Court Captains: A Volleyball Podcast

Hello, Nikki and Ian coming to you live with the rest of free agency reactions! Breaking our silence on all the players going between US leagues and we guess the main thing we want to say is… everyone relax? Respectfully! Said with love! We don’t love talking about LOVB but it seemed like it was time. We think this is all normal and good! Even if it sucks for your home team to lose out on some players you love. Let them get paid and settle in for a long haul is our best advice :) Kelly will be back for our pre-season episode. See yall then! Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Hi we’re back for free agencyyyyyy! First, we recap how many teams we’re working with here in the American volleyball landscape for 2027. Then, Nikki responds to the online discourse. You can’t expect her to be online and not respond to the discourse, right???? Right. Please skip to like 30 minutes in if that’s not what you’re here for 🙂 Free agency breakdown includes new coach updates, the latest roster rules, and major headlines from the first week of free agency: Omaha and Indy got busy, Minnesota has a solid start, and Atlanta and Grand Rapids return some key pieces. We’ll give you some gossip on where some players are rumored to be coming and going, but only time will tell! Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Congratulations to the Dallas Pulse, MLV’s first ever first-year franchise to win a championship! Nikki and Kelly tell us about their time visiting Frisco for the semifinals and finals - everyone gives their rose and thorn from their respective viewing experiences (even Ian, who watched every minute on ION). We talk through each match and our reactions, as well as gossip heard throughout the venue over the weekend - we gotchu. Nikki also tells the crew what she’s hearing about free agency per her social media lurking (because they’re just not on it enough), and offers an Extremely Good proposal on what next year’s schedule should look like. Thank you for your consideration, MLV! Thanks for a great season, Captains! Thank you for your support! We’ll jump back in this summer when free agency announcements start up. Till then, don’t forget that thing we always say! Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Regular season is officially over, it’s time for the championships! We start the episode off with the terrible news that San Diego Mojo won’t be returning next year. We are a bit glib about this in the episode, and are mostly a bit confused about the league’s decision to announce a “12” team league that followed two days later - but Mojo fans, we love you and we’re sorry :( We talk about a few of the final matches of the season, and then we give our estimates for MVP, Coach of the Year, etc. THEN we do our Court Captains Superlatives, including Best Rental Car Driver and Most Likely to Lose their Kneepads. If you see Nikki and Kelly in Dallas, come say hi! LET’S DO THIS. Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

In true us fashion, some pretty big MLV news hit the airwaves about 14 hours after we finished recording… so no responses to the Mojo news in this ep, but we’ll get into that next week. Today we talk about the free agency period (spoiler we are in it right now) and what we know officially and unofficially about the rules for who can sign and when. Then, we go over this past week’s performances (Omaha and San Diego are in!) and talk through how we will get to the official 3rd and 4th seeds (it’s anyone’s game!) Nikki and Kelly say a lot of things at the same time, drink every time you hear one! Thanks for sticking with us this season and tune in next week for a season 3 recap! Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Sorry for the late post this week - play has already started so some of these playoff implications may be a bit out of date, but we hope you listen anyways :) We talk about last week’s VERY stimulating VERY exciting matches - we are getting closer to knowing the playoff picture. Omaha and San Diego do some SWEEPS against Orlando and Atlanta. For Omaha: their blocking game is super strong, Merritt Beason is producing, and Brooke Mosher is getting the start. San Diego is improving all parts of their game - middles are playing great, outsides are consistent, and Alisha Childress sprinkled her magic dust? Get ready to know the absolute final playoff picture this weekend! Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

It’s getting so exciting up in here, is it not?!?!?! We think 4 teams have the most potential for the last two spots in the playoffs: San Diego, Omaha, Orlando, and Atlanta. We have THOUGHTS - and this is gonna be a huge week. But before that? We talk free agency gossip. John Cook, GM of the Supernovas, has been on the mic proclaiming 9 signed players for next year. Our Grand Rapids friends say THEY have signed a ton of players for next year, per season ticket holder event tea! We speculate on the new rules for free agency and talk pros and cons. Who do you think is making the playoffs? Let us know! Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Hey, Captains! Nikki’s feelings have changed regarding Omaha, we talk about that and her fun visit last week to watch the Supernovas take on Indy. We listen in on some press conference excitement (some of the last we’ll hear from Luka!). As we near the end of the season, who could secure those last two spots for playoffs? We speculate and more! Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Hey, Captains! On this week’s episode, we give our reactions to the All-Star game and their weirdo 3-set match / ghost bonus point format, Nikki reviews MORE injury updates and late season signings, we give some updates to team ownership - including Ian reading through some online paperwork and Discord gossip about a guy who may or may not want to buy the Vegas Thrill. Disclaimer: we do not know for sure if this is the same guy, or if this is a legitimate ownership inquiry. We’re entertainers, not journalists!! Then, we review the matches from this week. Indy takes an L, Columbus gets their first Dub at home, and Orlando leaves us a bit confused. So many teams in the running for the playoffs?!?!?!? Who’s excited for some big April volleyball?! Don’t forget to say hi to Nikki in Omaha on Saturday! Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Great news! We clicked record this week! We’re quite chatty this episode - Nikki reviews injury updates, Kelly runs down the all-star rosters and our predictions, and Ian asks us if we’ve ever been on a team like the Columbus Fury. It turns out our feelings about Columbus and Orlando on Monday may have changed after Tuesday’s match..! Ian also tells a tale of a voicemail from the San Diego Mojo. We almost weren’t going to keep that story in the final edit because it was just us gabbing and Nikki almost suffocated from laughing so hard but… we are entertainers. Let us know what you think about All-Star rosters and the match! We’ll catch ya next week, we’re on a roll with this whole recording thing! Check out the Daily Grid on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Our Score Corner aka Scorner is Ian's weekly staple on the podcast, and the reason this is our only post this week is because: it finally happened. We got on zoom and talked about volleyball for almost two hours and... no one clicked record.We are hearing this is a rite of passage, and we're grateful to have made 55 episodes without committing this faux pas. Anyways, that lost episode is gone into the ether. Enjoy the MLV week 10 scorner, and wish us luck for next week!

This week on Court Captains, we get to talking about good ol’ LOVBuh, breaking down the possible mascots for their Nebraska team. We’re back to our regular scheduled programming of breaking down this weeks’ matches, including our exciting trip to Indianapolis. Indy is still on top and it seems like they might be unstoppable! Listen in and you might finally get the answer to the question “Is Omaha ok?”. Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Kelly is BACK and we’re back on video! Halfway through season 3, how ya feelin? This week we learned about a brand new, first-ever, MLV Commish. We talk through our reactions and pick apart the PR quote, and then we talk injury updates, latest transactions, and give Kelly the headlines from the last week. We discuss Omaha’s illness implications and what we think could get them back into the win column, as well as Indy’s feel-good vibes taking over the league. We’re hoping Dallas can keep it together but acknowledge the OH-heavy offense could be at longevity risk, and imagine Orlando’s up-and-down performances might be giving you fans some heart attacks. Let’s see what happens in the second half of season! See you in Indy this Sunday?!?!?! Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Audio episode for yall this week - Kelly is out of town, so you’ve got Nikki and Ian’s reactions to recent transactions, news from the league (who’s heading to Dallas for playoffs?!), and match analysis. We get into Orlando’s shaky fundamentals, Omaha’s streak season, and answer a listener question about Grand Rapids and what’s going on over there. Ian wonders how players can improve at this level of their career, and then we collectively wonder who has Samsung televisions. Back to video next week (probably) as well as back to Kelly (definitely)! Check out the Content, including video replays and highlights, on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Okay, time to talk about the fun little trade. We talk about why we actually think it was pretty good for all parties involved (much to the disagreement of other online entities), and why it's not surprising for Cathy George to be down to give away a first round pick. And, for the first time ever - VIDEO REVIEW! Nikki goes in-depth with stats and scenarios to figure out why Morgan Hentz may have not been having a great experience over at the Omaha Supernovas. Then, overall league updates, more injury speculation, and match review. A lot of sweeps this week, Omaha goes down two more matches, Dallas does some impressive stuff, and Atlanta gets swept by Hentz’s new Rise team. Let us know what you think of the video segment and if you want more or less of that in the future! We love feedback and questions! You can make an MLV fantasy team any time over on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Sorry for the delay on this one! A lot of chatter about non-match activity this week, so strap in for some takes. First off, have you guys heard of the New York Times? Their Business department wrote a hacky article about pro volleyball and we talk about it for 20 minutes! We discuss a few match reactions from Week 5, and then go into our overachievers and underachievers from the league so far. We also speculate on some trades, but mostly ask really politely for someone to leak us the salary numbers because we simply cannot speculate without mathematical backing. Sorry! Speaking of trades, we recorded this before the Fun Little Trade that occurred on Friday. Tune in next week for our thoughts there! You can still make your MLV fantasy team over on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Lot of volleyball to talk about this week - Indy keeps picking up wins, Dallas has an unexpectedly long road trip, and Omaha is back in their groove. You get Ian+Nikki only for 20ish minutes of this, sorry for the technical difficulties from Kelly’s end! We talk transactions news (mostly setter dramaaaa), speculate on passing stats contributing to winning, and once again call for a sneaky (player consented) trade a la Giannis (RIP Kelly’s knowledge of all sports but volleyball). Hope you’re ready to lock in for week 5! We are already losing track! You can still make your MLV fantasy team over on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

We have returned from sunny San Diego and are freezing again, but that’s show biz. First we talk about a couple of notable transactions from the last week - yes, we heard Maddie Waak went to LOVB, no we did not record this after that news. Most of our commentary still stands! Then, we talk week 3 matches - one we caught live, some YouTube reviews, some stats reviews. Orlando with two losses, Omaha and Grand Rapids with big away wins, and no one is undefeated anymore. And Dallas in the top spot????? We love to see it. Nikki and Ian also have a conversation about The Attendance Situation and why we think people should maybe stop talking about it :) Respectfully!!!!! We had so much fun at the Mojo game; thanks so much to everyone who came up and said hi!! We love your zoo and your seals. You can still make your MLV fantasy team over on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

Week two review for youuuuuu! But first, we talk through general MLV updates, including reviewing the big media advisory announcement from the drama queen Omaha Supernovas (said with love!) and our musings about why no one’s referencing Bolt6 anymore. Additionally, we had no choice, but simply had to, finally, give our thoughts on the “LOVB and MLV should merge” discourse. You are free to offer your commentary on the topic, but our opinion is correct (lol jk it’s an open convo!) Then: MLV week two. Omaha takes two 5-set losses, San Diego finally beats Atlanta, and Nikki’s high on Indy. Kelly also explains why tandem attacks probably don’t make sense for this level per Nikki’s curiosity. Don’t forget to hit us up if you’re at this Friday’s Mojo game! You can still make your MLV fantasy team over on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com

How’d yall like week 1? We thought it was fun. Our reactions to John Cook’s little salary cap mishap, San Diego’s 11th hour transactions, and rule changes you should know about for this upcoming season. Then, Ian’s scorner has returned! Week 1 results in a couple of minutes, and our reactions to the first showings from these teams. We are most impressed by Columbus, hoping San Diego can pull off a main character energy for this season, and super excited about the competition overall - the parity, the parity!!!!! You can still make your MLV fantasy team over on the Voli app! Download at playvoli.com/courtcaptains Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com