Explore every episode of the podcast VB Adrenaline Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
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| Season 3 Ep.1: Injuries and Recruiting, Preparing for Social Media Negativity and What's your Worth in Recruiting | 02 Dec 2025 | 00:58:27 | |
Season 3 starts with a three topic pod focusing on 1. How do injuries impact an athlete's recruiting journey? 2. Have a plan and be prepared for the negativity that is Social Media when entering the recruiting world. 3. How our PPV formula is meant to simply help show you an idea of your worth in the recruiting craziness to help you get an idea of where you might fit in. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Remote from Austin: Catching Up on Recruiting, College Season and More | 31 Oct 2025 | 01:00:08 | |
In town for Kentucky vs. Texas and decided to record at one of UT's biggest tailgate spots. It's been a while, so I'm just getting caught up on '27 recruiting topics, '28 Class Preview, and what we learned doing the America's 200 Project. Plus College Volleyball: what we learned. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Nayellis Cabello just doing her thing Winning with Positive Energy | 18 Jan 2025 | 00:33:53 | |
We sat down with Louisville Sophomore Setter Nayellis Cabello who was named ACC Freshman of the Year and also helped guide the Cardinals to the NCAA National Championship Match in December. She has also been horribly overlooked by the national volleyball media during her prep and young college career, but that doesn't phase the energetic Floridian one bit. Her upbeat, care-free attitude is evident on and off the court and it was just what the doctor ordered this season for the Cards as she fit in perfectly with their veteran lineup. Listen to her talk about recruiting, leadership and how she opens up and is COMPLETELY REAL talking about nerves and true emotions during some of the biggest matches of last year's season. These are the athletes that are so easy to cheer for and really should get so much more positive press in the game. Don't kid yourself she's one hell of a volleyball player as well. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Genevieve Harris: The Mindset of a Champion. How She Dealt w/ Criticism and It Set Her Apart | 10 Jan 2025 | 00:51:02 | |
Texas commit Genevieve Harris talks with VBAdrenaline about her early years of volleyball and her extremely competitive nature. She talks about how she was misjudged by some as a bad teammate, but rather than getting upset or angry she used that to see things from others point of view and become a better leader, player and friend. It also helped grabbed the attention of some of the top programs in the country and set her apart from others in the country when it came to recruiting. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Averi Bridges: You never know when you may get shot! | 03 Jan 2025 | 00:36:56 | |
VCN 2028 Libero Averi Bridges had a memorable USA Nationals last July. In particular, on amazing match vs. WAVE Volleyball. The standing room only crowd may not have come to watch her play, but when they left and following a social media post a short while later, the trajectory of her volleyball career was drastically different. Learn the story of how the Nebraska 'bro used the match of her life to launch her career and hasn't slowed down since. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Recapping Mac's article, Previewing the Portal and Whats Ahead for Early Club Season | 08 Dec 2024 | 00:55:48 | |
Mac and Darren dive into an intense episode. They recap the reaction to Mac's terrific article on athletes dealing with negative posters on social media. This leads to an emotional discussion on fans lack of reaction to a serious reaction and also a talk about "chat boards" and more. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Season 2 Episode 8: Why it's OK to Share Your Schools of Interest...We Promise | 29 Nov 2024 | 01:07:22 | |
Mac and Darren tackle one of the biggest myths in the recruiting world: "It's a bad thing for prospects to share schools they have interest in." We give several reasons why we believe this is completely false, why it is actually a great idea for prospects to share schools that they like, and how easy it is to do it on our site. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Champions Mindset, The Gym Debate and Prospects Taking Constructive Criticism | 25 Nov 2024 | 00:45:04 | |
Macs on the road so Darren takes it solo and covers a variety of topics. First, the office staff posted a friendly "Stadium List" that got messy with Big Red Kool-Aid. *Next we dive into the Creighton Debate as Selection Sunday approaches Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Such A Strange and Wonderful Time of the Year | 09 Nov 2024 | 00:56:29 | |
The team breaks down a wonderful time of year in volleyball: Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| The Wonderful Messed Up World of VB Recruiting and Welcome MAC | 31 Oct 2024 | 00:55:10 | |
We welcome Mac Podraza to the team and man is there some recruiting tea to catch up on! We try and dive into the "new NCAA recruiting rules" and that gets messy. We talk about Purdue's newest 2025 flip of All-American Libero Aniya Warren and try and break down her decommitment and process behind (again this gets messy). Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Season 2 Episode 5 Recruiting is a Family Affair with the Smiths Pt. 1 | 08 Sep 2024 | 00:27:44 | |
Marlie Smith is not only one of the top 2027 Setter prospects in America, she is also a National Champ an All-American and just may be the most educated expert when it comes to the recruiting process of anyone in the country. Why???? Because her entire life has basically been about college recruiting, from birth her father has been a D1 men's basketball assistant coach so she has lived and breathed the recruiting "game" from the inside. I sat down with Marlie and her father for an hour-long in-depth talk on both sides of the recruiting coin and Jeff gives us some great information and Marlie spills some first hand secrets for prospects. Excellent straight talk information from a family that has lived this craziness for years. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Season 2 Episode 4 | 16 Aug 2024 | 00:37:01 | |
AVCA Director Jaime Gordon is the guest and he talks First Serve Classic and so much more about the event and the teams involved. Plus we dive into the 2024 College season, what's ahead for the AVCA and we even talk a little NCAA Preseason Top 10. Great informative episode and gets you pumped for season ahead. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Back to Recruiting: Learning from the Class of 2025 | 12 Sep 2025 | 01:22:41 | |
We talk about the basics of recruiting for future classes after watching some of the top recruits in the Class of 2025 start their college careers.....on the bench this past month. We reflect back on talking with them during their recruiting processes and their stories. 1. Did they take their time? 2. Did they do their research? 3. What can prospects start to learn when watching college vb now? 4. What questions should you be asking and what research should you be doing if you are a 27, 28 or a 29 prospect? 5. Why it isn't the coach's fault when you don't play early. 6. We tell some stories of some perfect culture fits that weren't highly ranked recruits and how they are thriving because they picked culture over anything else. 7. Plus our college thoughts and early POTY rankings. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Season 2 Episode 3: Brennan Dean WAVE Volleyball | 02 Aug 2024 | 00:41:45 | |
I talk with Brennan Dean of WAVE Volleyball about several topics dealing with the recruiting world including: Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Episode 2: Molly Tuozza Current Commits How to Prep for College and It's Changes | 27 Jul 2024 | 00:29:41 | |
Kentucky Sophomore Libero/DS Molly Tuozza was an All-American everything Libero for Houston Skyline. She talks about what growing pains she went through on the transition to college. She also gets real about what it's like accepting and moving fwd with not starting for the first time in your career. Plus we talk about the 1st Serve Classic vs. Nebraska and her Kentucky team a little bit. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Episode1: Charlotte Vinson Getting Better Day By Day | 15 Jul 2024 | 00:36:53 | |
Here from Charlotte Vinson a Munciana volleyball star who survived a near fatal infection this Spring. She's on the road to recovery and doing well there is still much unknown about her future, but she's taking things day-by-day and she's totally OK with that #Perspective. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Jason Watson: Arkansas Volleyball and Prepping for this year's recruiting cycle | 13 Jun 2024 | 00:13:44 | |
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| A Coach's View on Recruiting: Dan Meske Louisville | 30 May 2024 | 00:54:46 | |
NCAA D1 Assistant Coach of the Year Dan Meske has a candid interview on a coaches' thoughts on recruiting, what do they really think, what do they pay attention to, what are they looking for and much, much more. Plus we get side tracked and talk about some real cool off-topic vb things. Great info for athletes and parents! It's ok to talk about your experiences, recruiting should be fun:) Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Real Life Recruiting Tips from 2025s Carly Gilk and Abby Vander Wal | 23 May 2024 | 00:46:58 | |
Hear from two of the top 2025 prospects in the USA. Carly Gilk and Abby Vander Wal sit down and tell us about their process, what they learned and how they came upon their decisions. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Recruiting Tips, Myths and Strategies with Flow State Volley | 15 May 2024 | 00:54:09 | |
We take the gloves off and talk some real recruiting. Questions from athletes, parents and me when it comes to recruiting education. Like what and why are there hard timelines, how to advocate for yourself, what to prepare for. What are college coaches thinking and how to truly find "your fit". Along with some myths and old tales that just aren't true. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Episode 14: The First Lady of Texas Volleyball | 09 Apr 2024 | 00:40:11 | |
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| Episode 13: Gilad Doron IMG Volleyball Academy | 03 Apr 2024 | 00:40:42 | |
Talked with the new Director of VB Operations, Gilad Doron, about all things IMG Volleyball. Learn about training, college prep, future projects and growth at the facility in Bradenton, FL. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Episode 12: Courtney Smith talks about NTDP | 12 Mar 2024 | 00:35:53 | |
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| Opening Week Thoughts and Recruiting Continues | 29 Aug 2025 | 01:22:28 | |
Thoughts on First Serve in Lincoln and on to Nashville. Talk Vandy VB and more opening thoughts. Plus Class of 2027 recruiting notes and some recruiting prospect updates. On your radar, athletes, some staff shout and show shouts to some coaches, making some great presser comments, and more. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Episode 11: Tyler Strom Legacy VB | 28 Feb 2024 | 00:36:14 | |
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| Episode 10: Steve Aird "Building Indiana Volleyball" | 03 Feb 2024 | 00:41:29 | |
Indiana Head Coach sits down to talk about his best season yet for Hoosier Volleyball, his contract extension, building a program and finding the right fit in a program. He's a volleyball lifer and definitely brought life to Hoosier Volleyball. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Emily Ehman taking the volleyball world by storm and she's worked for all of it! | 24 Jan 2024 | 00:41:08 | |
Emily Ehman may be THE NAME in volleyball media. The Northwestern graduate is everywhere and is crafting her brand that is synonymous excellence. We met years ago high in the rafters at the COVID Final Four in Omaha. It was her first big chance with B1G Ten Network and man has her career exploded ever since...........and newsflash it's because she works her butt off at being the best! Great catching up and talking volleyball. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Episode 8: Cursty LeRoux talks everything Texas | 23 Jan 2024 | 00:39:28 | |
Cursty LeRoux just finished her first season as Recruiting Coordinator for Texas Volleyball and what a year it was. She dives deep into the Longhorn Culture, what Coach Elliot is really like behind the scenes and gives some big advice for future prospects. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| 07: Hot Prospect Talk Following NTDP | 10 Jan 2024 | 00:34:42 | |
In this episode of the VB Adrenaline Podcast, Darren Tipton sits down with co-host Samantha Campion, senior All American at Cal Poly Pomona . The team highlights the top prospects showcased at the NTDP as well as spotlighting prospect profiles found on VBadrenaline.com. Stay tuned in for this comprehensive overview of key players, insightful takes on the volleyball world , and an engaging discussion of volleyball's future. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| 06: Lincoln Arneal: Uncovering Husker Volleyball Insights & Perspectives | 03 Jan 2024 | 00:35:36 | |
In this episode Darren dives deep into the world of Husker volleyball. He is joined by Lincoln Arneal, who shares insights into Nebraska and Big Ten volleyball. In the discussion, they cover topics ranging from the passion of Nebraska players, team dynamics, transfer players, the competition within the team, and the dedication of the coaching staff. They also cover what makes the Nebraska team unique, including the significant community involvement and fans' recognizability of players. Join them as they explore the dedicated journey of these players and their commitment to the sport. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| 05: Under Armor All-American Preview with Ziva Recek Blackmon | 27 Dec 2023 | 00:38:28 | |
In this episode Host, Darren Tipton talk about volleyball trends, standout players and upcoming competitions, with the Under Armour All-American Match. The episode also details the process of selecting teams for the match, the envisaged excitement around it, and provides some insightful previews on participating players. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| 04: The Rise of Professional Volleyball: A Conversation With Orlando Valkyries Coach Amy Pauley | 20 Dec 2023 | 00:36:28 | |
In this episode of the VB Adrenaline Podcast, host Darren Tipton is joined by Amy Pauley, the head coach of the Orlando Valkyries team in the new Real Pro Volleyball League. Amy shares her thoughts on the mission of the league, the opportunities it provides to women athletes, and the selection process of players. They dive into discussions on women in sports, the excitement of being part of the inaugural season, and the rapidly growing interest in volleyball. And of course, the transition from college to professional coaching, the trends and improvements in the sport, and the future of volleyball. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| 03: Coach Dan Meske from Louisville: A Conversation Inside D1 Volleyball | 13 Dec 2023 | 00:31:54 | |
In this episode Darren sits down with distinguished volleyball coach, Dan Meske from Louisville. Dan shares his passion for the sport, discussing his progression from a coach at a smaller university to the big leagues of the D1 level. He also discusses balancing coaching with fatherhood, his involvement with the National Team Development Program (NTDP), and shares his perspective on the current state of volleyball in the US. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| 02: Exploring the Evolution of VB Adrenaline | 06 Dec 2023 | 00:36:08 | |
In this episode of the VB Adrenaline Podcast, Darren Tipton is joined by Madison Morey to discuss the growth and evolution of volleyball, the importance of player stories, the future of college recruiting and how Darren went from fundraising cookie dough to creating VB Adrenaline. The future of the sport and the vision for VB Adrenaline in the coming years as the team continues to grow. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| What Makes College Sports Great, Staff Shouts, Camp Winners and Characters Wanted | 28 Jul 2025 | 01:06:40 | |
I get back on my kick of trying to make college volleyball more exciting again. Pumping up the need for better rivalries and more exciting coaching characters in the sport. I point how colorful HC's in other revenue sports fuel rivalries and get "edge spectators" to tune in and spend $ on tickets, apparel and draw additional interest to a program or contest that normally they would not. Still going back to my main point that eventually volleyball is going to need to draw my "Buffalo Wild Wings Crowd" to truly grow and survive and thrive if they want to catch basketball as a revenue sport (at the college level). Also, it's just boring listening to the same old press conference where every coach and every athlete says the same boring rehearsed line time after time. Plus we get into staff shouts from the latest recruiting weeks and who has been crushing it at the end of the Select Camp Circuit before we head into Prep VB season. Lots of fun banter as the college "fan" in me comes out and I draw up some potential trash talking rivalries that might be fun to see for VB Fans:) Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| 01: The Rise of Skylar Pierce: From High School Star to Nebraska Commit | 06 Dec 2023 | 00:30:01 | |
Welcome to the VB Adrenaline Podcast, where we dive into the world of volleyball, featuring rising stars, top coaches, and trending topics. In this episode, host Darren Tipton interviews Skylar Pierce, an all-American volleyball player and Nebraska commit, as they discuss her high school career, college decision, and the importance of giving back to the community. They also touch on mental training and the upcoming Under Armour All-American game. Join us for an insightful and inspiring conversation! Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Welcome to the VB Adrenaline Podcast! | 29 Nov 2023 | 00:01:15 | |
Are you looking for the hottest topics, buzz and insight in the world of college volleyball? Are you curious about the division one volleyball recruiting scene? You're in the right place! Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Todd Chamberlain: Building a Successful Career in the Louisville Family | 17 Jul 2025 | 00:41:18 | |
I talk with Louisville Associate HC Todd Chamberlain about many topics in his career at Louisville from: Talent evaluating, to building their culture, treating people the right way, locking down hometown recruits from Day 1, all coaches having valuable say and knowing who they could get and who they couldn't. He talks about the early years of building to get a step better and how they struggled to fill their 1000 seat arena in the first year, but they invited anyone who wanted to be a Louisville fan to do so. One of the great guys in the sport who has been a part of the recruiting and talent evaluating for the past 8 years. One of the people I have been fortunate enough to meet and know in this sport. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Episode 22: Recruitology "The study of Program Power Values" how colleges land on the pyramid | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:53:22 | |
We explain the other half of the PPV Pyramid and how it came to be. There is the athlete PPV Chart and then the program PPV Chart. Recruitology is the study of volleyball recruiting and it's patterns and predictability. I break down who is rivals with who, what programs tend to recruit where and and why the actual athlete PPV score doesn't matter as much as the Level does. This is a generalized look at my study of program recruiting trends over the past 3 seasons and predicting this class from information gathered through our website and communication with prospects, etc. It may be interesting if you are a volleyball recruiting nerd and it may be extremely boring or useless who knows Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Season 2 Episode 21 Recruiting Myths and Sensitive Topics | 19 Apr 2025 | 01:11:20 | |
We dive deep into some sensitive subjects, dealing with hot topics in our world of recruiting and helping athletes and families have the experience that is best for them. We tackle topics like athletes being unable to attend Select Camps due to club practice, overpractice, and too long a season, as well as the insane month of June for 16s. Then we dive into our yearly topic of WHY would any club ever tell prospects that they ARE NOT ALLOWED to talk about camps they are going to or schools they are looking at ? We discuss why that benefits the athlete and the reasons why the clubs may be doing it in their best interest, not that of the athlete. Other topics covered...." Anytime a coach or club person tells you 'you are not allowed to... ' that should probably be a RED FLAG," and why athletes should and need to speak up about their experiences MORE in HS and College. This aligns with what we teach in our Str8 Talk Recruiting Series, which focuses on educating people on the process and asking why. This is an individual process that clubs shouldn't have blanket policies on. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Talking Spring Ball with Vandy and Louisville | 26 Mar 2025 | 01:02:33 | |
We talk about the happenings of Spring around volleyball, and that definitely includes college volleyball. We bring in Anders Nelson, head coach of Vandy Volleyball, to talk about Year 1, how things are going with his new program, and everything exciting leading up to their August start date. What an exciting time in Nashville. Then we bring on C.C. McGraw of Louisville to talk about everything new and old in The 'Ville as the Cards go through Spring under Dan Meske. She talks about the program in great detail and everything that makes it one of the best. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Kansas' New Captain: Matt Ulmer takes time to talk | 24 Jan 2025 | 00:30:53 | |
Matt Ulmer sure has had a busy week. The former Head Coach of Oregon gave college volleyball plenty to talk about last week when he took the Head Coaching position at the University of Kansas. The last week has been slightly hectic, but the new leader of the Jayhawks is taking it all in stride and he took a few minutes to talk this morning. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Recruiting Tips and the Ultimate Setter Recruiting Storm Brewing | 24 Mar 2026 | 01:19:05 | |
A deep dive into the complex and stressful topic that is College Select Camps. Which ones do you pick? How many do you attend? How do you know when to start deciding and more. Plus a guide for '29s and '30s how should you attack your Summer Camps this year? Then we take a look at what will be a June like no other in the world of D1 Setter recruiting and we can't wait. More top teams than ever needing a setter and more top talent than ever before means one crazy and historic battle of the big dogs come summer time. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Taking a look at "5 for 5" and what it does for immediate recruiting | 04 May 2026 | 00:53:07 | |
In this episode we address the soon to be voted on "5 for 5" legislation and how it will change things recruits this class and going forward. We talk about what parents and athletes need to do in the next 6 weeks to prepare the best they can and how it may change strategies. We also address the Volleyball Recruiting Calendar and maybe this ruling will finally force a change in that timeline ASAP if the Coaches Association cares about the athlete's best interest at all. Finally the pod wraps up with a couple of '29 athletes doing it right and some other random thoughts on Programs with smoke heading to camp season and some fun news on our Summer. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| Season 2 Episode 22: The Reunion Kelly Sheffield Gets Back To Me | 22 May 2026 | 00:52:36 | |
Nearly two years after we met (USA Nationals Las Vegas), great convo with Wisconsin HC Kelly Sheffield, sends me some random dm on X asking me to give him a call earlier this week, and at first it scared me a little bit, but when we finally connected, it led to a great 2+ hour conversation. This podcast is a recap of a good portion of the conversation because we just talked volleyball for 145 minutes, and for me, it was very, very cool. We agreed, disagreed, and respected each other's opinions on several topics. I appreciated Sheff because he was one of the few coaches with whom I could disagree, and he could keep talking with me and not get mad and instantly dislike me forever. We found that we agree on so many topics and ended up talking about rivalries, crowd involvement, building fan bases, pulling in outside viewership and revenue, and many other topics. In fact, many more than the few things like favorite players and colors that we disagreed on (he was very biased and was not being open-minded at all:) We talked about the future with this NIL and Portal Era and how much change there will be, and I point-blank asked him what he thought of some of the things that were being said about him or his program. Listen, I've had many coaches "be less than honest with me" in my time doing this, but I will say I haven't had many National Championship HC's take a couple hours out of their busy lives and genuinely take time and honestly show respect for my opinion and what I know and do in the world of recruiting. Coach Sheff and I talked about this.... his simply respecting my work as a recruiting evaluator and how well I understand the recruiting process meant a lot. **In year 1-2 Coaches used to call me like he did quite often and then when word got around that I asked real questions about real topics that most didn't want to address, well those phone calls stopped coming lol so I appreciated this and learned so much from one of the best. The pod probably didn't turn out that clean because the original was lost last night, trying to load it and record it the 2nd time, I didn't do as well in editing. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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| The RIVALRY is BACK what a journey for VBAdrenaline...the next chapter is in VEGAS! | 13 May 2026 | 00:59:24 | |
We talk about the upcoming Nebraska vs. Texas match set for Las Vegas in August and how great it is to have college volleyball's most heated rivalry back on again. I also tell you about my personal journey trying to bring the rivalry back to reality and how months of work and hundreds of hours ended up in an L, but it was a crazy story for this cookie-dough salesman, that's for sure. Then I break down the last matchup between the two teams and why things are pretty heated between the fanbases. Even more reason why you'd better be in Vegas on August 29th and 30th. There is no other ticket for a volleyball fan, sorry. Connect with VB Adrenaline:
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