Volleyball. We all have seen a volleyball game at some point in time. In 2022, 521,000 high school athletes played volleyball. It is widely regarded as one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. Stellar athletes from universities like Nebraska and Texas playing on world-class skill levels and drawing lots of eyes. But one must ask; what happens to these athletes after college?
The Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) gives an answer to this question. Often times volleyball athletes have to move overseas to play on the professional stage in foreign leagues. A popular alternative is flat-out retirement; right out of college. Unlike nearly every other pro league in the world, the PVF is right in our backyard. Premiering in January of 2024, the PVF kicked off its inaugural season with 7 teams. The Omaha Supernovas, Atlanta Vibe, San Diego Mojo, Grand Rapids Rise, Columbus Fury, Vegas Thrill, and Orlando Valkyries. Each team plays every other team 4 times in a season, totaling 24 games in the regular season. That number will increase to 28 matches with the addition of a new team. The league announced that 3 expansion teams were set to join in the 2025 season; the Indy Ignite, and teams in Kansas City and Dallas. Kansas City Pro Volleyball said in July they will not be launching on schedule in 2025, and have yet to be named or adopt a home venue. As for Dallas, we have heard nothing. On the other hand, the Indy Ignite have acquired key players and have been working on franchising, ready to start their season next January.
The main focus of the PVF is to give American players access to high-level volleyball at home while also making a livable wage’. The league was founded by Super Bowl Champion Trent Dilfer along with volleyball entrepreneurs Dr. Cecile Reynaud and Laurie Corbelli. The Pro Volleyball Federation is broadcasted primarily on YouTube with some matches and the playoffs being on CBS Sports Network. The first serve took place on January 24, 2024 in Omaha, Nebraska. The Omaha Supernovas took on the Atlanta Vibe and ultimately lost in 5 sets. The match set a professional volleyball attendance record at 11,624. That record would go on to be broken 3 more times, each being set in Omaha. The record topped off at 12,060 to round out the season.
When asked about athlete’s salary, league CEO Jen Spicher spotted the minimum salary at $60,000 a year, with some athletes making upwards of $125,000. Multiple bonuses were offered for certain positional awards, such as league MVP, Coach of the Year, etc. The most notable pay hike being PVF League Champions, which gets the team a check for $1,000,000. In the championship broadcast, commentators revealed that the minimum salary will increase to $75,000 in 2025, with certain players making $175,000 per year. The Pro Volleyball Federation has attracted 110 athletes from 10 countries, just in the first season.
The top 4 teams in the regular season advance to the Pro Volleyball Federation championship where they play a 3 game tournament; both semifinals on one night and then the PVF Championship match the following weekend.
The results of the first PVF Championship were nothing short of thrilling. The 1 seeded Atlanta Vibe took on the (4) Grand Rapids Rise in the first semifinal match where Grand Rapids came out with a shocking upset, taking down Atlanta in 5 sets. Unfortunately Atlanta was hit with key injuries during the match that gave them a sickening disadvantage. Key players for Grand Rapids like OH Claire Chaussee and MB Kayla Caffey led the team to the impressive victory. The second semifinal match did not disappoint either; the (2) Omaha Supernovas took on the (3) San Diego Mojo where Omaha barely pulled off a reverse sweep. San Diego dominated in sets 1 and 2, and barely fell short in set 3. The real change came in set 4. Omaha took control of the game and won the 4th set with a score of 25-8, marking the lowest scoring set in the league’s short history. Omaha then took away the 5th set, securing their spot in the championship with a reverse sweep. The stage was set. Grand Rapids and Omaha would battle it out for the first ever Pro Volleyball Championship title, and a million dollars. Coined the ‘Match for a Million’ was held on May 18th, 2024 in Omaha, Nebraska. 10,678 fans packed the CHI Health Center to watch the Omaha Supernovas sweep the Grand Rapids Rise and win the first ever PVF Championship. League higher-ups presented Omaha with the trophy and a check for 1 million dollars. Former Wisconsin Badger (S) Sydney Hilley was awarded the Playoffs MVP award with the help of her teammates (OPP) Stephanie Samedy and (OH) Brooke Nuneviller, who both had phenomenal performances that led their team to the huge win.
This new league marks a huge upgrade in the volleyball world, and adds on to the massive gains of women’s sports all around the country. Fans are excited for the next season, which starts in January, and are ready to welcome a new Indianapolis team to the league. Coaches, athletes, and fans are looking forward to the years ahead, where the future of professional volleyball lies.
留言