More than just a volleyball player: UMBC’s Ferketic pursues theoretical-physics Ph.D
Emily Ferketic/Photos provided by UMBC UMBC right-side Emily Ferketic can hit with power. But she also has the power to reach into a black hole. From anywhere. Her sofa. The classroom. The local coffee shop. No special technology is required. She doesn’t have to say her name...
What does conference realignment mean for NCAA beach volleyball?
The landscape of college sports was rocked to the core recently when one of its longtime flagship conferences, the Pac-12, appeared on the verge of disintegration. We knew that UCLA and USC were leaving for the Big Ten, but then Oregon and Washington hopped on the...
Joe and Gage Worsley, and explosion of the Out of System volleyball
HERMOSA BEACH, Ca. — One Saturday a few weeks ago, a family of four woke up at 3 a.m. Mom and dad packed their sleepy children into the car, avoiding the Arizona summer desert heat. They were bound for Hermosa Beach, California, site of, that...
Pro volleyball notes: Atlanta has a good Vibe; PVF moves; Athletes Unlimited update
By Aaron Hutton for VolleyballMag.com There’s a good Vibe in Atlanta, more players have signed with the budding pro volleyball leagues, teams are making moves, and we visited with former Stanford great and Athletes Unlimited director of sport Cassidy Lichtman. We’ll start with Pro Volleyball Federation news. The...
Miles Partain, Andy Benesh win second straight AVP in Atlanta
Many things remained the same in Atlanta from 2022 to 2023. It was hot — “spicy,” in the words of Terese Cannon. It rained. A lot. To the point that, a year ago, several matches were shortened to a single set to 28. Such was...
Kristen Nuss, Taryn Kloth come “full circle” with dominant win at AVP Atlanta
It looked a bit different this time around. It was only two years ago that Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth won their first AVP tournament. They did so in Atlanta, coming out of the qualifier. They stunned the beach volleyball world, leaving themselves speechless in...
Sponcil-Cannon take the “spicy” road into the semifinals of AVP Atlanta
To take a look at the women’s semifinals of this weekend’s AVP Atlanta Gold Series is to take a look at, on the surface, what appears to be a complete and total chalk walk. All four of the top seeds — Kelly Cheng and Sara...
NCAA volleyball goes topsy-turvy: Oregon, UW join B1G; Arizona, ASU, Utah to Big 12
Will Stanford, celebrating its 2019 title, be the last Pac-12 team to win an NCAA volleyball championship?Michael Gomez photography If you’ve ever heard the legendary Bill Walton on Pac-12 basketball broadcasts, you’ve heard him tout the league as “the conference of champions.” Well, the Pac-12 has one...
Bauer-Horton find “extra gear” for two big upsets at AVP Atlanta Gold Series
Just take a look at all of those Olympians, posing in front of the Olympic rings, looking all Olympic-like, with their sponsored shirts and hats and casual demeanor that says “Yes, we’ve done these shoots before, plenty of them, thanks.” Eleven players in this week’s...
Hot route! AVP Atlanta Gold Series begins Friday. Here’s everything you need to know
It is a unique style of training that Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth have taken to in the lead-up to the AVP Atlanta Gold Series, which begins on Friday and will be streamed on Bally Live and ESPN+. They were active on Wednesday, sure, but...
Programs embrace adding staff; can any B1G teams elevate from middle of the pack?
Coach Chris Tamas and Illinois senior associate director of athletics Bre Robinson/Ryan Kuttler photo CHICAGO — After the NCAA changed the rule allowing volleyball teams to hire a third paid assistant coach, Chris Tamas didn’t have to look far for his new staff member. The Illinois coach’s...
Brooke Niles, FSU beach volleyball, and a tight-knit family bonded by hard things
HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. — Brooke Niles was 34 years old when she was hired as the head coach of the Florida State beach volleyball team. It seemed young to her then and, nine years later, feels even younger to Niles. “I bamboozled them,” she said on...
Paris 2024: Olympic Beach Volleyball Rankings, updated July 31
Andy Benesh and Miles Partain flex after a semifinal win in Montreal/Volleyball World photo The Olympic race for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games officially began in February in Doha, Qatar, with the Volleyball World Elite16. The final event is yet to be determined, but the qualification...