The Professional Volleyball Federation opened its free-agency player-signing interval final week, and whereas loads of notable transactions occurred, free company utilized to coaches and franchises, too.
PVF, scheduled to have 10 groups in its second season in 2025, will now have eight: Indy is in; Dallas and Kansas Metropolis usually are not.
And Atlanta, which by no means publically introduced that first-year coach Todd Dagenais was out, employed former Nebraska nice and Olympic libero Kayla Banwarth as its new coach.
Eight groups, not 10
PVF performed its first season with groups in Atlanta, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Las Vegas Omaha, Orlando and San Diego.
The plan was so as to add franchises in 2025 in Indianapolis, Dallas and Kansas Metropolis. Indy is up and working and will likely be referred to as the Ignite. The others? In a information launch final week, by which PVF seemed ahead to 2025, there was no point out of Dallas or Ok.C., but it surely famous that there will likely be eight groups in 2025.
We requested PVF CEO Jen Spicher for a press release:
“We proceed to work on growth,” she mentioned. “Along with our staff in Indy, we sit up for working along with different possession teams in addition to new markets to deliver groups to the courts in Professional Volleyball Federation.”
The Ignite will likely be coached by George Padjen, who was an assistant at Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota, for 21 years. Throughout that point, Concordia received 9 NCAA ladies’s Division II titles, the final in 2017.
Kuhn not interim, Banwarth to Atlanta
Omaha received the primary PVF title and Laura “Hen” Kuhn led the staff because the “interim head coach” nearly your entire season. She was an assistant and took over after simply two matches when the Supernovas “promoted” head coach Shelton Collier.
Omaha went 17-7 beneath Kuhn, together with its PVF semifinal win over San Diego and championship-winning victory over Grand Rapids.
Atlanta completed 19-6 and misplaced in 5 units to Grand Rapids within the league’s semifinals on Could 15. Dagenais, who got here to Atlanta after a profitable run at UCF, was let go shortly after.
Kayla Banwarth, who because the 2016 Rio Olympics was an assistant at Nebraska and head coach at Ole Miss, truly was on the Vegas Thrill preseason roster.
Ole Miss improved from 1-19 in 2020-21 to 21-9 in 2021 when this system made the NCAA Event for the primary time since 2010. However her tenure there ended with 11 matches to go within the 2022 season.
Six of the eight groups at the moment are coached by ladies, the 2 talked about right here plus Cathy George at Grand Rapids, Amy Pauly at Orlando, Tayyiba Haneef-Park at San Diego and Fran Flory at Vegas.
Signings galore
The PVF free-agency interval opened June 30 and there was a number of shuffling.
Many PVF gamers are headed to the brand new rival league, LOVB, which begins its first season in January. LOVB had already signed the vast majority of USA Olympians and gamers within the national-team health club. LOVB may have six groups in 2025. Learn extra about LOVB right here.
ATLANTA VIBE: The Vibe re-signed eight of its gamers, together with league MVP Leah Edmond, national-team libero Morgan Hentz and setters Marlie Monserz and Whitney Bower. The Vibe additionally saved middles Shelly Fanning and Karis Watson within the fold, together with defensive specialist Kamaile Hiapo and out of doors hitter Kacie Evans.
Atlanta has additionally inked middles Jenna Rosenthal and McKenna Vicini, outsides Jenaisya Moore and Pia Timmer, opposites Aiko Jones and Courtney Buzzerio.
Atlanta may have no scarcity of highly effective attackers in 2025.
COLUMBUS FURY: The Fury lured diminutive exterior Jill Gillen from Orlando and likewise signed libero Morgan Lewis and center Janice Leao.
GRAND RAPIDS RISE: The Rise picked up a few veteran hitters, exterior Carli Snyder and reverse Sherridan Atkinson. Snyder, who’s from Michigan, has been enjoying in France. Atkinson was the Greek league MVP.
INDY IGNITE: The brand new franchise obtained off to a robust signing begin, making a giant splash by including Supernovas setter Sydney Hilley. Hilley was named MVP of the PVF playoffs.
The Ignite additionally signed Atlanta exterior Leketor Member-Meneh, former Pitt center Chiamako Nwokolo, and Vegas libero Kylie Murr. They signed three former Purdue standouts, center Blake Mohler, reverse Grace Cleveland and libero Maddie Schermerhorn. Additionally within the fold is Orlando center Azhani Tealer. former Kansas setter Ainise Havili, former Michigan star Carly Skjodt, who has been enjoying professional seashore and is from Bloomington, Indiana.
OMAHA SUPERNOVAS: The league champs obtained the face of the franchise, exterior Brooke Nuneviller, again within the fold together with setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson and center Sophie Davis.
Omaha lured exterior Reagan Cooper, who had a breakout season for Columbus. The Supernovas additionally picked up former Nebraska middles Briana Holman, Kayla Caffey and Kaitlyn Hord. Additionally within the fold are reverse Kelsie Payne, who has been enjoying internationally since her time at Kansas, setter Mac Podraza, and worldwide exterior Jovana Mirosavljević.
ORLANDO VALKYRIES: The one announcement from the Valkyries is that they re-signed libero Georgia Murphy.
SAN DIEGO MOJO: The Mojo reported three re-signings, center Ronika Stone, exterior Kendra Dahlke and libero Shara Venegas. San Diego additionally center Rainelle Jones, who performed for Columbus.
VEGAS THRILL: 5 gamers re-signed, setter Alisha Glass Childress, exterior Hannah Maddux, center Berkeley Oblad, reverse Saskia Hippe and center Layne Van Buskirk.
The Thrill additionally picked up 5 newcomers, two who performed at Rice in setter Carly Graham, who play for Orlando, and one in all her favourite former targets, center Anota Adekunle. Vegas additionally obtained Willow Johnson, the lefty who performed the latter a part of the season for San Diego, former Mojo teammate exterior Grace Loberg, and libero Teegan DeFalco.