⚔️Warrior Ethos

Everything you need to know about the AU Pro Volleyball Championship ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Special Edition

Edition #1326 Oct 02, 2025

From The GIST Team

Ready for a bump, set, spike in your heart rate?

Women's volleyball is having a moment at the youth, collegiate, and pro levels. Perfectly poised to harness that momentum? The Athletes Unlimited (AU) Pro Volleyball Championship, which begins its fifth season tomorrow. The milestone year is set to be the most exciting and star-studded one yet, so today we're breaking down everything you need to know before AU takes the court for four weeks of exhilarating play. Let's do that volley. Sign Up

Quote of The Day

	This is a league where you fall in love with the sport again.
	— Veteran libero and Week 1 captain Morgan Hentz on what makes the innovative, player-forward AU model so special. So special.

The Breakdown

⚙️ How it works Source: AUProSports/X The AU Volleyball Championship is part of the broader AU network, which also includes softball and basketball. Now in its fifth year, it's the longest-running pro indoor volleyball league in the U.S. and gives athletes domestic pro opportunities that were previously unavailable. Quite literally game-changing. AU Volleyball's four-week, 44-player party boasts a unique player-centric format: While each match is team vs. team, players are competing for individual glory with the ultimate goal of racking up as many points as possible. How are those points accumulated? Players earn points if their team wins sets or matches, through individual stats like aces, kills, and digs, or by being voted a Top 3 game MVP by fellow players and fans. It's a fast and furious season save a one-week break midway through (more on that later). At season's end on November 2nd, the top overall point-earner will win the title, while the three next-best will claim medal winner status. Every moment counts. After Week 1 (which begins tomorrow and ends this Monday), every Thursday will mark the start of a new series of games, where the league's top four point-getters from the week prior are crowned captains, earning the opportunity to handpick new squads for the week ahead. Expect to see recently graduated college standouts mixing it up with veterans and Olympic stars as AU features its most competitive roster to date. Can hardly wait.

🆕 Major updates Source: AU Pro Sports As the sport's popularity skyrockets, the women's indoor pro volleyball landscape is changing rapidly — and AU's making some big changes to meet the moment. ▶️ Midseason location shift: For the first time, the volleyball championship will be split across two new host cities — arguably the volleyball capitals of the U.S. The first two weeks (October 3rd to 13th) will go down in Omaha, Nebraska, then players take a week-long break to move to Madison, Wisconsin for the last two weeks (October 23rd to November 2nd). Thanks to wildly successful college programs fueling local fandom, women's volleyball thrives in Omaha and Madison. SET the Bar, Omaha's women's sports bar, is even named for the sport. ⭐ Big names join the roster: AU landed huge stars in the offseason, signing some of volleyball's most successful and recognizable players, including two-time Olympic medalists Jordan Thompson, Justine Wong-Orantes, Micha Hancock, and Natália Zilio Pereira. When asked why she was joining AU, Thompson said, "It's something I've been wanting to do for the past few years, and so to finally have everything fall into place, it was just a no-brainer for me." Aces.

⭐ The captains Source: AU Pro Sports As mentioned above, the top four players on the leaderboard at the end of each week are named captains for the following week, and the 2025 season kicks off with 2024's top performers. Here's who's leading the charge in Week 1. 💛 Brittany Abercrombie, opposite: Abercrombie took the league by storm in her rookie year, winning the title with one of the most dominant seasons ever. She opened her AU career with seven straight Match MVP awards and never fell below second on the leaderboard. The reigning Opposite of the Year in MLV (formerly the PVF), she shows no signs of slowing down. 🧡 Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía, outside hitter: A mainstay atop the AU leaderboard, the 2022 champ owns an unreal number of league records. No athlete in any AU sport has captained more weeks — and that experience gives her a significant advantage as she crafts rosters to maximize her points week after week. 💙 Madi Kingdon Rishel, outside hitter: Kingdon Rishel also crushed her AU debut last season, steadily climbing the leaderboard to reach medal position in the final week. She's a stone-cold, league-leading killer, recording 20+ kills not once, not twice, but three times. 💜 Morgan Hentz, libero: The Stanford alum is so good at digging, she should have been cast in Holes. In her three AU seasons, Hentz has racked up three Defensive Player of the Year awards, the league record for digs in a single match (25), and the record for digs in a single season (242). Rumor has it, she's never lost a game of The Floor is Lava.

📣 An interview with Morgan Hentz Source: AU Pro Sports This league isn't just revolutionary for fans — it's also changed the game for the country's best players. Ahead of last season, we chatted with the aforementioned Hentz to learn more about what it's like to play for AU, and her answers hit even harder as volleyball gains momentum (her responses have been lightly edited for space and clarity). Q: You've already found a lot of success in this league. What are you looking forward to most this season? A: Every single year, there's been an increase in the level of play, which has been super fun to see and be a part of…I really enjoy getting to know all of the players here, not just on the court, but off the court as well. The relationship aspect of AU is my favorite part about the league. You might be playing against someone one night…but then as soon as the game's over, you might be in the locker room with them. Q: Volleyball is booming in the U.S. What changes have you seen in the game as part of this broader women's sports movement? A: I think volleyball has been getting more coverage with time, especially at the NCAA level. It's amazing for the growth of the sport. It's super fun to watch when it's streamed on a broader network and given the coverage it deserves. I'm hoping that the fan base that the NCAA has created will transfer over to the professional side, especially when fantastic college players graduate and transition over to these pro leagues getting started here. Q: Why should fans get invested in AU Pro Volleyball? A: It's fast-paced, it's fun, and the talent level is off the charts. You're not going to be bored for a single point, and just the unique format of it is fun to learn about. I think you get to know players on an individual level since teams are changing frequently.

📺 How to tune in Source: AU Pro Sports The season kicks off with tomorrow's 6:30 p.m. ET season-opening doubleheader, starting with Team Kingdon Rishel vs. Team De La Cruz-Mejía airing on ESPN+. As for the rest of the season, you'll have to hop around to view all the matches. Fifteen of the 24 matches will be broadcast on ESPN platforms, either ESPNU or ESPN+. The remaining nine can be found via these regional broadcast partners and live streaming services. Check out the full schedule to see where each specific match is airing. You don't want to miss this.

The GIST's Picks

Hi. It's us. We're the recommenders, it's us.

📲 Who to follow @AUProVolleyball on Instagram. They'll be your go-to source (other than us, of course) all season long.

🥞 What to make for your game day snack Pancakes, the favorite play breakfast of volleyball players everywhere. Pass the syrup, please.

🤝 Who to vote for Your MVP. Players earn points towards their leaderboard standings in part by racking up MVP votes from fellow players and fans during and after each match. Make your voice heard.

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