andy Drew's going from the right side in the back. I think that could really help us and be more effective in these next few games. So we're gonna need it. We meet everyone on deck at this point, and I think that's what we've seen.

00:32:20
Speaker 2: I think that's what.

00:32:21
Speaker 4: The major takeaways are, especially from this last matches, that we need everyone, you know, subn Kelsey and Jordan and that second last second set at the last second, and then they start the third set and they finish it, and so it's just showing that anyone can play, and anyone can do it, and anyone can.

00:32:39
Speaker 2: Get the job done.

00:32:40
Speaker 4: Now we're just going to need to get some consistency, stop those runs and play our game.

00:32:46
Speaker 1: So slate tangent from this third set. But Karch called a challenge in the middle of a rally, which I did not realize was a thing actually until I saw it. How annoying or frustrating is it when you're in the middle of an intense rally to all of a sudden have it just be stopped because your coach called the challenge.

00:33:04
Speaker 3: So there's some plays that you have to call the challenge in the middle of the play. For example, if you think a ball is down, say it's a pancake that you might have thought was down, you have to call that right away. You're not able to call that at the end of the point. So that's something that you know. Of course it's frustrating, but as a coach, you have to do it. Otherwise, you know, you give up potentially losing that point when you could have won it. I'm on a miss call.

00:33:24
Speaker 1: It makes perfect sense. I'm still just when I was watching, I was like, well, what cause I think it took a while before he called that challenge. There was like a back and forth maybe like four times before it called. I was like, oh my god, can you imagine putting all that effort in and then all of a sudden, it's like you can't finish the point.

00:33:40
Speaker 3: You know, And if you've only watched the college game too, there's a lot of rules that are different, so it's you know, it's something that I think, you know, Paul Slim and Kevin have done a good job of explaining the rules that how they are different, because if you haven't watched a professional game, you might be like, well, what the heck was that you can't do that? So, yeah, there's there's some discrepancies and differences just in you know, challenge play, some rule things, but for the most part, I think, you know, the commentators are doing a pretty good job of explaining it for sure.

00:34:08
Speaker 1: So now, like we said earlier, the US is moving on to the quarterfinals, which is very exciting. We're not sure who they're playing at at the time of this recording, but because there are still matches going on. But who do you think I know that you said that there are six teams that are like the top of the top, But who do you think will be the biggest challenge for Team USA if they get paired with them in the quarterfinals?

00:34:32
Speaker 3: Italy? Yeah, I think Italy. Italy is a team to be They just won the V and L. I think they are the best team in the field right now. You know, we've seen them kind of go up and down, but they just had a pretty good dump in of Turkey earlier today. And I don't know if that's a team that we match up particularly well with. They have really incredible middles that I think both Washington and Bogu could handle if they play their best. But man, they've got you up front that are just absolutely incredible. And then they have who I think is the best player in the world in Paalaaganu. She's a right side. She touches eleven four, So even if you have Plumber lined up against her, she's probably gonna go right over her. We saw her do it all summer. We've seen her do it for years now. You know, she's just twenty five, but she's an absolute rock star. You know, she's earned pretty much every MVP on her in the book that you can accept an Olympic MVP. So she's a player that I would never want to face on the other side. And to me, Italy has the best chance of at least moving on to the gold medal match, if not winning at all. So you know, whatever draw we get, I'm hoping that Italy is nowhere near us, hoping it's you know, a potential Poland or Brazil situation. But that's a team that is very fine tuned. They played pretty much their entire starting lineup all summer, so they've got those connections down and they are just rolling right now.

00:35:52
Speaker 4: Yeah, I agree. I wouldn't Yeah, I wouldn't want to see Italy anytime soon. I think that they they've had a rep go at it and on Olympic runs, but this one seems like they're hungry, they're focused. This is a team that's been together for a while now, and they know each other really well. That connection that they have. And like Emily said, Paala is she's unreal. I've played against her and many times and it's it's really hard to play against her. When she's hot, it's it's hard to beat. So I would say she's the best player, best opposite, hands down in the world. And their team across the board I think is just very experienced. They pass the ball well, they run the middles well. Their middles are very technically sound, good blockers, They're outsides are very good. And then you have Pawa so and they're Libero is arguably the best libero in the world. Also, hands down, I would say that I see them going for gold. I think Brazil's good when they're when they're on, I think they're a hard team to be Also, Poland could be tricky. I'd rather pool them early though, and see I think that we could match up well with them, and so yeah, it's it's tough. You know, China has been playing pretty well. Serbia has the ability to take over. You know, they also have a crazy opposite, So yeah, it's tough.

00:37:31
Speaker 2: It's cool.

00:37:32
Speaker 4: It's a great time for volleyball.

00:37:34
Speaker 3: I would not want to play Serbia again.

00:37:36
Speaker 4: No, no, they they probably want to. Yeah, they'll come back with a vengeance there. I think they definitely felt that they missed out on that match. But it's it's an amazing time for volleyball. I think it's some of the best volleyball I've ever seen in the world, with just all of these amazing teams.

00:37:55
Speaker 2: So it's cool. But you know, let o.

00:37:57
Speaker 4: USA like we we have the opportunity need to defend that gold medal, albeit as a little different circumstances time with our team. I feel like last Olympics there was just a little bit more dominance coming into it, and we weren't number one in the world coming into this, and so there's there's a little bit more of a back against the wall. But that's a cool spot to be in too. You know, we have to go in with that mindset of like, hey, we have nothing to lose. Everyone's good. We just have to put everything we have in the court because that's the way that they're going to do it.

00:38:28
Speaker 1: For sure.

00:38:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think when we talk about how deep this field is too, if you haven't watched anyone except the US play, you've got to turn on some of those matches, you know, especially in the quarterfinals and semifinals and on, like, Yeah, these teams are so good and they're so fun to watch. I mean, there's players that you'll just absolutely fall in love with and want to keep watching. So if you haven't, definitely make sure you're checking those matches out because they are they're so fun.

00:38:51
Speaker 1: Definitely. And Julian, because you've played in multiple countries professionally, do you notice a different style in the way that they practice and the way that each league is run.

00:39:00
Speaker 2: Definitely.

00:39:02
Speaker 4: You know in Europe and I played in Italy three years, three seasons, so you know, volleyball is a gift there. They are very talented, their coaches are very talented. There's a lot of technique, a lot of skill involved, and you know, I would say that the practices anywhere you go are going to be different. The culture is different. When I played in China, we prepped for long hours a day. When I played in Japan, we practiced long hours a day, very minimal time off. In Italy, I'd say there's a similar style to how we train, and maybe that's because we've had girls go over there many seasons come back. We kind of see what works what doesn't. I think that's honestly not to segue, but that's the beauty of love and this league in America is that we get to keep our kids, our athletes in America. We have been going over to other people's countries to play volleyball and giving our knowledge and our best volleyball to them, and then coming home and having to play short summer with our national team. And you know, I think for many reasons, that's why we didn't win goals, because we just we couldn't get our team together and be cohesive. But now we have this opportunity to have all of our athletes, our best athletes, stay in America and play together, and our coaches be there to you know, give feedback and help. And I think it's just a great time for our country and that and that aspect because all these other countries have been.

00:40:35
Speaker 2: Doing that Italy.

00:40:37
Speaker 4: They don't have to go anywhere, right, That's where the best volleyball is being played. Turkey, same thing, and so it's kind of like we're giving our knowledge and wisdom to these other countries when we're going overseas and we learn stuff too. One thousand percent we take away a lot of things. So that's just a cool exchange. But I do think it's a great opportunity that love is here, so.

00:41:00
Speaker 1: Sure, and the love Austin Deine's going to be really interesting to watch because you have eight Texas alums all under Jared Elliott. So I think they have a pretty good idea of how they all play.

00:41:10
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's I mean, it's really I've been talking to some of the girls and we've been saying it's every Texas fans dream team. Obviously, there's not everyone is on the team that could that is a fans dream, but eight of us from different generations even, I think it's a pretty cool opportunity.

00:41:30
Speaker 2: I've always said.

00:41:31
Speaker 4: That man I wish I could have played with her. Man I wish I could have played with her. You know, as I've graduated and gone on and seen the talent that would come in and now I get to do that, and I'm like, this is nuts.

00:41:43
Speaker 2: So yeah, what a cool thing.

00:41:45
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's so fun. When you said the generations, that's something that sticks out to me. I mean there's players that I'm sure you know, grew up watching a lot of those players. Now get to play with them, you know, coming as Texas alum that is you know, that's a dream for all these players. And I can't even imagine how excited they are to finally, you know, get in the jam with it all.

00:42:03
Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, it's going to be so fun to watch. Now for both of you, you know, you have interesting paths because you were competitive volleyball players. Obviously, Jillian you will be back playing volleyball competitively, but you know, Emily you became a broadcaster and Jillian you took a break. You pursued music, hosted a podcast. So for both of you, what was it like stepping away from this sport that you devoted so much time and energy and love too.

00:42:32
Speaker 4: I think that it was needed for me. I didn't know when I stepped away that I was going to come back to the sport. So originally when I did my EP and wrote music, I actually was injured. So that was a really cool outlet for me because I was wanting to come back from injury. I hurt my knee and have some time off, and I was like, you know what, I'm going to do this thing that I have been wanting to do for a really long time. I love music, It's a passion of mine. There's you know, no pressure here like to be anybody, you know, a superstar. I'm just you know, I want to do this. And so that was a really cool outlet. But when I stepped away after I had my first child, I didn't have any thoughts of coming back because I just thought, once I have kids, I'm I'm not going to be able to do it. And I talk about this a lot when people ask me what it's like to be a mom and then also play volleyball.

00:43:29
Speaker 2: I've done it.

00:43:30
Speaker 4: I was a first time mom with one kid, played in Italy. I told you guys about that experience a little bit. And so when I stepped away, that's that second time thinking for sure, I'm not coming back because it's just it's not plausible for me. It doesn't feel like it would be a good experience. I don't want to put my family through having to move and go overseas and like, you know, where will they go to school if they get older? It just like the whole thing just made me feel more like I need to sacrifice my love for this game and my desire to keep playing for my family. And so in doing that, I took up coaching I which I absolutely love. Which is a funny story because I was like, I'm never coaching, like I will do private lessons, but like team coaching a high school team, Like are you kidding me? I'm so above that literally, Like I know that sounds bad, but I think like that was the thought processes, like there's no way I'll enjoy that, Like it's you know. And so then when I decided to do it and I was say, okay, I'll just give it a try. For one year, I was obsessed with it, and I was obsessed with the way it made me feel in how giving to these kids who you know are so eager to learn and then they do it right and then see their excitement and see the approval that they're looking for for me, and like just this whole thing, and also when you're in a tight match as a coach and you're making these decisions and you're like, dude, that feels like and there's there's adrenaline there and I didn't realize that that could translate. So I kind of got my fix of competitiveness through being a high school coach for the past three years. And you know, that was kind of like the path that I took. And I always knew that I wanted to either mentor or give back to the sport that has given me so much, you know, with camps, clinics now coaching a team, and I think on just a broader scale, just like having that one on one mentorship and giving back to, you know, kids that can learn from my experience and knowing that my experience wasn't for not like I did something cool and now I can turn it around and give a little bit back. And so yeah, that's kind of like what it felt like to step away. I never missed playing because I feel like I filled it with the coaching aspect and the mentorship aspect. Now that I'm working out and playing and getting myself ready to play again, there's this like buyer burning that I thought had gone away, and I thought that would just disappear. But I'm like more eager than ever, especially as a mom with like some a little crowd of three watching my every move. It's like there's so much motivation there, but there's also no pressure.

00:46:28
Speaker 2: To like be perfect.

00:46:29
Speaker 4: Whereas when I was younger, it was like I have to be this in order to get this, and I have to do it this way and if I don't, then I'm missing out on my chances to do you know, something big, Whereas now it's like I've done this and I still get to do it, and I'm like, this is awesome. I'm so excited. And even the younger girls coming right out of college or maybe playing their first or second year pro, it's like I love that.

00:46:56
Speaker 2: I want to help them. I want to be like the mom of the two team.

00:47:00
Speaker 4: And like whatever you need feedback wise, like obviously I want to step on the court and be competitive, which I'm gonna but yeah, yeah, it's also this this like team feel of like how can I give as a teammate because I'm just in such a different place as a mom and having done this for a lot of years now, and so yeah that was long, but that's how I feel.

00:47:26
Speaker 1: I love that because I have two kids and I play in just like an adult beer rec league, which I love my team and we have so much fun together. But when I'm able to bring my kids to watch us, even though it's adult, you know, wreck I like love it because they get so excited and I'm like, yes, Like I have my little cheering squad. And I always ask my daughter, I'm like, do you want to play volleyball? Yeah? And I'm like, that's generation. Let's go so fun.

00:47:53
Speaker 3: Julian, it's really cool too to hear to hear about the perspective change that you had, you know, after you had your first kid, and then obviously after the twins, like one, I can't even imagine coming back to playing now, and I, you know, have done nothing of the sort of just out of shape, but thinking about getting back on the court is so impressive. And but before I get on, I kind of just want to know from you, like how do you possibly balance all of that? What was it like initially starting out when you started working out again, Like what the heck did you do? Did you have the kids in the gym with you?

00:48:22
Speaker 4: I mean, yeah, it's funny because in the beginning, when I first was cleared to work out after the twins, they came into the gym with me and their strollers. I would put a little span in front of them. They would take a nap, and when their newborns, they sleep a lot, so it was easy. Once they started getting bigger, it became more of a challenge. They would be walking around the gym while I was like doing power cleans and I'm having to like throw the weight down, run, make sure they're good, come back. So it's definitely a challenge. My mom moved here from San Diego, California. I'm a single mom, so I'm doing this. I mean I would I have a village. I mean there's no way I could do it. Even with a full family, you know, a partner in this, it would be so difficult. But I have a village. I have my mom here, my stepmom lives down the road from me, family friends, I have the best friends, which we do call ourselves the village that they have kids, My all my son's age, they all have kids, and so it's it's just been incredible to see.

00:49:33
Speaker 2: And I'm not one that asks for help.

00:49:36
Speaker 4: And so when I did become a single mom, I kind of relinquished that surrender to you know, whatever ego or you know, independence that I had and said no, I need help, and everyone in my village came running and they're there for me. They know that, you know, I'm going for this crazy dream and I'm doing something insane and they want to be there and support it. And so I'm very very lucky. And you know Carly Lloyd, she's a childhood best best friend of mine who's gonna be playing on the love Autome team with me. She has a child, we grew up together, we played club together, and played a few years on the national team together. And so she's my very very best friend in this entire world. And I know her coming here and us having each other at being moms together, it's like just another added person to my village and me to hers, so that we can support each other. So yeah, I don't do this alone. Some days I feel like this is stupid and I should not do this.

00:50:45
Speaker 2: It's too hard.

00:50:47
Speaker 4: But then but most days I think, Wow, this is so cool that I get to wake up every day, I get to push myself, and my kids get to watch, and I want to bring them along as much as possible.

00:51:01
Speaker 1: That's so strong and powerful.

00:51:03
Speaker 3: I love that yeah, I mean it's just so inspiring seeing you out there, seeing a player like Carlie Lloyd. I remember when Alicia Glass Childress came back to play for Athletes Unlimited. That was exciting. And I remember a few years ago to Sheila Castro came back after having her twins and played in AU as well, and it was so cool to see the support system that she had for like eight weeks in a bubble around all these other athletes, and just to strength it takes to come back, and like how much of an inspiration you guys are to not even you know, maybe former athletes that are coming back, sure, but just in general, I'm sure moms around can say, Okay, well I can go back to work. I can do all these things that maybe I didn't think was possible a few years ago. You know, when you see athletes at the highest possible level doing it, it's like, well, we can all do anything, which is so cool. And I'm so glad that you know you're now coming back and feel so confident and feel that drive again, because it is hard when you stop playing to define that drive. And I think I was similar in terms of that competitiveness and like adrenaline rush. That was something that I always really craved, and that's what I loved about competing. I always knew that I wanted to get into broadcasting. I never wanted to play professionally, nor was I good enough to I never wanted to coach, so I knew I wanted to stay around sports. I didn't know I wanted to be around volleyball. That kind of just happened on its own after I graduated and started to get into the business. But for me, I think the hardest part of the transition was just not having a team. Because from the time, you know, I'm like three or four years old, I was on teams and you you're given friends, You're given someone who tells you what to do, you have a planned schedule, and then when you stop athletics at such a high level, you're like, one, who am I too? I have to like actually go talk to my friends, hang out with them. I can't just see them every day and all these people that you know, you love so much and you're in a locker room with And I think that that family aspect was something that was hard in the transition out of like, Okay, I got to figure out kind of who I am, what I'm doing, and you just miss that that competitive nature with people that you know you're grinding with. And I think you learn a lot about yourself and really bonding with others when you're on a team going through really hard times, whether it's you know, a really tough loss or you just had like a really hard practice, and how to run sprints or whatever it is. You know, those are the things that I think bond people. And so for me, it was like, Okay, how do I make those bonds And what can I do now that I'm not playing anymore to continue to feel that? And so, you know, I think that was getting closer to family and friends that maybe I didn't have enough time to while I was still competing. But you know, on the other side of it, just that competitive nature. Whenever I go into a game now, to call it, to me, it feels like a game day, Like I'm waking up, I'm doing the same routine. A lot of times, I'm like eating the same foods. I mean, I've prepped the same for the most part. I prep a lot how I scouted in college as well, So I feel like I get that competitive side from calling games like when the lights go on for me, that showtime and you know, I have to put on my best performance. I had a lot of practice before, but that that's game time. You know, you want to put your best foot forward, and you know, give these athletes and give the game and the teams the recognition and the credit and just do a good game because they deserve it. So for me, it's been fun to fill that competitive void with something that's really similar. But on the other on the other side of the game.

00:54:24
Speaker 1: Yeah, both of you two have such inspiring stories because I feel like, you know you even though Julian you went to go play Emily, you decided not to. Just this idea of no matter where you're going, when you do decide to step away from whatever sport you've been super competitive in, it is finding a family. It is finding that group of people that you can keep, you know, keep you motivated, keep you excited, keep you hungry to do whatever you want to do. And so you ladies are amazing and an inspiration. And I hope whoever is listening to this podcast understands that and also gets like a fire underneath them is excited to go out and do it. Are they're gonna do because they want to be like you, guys.

00:55:03
Speaker 3: I mean it's true, like like Julianne, like you can do anything, truly, Like I think if you have a goal, you probably need to set it higher because you can achieve that, Like you should always have something you're looking forward to it and truly, like I always think this guy's a limit and if you're going to put in the work for it, you know you can, you can get there. So you know, for me, it's always been about staying hungry, staying humble, and working hard. So I think that's the biggest thing. And I think that applies to to pretty much any capacity of our industry that you're in, whether you're an athlete, whether you're in the corporate America, it doesn't matter. You know, if you have that drive and you continue to stay humble, stay hungry, stay kind like you can, you can get anywhere.

00:55:41
Speaker 2: Definitely.

00:55:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, wise words, Emily. And so now before we end this interview, I hope you guys are hungry for a little volleyball trivia because I have a little volleyball trivia game for you.

00:55:53
Speaker 3: Oh no, here we go. All right, I'm gonna start sweating.

00:55:59
Speaker 1: I don't think the quiet are that hard, but they're definitely, you know, like the historical trivia. Let's see what you got and if you have to have a multiple choice, just let me know. I'm happy to throw in the multiple choice, but let's see how you do before you know, we've given some.

00:56:16
Speaker 3: Options to get embarrassed.

00:56:17
Speaker 4: Here.

00:56:20
Speaker 1: What year was volleyball introduced to the Olympics in Paris? Multiple choice?

00:56:28
Speaker 2: Definitely?

00:56:29
Speaker 1: Mu, so multiple choice? Your options are A nineteen twenty four, B nineteen thirty four, C nineteen forty four or D nineteen fifty.

00:56:43
Speaker 4: Four, A nineteen twenty four.

00:56:46
Speaker 1: Yes, nineteen twenty four. So villyball was played as an unofficial exhibition event at the nineteen twenty four Summer Olympics. Uh, part of my French here at the Jude lanf Oh pretty good, which is an accompanying youth sports competition. Oh, thank you. So that's that was when it was introduced. So one hundred year aniversary right now. So that was exhibition, right, it was an exhibition. Yes, it wasn't an official sport, but that's when it was introduced. When and where was the Federation of International Volleyball established?

00:57:21
Speaker 3: Theican Republic it's curly in Switzerland. Right.

00:57:25
Speaker 2: Oh, oh, you're right, Yeah, I.

00:57:28
Speaker 3: Know it's well's curly in Switzerland. No idea where it started. I don't either, I'll go to Switzerland.

00:57:35
Speaker 2: I'm going to agree with.

00:57:36
Speaker 4: Her because I was thinking of the Pan American North SECA.

00:57:40
Speaker 2: My bad m.

00:57:42
Speaker 1: So the answer is actually France in nineteen forty seven. You must have loved that exhibition game and Randy, Oh my gosh. This one's a little tough one, I think because I I only know of it because I read a book. But you might if I don't feel like, if you haven't read this volleyball history book, you might not know. But who invented volleyball?

00:58:07
Speaker 2: Like?

00:58:07
Speaker 3: Who isn't Is there a person or like a country?

00:58:10
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, there's one person, one person who invented it.

00:58:13
Speaker 3: Oh jeez, I can't remember his name.

00:58:16
Speaker 1: I'll just give you the answer because I didn't write any multiple choices could take me while to come up with the fake names. The answer is William G. Morgan, and he originally called it Mintinet.

00:58:27
Speaker 4: I knew that, I mean I knew I hadn't heard I had read that before.

00:58:31
Speaker 2: But there's no way I was going to remember that.

00:58:35
Speaker 3: You just say he was American.

00:58:37
Speaker 1: He's American.

00:58:38
Speaker 3: Yes, I know there's a club Mintinet in a like Ohio area.

00:58:43
Speaker 4: So yeah, that's right, I know that.

00:58:47
Speaker 1: All right, love it. It's good knowledge, it's good background. Well, next question, where did volleyball originate? So we know it was made by an a Mayormerican named William G. Morgan. So where did he invent it? What state?

00:59:04
Speaker 3: Okay, Well, if it's okay, the club Internet is in well technically like Indiana, Ohio.

00:59:11
Speaker 1: Hm, I'll give you a hint.

00:59:13
Speaker 2: It is not that it's not either.

00:59:15
Speaker 4: Okay, well, then Pennsylvania close, but no, Maryland.

00:59:22
Speaker 3: Close to New York.

00:59:27
Speaker 1: No, in Massachusetts.

00:59:29
Speaker 3: Actually that was the birthplace of volleyball.

00:59:32
Speaker 2: What the heck?

00:59:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, he he invented it, because I think I can't remember exactly what it was. I'm trying to remember this book that I read, but it was something like he was looking for a sport for the men who would come home from work that they could like participate that wasn't basketball. Because of basketball it was like too sweaty for them, so they wanted something like that it was a little easier. And so in the why they created volleyball and and the rules were insane. I remember. It was like I remember when you served, if it didn't go over the net, your teammate could help it over and that was legal. You played nine innings. It wasn't, yeah, the nine ines. So sometimes the scores were like fifty four to thirty or something like that. What the ten foot line was a little different, but you were not allowed to step in it. It was kind of like the kitchen and pickleball, all these crazy rules. I feel like maybe I should do like a video on how insane the original.

01:00:33
Speaker 3: Yeah wait, that's actually kind of cool. Also, the fact that there's just like so many other sports thrown in is fun.

01:00:39
Speaker 1: Yeah right, it was fascinating, all right. Next question, when did women's volleyball become part of the Olympics. So when did it officially become an Olympic sport?

01:00:51
Speaker 6: Working back for it's gonna go way later. I was gonna go like sixties, Hey, seven seventies, I.

01:01:02
Speaker 1: Like where your brain's at.

01:01:04
Speaker 3: I was going to guess seventy two only because of title nine.

01:01:08
Speaker 4: I mean, I don't know the Olympic years back that far, but somewhere in the seventies I would agree.

01:01:13
Speaker 1: So you were closer with the sixties. It was nineteen sixty four. It yes, in Tokyo, nineteen sixty four.

01:01:20
Speaker 4: Yeah, because I was like, I was thinking, like, oh, I remember being on the national team and having like Matt having to know some of this stuff. But like we talked about things like that. So sixty four sound yeah, sound great?

01:01:35
Speaker 3: That makes sense?

01:01:37
Speaker 1: All right? And here's one that I think you guys know what was? This is the last one. Also, what was the most watched NCAA championship in women's volleyball?

01:01:48
Speaker 3: This one, this past one between Texas and Nebraska.

01:01:53
Speaker 1: That is correct, averaging one point seven million viewers opposite NFL Sunday, and it represents a one hundred and fifteen percent increase from last year's championship matches viewership of seven hundred and eighty six thousand. So well done, ladies. That was really good.

01:02:15
Speaker 4: We learned something new.

01:02:17
Speaker 1: And before we say goodbye, I just want to really quickly plug our social media superstars, Kaylas Stapleton, who played volleyball at San Diego and professionally overseas for three years, and Devin Newberry, who played beach volleyball for UCLA. They'll be posting Volleyball one oh one on our social channels at love That's at LOVB to help those who are new to volleyball understand the rules, positions, and everything in between, so make sure to follow so you don't miss out on that. Well, ladies, thank you so much for being part of Serving Pancakes, for talking about the Olympics, your backgrounds, your lives, all of your bad assness, because you, ladies are amazing, and thank you so much.

01:02:58
Speaker 3: Thank you, thank you so much. This is awesome. It was nice to get to know you both a little bit more too.

01:03:08
Speaker 1: Serving Pancakes is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by League one Volleyball, I'm your host Tiffany Oshinsky. Anya Alvarez is our senior producer. Our executive producers are Carrie Stett, Tamaradike, and Lindsay Hoffman. Our marketing lead is Jawara Parker. Sound mixing by Cody Nelson. Our theme music is Pancakes by Eric W. Mast Junior. Stay tuned for our next episode, where we break down team uses first match in the quarterfinals. Thanks for listening,