Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan

In this episode of Volley Talk, we are playing catch up on both the men's and women's VNL Final 8 tournaments. Turkiye took home the gold on the women's side, defeating Brazil in 4 sets in the final. On the men's side, Poland and USA went the distance with Poland ultimately pulling out the win in 5 sets.

The American women, 1-seed going into playoffs, made an early exit with a quarterfinal loss to China, while the men's 1-seed, Japan, ended up in 4th place.

If you have questions for us or topics you...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss Week 3 of the Men's VNL. Japan finished the preliminary round 12-0, and both Turkiye & Ukraine made the Final 8 for the first time!

We try to create a men's VNL Dream Team and spend a lot of time dissecting Canada's path to relegation. Will they recover from this in time for the Olympics??

If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to explore, drop us a line on Instagram or email us at info@sarahpavan.com!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss Week 3 of the Women's VNL. The Final 8 is set, and while we were close in predicting which teams would make it, our ranking predictions were nowhere close!

Canada qualifies for their first ever VNL Final 8, Poland is out, and Bulgaria is relegated. Lots of interesting happenings in the volleyball world this week too... Russia is back!

If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to explore, drop us a line on Instagram or email us at info@sarahpavan.com!<...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss Week 2 of the Men's VNL. A couple of teams are looking better and better as the tournament goes on and a couple are on a serious decline. The men's competition is always so tight and several matches this week were incredibly exciting.

Heading into Week 3, we try to predict who will make the cut for the Final 8, and what the semifinals may look like.

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss Week 2 of the Women's VNL. Things were all over the place with teams losing and winning unexpected matches. There was a lot of movement, but USA has taken over the number one ranking heading into Week 3! Dominican Republic and France will have to make a push to avoid relegation.

If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to explore, drop us a line on Instagram or email us at info@sarahpavan.com!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at what happened during Week 1 of the 2026 Men's VNL competition. As we saw with the women's side, both Brazil and Japan are undefeated and are at the top of the ranks. Cuba and Argentina are still looking for their first win, and France had a rough week in Ottawa, going 1-3.

If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to explore, drop us a line on Instagram or email us at info@sarahpavan.com!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at what happened during Week 1 of the 2026 Women's VNL competition. There are only 2 undefeated teams, and Italy's 39-match win streak has come to an end.

With 4 new teams in both MLV and LOVB for the 2027 season, there has been an influx of new talent signing contracts to play in the US. Men's VNL Week 1 is coming this week!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at the USA women's wide roster for the 2026 VNL. Which players have us scratching our heads and who do we think was missed? Will this roster have what it takes to win a medal this season?

Men's Champions League wraps up with Perugia dominating the Final Four in Torino, and we address one of the most highly requested topics of the week: Pitt's Europe Trip!

We are taking some time off before VNL starts up, so we will see you back...

It was a big weekend for volleyball! MLV finished up their third season, and Dallas Pulse took the title in a win over the Omaha Supernovas. On the NCAA men's side, it was an all-Big West final with Hawai'i taking down UC Irvine in 4.

It might not have been the most exciting volleyball we have seen recently, but we love a final, and there is only one more league left to finish up before international season starts!

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There is a lot to cover in the volleyball world this week! The NCAA Men's Regionals happened this past weekend with one particularly surprising result that not many people saw coming...

Women's Champions League Final Four went down in Istanbul with a new champion emerging victorious, and the MLV Championship is upon us! Get ready for a lot of analysis, predictions, and heartache (from Sarah).

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we break down the upcoming NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship. With 12 teams participating for the first time and 4 locations for the Regional matchups, this is going to be a really exciting tournament!

UCLA, Hawaii, Long Beach State, and Ball State earned the 1-seeds so they get a first round bye and the luxury of hosting the Regionals matches. Will there be any upsets or will the 1-seeds all make it to the Final Four in LA?

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we dive into the LOVB Championship that happened this past weekend in LA. Austin and Salt Lake went the distance, with Austin ultimately winning their second straight LOVB title in the Golden Set.

We also expand our Fraudulent or For Real game to some recently successful NCAA women's teams. Who is on the right track for the long term and who is going to fade out?

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the LOVB Playoffs that happened in Louisville this past weekend. For the second year, neither top seed made it to the final. We will be seeing Austin vs Salt Lake in Long Beach this weekend!

MIVA upsets have become the norm, Indy and Dallas are the only teams guaranteed an MLV playoff spot, and we do a men's version of our domestic and international dream teams.

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk a lot about what has been going on with LOVB this week. The end of an era amid playoff controversy, player suspensions, and more.

UCLA men are no longer undefeated, MLV playoff spots are up for grabs, and men's Champions League Final Four is set!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we break down the Champions League quarterfinal series between Scandicci and Fenerbahce. This was the only women's quarterfinal to go to a Golden Set, and the level of play was so entertaining to watch!

We also make women's Dream Team selections for international volleyball, Team USA, and NCAA. We know there will be some varied opinions here, so let's hear your picks!

Join our MLV fantasy league for the 2026 season!! Go to playvoli.com/volleytalk to participate. Download the app on iOS or Android to...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at the fan-voted (?), league-determined (?) player-inputted (?) MLV All-Star teams. Basically, we have no idea how exactly these teams were chosen, but we have some thoughts.

We also break down some of the longer winning and losing streaks in various leagues. Are they indicative of how the team actually plays or is something weird going on?

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we look back at the NCAA Women's National Freshmen of the Year from 2010-present. This exercise is a bit tougher than the POY segment we did last week, but we try to rank their collegiate and pro careers.

UCLA remains unbeaten after taking down Hawai'i 3-0, Indy and Dallas have clearly separated themselves on the MLV front, and what would happen if there was a "transfer portal" internationally?

Join our MLV fantasy league for the 2026 season!! Go to playvoli.com/volleytalk to participate. Download the...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we look back at the NCAA Women's Players of the Year from 2010-present. We have some fun and try to rank their collegiate careers and see how their pro careers stacked up to expectation.

Confirm or Deny makes a comeback, and the Hawai'i vs Pepperdine series was a lot of fun- honestly, much more competitive than we were expecting! Will Hawai'i hand UCLA their first loss of the season this week?

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at the playoff matchups happening in the Italian leagues and Champions League. We get out our crystal balls to predict how various leagues will finish their regular seasons and playoffs. Will we be correct?

The FIVB officially released the rule changes they will be testing in the 2026 VNL (no libero changes, thankfully!), and we dive into the LOVB double sub situation and wonder... which national team has the strongest double sub (other than Italy, of course).

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at the invitees to the USA Volleyball Collegiate Training Camp. Who would make our starting 7? Any surprise selections or snubs?

Our listeners have been on the same page lately, and many people have been submitting the same questions, which is awesome. We dive into some of the most popular questions, including why we don't talk more about Kendall Kipp, and we make our own MLV All-Star picks.

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we go over some of the rule changes we will see implemented in VNL 2026. Some are ok, and some are... not our cup of tea.

Grand Rapids and Omaha made a very interesting trade in MLV that has us shaking our heads, and we dive into the pros and cons of some different blocking tactics.

Join our MLV fantasy league for the 2026 season!! Go to playvoli.com/volleytalk to participate. Download the app on iOS or Android to get in on the action!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we go over some of the most exciting matches we watched this week, including UCLA vs Long Beach State on the NCAA men's side, Vakifbank vs Scandicci for women's Champions League, and some men's Coppa Italia! There was so much great volleyball to watch and we hope you were able to catch a couple matches!

We bring back a Volleyball 101 segment with serving zones and strategy, and we have a little fun with some USA women's roster predictions. Who would be selected if the Olympics were this year, and...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we are all over the map because there was a lot to talk about. LOVB picking up waived MLV players has got a lot of people talking. The Coppa Italia final between Conegliano and Scandicci was absolutely incredible. The US Department of Education found that San Jose State violated Title IX. It was a big week.

Our listeners have come up with some great segment ideas, so we dive into one of them asking where certain upcoming NCAA seniors will end up playing pro. Adam also created an outstanding...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about our favorite and least favorite matches of the week. We also discuss the Omaha Supernovas and their uncharacteristic 3-3 start to the season. Will they bounce back and make a push for the top as expected, or does this team just not have it?

Pavan's Percentages makes a comeback, and we talk about teams that have gotten off to a good start in 2026 and others that have us scratching our heads, wondering what is going on.

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss two of the best matches we watched this week- UC Irvine vs Pepperdine on the NCAA men's side, and Scandicci vs Novara in the women's A1 Italian league. These matches were outstanding and we highly recommend going back to watch them, especially the Italian match.

We also reintroduce a game segment with an MLV Coaches' Mood Meter!

Join our MLV fantasy league for the 2026 season!! Go to playvoli.com/volleytalk to participate. Download the app on iOS or Android to get in on...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the Kelly Sheffield podcast interview that has gone viral. We had dozens of people reach out to us to talk about it, so of course we had to dive in!

Watch the interview on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DxQMCf6b_k

Listen to the interview here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joncast-podcast-a-wisconsin-sports-podcast/id1588964558?i=1000744025851

We also go over some of the matches we watched this week and do a LOVB season 2 preview!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we go over the absolute mess that is the NCAA women's transfer portal. There were some big surprises again, and we see some programs losing big while others are making huge pickups.

Winter time also means pro coverage!! We talk a bit about what is going on in a couple overseas leagues and do a 2026 MLV preview for the domestic side of things.

Join our MLV fantasy league for the 2026 season!! Go to playvoli.com/volleytalk to participate. Download the app on iOS or Android...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the NCAA Final Four. Texas A&M took down Pitt and Kentucky 3-0 to claim their first National Championship!

All-American and Player of the Year awards were announced last week as well, so we have a lot to cover to close the book on the 2025 NCAA women's volleyball season!

If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to explore, drop us a line on Instagram or email us at info@sarahpavan.com!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the NCAA Regional Semifinal and Final matches. It was a wild week of volleyball with a few very surprising results, including Texas A&M's victory over Nebraska.

The Four 4 is set, with Wisconsin taking on Kentucky and Texas A&M facing off against Pitt. Matches start Thursday!

If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to explore, drop us a line on Instagram or email us at info@sarahpavan.com!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about some of the highlights (and low points) from rounds 1 and 2 of the 2025 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. The fact that there are zero perfect brackets anywhere goes to show just how unpredictable some of the results were.

We also discuss the conference awards given out by the Power 4 conferences. While we agreed with most of them, there were a couple that definitely had us scratching our heads.

If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to explore, drop us...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the NCAA Tournament bracket and share our initial impressions of interesting matchups and who we think will make it to the Final Four in Kansas City!

We also go over some of the top NCAA matches from last week, and talk about what went down in the MLV Draft!

If you want to participate in the Volley Talk Bracket Challenge, created by Adam, please sign up at the link below starting on Tuesday, December 2. Entries will remain open until Thursday, December 4 at...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we go over the stats that are posted during broadcasts and the numbers teams looks at when they are preparing for games. With the NCAA tournament selection upon us, we also throw out our predictions for First-Team All-Americans and major AVCA award winners.

There were a lot of happenings to discuss this week as well, including the MLV Draft and Izzy Starck's transfer portal announcement.

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about a couple noteworthy matches from last week, namely UCLA vs Nebraska and Pitt vs Stanford. Pitt was up 14-11 in the 5th and managed to lose 14-16! There is now a 3-way tie for first in the ACC with some huge matches happening in the next couple of weeks.

UCLA took a set off of Nebraska to snap the Huskers' 48-set winning streak, and we talk about what it takes to go pro and what we look for.

If you have questions...

In this episode of Volley Talk, we go through a whole bunch of listener questions. You know we have a massive backlog to get through, so since it was a bit of a slower week on the NCAA side, we decided to dive in and tackle a whole bunch of them. Enjoy!

If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to explore, drop us a line on Instagram or email us at info@sarahpavan.com!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the two teams who were unbeaten going into this past week of play- Nebraska and Texas. Texas took a tumble this week, losing to both Texas A&M and Kentucky, though, leaving Nebraska alone at the top. What is going well for these teams, and what are their weaknesses?

Following up from last week's offense discussion, we go over defensive systems and discuss responsibilities for blockers and defenders. How do these positions work together to cover the court?

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the Big XII, in particular the handful of teams that are making a push for the conference title. Who do we think really has a chance to win it all? What are the strengths and shortcomings of those teams?

By popular demand, we also break down offensive strategy. What makes a good set, what are the goals when running an offense, and how do teams accomplish those things?

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about Louisville- the good, the bad, and the ugly. The No. 4 team in the country dropped 2 conference matches last week to SMU and ACC rivals Pitt. Are they as good as they're cracked up to be, and what do they need to do to make a push for the Final Four?

We also had the opportunity to sit down with AVCA legend and current chairperson of the LOVB Foundation, Kathy DeBoer. Stay tuned until the end of the episode to listen to our conversation with her.

In this episode of Volley Talk, we break down the biggest NCAA upsets of the week. A struggling Penn State dominated Wisconsin 3-0, and Flormarie Heredia Colon put Miami on her back and recorded 38 kills on the way to getting the reverse sweep on Pitt. It was a surprising week for sure!

NCAA rankings are staying relatively steady, with a few jumps here and there every week, but it seems like the story of the season so far has been injuries, particularly for Minnesota.

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we go through the Power 4 conferences and talk about our contenders for conference championships based on what we saw during the preseason and early conference play.

Listener questions were really good this week, and there were several interesting matches that were worth a closer examination.

If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to explore, drop us a line on Instagram or email us at info@sarahpavan.com!

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In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the men's world championship playoffs, in particular the semifinals and medal matches. Italy put on a serving clinic against Poland and Bulgaria on their way to repeating as world champions in dominant fashion.

Poland defeated Czechia for bronze with a very strong performance by Wilfredo Leon, although the result definitely falls short of their expectations.

If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to explore, drop us a line on Instagram or email us at info@sarahpavan.com!<...