Court Captains: A Volleyball Podcast

SEASON TWO IS UPON US, CAPTAINS. With the draft coming up on Monday 11/25, we’re coming to you with everything we know about the draft rules and what to expect. NCAA athletes do NOT declare for this draft - so anything can happen! We chat through quick reminders on what each team is working with given the summer signing period: total roster numbers, number of returners, PVF transfers, and new faces. Which rosters are we excited about? Concerned about? Intrigued by? Confused by? Then, friend of the pod Jay Markle joins us to talk about college athletes he’s been keeping an eye on for this draft! We need him, because fall is our off-season, and we do not watch much college volleyball anymore (Kelly and Nikki are LONG retired, can you blame us?) Thanks so much to Jay for educating us and speculating with us! You can find his substack with draft prospects and player interviews at https://pvfdrafthub.substack.com [https://pvfdrafthub.substack.com/] Get your refresh on current signings via our Watch List: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YA5wXBUKuG0nPnBxEJVCX4Y12FXHwIUCOmIhqr49JDs/edit?usp=share_link Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or comment? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com [courtcaptainspod@gmail.com]

Our fourth and final guest of the 2024 off-season is Morgan Lewis! A southern California native, Morgan started playing volleyball at 9 and dreamed of playing professionally. She played college volleyball as an Oregon Duck, and was happy to be drafted her rookie year by Coach Haneef-Park - to play in her hometown for the San Diego Mojo in the inaugural PVF season. Morgan talks with us about her excitement to play for the Columbus Fury in 2025, what went into her decision to transfer, and tells us about her current hyper fixation meal that proves to us she’s ready to feel at home in Ohio. We also chatted with Morgan about her pre-game routines (someone get this girl an Alani deal), her on-court jewelry preferences, and her earliest volleyball memory (it’s the cutest story ever). Hope you enjoyed our interview series! Now let’s get ready for season two 🙂 Keep track of PVF 2025 signings with us on our Google Sheet: PVF '25 Commitments Watch List - by Court Captains [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YA5wXBUKuG0nPnBxEJVCX4Y12FXHwIUCOmIhqr49JDs/edit?usp=sharing] Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or a reaction to the signing period? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com [courtcaptainspod@gmail.com] Looking to support making volleyball more equitable? Consider donating to Lights Out Volleyball https://www.lightsoutvolleyball.org/ [https://www.lightsoutvolleyball.org/]

Our third guest is M’Kaela White of the Orlando Valkyries! Born just outside of Washington DC, M’Kaela started her volleyball journey at the age of 16. Since then, she’s filled that journey with both natural talent and plenty of extra hours of hard work - after playing her college career at JMU, she went on to play pro overseas in Finland, Italy, and Romania. We talk about the cultures of those places and what it was like to navigate agents and the pro world. M’Kaela tells us about her first year with the Valkyries, how she got connected to Amy Pauly, and confirmed for us that the vibes of ORL were immaculate - both in team chemistry and in accessibility of quality Puerto Rican food. We loved hearing MK talk about her love of music and clarinet, her family dynamics, and their natural triple threat status! Hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did 🙂 Keep track of PVF 2025 signings with us on our Google Sheet:PVF '25 Commitments Watch List - by Court Captains [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YA5wXBUKuG0nPnBxEJVCX4Y12FXHwIUCOmIhqr49JDs/edit?usp=sharing] Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or a reaction to the signing period? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com [courtcaptainspod@gmail.com] Looking to support making volleyball more equitable? Consider donating to Lights Out Volleyball https://www.lightsoutvolleyball.org/ [https://www.lightsoutvolleyball.org/]

And for our second guest: Hannah Maddux of the Vegas Thrill! Hannah hails from San Antonio, Texas, and yes, she has seen Wemby in the flesh. A University of South Alabama Jaguar, we talk with Hannah about her experience getting that “you’ve been drafted” call upon graduating from a mid-major league school and her rookie season that followed. From playing with Mother to remembering her first ever match in Omaha’s crowded-but-not-heckler-filled arena, her experience with the Thrill left her excited to head back to Vegas for the PVF’s second season. We loved hearing about her big break into the volleyball announcing world, and of course, her favorite musicals. Keep track of PVF 2025 signings with us on our Google Sheet: PVF '25 Commitments Watch List - by Court Captains [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YA5wXBUKuG0nPnBxEJVCX4Y12FXHwIUCOmIhqr49JDs/edit?usp=sharing] Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or a reaction to the signing period? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com [courtcaptainspod@gmail.com] Looking to support making volleyball more equitable? Consider donating to Lights Out Volleyball https://www.lightsoutvolleyball.org/ [https://www.lightsoutvolleyball.org/]

Captains… we’re in our interview era. We’re so excited to have August Raskie as our first guest! Raskie, a Colorado native, is an Oregon grad and five-year pro who began her PVF career with the San Diego Mojo. We talk about her pro experience so far, her reactions to the inaugural PVF season, and her excitement to join the Grand Rapids Rise next year. August also chatted with us about her life as a lefty and her thoughts on service routines, as well as her life off-court pursuing art, painting, drawing comics, and writing (we love her as the resident PVF Bob Ross). Finally, we ask August about her mantra “Oh to be human” and what being human means to her <3 Keep track of PVF 2025 signings with us on our Google Sheet:PVF '25 Commitments Watch List - by Court Captains [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YA5wXBUKuG0nPnBxEJVCX4Y12FXHwIUCOmIhqr49JDs/edit?usp=sharing] Follow us on Instagram for our commentary and updates: @courtcaptainspod Got a question or a reaction to the signing period? Email us at: courtcaptainspod@gmail.com [courtcaptainspod@gmail.com] Looking to support making volleyball more equitable? Consider donating to Lights Out Volleyball https://www.lightsoutvolleyball.org/ [https://www.lightsoutvolleyball.org/]