Episode 61: Pursuing Professional Volleyball featuring Morgan Hentz

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hello and welcome to the USA volleyball show the official podcast of USA volleyball my name  is Stephen Munson of course joined by my co-host Clarence Hughes Clarence how are you doing today  I'm good but uh a little disappointed I thought you were gonna go longer it sounded like you  were gonna go longer and you just uh you dipped early you know you gave up on the play you know  what happened there man yeah you know I just I've had a lot of copy this morning voice isn't quite  there yet I should have drank more water before this I did not uh and yeah that's just what you  got today okay wow all right hey hey we heard it here first that's what we got today fellas  folks people Everyone friend of the Pod but yeah I'm doing good I'm doing good um did you have a  good weekend oh yeah volleyball for the weekend and I totally forgot I played volleyball this  weekend tournament up and dive uh oh up and dive up in Denver at the dive volleyball facility yep  that was a lot of fun then my uh 17s we had a power up in Fort Morgan which was our first time  in Fort Morgan it's very far from Colorado Springs that's the drive yeah oh yeah awesome how'd the  how'd the tournament go uh turn boy good we went about I think we got like fourth or fifth place  one of those we got knocked out like instead of vitals uh so did pretty good and then just kind of  e towards the end but that's okay enough so adult volleyball is just  mostly guys in the gym hit the ball as hard as we could and Weekend Warriors we can sit back I love  it you get Warriors I love it and then from there just drove up to uh Fort Morgan the remaining hour  and a half and you know coach the rest of the weekend what about you how's your weekend uh  great weekend actually as you were talking I was trying to remember what I did I didn't do anything  okay do you need some of those weekends yeah like I didn't do anything this weekend all I  did is binge watch Netflix or Hulu or Disney Plus or whatever your preferred streaming services  we are open to streaming service providers just kidding you guys but  um yeah sometimes eat those weekends I did yeah for sure yeah I was definitely catching up on some  TV uh as you know Pedro Pascal season uh We've Got The Last of Us on HBO that just finished up and  and watched that and then uh Mandalorian is back oh I know I can't wait yeah I was was catching up  on that as well I'm a big uh I'm a big snowball person okay yeah and uh every episode that's come  out like even from where the seeds from when the first season started a while ago and I've  been just washed down like up until now this last season like every episode is just like oh  my God for those of you who are watching this on YouTube you'll you'll really get to see that that  reaction I gave but it's it's wild it's an adult uh show for sure so your suggestions isn't biased  but yeah I've never seen snow fives I saw that ad somewhere though of it being the final season  um so definitely yeah that's I love when a show is in its final season and it's it's just like  you can't get enough of it you're on the edge of your seat in every episode just hits you  like that that's the question though it's just like do you does the show know when to stop  or does it go for too long I'm like it's there's never an in-between you know  I feel like I feel like usually it's goes a little too long or a show will go we'll  kind of lose its footing kind of in the middle of their of their run and then they like pick  it up back up towards the end yeah I feel it starts off really good middle few seasons are  math you know and then then it gets good at the end I feel like you just describes  uh Ozark because that's not building that'll start I never finished Ozarks but it got lost okay okay Jason Bateman don't come back uh all right let's uh before we get too lost in the the TV show binging talk let's let's  get into this episode because we have a great episode for you but before we uh  talk about our guests coming up uh in case you missed it back in December we of course  we've talked about it a lot we interviewed several guests at the 2022 ABCA Convention of  those incredible guests we got to sit down and interview Brooke Rundle of a quality coaching  Alliance and Marie zydeck of DePaul University women's volleyball she's the head coach there  um they talk about their backgrounds in volleyball their involvement and the equality coaching  Alliance the work that they're doing to support the lgbtq plus community and much much more of  course those are available to listen to now and you can also watch those at the USA volleyball  YouTube channel so check those out and let's keep moving here with news with news in case you missed  it in episode 60 I'm gonna repeat it next in episode 61. the 2023 USA volleyball Beach National  Championship is returning to Fort Lauderdale Florida July 18th through the 23rd uh registration  is now open on usab racketpal.com all questions can be directed to Beach events at usav.org if you're interested in men's college volleyball you can check out our website  for weekly roundups to stay up to date on results rankings key matches and much much more  also Hall of Fame tickets are now on sale and will be taking place on May 24th in Dallas Texas right  before the open national championship this always hosts this always takes place in conjunction with  USA volleyball's annual meetings we have the Hall of Fame banquet in the middle and then  the open National Champion tournament to round it all up so if you're looking to attend this  year's Hall of Fame Banquet tickets are on sale now so purchase purchase purchase bye bye bye  uh more on that than all of the other latest news at USC Volleyball always has to offer  you can check out our website and visit us at usavolleyball.org now on to Today's Show we were  able to catch up with U.S women's national team libero Morgan hence while she was in Colorado  Springs at the U.S women's national team open program a couple weekends back uh but we were  to talk to Morgan catch up with her uh she was there representing USA the USA Women's program  talking to athletes about you know her experience with the women's program uh playing as well as  opportunities to play professionally uh and a lot more just you know being there to for the  athletes to observe obviously but also to you know just talk to the athletes um one-on-one in groups  and just um kind of help them understand what it's like what life is like as a professional  athlete so braids have Morgan there uh but we were able to catch up with her and talk about  uh her goals for the upcoming season and so much more so let's jump right into it here's Morgan thank you so much for being here in Colorado Springs at the U.S women's  national team open program uh a program that you've also participated in as well is that  right well I was supposed to come purchase participated in 2020 like but then you know  um so yeah it was it's such a weird time to be graduating um from school but luckily you know  had a chance um to compete in the national team gym like come and showcase some of my abilities  and yeah but I didn't actually get to attend this trial but it's such a cool opportunity for so many  college players to come and you know show all their great skills off and I'll probably meet  a ton of other really cool college players they play against all the time yeah yeah I know this is  a it's an awesome opportunity to have some of the best Collegiate players women's Collegiate players  in one place all I think karch calls it we've had him on the podcast before volley palooza is what  he calls it but um yeah just awesome to have all that talent in one space and obviously to have you  here have we have several Olympians also here the national team staff is here so it just feels feels  really cool and we're at the Olympic paralympic Training Center as well so it just feels like an  awesome experience for these athletes to have yeah it's no it's like you said it's a really amazing  atmosphere especially for these aspiring College athletes to take their game to the next level and  when they're done playing college so yeah it's such a cool it is a volleyball I've seen so many  familiar faces and reconnected with so many people it's it's really awesome yeah what are  some of the conversations that you're having with some of the you know old friends maybe teammates  um just athletes maybe you've competed against too what are some of those conversations you're  having around this event yeah um some have been in regard to like what they're doing in colleges  like I have some friends that are now coaching in college and then a couple that are still  playing and pursuing their um volleyball career professionally and then just actually catching  up with a couple girls that are still in college like um some of my best friends at Stanford their  names are Michaela and Caitlin Keith and they have a younger sister um and she plays at Duke  so I got to see her and talk with her she's like this is such an awesome event um and not only for  them to you know show showcase their abilities but just learn about USA volleyball and we just  had an awesome talk with some of the professional leagues that are getting started here in the US so  um it's just a really cool event um for just volleyball in America yeah and kind of  perfect transition there talking about those Pro leagues um you also did a q a too as part of that  um after the pro league sessions but what were some of the I know you kind of talked about your  background with the with the athletes that were there in attendance and um fielded questions  about playing professionally what were some of those questions and and topics that came up and  and how were you able to like kind of guide the athletes through that yeah so one of the first  questions was like what's your origin story went volleyball and uh mine was just that I started  playing in third grade it was a a bit of a monkey as my parents would say and they just tried to put  me in as many sports as possible to you know Tire me out Tire you out yeah and then um like sixth  grade rolls around and my best friends at the time they're triplets love them to death to this day  um and they're like You Gotta Give this you got to give Club volleyball that's right I'm like  okay well if you guys are doing it then I'm gonna do it um and a lot of my other friends were also  playing Club volleyball and just being around them and volleyball is such an epitome you have  a team sport um I really fell in love with the sport especially the defensive side of the game  um but yeah that's that's what kept me playing the the relationships and friendships that I've made  throughout the sport of volleyball um and then some of the other questions that athletes were  asking were what was it like to play overseas or what was that transition like from being in  college to playing professionally um so for me coming out of college it was 2020 covid um I  played my first year overseas in Germany um and it was such a weird time in the world I mean everyone  has their crazy covet stories and for me it was just apartment gym apartment gym flipping back  and forth and then going to the grocery store for fun with teammates I love when you brought that up  yeah I was like we were like well what do we do we went to the grocery store grabbed like some fruit  or like just like fruit snacks and sat outside yeah outside the grocery store and hung out but  um yeah um we were talking about like in that transition from college to professional like  in college you have your academics and you have like a very you know strict schedule with  volleyball um and then when you're on your own it's it's just volleyball now and so  I mean Jordan Poulter and I talked a little bit about trying to lead that balanced lifestyle  and finding some of those hobbies that maybe you didn't have time to pursue while you're in college  um but it can be a really difficult transition at first you're all on your own in a new country  probably where you don't speak the country's first language and yeah luckily when I was  in Germany a lot of all the players on my team spoke English as a second language really well  so that definitely made me feel more comfortable but I know that's not the case for girls that go  and play in different countries so um yeah yeah that was those were a couple of the questions  yeah that some of the girls asked one of the hobbies that you brought up that I thought was  funny was knitting how did that go and why'd you like want to start did you have a family  member who knits or so it was during covet I was so boarded I think at one point I was of this it's called love Island it's like yeah the British part of it I haven't seen it um and I was like oh  my gosh I need to stop watching this I'm starting to talk in a British accent like this is not good  I need to occupy my brain with doing something a little more productive so I was like okay I  liked making friendship bracelets as a kid maybe I like knitting it I mean it was a little more  complicated than the friendship bracelet so that wasn't for me but I ended up like finding like  I really dove into some books um I didn't really have that time in college to you know just pick up  a book and read for fun it was mostly like reading the the material that college professors would put  out and I was like I don't want to read anymore than what I have on my plate um so yeah I took up  some reading um I love Spotify creating playlists on Spotify trying to find new music is super fun  um but yeah it was it was really hard at first trying to figure out those other Hobbies because  it was just always volleyball school and volleyball in school so that's kind of fun  though to like explore get the time like you said in college like you didn't have yeah that  strict schedule but being a professional you had a little bit more time especially  in those coveted years when you yeah uh had a little bit more time to maybe outside of going  to the grocery store find a new hobby to do but that's that's uh I would imagine that's a really  cool space to be in though yeah I feel like I learned a lot about myself like I've never had them it's a great it's a great time to you know really get to know yourself and figure  out what you like and what you dislike yeah staying with professional volleyball you've  played in athletes unlimited um could you speak a little bit about your experience with au and then  um we also had real Pro volleyball here and love League one volleyball here  um maybe some conversations that you've had with them just about their leagues that are starting  up in 2024. yeah so I had the opportunity to play an athletes illuminate last year around  March and April of 2022 and I absolutely loved my experience with them I was really nervous  at first just because of the League's unique format where your team's changing from week to  week your stats correlate to points and it puts you on a leaderboard and I was like What if I get  caught up in that or and none of those things actually happened at the end of the day it was  just playing volleyball and with a really unique group of strong women too like it was a you did a  wonderful job of creating opportunities for us to really get to know each other off the court so it  was easier for us to communicate on the court when we were interchanging so many people and  it was such a freeing way to play volleyball I've never played it that way you've always been with  a team for multiple months and so to just have a team for a week like it was such a unique way to  play but really fun it was such a great group of women who were it really inspired me not just on  the court but off the court they some of them had some really cool Hobbies or other Pursuits  in their life um it was just fun to hear about and yeah I I absolutely loved my time with au and look  forward to continuing with them in the future and then now we have love and um Pro volleyball  Federation getting started here within the within 2024. um so it's just such an exciting time for  professional volleyball in the US and it gives college players that opportunity to stay here  in the US to play if that's something they want to do versus traveling to go somewhere abroad to play  um I know for me I figured out that I definitely prefer being in the U.S closer to family and  friends and eventually volleyball will come to an end and I have to Pivot and I know that I want  to make that pivot in a different career in the US so it just helps me lay the foundation for a  life here yeah I remembered uh in in your q a you talked a little bit about that touched on  that as you came to that decision of staying in the U.S and being close to family what led you to  that decision and what were like kind of the pros and cons that we were weighing versus like going  overseas or playing professional volleyball yeah so um after playing in Germany like the  summer of 2021 I had a knee injury and so that really prevented me from pursuing volleyball  overseas I had to stay home and recover but I also didn't get to play much in Germany my  first year like I I was the backup libero um and I didn't have any offers actually to play  anywhere so athletes unlimited gave me that opportunity to stay here and play in the U.S  um so that was one big factor another thing was I just started to not feel like myself  um my family's been my rock throughout my whole life I'm really close with them and they've been  there for me my ups and downs and volleyball I'm sure my parents are sick and tired of me  calling and be like well I don't know what I'm doing with volleyball or but they've always you  know they know the script to tell me to get me back on track and just to be able to like see  them for holidays is something that makes my heart feel full and makes me feel like I can continue to  pursue volleyball at the highest level yeah and I think that's that's a big part the excitement with  these Pro leagues coming up and starting soon is is before the only option after college was to go  play overseas and I mean you're there what seven eight months out of the Year sometimes sometimes  nine months especially for girls on Elite teams that compete in Champions League and they go like  first second week in May it can be really long yeah and I think Cassidy lickman brought it up  is that's for some people some people love that and love to travel and and are okay being away  from family at that that time and um but for other people like yourself you need your family  close to you and and uh I think it's so important uh this is a great time for these leagues to come  up because uh volleyball is only growing more and more and we need places for these women to play  and to keep them in the U.S where they're close to family it's just an awesome opportunity for them  yeah I mean the college game has grown so much and viewership um whether it's not just the national  championship event which already you know does get a ton of viewers um it's games and people selling  out crowds now like um it's just been so fun to follow along and and like you said now players  will just have that option to go overseas if that's something they want to pursue or  stay in the U.S and I think it's cool to have that option to stay in the U.S because they  can already build Upon A following that they've already created in college I know like for example  like players in Nebraska oh my gosh like they have one of the best fan bases for volleyball in  the country and now there's for a pro volleyball Federation there's going to be a team in Omaha  how cool would it be for some of those players to make that jump from playing at Nebraska to playing  for the professional League or professional team in Omaha for PBF um it's they would already bring  all those Nebraska fans over with them so I just think that's that's something that could be really  cool for the future of volleyball in the US yeah I can only imagine the the gbr the Nebraska fans  are just so stoked to yes have professional volleyball coming in 2024. yeah I bet they're  already in line for tickets probably yeah I think Cecile says they like some of the um like people  in Nebraska were already where can we can we take it like they were already asked to camping out in  parking lots or something yeah yeah yeah they were they're ready to jump on it yeah that's  awesome yeah really exciting time for volleyball and professional volleyball as well moving back a  little bit to college you're a three-time national championship or Champion with Stanford um and talk  a little bit about your college experience what were some of the highs that you that you had at  Stanford and being a part of such a prestigious program like Stanford especially during that time  yeah I've I would my time at Stanford is like some of the best memories I've had in life so  far and that's all attributed to the teammates that I had in college um I was so lucky to come  in with a Wonderful class there were six of us um and we all came from very similar backgrounds  um and we just immediately connected and they were my best friends throughout all college and they  are to this day but even the girls above me and below me the culture that has just been instilled  in the program is something so special to be a part of and I I love that no matter what your  goals are at Stanford because they might be more volleyball related or academic related everyone  um just wants to see you succeed and is going to help you do that in any way possible whether  it's coming from support staff or it's coming from teammates uh my teammates became my second  family you know Kentucky and California there's some there's some miles in between there so being  able to rely on my teammates through those tough times and good times like um and I really needed  that support throughout College um and my Fondest Memories aren't necessarily like on the court or  like winning matches it's more about like the locker room memories people goofing off playing  Funky Music or the bus rides where we were probably being a little bit too obnoxious in  public but um just really connecting and creating these strong bonds with some wonderful woman  are you um still involved with the program at all do you like reach out to any athletes uh  that come through or visit the campus at all no I oh my gosh I love watching new games it was  super fun to follow along and Kevin hanley's still still the coach there and I had the opportunity to  be coached by him for three seasons um but yeah anytime Stanford's on I'm rooting for them like  we have so many sports at Stanford which is was one really fun thing like growing up I never got  to watch water polo just not popular in my area and like coming to California being able to watch  that sport I was like this is a gnarly sport it was so cool to see some of those athletes compete  but anytime Stanford's on my family is like let's watch let's watch so um I feel really it's  special to be a part of that Stanford Community that's awesome going back to your early days in  volleyball you said you started in third grade did you play Club volleyball at all and what club did  you play for yeah I played Club volleyball um at nkyvc it just stands for Northern Kentucky  volleyball club um and I started I started in sixth grade there so when I was about 12  years old and I stayed at that club until I was 18 years old and ready to be sent off to college but  um I played with many of the girls from year after year um and I loved my experience at  nkybc I had some of the best coaches I've ever had instilled the foundation of volleyball or  skills for volleyball in me and just I love that they emphasize heart always like just playing  with heart um that all out effort mentality is something that I learned at the club and and all  my teammates I think we were always a little bit like undersized or we would consider ourselves a  little bit more of an underdog team but we really embraced that role and one of my friend's dad says  um play like the underdog with the confidence of a champion and I felt like that was like the perfect  phrase for our club teams growing up and I think we did it it was always fun we always had a blast  like upsetting teams if we weren't supposed to win um it was really fun hope you hope some of  the volley dads made t-shirts from that phrase that would have been perfect it would have been a  good race you know they still have a volleyball like dad's group message to this day and they  still talk about a lot of college games that are going on and even they're now having interest in  the League's getting started here so so it's been really exciting that's one of my favorite Parts  about uh going to Junior qualifiers or even our usab Nationals is seeing the volley dads and how  into it they get they really I mean a lot of them are just like big guys you know probably  maybe played football or something I don't know basketball and they just get so into it they  have their hope all the cameras set up all the cameras set up maybe matching t-shirts yeah it's  awesome to see how I do they I know my my dad is he is transformed into a volleyball dad at first  he was like I don't know why you're picking volleyball I don't really understand the feel  of it but then after like you know one season he's like all right we're all in like he starts  thinking up strategies yeah yeah and talking to lingo briefing with me through like a club map  s though yeah my dad's like my go-to when I'm having a tough day and he like definitely helps  me get through this tough times when it comes to volleyball so he knows what to say he's a  smart volleyball Dad yeah I love that yeah I was kind of going off that a little bit who are some  of your role models growing up and and even now moving into uh competing with the national team  yeah I would say my parents are really my biggest role models and I know that can sound cliche and  I know that's an answer for many people but um just growing up I felt like they always put me  and my siblings first and gave us opportunities you know to pursue our dreams and our goals and  um that wasn't always easy my my younger brother um his name's Louie  um he had cancer at the age of one um and they had to move around the country a little bit to pursue  uh Healthcare options for him and but they never made my sister or I um feel like I don't know they  still provided us with this amazing childhood and not once did I ever see them defeat it or they  didn't let us know that they were struggling which is so hard to do and they could have done so many  times but they're just the strongest people I know and yeah they've taught me what it means to be a  family and what it means to sacrifice and you know give it all you have to the people that you love  um we can completely cut this out but I kind of want to learn more about your brothers yeah  is he in remission or how how's that going yeah so my brother's cancer-free he's currently uh 19  years old awesome um he at the age of three he was diagnosed with autism um so he's pretty non-verbal  um like low functioning but he's got a big heart um he has this certain things that he loves um  uh he loves to swim he loves his iPad he's got some YouTube videos that he um he he loves I  think sometimes it's um when we talk about autism there's this huge Spectrum but someone that might  be super high functioning or and Louis typically falls on the lower functioning side but he's a  teddy bear um and you know I just want to be there as a friend for him and to help him have the best  life possible and I think yeah my family's always been great about that and figuring out ways to  just try to bring some joy in his life because he's he's gone through what no kids should have  to go through it age of one or three so yeah he he deserves to live an easy life yeah it sounds like  you have a great family next family reunion or gathering let me know I'll be there you're welcome  to join when we say the more the merrier that's awesome um kind of moving on to your your role  now with the national team um you've competed with the senior team for a few few years now  um what have been what has your experience been like and you know in the Q a you talked a lot  about Justine wangarantis kind of taking you under her wing and and just that relationship between  you two but yeah what's your experience been like with the national team yes so my first summer in  the gym was 2020 um and that was a really great summer yeah there were no competitions and  um the like Jordan Poulter Haley Washington and Justine were all in the gym and explaining like  how bizarre um of a summer it was because it was like 2v2 you couldn't have more a  certain amount of people on that court and they were cleaning the balls every  time we touched them we were playing with masks and the coaches were even wearing  loves so that was such a weird time to like start off in the gym but also a really good chance to  get to know some of the players on a deeper level and really figure out what the team's all about  um the following summer I was just in there for a couple weeks and I unfortunately tore my Meniscus  um that was definitely a bit of a bummer and a setback but this past summer was 2022 was really  my first full summer with a team and having some opportunities to compete but I just feel  grateful and honored to play alongside women who are just so motivated and dedicated to the  sport and are doing literally what whatever it takes to pursue it at the highest level  um and Justine specifically um has just been so welcoming and it has taken me under a wing  I feel like we just have this really open dialogue along with like the other people  that share positions on the team about like what do we need to do that's gonna help us win  and I think that mentality um among the team is really what's going to drive us to be successful  um down the line and our goals are for Paris you know to take home the gold but  um you know or beyond the podium so we're just trying to figure out whatever it takes and  um for me it's been super fun to learn from Justine because she's not only an incredible  libero and athlete but a truly amazing person who's one of the best teammates  um I've ever played with you mentioned you know the goal is Paris uh getting back on the podium  the women's program just had a historic Olympics winning the first gold for the program ever  um you know obviously gold is the goal uh going into Paris but what are some of those like little  things those little steps that you guys are taking to to stay on top and stay that number  one team that you guys are yes sometimes it's hard because when people go and play  the professional Seasons everyone's around the world literally like Japan Italy turkey Brazil  um some in the US but um figure out ways to like stay connected through like Zoom calls  or just WhatsApp texting each other and we have I think with Sue and Quest help like  made a conscious effort to make sure that we are laying out those team goals for the summer and  also creating personal goals and really staying on top of them and having a system where we check  back in on those goals to make sure you know we're taking those tangible steps to get closer to them  um but the I mean we have had a couple Zoom calls we've tried to do meet like once a month so we  can talk see each other's faces I think that's so much better than just sending a text message  um and yeah so it's it's helpful to have those goals team goals to know what we're  working towards especially on those long overseas Seasons where you're going to have  your lows and your highs and but to come back to that goal is is nice motivation  uh volleyball Nations League happens in the summer it's a I think Aaron said six week  competition and The rosters change every week or can change every week but a little  unique to this year is that we are hosting the women's finals uh in July in Arlington Texas  Dallas Texas basically I'm from Dallas originally so yeah outside of Dallas but Arlington Texas  um what I guess for and we don't know the rosters yet so we don't know if you're going to be there  or not but for anyone who's in the area or maybe traveling to come watch why why should they want  to come watch this event you know it's it's not only it's a finals too it's it's not even just  a leg of the you know it's a finals of the vnl so why should they want to come watch this event  they should want to come watch because you are literally watching world-class players lit the  best in the world at at their craft at their sport um and just the level of play and the IQ that  these players have is so fun to watch just you know whether it's people going all out on defense  and making these crazy digs or these Setters putting up amazing balls for their hitters to  just crank on or attackers when they could crank on an attack just being super smart and placing a  tip right behind the block like the knowledge that these players have is unlike anything that you  know it is a higher level than anything that we've seen here in college volleyball so to be able to  see that next level even for college players or youth kids to like aspire to be that way I think  it's just huge especially you know we're hosting world-class players like I said and you're not  gonna get that anywhere else so it's just really cool to have that opportunity here in the US yeah  the U.S the U.S women's program will be in that finals they get a guaranteed bid into it but like  you said it's going to be the best in the world uh it could be Brazil there or Italy or you know we  don't know yet but yeah it'll be the best in the world and you don't it's rare you won't you won't  see that no it's so rare um so take advantage of that opportunity yeah and another cool part of  of b l uh that I've witnessed is just getting to meet the athletes too getting to meet you and your  teammates uh after the matches and spending some time just kind of talking and getting autographs  or pictures or whatever and you know you can see how much that means to those young athletes I'm  sure you could probably think back to to your young days where it would have been really cool  to meet some of your Heroes as well yeah just having that conversation with them and just I  don't know you you want to see what you could be someday like now that that finals week is here  in the US like you get to see people come compete on an international stage like the best from all  over the world are coming to one spot to compete and play it's just really cool yeah I'm really  excited for that I'll actually be there so looking forward to it I've never been to a vnl finals too  so it's gonna be a lot of fun yeah it would be a blast yeah uh anything else before we let you go  anything you'd like to share or talk about with the audience no I feel like we covered so much we  bounced around a lot yeah no um no it's getting to chat with you great questions awesome thank  you thank you so much for being here and taking the time uh for anyone who's listening who might  have questions for you or maybe just wants to follow your journey where can they find you and then I'm working hence volleyball gmail.com if anyone ever wants to reach  out and ask questions sometimes I'm not the fastest but I will get around to it  um I'm always happy to answer questions and you know just  create conversations with people that I don't know awesome thank you so much Morgan yeah thank you Clarence really missed you uh at the Women's National Team open program this year I know  you were there last year with us uh but um yeah another great weekend of what karch calls Valley  palooza we gotta we gotta re we run our uh our promo that we that's right yeah it's not a  recorded there from last year I uh I don't I don't miss getting hit in the face in volleyball thanks  Laura for that one but um yeah you kept saying we I was like I'm missing energy and I'm sad about it  and sometimes you brought it up not me but yeah I really missed a really really really really good  interview so I'm glad you know you guys are able to take the time and just touch base and from what  I've heard it really seems like it you know drew a lot of attention around the atmosphere that was  there too like like something you know just unique little twist there that doesn't really get down  too often yeah last year we had Jordan Thompson on the ground there for the Women's National Team  open program that was awesome uh to have her there and then of course this year we had Morgan hints  from the libero from the U.S women's national team as well as uh for a little more than half the day  maybe maybe the full day Jordan Poulter was also there USA Center of course Olympic gold medalist  Jordan Poulter was there a bunch of other great um you know alums too Cassidy lickman was there  representing athletes unlimited uh we had Daniel Scott there as well with League one volleyball now  um and so many more you know coaches and uh I think there are a few other alums that's escaping  me right now uh apologize for that but just a great you know Bali palooza volley atmosphere and  just awesome to see the athletes just take full advantage of those info sessions uh that they had  with the professional leagues that are coming up of course that's athletes unlimited League  one volleyball and pro volleyball Federation they all had uh presentations there for the  athletes to come in and watch and ask questions um just about you know the upcoming Pro seasons  of course athletes unlimited is ongoing right now it's it's up and growing um Pro volleyball  Federation and Lead one volleyball will begin in 2024 so they were there you know talking  about just the early Steps early stages of where they're at right now and and uh the excitement  of bringing more professional volleyball to the US and and those opportunities to the US  question for you so I know you talked about a lot of the probe federations there and they they gave  a lot of their uh you know kind of elevator picture speeches and kind of introduce you  know what they have to offer there um that aside what was what was the most distinctive difference  from this year's open program compared to last year's um okay good question good question um well for for us uh for for our team um we focused more on just creating content around the athletes  so I don't know if you uh Curtis says running ball or TV or Lara says running baller too so yeah we  became streamers we became streamers uh at the event and and held to run a baller TV I would say  that was majority Curtis and Lara running baller TV um taking the reins there but we were able to  create a lot of great content around the athletes and you know captured photos for the SIDS uh  the further athletes that were represented there and uh I think that was just a good way to to  you know make the events make the experience a little bit more special for the athletes you  know capture that real-time content I don't know if you if you uh saw the uh the mascot  Tick Tock that that I created while uh while on the ground there do you were you able to catch  that on social mascots no am I behind all the time of the Tic Tacs I'm behind on the talks yeah you  gotta check it out I I walked around campus and was asking athletes what sound their mascot makes  their school mascot makes and it was incredible I thought I was going to get a lot of weird looks  and like I'm not doing that that's dumb but uh no look everybody got into that there was some really  funny ones uh of course I think one of the first ones was Pepperdine and they did the waves like cool of course yeah the best one I had the well no did I have the mini mic not not  the not for that one I did I did run around with the mini mic though uh for some other interviews  um but yeah definitely check that out I'll give you a quick spoiler here though for one  of them uh shout out to ellia Rubin from Stanford uh she just just a great sport  um of course what sound does your school mascot made uh she was she was just stumped and then  and then did the uh did the tree and just did the tree blowing in the wind there that was it  was incredible it was the star of the video for sure but yeah if you haven't check that out go  go check that out it's it was a lot of fun all right ah man missed a lot of course one of the  one of the biggest things missing from this year was was you so um a lot of people were talking  about that um on the ground I think karch even brought it up too uh really really missed having  you there and it really um it was noticed it was noticed for sure all right I'm gonna ask an honest  sort of dumb question were you being serious there because if you were not you were poker  faces through the roof you need to you need to oh a big big serious completely serious yeah okay no it was it was a great time it was a great time but but getting back to to what  um Morgan was talking about one of my one of the things that stood out to me was  um of course a lot one of the big things uh about about this year versus last year was having those  um Pro volleyball organizations here uh three of them athletes unlimited Pro volleyball Federation  and League one volleyball here talking to the athletes and they were here all weekend or they  were there all weekend too um you know answering questions they were there kind of in a kind of  been a scouting capacity too I think and just um trying to build their leagues you know as well  but but um but having them there for the athletes to to pick their brains and you know understand  more about the opportunities to play in the US and one of the things that Morgan brought up was she  started her career playing professionally overseas uh she had a pretty significant injury that kind  of led her to come back to the U.S and then do rehab and stuff but she found out pretty quickly  that playing overseas wasn't for her she wanted to be close to family she wanted to stay close  to family and um athletes unlimited was kind of getting off the ground at the time and was able to  join the athletes unlimited league and stay in the U.S stay close to home and I think that was that's  just a great example of what the opportunities are out there for the athletes now and  um Morgan able to you know stay stay close or stay close enough to be able to make a couple hours  trip or a few hour flight to to get back home uh it was just huge for her and it changed her her  life as a professional athlete and I think that was something that stuck for me talking to her  um because I wasn't sure what you know what her reasoning was for not going overseas or not going  back overseas and that was one of them and I think a lot of athletes now have that opportunity uh to  do that especially coming up in in next year when those two other leagues start yeah I think that's  a really good point that she brought up and I'm glad she brought it up in addition to the  interview but um I think that's just always going to be a a trending topic you know whether it's you  know training in a good way or training in you know the harsh reality way of things it's just  you know is overseas volleyball uh you know for you know you as an athlete and you know so many of  our national team players players in our Pipeline and just you know anyone who goes over to try it  um has their own unique story regarding it you know we have that you're on top of the story  about it last year and she even spoke to you know a lot of the groups there um you know about her  experience about you know what she didn't know how that hurt and how she was able to you know recover  from that and you know make you know you know you know make make it make it better for herself there  and then now you know you're hearing this from Morgan along with the addition of a lot of these  you know Pro volleyball leagues and federations that are you know available in the United States  it's just you know very interesting conversation I wonder if we should have like a two three four  part series on it kind of moving forward just you know what is your take you know if you're playing  in this part of Europe and you're playing here and you're playing here what are all your takeaways  and you know what could you have done to make this experience better what would you change if  you could or what wouldn't you change you know uh I think that'll be really really really fun not a  fun but a very informational um you know thing to cover uh in in a lot of detail moving forward but  just kind of starting out there yeah I think we've we've kind of touched on that a little  bit touched us sporadically through some other episodes uh one that just came up to me was  um painting my head was our Cassie lickman episode two uh where she you know obviously now has been  playing in in athletes unlimited but her whole career was overseas uh and she just you know is  so excited for the opportunity to have those for to have that opportunity for future athletes in  the future generations to be able to play in the US and grow volleyball here in the states  um which is you know just super exciting but yeah that I think  that was episode 29 if you wanna if you want to hear Luke I looked it up earlier um but yeah if you want it's 29 29 yeah and there's a couple other people who talked about  it too but I'm not going to episode Drop Like seed and my memory is not that good but when I  remember everything like dang I should have dropped it here but I mean yeah I mean let's  go let's dive let's take a whole dive in let's see let's see I wanted to look that up earlier  because I wanted to to drop that and since we are bringing up athletes unlimited and and the  other weeks as well but if you wanted to learn more about athletes unlimited you  can hear Cassidy talk all about that in episode 29 so there you go yeah I emailed Cassidy about  athletes unlimited and a certain collaboration I'm looking for so Cassidy if you're listening  to uh this I thought a podcast check your emails hit it uh just gonna go on from there  but uh I mean if I'm being honest it really seems like I missed a great conversation  um but it was a conversation I needed to have it was you know great engaging uh you know very  personable too on top of that uh so really really big thank you again uh you know to Morgan uh for  sitting down with our podcast group here uh sorry I missed it um but if you aren't familiar with  the Women's National Team open program again like Steven mentioned before karch calls it there's just so many great and talent athletes uh you know that participate is essentially showing  off their skills uh two good Women's National Team coaching staff uh in 2022 uh like Steven  mentioned uh you know we had Jordan Thompson there talking with athletes and uh you know Morgan Hance  took the Reigns this year and you know we'll see who you know we're able to pull if I'm able to  be there in 2023 and you can say maybe we'll get clarity who's there he's got a he's got a  tight schedule yeah but again thank you so much Morgan for taking the time I'm sad I missed CNB  for sure you know uh fun fact too whenever I show my like I show my girls videos of um you know just  what a perfect server receive looks like what a perfect defensive positioning and what movement  to the ball looks like I pull up more than hits videos and that was something I was I was wanting  to like kind of hint thatch and you know share if I was able to do the interview but yeah I'm like  look this is what it was like they're like well I'm like yes dang you should have told me that  I would have would have had her do like a little bit Shout Out video to your Club in total assert  my mind it totally slipped my mind well yeah it would have been fun next time next time uh cool  let's keep moving on with the kind of the wrap up here what we're gonna just I'll bring up some of  the upcoming events here starting with our on the junior side of things we have the mid East girls  National qualifier week two March 24th through the 26th in St Louis Missouri the 2023 Northern  Lights girls National qualifier week three March 24th through the 26th in Minneapolis Minnesota the  Pacific Northwest girls 18's National qualifier March 25th through the 27th in Spokane Washington  the Pacific Northwest girls National qualifier week one March 25th through the 27th in Spokane  Washington the Big South girls National qualifier March 31st through April 2nd in Atlanta Georgia  the mid East National qualifier week 3 March 31st through April 2nd in St Louis Missouri the  Pacific Northwest girls National qualifier week 2 March 31st through April 2nd in Spokane Washington  the a lot happening in Washington oh yeah coming weeks let's take volleyball coming to Washington  uh the Lone Star Girls National qualifier week one through or week one April 1st through the 3rd  in Dallas Texas the Northeast girls National qualifier week two April 1st through the 3rd  and Philadelphia Pennsylvania the show me girls National qualifier weekend 1 April 1st through the  3rd in Kansas City Missouri and the GB GC VA April brq April 1st and Leak City Texas good luck to  everyone competing and those events shout out to all our usab regions setting up and hosting those  events more details on all upcoming events can be found at usabollyball.org fun fact I'll give you a  little break there before you go also the pro side of things with file taxes thank you I don't know  my 16th and 17th will be at the 2023 Big South National qualifier I'm so excited to go to Atlanta  yeah it'll be number I think three and a half quick days in Atlanta get a day back in Colorado  Springs and then Salt Lake City Showdown which is not awesome on the dates yet but oh yeah whole  lot of Travelers okay what's up we have to do another uh where in the world is Clarence Hughes  he's serious or where in the world depends on how you say it see there you go good A Bad Thing uh a  few events coming up on the pro side of things we have the beach pro tour Elite 16 and tapik  uh Mexico that's March 26th or 22nd through the 26th the beach pro tour Futures man here we go  kulan kulangata Beach March 29th through the 8th through April 2nd in kalangatta Beach Australia  I think I nailed it but we'll check that out we'll see beach pro tour Futures and Tahiti uh  Futures Tahiti uh April 4th through the 8th in Tahiti French Polynesia uh oh that's it on the  future Saturday on the pro side of things uh it's just one of those days it's one of those  days today I'll objective on that coffee man that's right that's right and even see straight oh man hit us with some Club reminders I'll do that but um then before that  beach girls are some really cool places man like let's just let's just quit the podcast  um become these athletes let's just train I know we're behind we're really behind but we gotta  get in shape but let's get our sand legs we're just do we just do a podcast too or alongside  the beach pro tour you're right I don't know about that no we're doing that all right wow  cool Stephen brainstorms at just on to it be more Club event reminders um registration is actually  um now closed for our Salt Lake City Showdown this is our last National qualifier that USA  volleyball national uh offices is the specific Wheels it is one of those days dude well but  um if you are looking to get into the Salt Lake City Showdown you must email events at usav.org  so we can add you into the AES system so you can make sure your registration requirements completed  um registration is still open for our open National Championship like we mentioned  um in the beginning of this episode registration is now open through I believe April 27th event  dates are May 26th through the 31st you do not want to miss opens this year I'm warning you  that was their first and probably more Waters to come because I want as many people to come  to the tournament as possible we try to get Steven there you turn this down it's  okay but you know it's gonna be a good time in Dallas no matter what I had to rub it in you'll need it you need it you're muted Matt I think you needed Stephen I can't hear you oh can you hear me now yeah so you said a whole paragraph I heard not a word nice  professionals here we're professionals that's okay to rub it in that's fine uh y'all are gonna have a  great time and if you need any recommendations in Dallas let me know always always  uh but here we go remember listeners you can rate and review share with friends family teammates it  really really helps this podcast grow and reach new listeners and now you can check  out our video episodes on our YouTube channel the USA volleyball YouTube channel and our  website usabollyball.org thank you so much for your continued support do you know a club that  should be featured maybe an athlete or a coach that has a great story you'd like us to share you  can email us at the usabshow at usab.org leave us feedback let us know how we're doing let us know  about any future topics you'd like us to talk about we want to hear from you and until next  time you are listening to the USA volleyball show the official podcast of USA volleyball in my cameo this has been the USA volleyball show with Clarence Hughes and Stephen Munson  produced by Curtis Ward our content producer is Lara Fawcett our marketing lead is Bree Jaycox  if you enjoyed this podcast be sure to rate and review and if you haven't already please subscribe  to the USA volleyball 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