I'm really excited to share this with you.
I gave a TEDx Talk and got to tell a little part of the story of AU and how it's raising the bar & shifting the balance of power in a revolutionary way.
I hope you watch. If you like it, please share 🙏🏻
Small Kobe fact for volley people who are thinking about him today — he liked to sit on the end line to watch because he thought it was crazy how float serves moved and how hard it must be to pass that
At DFW airport a couple at my gate asked if I played volleyball.
They knew the name Athletes Unlimited. They talked about Team Larson & Team DeLaCruz...
Casual conversation from non-vb people about watching pro volley on TV in the US. That’s where we’re at. 🙏🏻
#BeUnlimited
Look at this thing we built.
Closing out the first season of Athletes Unlimited pro volleyball with some words...
”The question has always been— will you invest in us?”
@auprosports
did.
#BeUnlimited
Today, in the US, fans will sit in an arena and watch professional women's volleyball.
Just wanted to say that...because I can. 🙌🏻
#gameday
@AUProSports
I just…I can’t tell you how hard it is to win a gold medal in volleyball.
The world is so good at this sport. It’s not like there are a couple teams who could win. There are like…6 teams who could win? Maybe more?
The defending gold medalists didn’t even MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!
There’s this guy talking about putting up a high school boys team vs the WNBA champs and like…can men just check their little egos for one minute?
I mean, God forbid women (and especially Black women) have a moment to celebrate unbothered by some dudebro
I feel like there's an argument to be made that volleyball has the MOST potential for growth. Name a more popular, faster growing sport that gets less media attention in the US...😒
The question has always been, will you invest in us?
.
@AUProSports
made its debut,
@usavolleyball
won gold indoors & beach and
@BadgerVB
took the NCAA championship. Is there room for more growth in women's volleyball for 2022? We dig in to the numbers in my latest for
@ForbesSports
Posting before they play because I’m so proud of them no matter the outcome of the last match.
We always talked how it wasn’t just about gold, but doing it the right way. This team could do the 1st but I’m confident they’ve done the 2nd.
That being said…LET’S DO THIS USA!!
For the first time in my lifetime I can say that the new year will bring professional volleyball to American soil/screens.
@AUProSports
coming at you in February 2021. 🙌🏻
If you like great sports...
If you support women’s sports...
If you have a daughter who needs role models...
If you have a son who needs role models...
If you want this statement to be normal...
...then tune in tonight- FS2
@8pm
ET
@AUProSports
#BeUnlimited
We just held opening ceremonies for
@AUProSports
and here are the thoughts I decided to share on behalf of our players, on what this means to us and to the ones who will come after us.
#WeAreUnlimited
#LookUp
I've felt so lucky to get to play for
@auprosports
& help build this league. And I'm so excited to now join the team full-time as the Director of Volleyball!
It's time for us to grow, increase visibility and sustain pro volleyball in the US for generations to come!
At Sundance, in a town FULL of celebrities, and some people just came up and said, “Hey, did you play for the National Team?” 😄
Score 1 for
@usavolleyball
👊🏻
I know a lot of people decided to watch
#AUHoops
because they were
@wnba
fans but it works both ways. There’s a bunch of WNBA teams I want to watch now after
@AUProSports
is over!
These kids just won a WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!! Congrats to the
@usavolleyball
Youth National Team for bringing home the first ever 18U Worlds gold medal for the USA! 🇺🇸💪🏻👊🏻🥇
There are FOUR
@AUProSports
games on ESPN2 and ESPN+ today between softball and lacrosse.
And if you miss all those…there’ll be four more tomorrow. Keep putting women’s sports on TV 🙌🏻
I remember buying baseball cards with my brother growing up. Flipping through the pages of plastic that held the cards of people who made it to the big leagues. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I might have my own
@Topps
card!🤯
To the dreams you never even knew you had...
To our teammates and sisters…
To the ones who came before us and the ones who are up next…
To the little girls we were and the women we’ll become…
This is for you.
@AUProSports
Opening Day 2022
Guess who’s coming out of retirement?? 🏐For a limited time only so you better tune in to
@AUProSports
this February! It’s a whole new way to imagine pro sports. 🙌🏻
#BeUnlimited
@usavolleyball
You guys, forget all the stats and ratings records…the true sign of volleyball’s growth is the 70 year old man at the gym who just asked me if I played volleyball and not basketball!
This response is mature, graceful and generous. The absolute antithesis of the hate and racism these players faced.
You *should* be proud Rachel. And the rest of us should be so much better than this.
Exactly 8 years ago I was at my 1st tourney for
@usavolleyball
and one of my favorite coaches, Mike Hebert helped guide that young team to a medal. Yesterday the volleyball world lost a great coach & a wonderful human being. I’m grateful to have known him. RIP Mike and thank you.
For the volley nerds out there— found this the other day. I was trying to get better at hitting on the right in college so wrote up all the possible situations + best choices. Super helpful exercise
Go USA!! So proud of USA soccer for winning another World Cup!! And shoutout to
@usavolleyball
for winning VNL! An excellent day for USA athletes who happen to be female...
🇺🇸🥇🏆🥇
𝐓𝐞𝐧 years ago today, No. 2 Stanford snapped No. 1 Penn State's NCAA record 109 match winning streak! Led by seniors
@alixklineman
@CassidyLichtman
&
@Stanzou9
, the Card swept the Nittany Lions (28-26, 25-12, 25-18) in Gainesville, Florida.
#GoStanford
Moving to DC in 1 week! Working at a company called shift7 with former US Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith. Trying to make a dent in problems like the environment, economic inequality, diversity/inclusion...the easy stuff!
Players and coaches, including Stanford sports performance coach Ali Kershner, posted photos illustrating the differences in facilities.
(📸 kershner.ali, coachalanbishop/Instagram)
I’ve genuinely never seen an
@NCAAVolleyball
season this unpredictable. Feels like there’s an upset every day.
Really great for the sport to see this kind of parity!
Just a little Cassidy Lichtman appreciation post 🥰
@CassidyLichtman
is the definition of an ALL-AROUND player. 😤
While her profile may list her as an OH, did you know she is ranked 8th in Career Assists at
@StanfordWVB
? 😱
To our volleyball community...Join us in committing to take an action against racism and injustice.
Go to for ideas or resources, add your name to the list and share your own action using
#AthletesTakeAction
.
Imagine what our community could do together🙌🏻
A star
@NCAAVolleyball
player goes pro, her fans can keep watching her & she can go home and be celebrated.
THIS is the pathway we’ve never had and it’s so cool to see it come to fruition.
Shoutout to
@KentuckyVB
for doing it right & giving
@leahedmond13
a champion’s welcome!
“Anything can be.” Going into the final weekend of our first season of
@AUProSports
, I’m feeling this.
The nevers and the can’ts and the won’ts and the shouldn’ts are just products of a limited imagination...
#BeUnlimited
As of last night, the highest attended women's sporting event in the HISTORY OF THE WORLD is a volleyball match.
Almost a BILLION people play volleyball worldwide.
There are more girls playing volleyball in high school than ANY other team sport...
I wasn’t even gonna go to tonight’s games because the world is terrible and I was angry but I figured if one thing would lift my mood it would be a group of badass women doing their thing.
I was right. Thank you AU Softball🙏🏻
Let’s go ahead and run it back one more time…
@AUProSports
is coming back to Dallas in March, and this time around we’ll be playing in front of fans! Who’s ready for some live professional volleyball??
At the gym and women’s sports are all over the tv thanks to
@ESPN
’s NCAA coverage in lacrosse and softball!
Ps if you want to watch some of those college greats beyond this tournament you need to check out
@AUProSports
this summer!
I think it’s funny how guys who maybe played a sport in high school are always upset about a woman coaching in the pros and then real men who actually work with her are like, what’s the problem?
It’s almost like SHE’S JUST A GOOD COACH
USC challenged match point (and lost). I have video from the final call but this aborted celebration is funnier...congrats PAC 12 Champions
@StanfordWVB
!!
Gonna miss tight huddles, long rallies, hitting weird shots, making angles, unexpected delights, conversations on the rooftop, but most of all...these women.
I got it right the first time— Unapologetically powerful.
Look at this thing we built...
#BeUnlimited
The end of Athletes Unlimited Season 3 means that
@AUProSports
is now the longest standing women’s professional volleyball league in the history of the US.
I’m so excited that the age of volleyball is upon us. But I don’t want to make history anymore.
Thanks for saying hi to
@AUProSports
Volleyball before our practice. Next time we need to get you some 🏐 reps
@StephenCurry30
!
And good luck to the
@warriors
tomorrow night!
Guys, what if we did an experiment where every country in the world is led by a woman for the next 10 years?
If we’re not at least 10x better off we can go back to this mess. Deal?
Imagine crying about your “freedom” to not wear a stupid little mask amidst a global pandemic that’s killed millions…
…and then doing your best to take away the right to vote and forcing women & girls to have children.
How DARE you talk about freedom?
There’s just so much love here ❤️
Grateful for all these hugs, high fives, moments and mostly these people. And to
@auprosports
for bringing us all of it. 🙏🏻
To the sports media, potential sponsors and the rest of the industry-- at this point if you're not seeing the ENORMOUS potential in volleyball and investing in it...why??
ACE! 🏐
Wednesday's
@LouisvilleVB
vs
@KentuckyVB
matchup was the most-viewed regular season volleyball match ever on ESPN networks with 302K viewers
#NCAAWVB
Just thought I'd break down one of the plays I was happiest with this season. It's not gonna make a highlight reel but the fact that it looks simple is evidence of a good read.
Reading on defense is about both the contact and the context.
#chessnotcheckers