WEBVTT - Watching the Campfire with Tiffany Oshinsky 0:00:00.880 --> 0:00:02.719 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where the college 0:00:02.720 --> 0:00:05.640 hoops season just ended and the WNBA Draft is in 0:00:05.720 --> 0:00:09.760 four days. We're not ready, We're exhausted. Frankly, we need 0:00:09.800 --> 0:00:12.240 a break. Imagine how Paige Becker's and the rest of 0:00:12.240 --> 0:00:15.480 the draft prospects feel. It's Thursday, April tenth, and on 0:00:15.520 --> 0:00:17.919 today's show, we'll be talking to Tiffany Oshinsky, host of 0:00:17.960 --> 0:00:21.800 the Serving Pancakes podcast, about the inaugural Love Volleyball season, 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:24.439 this week's playoffs, and the players who've impressed her the 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:28.280 most this season, plus feeling cocky, playing the long game, 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:31.200 and an appropriate way to honor a star. It's all 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:40.879 coming up right after this welcome back slices. Here's what 0:00:40.920 --> 0:00:45.080 you need to know today. Let's start with college hoops, 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:47.520 where a few big names are on the move via 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:51.040 the transfer portal that includes Florida State junior Tonight Latson, 0:00:51.360 --> 0:00:54.120 the leading scorer across all D one teams this season. 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:58.200 Latson announced on social media that she's quote unquote feeling cocky. 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:03.600 Translation she's joining Don Staley's South Carolina game Cocks. The 0:01:03.640 --> 0:01:06.759 move reunites Latson with her high school teammate Raven Johnson, 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:09.280 who had an announcement of her own on Tuesday. She's 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:11.560 passing up the WNBA Draft for one more year of 0:01:11.600 --> 0:01:15.160 college ball at South Carolina. So just so we're clear here, 0:01:15.360 --> 0:01:18.640 this is a South Carolina team that really needed a 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.520 go to player in the clutch this season, and now 0:01:21.560 --> 0:01:24.080 they just got their veteran point guard back for another year, 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:26.720 and they went and got the best go to player 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:28.319 on the market for her to pass the ball to. 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:33.120 And the duo already has built in chemistry, scary hours, 0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:38.040 impeccable recruiting from Dawn. Meanwhile, tc YOU announced it signed 0:01:38.040 --> 0:01:41.480 Olivia Miles from the transfer portal. Miles, a starguard for 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:44.280 Notre Dame, made headlines last week when she announced she 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:46.560 was waiting to turn pro and instead would enter the 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:49.840 transfer portal. She'd previously been projected to go number two 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:53.240 overall in this year's WNBA draft. Now she'll look to 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:56.480 help TCU continue its rise as a women's basketball power. 0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:59.400 The Horned Frogs, who lost in the Elite eight to Texas, 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:02.440 are coming off the deepest Toorney run in program history. 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:05.040 Miles will help fill the gap left by departing grad 0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:08.520 students Hailey Vanlyth and Sodona Prince, who finally reached the 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:12.480 end of their own college eligibility. Speaking of Hailey Vanlyth, 0:02:12.639 --> 0:02:15.880 she landed a spot in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:19.640 gracing the April twenty twenty five digital cover. She joins 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:21.960 a handful of other athletes featured in the magazine this year, 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:26.160 including the WNBA's Cameron Brink, track and field star Gabby Thomas, Jimnast, 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:30.480 Jordan Chiles and Sunny Lee and golfer Nellie Corda. To hockey, 0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:33.440 the World Championship scott underway and check you on Wednesday, 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:35.840 with the US opening its tournament with a seven to 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:38.680 one win over Finland. The round robin portion of attorney 0:02:38.760 --> 0:02:42.560 continues through Tuesday, followed by the knockout rounds. The PWHL 0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:45.000 is currently on pause through the end of Worlds, which 0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:47.720 conclude with the gold medal game on Sunday, April twentieth. 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:51.480 Canada is looking for its second straight title and thirteenth overall, 0:02:51.760 --> 0:02:54.480 while the US last won two years ago. America hoping 0:02:54.520 --> 0:02:57.080 to reclaim the world title heading into next winners Olympics. 0:02:57.320 --> 0:02:59.320 We'll link to the full schedule in the show notes 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:02.800 to International Soccer The US women's national team fell to 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:05.040 Brazil two to one in the second friendly between the 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:08.800 two squads on US turf on Tuesday night. Katerina Macario 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:10.640 got the Stars and Stripes off to a hot start, 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:14.080 scoring the seventh fastest goal in national team history just 0:03:14.200 --> 0:03:17.160 thirty four seconds in, but the rest of the scoring 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:21.480 was all Brazil. Former NWSL MVP Caroline found the equalizer 0:03:21.520 --> 0:03:23.880 for Brazil in the twenty fourth minute, and the game 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:26.040 was one to one until the visitors found some real 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:29.320 magic late. Amanda Gutierrez cracked open the defense on a 0:03:29.360 --> 0:03:31.840 two to on one in the fifth minute of stoppage time, 0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:34.840 giving Brazil the win. The US women's national team now 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:37.240 three to two in twenty twenty five. They'll hit the 0:03:37.240 --> 0:03:40.640 field again on May thirty first against China in Saint Paul, Minnesota. 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:44.080 More soccer news. FIFA announced at the twenty twenty five 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:47.480 UEFA Congress that the US, along with Konka CAF partners, 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:50.080 were the sole bid to host the twenty thirty one 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:53.120 FIFA Women's World Cup. US Soccer issued a statement in 0:03:53.160 --> 0:03:56.240 response to the announcement. Quote. As FIFA finalizes the number 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:58.960 of participating teams in the tournament, we will solidify our 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:02.280 partnership structure with fellow Conka Caffe nations. We look forward 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:04.680 to sharing more details and unveiling our full vision for 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:06.720 the twenty thirty one FIFA Women's World Cup in the 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:09.560 near future. End quote. Twenty thirty one will be the 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:11.800 third time the US hosts a Women's World Cup after 0:04:11.880 --> 0:04:15.120 ninety nine and three, and while I'm super excited for 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:17.960 the US to be the home for that event, it's 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:19.880 a little bit of a bummer that there weren't more 0:04:19.920 --> 0:04:23.239 bids to try to get the Women's World Cup, especially 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:26.080 from countries that could really benefit from hosting. To the 0:04:26.160 --> 0:04:29.440 NWSL expansion side, Denver announced that the club has sold 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:32.320 more than ten thousand season ticket deposits just over two 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:35.440 months after the city was officially named as the NWSL's 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:39.400 sixteenth franchise, good enough to break the NWSL season ticket 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:42.400 deposit record. Still, the club has a little bit of 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:44.880 work to do to get those butts in seats. The 0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:48.159 team still figuring out seating inventory and pricing, and once 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:50.480 it does, those who have paid deposits will be eligible 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:54.200 to select specific seats and ticket packages. They're also building 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:57.159 not one, but two stadiums before the team starts play 0:04:57.160 --> 0:04:59.280 next year, it's planning to build a temporary stadium in 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:01.880 Centennial that'll be in use for both the twenty twenty 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:05.040 six and twenty seven seasons, and the team's permanent stadium, 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:07.440 which will seat more than fourteen thousand fans, will be 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:10.600 located inside the Denver city limits in Santa Fe Yards 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:12.839 that's expected to be open in time for the twenty 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:16.680 twenty eight season. Some Michelle Kang money news in the 0:05:16.720 --> 0:05:19.880 soccer world. Last year, the Washington Spirit owner pledged thirty 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:23.360 million dollars over five years to US Soccer to professionalize 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:26.800 women and girls soccer. On Friday, she added to that total. 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:29.720 She announced at US Soccer's She Believes Summit that she'll 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:33.320 integrate the operations of her Kaniska innovation hub into US 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:37.839 Soccer's Soccer Forward Foundation. Now Kaniska, a science backed platform 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:41.240 dedicated to improving how female athletes train, will merge with 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:44.600 US Soccer to scale resources at a national level. The 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:48.760 move amounts to another twenty five million from Kang to 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:51.680 US Soccer, bringing her investment in the federation and its 0:05:51.680 --> 0:05:55.320 support of girls and women's soccer to fifty five million dollars. 0:05:55.880 --> 0:05:59.640 Hey Michelle, can we borrow a dollar? Some Olympic news. 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:02.520 The Inner National Olympic Committee on Wednesday confirmed the sport 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:05.440 program for the twenty twenty eight LA Olympics, and for 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:07.960 the first time ever, every team sport will have at 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:10.560 least the same number of women's teams as men's teams. 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:13.280 That includes water polo, where the women's tournament will grow 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:15.640 from ten teams to twelve in line with the men's, 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:18.520 as well as soccer, where the women will have sixteen 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:21.279 teams up from twelve and the men will now have 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:25.320 twelve teams, down from sixteen. This is pretty big news, 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:28.080 considering that just last year, the IOC said it had 0:06:28.120 --> 0:06:29.960 no plans to change the number of teams in the 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:32.839 soccer tournaments. We actually did a what the fact on 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:35.440 the topic back in August, after the IOC told Sky 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:38.600 Sports quote raising the number of women's teams would potentially 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:41.520 trigger requests from other team sports, which would then have 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:44.240 an even greater impact on the cost, complexity, size, and 0:06:44.279 --> 0:06:47.719 sustainability of the games end quote. At the time, we 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:50.080 thought it was a pretty dumb argument, and we still do, 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:53.400 and it seems at least some folks that the IOC 0:06:53.600 --> 0:06:56.599 did too good reminder that sometimes things suck for a 0:06:56.600 --> 0:06:59.120 really long time and that finally they changed for the better. 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:02.479 Wildco But here we are. As for the men's Journey, 0:07:02.480 --> 0:07:04.920 which you might remember, is a U twenty three competition, 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:08.520 dropping from sixteen teams to twelve. The IOC's quotes on 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:10.560 the matter focused more on the growth of the women's 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:13.160 game internationally and the fact that the women's tournament features 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:16.160 the world's top talent. Now. There have also been a 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:18.240 lot of questions in recent weeks about the United States 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:22.000 ability to even host these Olympics, given the current administration's 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:26.080 regulations on visas, especially for trans folks. So here's to 0:07:26.120 --> 0:07:30.760 hoping that complaining about that will lead to change as well. Finally, 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:33.720 we've got a star spotting to report, a Hollywood star, 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:36.360 that is, Billy Jean King received a star on the 0:07:36.400 --> 0:07:39.400 Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday. While king star is 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:42.880 number two, eight hundred and seven overall, she became the 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:46.440 first woman to receive one in the new Sports Entertainment category, 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:49.160 which was created in twenty twenty three. In a post 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:51.640 on Instagram, King wrote, quote, I may be the first 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:53.880 woman to be awarded a star in this category, but 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:56.320 I'm certainly not going to be the last end quote. 0:07:56.640 --> 0:08:00.120 Just add it to the list of bjk's many first 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:03.040 and by the way, shout out to the Queen for 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:06.480 delivering on our request from a recent show. You remember 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:08.560 we joked about wanting a photo of her holding up 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:11.760 her phone to show our podcast playing well. She did 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:15.360 it the same day that episode hit. We Love You BJK. 0:08:17.560 --> 0:08:19.520 We got to take a quick break. When we come back. 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:22.760 We're Serving Pancakes with Tiffany Oshinsky. We caught up with 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:25.520 her on Wednesday ahead of the Love Finals, the playoffs 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:35.480 which get underway today. Joining us now. She's the host 0:08:35.480 --> 0:08:38.560 of League one Volleyball Serving Pancakes podcast, part of the 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:42.240 Iheartwomen's Sports Network, a three time Emmy Award winning freelance 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:46.080 sports producer, award winning podcast host, and development associated NFL Film. 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:49.160 She's an NYU grad and a self professed book reader, 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:52.239 wine drinker, and kat obsessor. It's Tiffany Oshinski. 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:54.800 Hi, Tiffany, Hi Sarah, thanks for having me. 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:56.960 Thanks for joining us. I have to go with the 0:08:56.960 --> 0:09:00.320 most important things first. So what are you reading right now? 0:09:00.720 --> 0:09:02.160 I'm in between a few books. 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:06.480 Actually, I'm reading Nosferatu by Joe Hill, which has nothing 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:08.920 to do with the Vampire movie, but it's a crowd 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:12.240 of vampire Joe Hill, Stephen King's son, so it's kind 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:16.560 of like, oh wow that yeah, so it's long, it's interesting. 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:19.880 I'm also reading a non fiction book called Chaos, which 0:09:19.920 --> 0:09:25.640 is about allegedly Charles Manson was a CIA informant. 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:29.160 So I'm reading that and I'm reading. 0:09:29.600 --> 0:09:31.520 It's an earnest declaration of that. 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:34.240 Yeah, this guy went down a rabbit hole. I think 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:37.120 they actually made a Netflix documentary on that. So there's 0:09:37.120 --> 0:09:38.520 that too if you don't want to read the book. 0:09:39.120 --> 0:09:41.520 And then I'm also reading this book called Hidden Pictures, 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:45.160 which is just like a fiction thriller, fun book. 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:49.320 Okay, cool, So just depends on your mood, I guess yeah. Dark. 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:52.160 I was gonna say, like, your mood must always be 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:53.360 to dive right in. 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:58.680 I feel like my life is very like light and fun, 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:01.280 so sometimes it's just like I need to change of pace. 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:04.480 Okay, all right, what's your go to wine. 0:10:05.640 --> 0:10:09.600 There's a rose called Cotis de Rose. I believe it's 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:14.000 called It's amazing. It's dry, it's delicious, It's got a fancy. 0:10:13.640 --> 0:10:16.360 Bottle with the okay, cools, on the bottom, so I'll 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:18.600 look for that. And what are the names of your 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:19.720 cats or cat. 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:24.040 So I have two, although unfortunately Norbert is eighteen and 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:26.000 a half and might not be with us much longer. 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:29.040 But Bert Norbert is one. He's my oldest. And then 0:10:29.040 --> 0:10:30.760 my other one is Purdis Granderson. 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:36.760 Amazing, amazing, all right for those of you who don't 0:10:36.800 --> 0:10:40.240 know Curtis Granderson baseball players, so perdis Granderson. 0:10:40.320 --> 0:10:42.520 Yes, and my husband let me get him one. 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:44.640 I did the Kitten Bowl one year and I fell 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:46.200 in love and he was like, we can get him 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:48.000 if we name him after a New York met I'm 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:48.400 like done. 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:53.760 Amazing. I love that. Well, you're here to talk volleyball, 0:10:53.880 --> 0:10:56.640 mainly because the Love Finals kick off in Louisville on Thursday, 0:10:56.679 --> 0:10:59.400 the day you're all listening to this slices. We're just 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:01.480 chatting a day in advance, and you're here to catch 0:11:01.520 --> 0:11:04.000 us up on all the Love storylines from the inaugural 0:11:04.000 --> 0:11:06.400 regular season and get us ready for the postseason. There's 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:08.560 so much talent in this league, so much to get 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:12.600 excited about. Nineteen Olympians national team veterans from over twenty countries. 0:11:12.920 --> 0:11:15.360 These teams are stacked. But before we get to their 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:19.280 meetings in the postseason, want a little refresher on Love 0:11:19.280 --> 0:11:21.800 in its unique format from the youth to pro levels. 0:11:21.800 --> 0:11:23.440 We've talked about it here on the show, but for 0:11:23.480 --> 0:11:25.600 those who aren't super familiar, can you sort of talk 0:11:25.640 --> 0:11:27.800 about the youth volleyball system and how that set the 0:11:27.840 --> 0:11:30.920 foundation for this pro league that just kicked off this season. 0:11:31.240 --> 0:11:33.920 Sure. So, youth volleyball in the States is huge. 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:36.000 I don't know how many people know that, but it's 0:11:36.040 --> 0:11:38.880 the fastest growing sport. It's the most widely played sport 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:42.560 by youth players. There's a study in twenty twenty three 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:45.560 they say that over four hundred and seventy thousand girls 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:48.880 we're playing volleyball, which is more than basketball, more than softball. 0:11:48.920 --> 0:11:53.319 So it's a very very popular sport. And there wasn't 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:57.280 really a pipeline for these girls to play in the States, 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:01.040 unlike basketball, you know. So they decided Love was like, 0:12:01.360 --> 0:12:06.199 you know what, let's create a company, an organization from 0:12:06.280 --> 0:12:08.440 the ground up. So what they did in twenty twenty 0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:12.600 is they got fifty eight clubs across twenty seven states. 0:12:13.280 --> 0:12:16.080 It's about over nineteen thousand athletes that they have under 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:19.319 these love clubs and they sort of created the system 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:23.000 where they are part of the love ecosystem, right, So 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:25.200 they started with them and they are now showing that 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:27.120 there's a way that they can play pro in the 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:30.520 United States through these Love Pro teams. And then each 0:12:30.559 --> 0:12:32.600 of these clubs are kind of most of them are 0:12:32.600 --> 0:12:35.320 based around a lot of the hot spots in volleyball, 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:38.720 which is like Nebraska, Wisconsin, Salt Lake City like where 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:42.920 byu Is, Texas like Austin and Houston. So they kind 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:47.880 of found these areas that were hotbeds for youth volleyball, 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:51.000 put them together with the pros. The pros help the youth. 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:53.560 The youth get to see the pros, be part of 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.199 the pros, and it just creates this system. It's almost 0:12:56.240 --> 0:12:58.840 like a minor league system in a way that allows 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:02.160 these girls inspiration and motivation to be able to one 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:05.319 day play pro and be one of them, right, because 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:07.200 everyone wants to look up to something that they can 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:08.920 be part of. And if they're able to stay in 0:13:08.920 --> 0:13:11.120 the States, because most of these pro players had to 0:13:11.160 --> 0:13:15.400 go overseas for many years all over the world, from 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:19.079 Japan to Brazil to Puerto Rico to all over Europe. 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:20.800 So this is a way that they can stay in 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:21.360 the States. 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:24.800 Yeah, it's really smart. Fifty eight clubs across twenty seven states, 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:27.600 nineteen thousand athletes in these youth programs, and when we 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:29.720 had Folks from Love come on, they did sort of 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:33.400 describe this very cool scene of these younger players getting 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:36.320 to practice alongside, not with, but near or in the 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:40.120 same gyms or the same facilities, these athletes that they 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:42.280 could look up to and hope to one day become. 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:45.120 So they set the stage with that, and then after 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:47.840 several years, they decided to launch this inaugural pro season 0:13:47.840 --> 0:13:50.520 in January. What are some of your biggest takeaways from 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:54.000 this first season? Surprises, things that went great, maybe challenges. 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:57.280 I think one of the biggest things, which I don't 0:13:57.320 --> 0:14:00.720 know if you know the volleyball X counts or anything, 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:02.240 but there's an ex account cout well. 0:14:02.600 --> 0:14:04.960 Well, I'm working on it. I'm diving into volleyball with 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:07.400 all these new leagues that are like propping up everywhere. Yeah. 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:10.640 Right, So there's an account called avid Vali, which I 0:14:10.640 --> 0:14:12.560 don't know if this person did the research on this 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:15.520 or if they found it from somewhere else on the internet, 0:14:15.559 --> 0:14:18.680 but I found this fascinating and it's the parody in 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:22.160 the league, right. So Love wanted to create this even 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:25.480 measured league right where anyone could win at any time, 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:27.960 and they kind of got that. So some of the 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:30.120 stats that they pulled up that Avid Volley pulled up 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:32.640 with that thirty three percent of Love matches have been 0:14:32.720 --> 0:14:35.880 five sets and only twenty five percent have been sweeps. 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:38.680 So if you compare that to like Italy, they had 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:41.560 twenty percent of the regular season matches went five sets 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:44.640 and forty percent were sweeps. And in China, fifteen percent 0:14:44.680 --> 0:14:47.240 of the matches were five sets and fifty four percent 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:51.520 were sweeps. So we're seeing this nice even playing field 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:54.720 and it's really exciting because you never know who's gonna win. 0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:56.200 It's up up in the air. 0:14:56.520 --> 0:14:58.520 I mean, we've seen this with Madison this year because 0:14:58.560 --> 0:15:00.520 they started the season one and seven, and all of 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:02.200 a sudden, they went on a seven and one tear. 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:05.680 Omaha started off three and oh and now they've had 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:08.160 some tough battles the rest of the way. So it's 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:11.280 kind of really exciting to see who could win at 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:12.040 any given time. 0:15:13.360 --> 0:15:16.440 Yeah, and with every team getting a chance in the playoffs, 0:15:16.440 --> 0:15:19.600 you just never know. None of them have been elimited, 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:24.200 despite slow starts or hiccups during the season. Any challenges 0:15:24.200 --> 0:15:26.000 I know. Ann Marie Anderson came on the show and 0:15:26.040 --> 0:15:28.440 talked about some of the in season adjustments from Love, 0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:31.960 whether that's camera angles after the first broadcast, maybe how 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:34.520 the broadcasters talk about the games. There's a little bit 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:36.960 less of the interjecting and explaining in a little bit 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:39.160 more of the straight broadcast style. Did any of the 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:41.440 n season changes stand out to you as Love sort 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:43.480 of learned on the fly in this first season. 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:46.760 You know, the big one that I saw was the 0:15:46.760 --> 0:15:48.920 camera angles. I feel like that was such a big thing. 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:52.680 And it's a new league, right, There's gonna be challenges. 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:55.400 They're still learning. They wanted to try different things, which 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:57.200 I think is great. That's what you should be doing, right, 0:15:57.240 --> 0:15:58.840 it's a newly You want to see what people like, 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:01.080 what people don't like, and you adjust on the fly. 0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:03.840 So I remember that first week on X there were 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:06.400 so many people who were talking about the camera angles 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:08.400 and what is this and why can't they just stay 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:10.640 on the wide shot and all that, and then adjusted 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:12.080 to that, And the best part was that the Love 0:16:12.120 --> 0:16:15.680 account was replying to these people and interacting with them 0:16:15.720 --> 0:16:17.920 in real time, being like, look, we hear you, we understand, 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:19.520 we're going to work on this. This is a brand 0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:21.440 new thing, and we want to make it so it's 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:23.280 the perfect product for you. And so I think that 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:25.720 that was probably the biggest thing and the best thing 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:29.400 that showed a we're listening and that we care and 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:31.160 we want to make sure we're putting out the best product, 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:33.480 but also like, sure, there's going to be some hiccups 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:35.440 and that's just kind of the way it is. 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:37.600 I have an idea for you. I don't know what 0:16:37.640 --> 0:16:40.680 your plan is for the off season of Love and 0:16:40.760 --> 0:16:43.160 This podcast or what you're doing, but I know you 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:47.000 have done a lot of video episodes, especially the ones 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:49.480 with the Delicious pancakes that I watched that made me 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:51.920 very hungry. But I would love to see you and 0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:54.320 a player sit down and watch a game and talk 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:57.520 about it in depth. You know, a former game, so 0:16:57.640 --> 0:17:00.680 not a current game that people need the actual broadcast 0:17:00.760 --> 0:17:03.680 language around of this is what's happening now, but say 0:17:03.720 --> 0:17:05.560 this is a game we're watching from this date, this 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:07.680 team beat this team like this, and then during it, 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:11.000 talk about how you're watching as a professional and what 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:12.920 you're looking for, because I think one of the big 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:14.639 steps up in being a fan is when you can 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:18.240 go from like that was a hard ace or that 0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:21.159 was a good dig to really understanding whether someone was 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:23.480 in the right position or why a team is beating 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:27.520 another team, and so taking an old game that you 0:17:27.560 --> 0:17:29.600 could just sit down and we can see the game 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:31.639 while you're watching it and talking about it, like Mystery 0:17:31.640 --> 0:17:35.679 Science Theater three thousand or whatever it's called, with your 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:37.520 popcorn telling us how to watch. I think that would 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:39.159 be a really cool thing in the off season to 0:17:39.160 --> 0:17:41.840 get us ready for next year. So just a free 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:46.360 idea from a Nube who needs some more tips. Love 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:49.440 Houston claim the inaugural N season tournament, the Love Classic, 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:51.679 and they've been a top team all season long, so 0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:54.240 maybe not a big surprise that they took Classic honors. 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:56.919 But was there any surprise from you about how that 0:17:56.960 --> 0:18:00.480 first n season tournament went, whether it was just sticks 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:02.600 infrastructure or who came out on top. 0:18:03.400 --> 0:18:05.240 I mean, I actually think that a lot of people 0:18:05.520 --> 0:18:07.920 thought Atlanta was kind of going to be the one 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:10.720 who won that tournament, just because that they've been so 0:18:10.840 --> 0:18:13.840 dominant all season and at that point too, they were 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:17.520 first in the standings. But I think just the way 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:19.920 that it went down and the fact that it was 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:22.600 at the same time as the Triple Crown Tournament in 0:18:22.960 --> 0:18:26.840 Kentucky or sorry, in Kansas City. I feel like having 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:29.639 all of that and all these kids being able to 0:18:29.680 --> 0:18:32.640 watch them, right, and then they get to go out 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:34.399 and put on this show, right. 0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:37.760 So I feel like all of that was just a 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:41.360 great spectacle basically. 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:43.440 I mean, it was some of the top players who 0:18:43.600 --> 0:18:46.560 played and Houston who came out on top. They're the 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:50.919 only team to have beaten Atlanta like all season, and 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:53.640 they have a winning record over Atlanta. So it's one 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:56.359 of those things where it's kind of like we're starting 0:18:56.400 --> 0:18:58.959 to see even though it was week six of the season, 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:01.879 it's sort of like, all right, well, there's a little bit. 0:19:01.760 --> 0:19:03.520 Of interesting dynamics. To me. 0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:06.320 I say that Atlanta Houston is like the biggest rivalry, 0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:08.679 so being able to watch them perform at the highest 0:19:08.760 --> 0:19:09.320 levels great. 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:10.440 But also the fact that that. 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:13.520 Tournament they let the other teams who weren't in the 0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:16.919 finals still play on Sunday, so even if you missed, 0:19:17.480 --> 0:19:21.359 you know, a chance to watch Omaha play earlier. You 0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:23.680 could still watch them on Sunday because I actually played 0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:25.720 in that tournament when I was younger, and so like, 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:30.440 if you got eliminator, if your pool ended early on Sunday, 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:33.320 you could go to this tournament afterwards, which I wish 0:19:33.480 --> 0:19:35.840 was a thing when I was there. But you know, 0:19:36.000 --> 0:19:38.640 so it's just a it was really cool the way 0:19:38.640 --> 0:19:41.280 that they did it in allowing all these people to 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:45.360 view them. But yeah, yeah, I mean Houston is a 0:19:45.400 --> 0:19:46.320 fun team to watch. 0:19:47.240 --> 0:19:49.719