Latest / Set 6: The Official MLV Podcast / Episode 007 | Free Agency Updates & a Little Madness with Valkyries HC François Salvagni
Transcript
- speaker-0: I was looking for something totally new, for big challenge. Now this new league, MLV, can be something in which I can have to use all my knowledge, all my experience to make something special. speaker-1: Welcome to the set six podcast. This is the official podcast of major league volleyball. I'm your host, Severin Lavinstein. Thank you so much for joining us on our first episode of June. Happy pride month to all. And hey, before you listen to this episode, go back and listen to episode six. We had an awesome conversation with Iko Jones of the Atlanta Vibe. Of course, we broke to you after the team, of course, that she's rejoining Atlanta. So super excited about that. And We also just gave you your full roundup of a crazy first week of free agency in MLV. You know, the season stops, but the news doesn't and we just keep going and it was a fantastic episode all around. So please go check that out. And of course, however you choose to listen to us, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, we appreciate it. Please share to your friends, share the podcast, keep listening to the podcast. It's how we grow it. So thank you for doing so. We talked to you before about liking, commenting and subscribing. That's also how we get new viewers and you know we also talked about those giveaways. I saw some of those comments. Thank you for doing so. We do want a little bit more. So you know let's let's get back in the comments. I feel like you know I went to a comedy show last week and I hate the people who come out and they're like how's everybody doing? ⁓ no you can do better than that. How's everybody doing? I feel like I'm kind of doing that for you all here. So apologies in advance but we do need a little bit more kind of participation in order to get those those giveaways out. So please Get back in the comments, just comment something simple like giveaway and it helps us really justify that we can get this going for you. So just know that that's on top of our mind and we'll keep going for that for you as well. The show format and I'm going to speed through this intro so we can get to one of the things that I'm excited to introduce to you that's a little new for this format. One of the very special people I should say that's going to help us with the show format today. Here's what it's going to be. We're going to run through the news and then I'm going to introduce to you a special guest who will be... kind of a contributor going forward that we're really excited about. And then we have a great, ⁓ great interview with Francois Salvani of the he's the new head coach of the Orlando Valkyries. And then we'll wrap it up with something fun like we always try to do, you know, keep it light here in the show. So with that, let us get to the news for this week. First one, we got another coach hiring. It's the Columbus coach. That's Dave booze. He has 15 years of experience recently at Florida was the associate head coach there. We were waiting on that Columbus coach. I remember I teased that to you last week that that might be coming down the pike and certainly did again 15 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances as well at Florida. So quite accomplished and he was on the staff of Mary Wise, who is the all-time leader in wins in Division one. So congratulations to Columbus. We have a lot of coaches that have filled vacant positions. So keep an eye out and working on something that'll maybe if your head is spinning on who's where and who's doing what we'll get that all sorted for you. And then ⁓ onto the next bit of news. VNL has started this week at the time of recording. The U.S. has just finished up with ⁓ Ukraine. I believe that one went three sets and they took care of business. But ⁓ great to see a different lineup there for Team USA as they're getting going. And VNL this week already crazy. That means it's the beginning of summer and we'll roll right along this of course is week one as we get going into I think they do three weeks before the final one. And ⁓ we mentioned last week the athletes that we have. competing there as well. then finally, Orlando and Dallas announced a few additions to their rosters. If you remember ⁓ from last week's show, we were still waiting on some announcements there. But that is the most I will give you right now on the roster announcements and the signings because we want to get to our very special guest. so introducing for the first time on the set six podcast is the one and only Jenna Rosenthal, the pride of Marquette, the United States women's national team in 2019 gold medalist at both Norseka and the champions cup and the Norseka champions cup and the Pan American Cup. Three seasons overseas with Allianz MTV Stuttgart in Germany and LPVSD in Finland. And of course, with our very own Columbus Fury Atlanta vibe and Grand Rapids rise. Jenna, I try to give you the best I could with the introduction here, but so excited to have you join us on the podcast. speaker-2: Well, it ends up sounding a lot longer when you actually go through all of it that way. But I suppose that's how volleyball happens, right? speaker-1: can keep going with like, you know, even more accolades from your college and everything like that, but you know, I gotta keep, gotta keep you humble, right? speaker-2: Google me. No. Terrible song going, and she's canceled. 30 seconds in, we're done. speaker-1: Whenever you have your own Wikipedia page, feel like is when you've when you've made it. I feel like in this in this whole thing. speaker-2: Genuinely, hope I I think everyone thinks that secretly inside and shouldn't air it out loud on a podcast, but speaker-1: I'm hoping to get there one day, one day. But Jenna, I'm really excited to talk to you about just all of the moves that have gone on really in what's been a frenzy of a first couple weeks, couple days of free agency. And I said last week to our audience, was like, you know, I can read out the names that are gonna be on the rosters all the live long day, but it'd be nice to get some perspective on what it's gonna mean for everything going forward, how these rosters are gonna be constructed. is that's what I want to chat about. first, guess, just to start out, what are the moves that stood out with you? I mean, for me, was looking at how fast Omaha filled up their roster and how quickly Indy decided, OK, we're going to bring back almost everybody. mean, but what stood out to you really? speaker-2: Honestly, I think indeed making the big move to retain a lot of their roster was a really, really big thing in the volleyball landscape. For a little extra context, especially abroad, I think year-to-year contracts are significantly more common ⁓ for us, for our US-based fans who are kind of used to seeing teams have a little more continuity, a little bit more of a dynasty aspect. That's not necessarily something that's been present in professional volleyball up until now. I think Indy with their huge historic statement making run in season three and then choosing to run it back again and bring that back is a really big mark of trying to change the volleyball landscape for the better. They said, love it. These are our girls. These are our people. We're going to run it back and do it again. speaker-1: Yeah, I think so too. And I think it's interesting also with, you know, obviously the postseason not going the way that they want to, but having that confidence in that group to be like, we know this core is the core that we need there. And ⁓ I'm sure that's something that the athletes on the team feel as well, right? speaker-2: Exactly, exactly. And I think it's a big sign of, you know, huge flowers for Coach Lauren and the program she's trying to build. ⁓ I think we throw around the word program a lot when it comes to colleges and things. And so I think maybe more it can be, you know, like an era or a dynasty or something like this is the Indie Ignite era, you know, featuring Mia and Elena and, you know, Lydia and all of these other stars that we've come to love across season three. and making a huge statement to keep them for season four and maybe five. That's really phenomenal and I should be really getting their fan base super excited. speaker-1: I'm looking forward to also like, you know, the continuity, I hope will build some more rivalries, you know, like you get a player that you just see in that Jersey across the net, like a bunch of times like, ⁓ man, I can't stand playing against them too. But, you know, I think it also is good continuity for the fans. You get more used to seeing a player being on one team for a little bit, but also at the same time. The change is really cool too. And I mean, we talked about Omaha, let's go there next just, I mean, they filled out their roster quickly, but also with some huge names. I mean, Teodore going over there. I know, Cami Miner, we talked about his big signing and many others, but let me stop talking and you tell tell us what you would you make of just their signings. I was crazy. speaker-2: I mean, like you said, that's the other flip side of the coin. It's a big retooling for them, know, and answering some questions and filling some key role places. Obviously we'll always have Merritt anchoring that opposite position and Emily Laundotte as well. But I thought it was a really, really great mark of that organization, how they're able to go out and attract some of these huge names. Cammie Miner, I'm super excited. I saw her. So like you said, I played at Marquette and Stanford came to Marquette for a preseason tournament. And I just happened to be passing through and sat and watched the game with my alma mater. And I was like, ⁓ wait a minute. That minor girl, she's different. Like you could tell that there's something different about her. And ⁓ I thought that that girl's going to be special. Incidentally enough, I actually saw that about Keira Reinhart this last fall. She played in the Big East tournament here in Milwaukee. And I was like, man, that girl's going places. Plot twist, she got drafted to the supernovas. I'm like, huh, that's where she's going. Conclusive. So. Maybe I do know a little bit of something about this, but I think again, like I said, it reflects really well on the Omaha Supernovas. Dare we call them a juggernaut in a sense with what they've been able to build both on and off the court, right? Obviously everyone always loves the Supernovas fan engagement and it seems like the front office is really, really dedicated to giving the fans, you know, the team that they deserve. Would you agree with that? speaker-1: I would, think it's a team that looks, they look like the way that they went out and did signings was like a team that got all the way to the mountaintop and just couldn't quite plant the flag and then wants to get back there and is doing all they can to do that. And I think it's a good mix, like you mentioned with Merritt and then bringing back Emily Landau as well. And ⁓ I think it's going to be a good mix of, and obviously Kiara, having the... the core pieces that did so well for you last year and then adding some really just just key pieces as well. Well, just quickly, what is what is I mean, setters have such different styles, right? And it's all about the connection. What is can we do that you notice that really sets her apart? there some part of her game that you just kind of stuck out to you being like, okay, that's what sets her apart? speaker-2: Well, I think in that one snapshot, like you said, setters really do set the complexion for a team. I am so sick to death of setters being called the quarterback of the team. It is correct, but we can do a little better in our analogies. I won't say that. That's an X-ray. But I really think they can color the personality of a team, right? We saw Mia Tuuniga do that with Indi and just her infectious and playful play style really translated to her teammates from both that leadership role on the court and setter being so huge. speaker-1: I promise. speaker-2: Now, that being said, when I saw Cami, I just thought there was a certain physicality to her. She was really, really strong. She was really able to heave that ball anywhere on the court, from anywhere on the court. And I think that really stuck out in the college ranks. And I haven't seen as much of her in the professional ranks because it is different, you know, no matter how well accoladed your program is, know, transitioning to the professionals is a different step. And I'm really excited to see how that will translate. to the Supernovas and continuing her professional career. Because if I'm right, she had one season in Italy before joining the Supernovas, correct? Cool. Yeah, and I think a little bit of maturity. I think you grow up quick in the Italian league. I was never fortunate enough to play there myself, but we all know what a strong league that is. And it's really exciting to keep bringing in bits and pieces of international talent or those who have played in such places to this league. speaker-1: Yeah, and for fans to stick around for our interview with Francois, you'll hear a little bit more about what he talks about with the styles of the league over there and what that's like as well. Jenna, just away from Omaha and Indy now looking at the rest of the league with the early signings coming out. What was one of the biggest surprises? What was another signing that stood out to you? speaker-2: I was really impressed by a lot of the maturity brought in at the middle blocker position. ⁓ So you said not Omaha, but ⁓ Natalie Lemons is 10-year pro. have, I'm checking my notes again, Marie Schulzl up to Minneapolis. That's another really big get, 10 years of experience. ⁓ I got one more that I want to make sure I give my flowers to. Natalie Lemons, ding, ding, ding. Either way, as a middle blocker myself and as a middle blocker who got old. I have a lot of respect because a lot of times people assume that a blocker is a really, it's a highly physical position. Yes, you need to be fast. You know, lot of, it's a lot of jumping demand, but I really think that there's a huge piece of ⁓ volleyball intelligence that comes with that. And I think that only comes with experience. So I was really excited to see those pieces come in and bring a bit balance of volleyball IQ and maturity to our teams. That was a huge get. speaker-1: I wanted to talk about Minnesota because I feel like all of their signings were like heavy hitter names with international experience so far. I believe it's four with Schoesel and yesterday Quinn Pelland was announced and then Miyabi Ayeri and then Sabney Samdi obviously like that. Those are four heavy hitter international players where Minnesota is like, okay, first season we are not messing around. And I thought that really jumped out to me is like, wow, each signing here. is touting some high level international experience that we're going to bring to this team. speaker-2: Exactly. think kind of like what I alluded to with the college game being different than the professional game, think bringing in elements of these established pros is a really, really phenomenal sign for the kind of tone that you want to set on your teams and in your league. know, Major League Volleyball is becoming a destination and people are starting to take notice and can't be more excited about that. And I really, really want to see some of these big names duking it out over the course of the season. speaker-1: Over to let's go over to Dallas and we know I also tease for our listeners a little bit that we know the roster will look a lot different from last year. But for the re-signers, we know that they got Kaylee Cox, ⁓ they got Peyton Van Buskert back as well. ⁓ Those are three really solid, you know, returners. Obviously, know Lane is coming back from her knee injury. ⁓ just but but those are still three core pieces that at least you know, again, like we talked about with Omaha, we'll be able to help them maintain a little bit that identity. Would you agree with that? speaker-2: Yeah, definitely. ⁓ Building cultures, building identity, building a program, and that all comes from experience and continuity. So holding these pieces in your group for another year is a really great way to establish that continuity. Even if the biggest names aren't returning, there's people who've been there, they know what it takes and they know what it was like to accomplish those amazing things. And I do think it's another interesting note, just the really class act commitment that a lot of our a lot of our teams have made by re-signing some of our injured athletes. ⁓ It just goes to show that, you know, as an athlete getting injured is really, really scary. That is your livelihood. And I think it's a very natural fear to wonder if your usefulness, you know, kind of like a lame horse, you know, like obviously you'll recover in things, but it's still, there's a lot of question marks. And I think it's a really great sign and a really great show of confidence that our clubs are willing to pour into our athletes as much as the athletes have poured into the into the clubs. speaker-1: I think that's a really good point of just showing how much care and attention to detail there is there. think that's ⁓ a very valuable thing to bring up. Just back to Dallas too, with those three names and envisioning, obviously with a little bit of insider knowledge from both of us, but keeping it on the surface level, what else about their roster? Just if you were looking at it from a general manager perspective, do you need to build up and what kind of player are you looking for to build out the rest of this roster? I mean, if you can go, you have to go position by position, but you can if you want to. speaker-2: I mean, well, I think when anyone looks at roster construction, ⁓ you can either go one of two ways. Well, no, there's only really one way. people need a big name outside hitter. You need someone, the outside hitter is a position that, you know, is participating in all six rotations, you know, front court attacking, back court defense. It's a really, really key role. And you need someone who can, as I say, take out the jump. So maybe the passing's not quite as stable. Maybe the setting's not quite as stable, but with a big dog outside hitter, you're going to be able to still manufacture points and they can keep carrying you along in those settings. ⁓ That being said, the setter, we can't deny that Natalia Valentino, all the things she's done was a really huge impact on Dallas. so continuing to have a player like her or her herself is a really, really great way to lift and elevate the pieces that you do have. So in my mind, ⁓ people are always looking for a big pinheader first, but that setter really influences the complexion of your team. Then you can't, obviously you can't dismiss a quality middle blocker who's able to stabilize the defense and, know, Oppos are the big point scorers too. So it's really, really difficult to appreciate roster construction from all these angles, but I'm hoping they go for, I want to see what big name they got up their sleeves on the outside. speaker-1: Jenna to bring in the fan question here. This is from ⁓ furious George 21 who commented on our last ⁓ episode. there a particular reason why some teams are basically done in Omaha while other teams Columbus Dallas Orlando still haven't announced at this point it was anything but you know haven't announced as much of a complete roster. speaker-2: Yeah, I mean that does come down to a little bit more of the front office shenanigans, let's say. You know, it's up to every team to discuss how they want to pursue their marketing strategy. But a lot of times too, sometimes the player market can be volatile. You don't know who's going to come available and you want to make sure you're making the right selections for your team. So sometimes that means getting done really quickly. Sometimes it means you're waiting for the right opportunity to arise or sometimes your marketing team. is keeping these names throttled back to help generate interest through the offseason. It's really hard to tell right now, but from the internal lists that I think both you and I have seen, I think there's a lot, a lot, a lot for fans to be excited about. And don't worry, they're coming. speaker-1: See everybody? Jenna says the same thing and that's from an expert. So you can get me just spouting nonsense but when Jenna says it that means Dallas fans should feel pretty good too. speaker-2: Yes, they've got something very good under the sleeves and then we can't wait to talk to you guys all about it when that information becomes public. Absolutely. doing Easter eggs and teasers. speaker-1: I'll try to think of think of new ones. ⁓ speaker-2: Her name rhymes with shmamy ba ba ba or something. ⁓ speaker-1: Jenna, Molly Monterey to Orlando. That was great to see Marley land with a new team, obviously, after San Diego, but that's going to be huge for Orlando to have Marley. What would you think about that? speaker-2: Yeah, I'm a big fan of Marley's. She and I actually shared the court in Atlanta season two. And ⁓ I guess I keep coming back to Setters. It sets the complexion of the team. She is such a boisterous and enthusiastic, relentless defender. And I think you can't help but have that energy pass to you while you're playing with her. So she very clearly elevates everyone around her. And I really am excited to see what she can do for the Valkyries. The fun fact is she's been in every championship weekend. Not the championship itself, but she's made it to the final weekend all three seasons. There's only a very small handful of players that actually claim that. So I have absolutely no doubt that she'll be able to take the Valkyries all the way to the end again. speaker-1: Her, when she calls her own number, it's lethal. mean, it was so much fun to just cut some highlights of that and you have so many to choose from. But even if you're just watching a match, you know that, I mean, I feel like it's always such a dangerous play from the outside, because if you mess it up, everyone's like, what the heck, man, what are you doing? But when she does it, it's like she always knows the right opportunity, the right read. And I think is the best in the league at doing it, honestly. speaker-2: I would honestly, I would agree with that too. She knows when to take business into her own hands, which is a, sometimes I find it a hilarious quality in a setter, you know, because obviously she's running her offense. She loves all of her hitters, you know, like sisters, which she's like, no, no, I'm going to take care of this one myself guys. Like, don't you worry. I got it under control. I mean, it's fun to watch, isn't it? But I wish I had that amount of court awareness and court. I definitely don't. So that's why I leave that one to her. speaker-1: It really is. It's like when you have the ratings in a video game awareness like 99. That's that's what we have for Marley Monterey. speaker-2: So I did block her once in practice merely because, I know she'll do it if she gets close, right? And fortunately I'm really tall, so my hands are above the net as I'm standing here. So, you know, as she gets closer to the net, you know, like I'm watching her, right? You know, my hands creep up a little bit, because again, I'm fortunate enough to be tall. She dumps it right into my hands. And she's like, she's just like, you're not supposed to do that. that doesn't. Exactly. So I'd like to think I helped her at least a little bit. speaker-1: What speaker-2: gain another awareness point by surprising her. I really should not have been just standing there like a tree. I was ready to move laterally. like, boop. speaker-1: Jen, what do you read on that as a defender? Do you read the eyes? speaker-2: I wish I could figure out how I learned that. It's become like an odd sense. I guess I'm a blocker asking about defense, floor defense. ⁓ Not my scene. But I think the blocking becomes almost a subconscious reading effort because you see the tiny cues like with setters and things, like there's a very subtle difference in the tilt of her shoulders or the arch of her back that you can see occasionally. I suppose it all happens so fast that it must be registering on some kind of subconscious level. Or someone who knows how to actually read can explain better. It's just sort of accumulation of experience at this point. speaker-1: that for the audio audience, got a visual there from Jenna. just she's, she's ⁓ living up to her expert status as well. ⁓ Jenna, let's, keep going around the league here. Just back to Columbus, what kinds of players, similar to a question to Dallas, but maybe from the other side of things, obviously with Columbus looking to stack up more wins in 2027, what kinds of players should they be trying to target to help them do that? speaker-2: So I'm going to take a tack that I'm going to want them to choose some players that they can build around, right? Like it's going to be a little bit, it's going to be a new team, right? A new era for the Columbus Fury. And so I'd really like to see some names that are eager to make their home in Columbus for the foreseeable future. But, regrettably, the way volleyball works, it all revolves around those pin hitters. It all really revolves around having a big dog pin. So I'm curious to see again who wants to... make a name for themselves in Columbus. It's kind of wide open right now as of, you know, publicly, of course. speaker-1: Let's go to Atlanta. Atlanta is signing a lot of returners. ⁓ don't have the list in front of me right now, but Leah and Iko are the first ones, obviously, that come to mind, and Corey as well. ⁓ let's just start with what you make from Iko saying, I thought it was a great bit of insight, that it's not always a surefire thing, even when you have a good thing going to return to a team and you want to see what's out there. To me, I view that as that speaks to me, at least, about the health of the league, that it's... is a good thing that our athletes want to see what else is out there within our league because we have so many great teams. ⁓ speaker-2: For sure. Like I said, it's totally natural and it's very endemic to the nature of volleyball and the way volleyball has been. It's a one-year contract. You have a great year, you want to have a better year. We're on a good team, you want to be on a better team. It's very natural and very normal to look out and look around. And like you said, the league is really strong. There's a lot of really exciting opportunities across the space. Ultimately, I was very happy when Iko chose to remain in Atlanta. ⁓ Again, we were on the court together season two. I think she's done a really great job of helping elevate that franchise along with Leah Edmond and Taylor Smith. I saw that she was returning. ⁓ When you have that core group of people you can trust, it makes the professional world feel a lot more stable. Because a lot of times when it is year by year, contract for contract, hired guns, it's a little unstable and it's a little difficult sometimes to really come together and build something meaningful. I think with these longer term contracts, we can see some really exciting things happen. speaker-1: A theme recently in some of the talks that I've had is fun, a fun environment. And have you noticed that in your playing days that a fun environment does lead to a winning environment? speaker-2: right kind of fun, right? You have to have fun in the work. know, it's like the old saying, it's not the destination, it's the journey or, you know, the journey, not the destination. You know what I'm saying? So you have to be able to have fun and enjoy the work you're putting in rather than just being, you know, obviously there's always time for silliness and goofing around, but an environment that is built around having fun while working will go a lot farther than a bunch of people who can have a great time. you know, on a Friday night. yes, you definitely need fun, but it needs to be the smart kind of fun, which I do think our athletes, they all understand at this point. speaker-1: feel like it's a similar situation in Atlanta to what we were talking about with Orlando, you know, they were in it kind of towards the end and just really ⁓ needs to retool a couple things and add to it to a really nice core and they'll they'll get there. Just want to speed around to Grand Rapids resigning a couple couple big names, we know Morgan and Pagebridge Romine coming back. ⁓ Just and that obviously being the team that you played for last year. It looks like Grand Rapids is off on the right track with this free agency signing as well. speaker-2: Yeah, and I'm going to do another dramatic pause because I don't know if Carly Snyder has been announced just yet. So you can cut that if you want to cut that. Double check. Like I said, she's safe on this list, but we'll see. ⁓ speaker-1: We'll double check for sure Just no offense, this is what we do. We want to give you as many names as possible and we're doing the ask forgiveness not permission thing for you because we want to make sure we give you everybody that we can, so. speaker-2: We're doing our best out here guys. ⁓ But yeah, having been up at Grand Rapids, I think it's phenomenal that they can keep that core, that core three. So like I was talking about, now we have ball control plus outside hitters. So that is a phenomenal three piece to build around. And I think Carly Snyder has been a really great, mature leadership of the Grand Rapids rise this whole time. I think of her as my really cool older sister, despite us being the same age. Not sure how that one's like squared out, but. I think she brings a really wonderfully grounded perspective to the game and that's really great. And I could talk about Morgan forever and ever. We did a year in Atlanta together, a year in, well not quite a year in Grand Rapids. And we did a lot of time together with Athletes Unlimited and the way she sees the game, even the attacking parts of the game as a libero is absolutely crazy. You she's always calling shots for her teammates and I'm like, how, how do you see that? She's like, I'm behind you guys all the time. Like I'm always watching. for the cover, but she can see other things. So I'm really, really excited to see what Grand Rapids can do, especially because we came so close. Literally as close as you could probably get to making playoffs this year, despite a seven and 14 start. And let me tell you, by the time I joined the team, they were having a lot of fun. Building a fun culture, a fun culture where you can trust your teammates and know that the next man up, next man up, my goodness, next woman up genuinely, genuinely wants the most from you, makes a really healthy environment and allows for some game time adjustments if things aren't going well and we need to try different personnel. Like that, that I thought was a true definition of a team. So I'm so excited to see Grand Rapids go. speaker-1: Jenna, let's wrap up with, we'll tie three of the new teams together. DC, don't believe anybody's been officially announced yet. No one's been officially announced. I've teased Atlas though, it's looking good. then NorCal, I need to do some research. I'm not familiar with the names with NorCal, but. speaker-2: I don't think so, I don't have any... No, NorCal's a really interesting group. hadn't been, I wasn't familiar with them right off the bat, but when I did some digging, I was really, really impressed. Well, first off, Yangchen Lai from Taiwan, I think that's going to be a really phenomenal get. ⁓ She's had 10 years of experience abroad. I think that stability brings a lot to a serve receive line, not to mention, I mean, it's kind of a running stereotype, but I think it's true that a lot of the ⁓ A lot of the Asian teams, China, Japan, ⁓ Korea, a lot of those teams play a really phenomenal defense, team defense. ⁓ I think that's a really big characteristic of their game. ⁓ And so I'm really excited to see what elements of that she can bring. Looking further on my little list, Haley Bennett has been doing six years abroad. She just recently won a championship with Panathiakos in Greece. again, there's something different about pro and there's something different about winning. and winning it all. To give the context for Haley Bennett's win, they've been playing for nine months. They likely play every team in that league four times like we do. ⁓ It's a long, grueling season, and to hold it together and hold it down and to secure the title in the end is really, really big. ⁓ I'm really excited to also see Whitney McEwen and is that what we agree? ⁓ we only have three names. Yes, I'm excited to see more of her game just because I do take a personal interest in middle blockers from a personal perspective. yeah, did you notice anything sticking out in your initial ⁓ read? speaker-1: I mean of the three again, it's just LA really stuck out to me and I'm super excited for Alicia Childress over there. With NorCal, I agree with you 100 % on the play style of some of the Asian teams. I remember just from seeing some Team USA stuff, they would bring in Japan to scrimmage with or I would watch the athletes ⁓ go against Thailand, I believe, in the pool phase of Worlds and they could not put a ball down. they would always talk about coming off the course like, yeah, we know we're gonna really have to pick our spots because the defense is so tough to get by it. And I like to think that it's a play style thing more of a I mean, and they're great offensively too, which is you know, going in playing some of these teams internationally, that that that's kind of a style, but even just again, you know, around some of the leagues as well. I think that's kind of a known quality. And so I agree there. And I think even if we get a sliver of that kind of defense in in I think we already have a lot of great defense in MLV. You combine some of that, get like the, you know, sorry nerds, the Megazord or whatever, you know, for in our league of like, all that. I know, I felt nerdy just saying that, but you get my point. It's really cool. speaker-2: I really do. I was asking you if you are familiar with Haikyuu, the volleyball anime. speaker-1: I've seen it, you know, I've seen it and I liked it. I liked it. I think it was ⁓ the the the way that they did the ball like speed thing kind of like at some points made my head hurt. But other than that, I was like, you know, it's pretty cool. It's pretty cool. speaker-2: So fun. I absolutely adored it. We do need a sequel. ⁓ speaker-1: I a sequel. What we'll also need a sequel of is you appearing on this podcast Jenna because we really appreciate your your insight your perspective We know that we'll be getting more signings as we go along here this summer But thanks for jumping on and for talking to us. I feel like you're gonna be our first I don't know what we're call you correspondent our insider, you know regardless I know right our set six correspondent, but either way, we know we'll be seeing you a lot more of you But thank you for coming on the podcast and giving us your expert perspective. We appreciate it speaker-2: exotic. Hey, yapping about volleyball, those are, yapping and volleyball, those are two things I can do. So let's see if we can put it together into yapping about volleyball. speaker-1: So, well, thank you, Jenna. We appreciate it. And then now let's get you right over to our conversation with Francois, the new head coach of the Orlando Valkyries. And we had we talked with him a couple of weeks ago. so without any further preamble, let's get you over to that conversation with Francois. Francois, thank you so much for joining us here on the Set Six podcast. We're so excited to have you. I've got to start with the first question, the most burning question for all of our fans is what went into your decision to join the Orlando Valkyries? speaker-0: Wow, so thank you. It was really interesting because I finished one part of my career. I was looking for something totally new, for a big challenge. Something that pushed myself to live something totally different. So I was thinking that now this new league, MLV, and not only, can be something in which I have to use all my knowledge, all my experience. to make something special. And so I tried to talk with my agent. I tried to explain, I'm looking for something extraordinary. And so in that moment, there are some options and okay, Orlando Vibe was incredible opportunity. And so in that moment, when we start to talk with them, I start to have incredible vibes. After a lot of time, for another first time, I have these incredible vibes. Yes, Fred, this is what you need in this moment of your career. And so for this reason, I decided to sign in Orlando. And so I'm so excited. speaker-1: We're excited to have you as well. And the conversations that you've had since joining the front office, what do they look like? I heard you mentioned before you had good conversations with Amy before she left or maybe after she's left. what were your, what have your conversations been like since joining the team? speaker-0: Amy was important part of my decision because she helped me so much to understand the mentality of Orlando community and not only also about the league because it's a league totally new that is growing day by day. Yesterday, the announcement of LA, new Franchigia. So I think that is incredible how in the USA you can make everything great. And so, helped me a lot to understand the idea of the feeling of the philosophy of this league. At the same time to explain how is Orlando, how is Valkyrie's mentality, how much is important to have strong relationship with fans, with sponsorship, with everything in the country and not only in the city. And so, everything looks so interesting for me. And so, this part was so important, but also the conversations that I had with David, the president and Eric. was so interesting because I have immediately the feeling that we are going to leave something new because what they did in the past is incredible. But as you know, write a new chapter of a so important book is not so easy. It's not so easy to make back to back or something special in sport. And so this is pushed me to say, okay, this is what you were looking for. speaker-1: Your coaching philosophy, Francois, I want to talk about that because I heard you say as well that you've changed it a little bit over the last five or six years, but your coaching philosophy as well with your history and such amazing history with coaching, just I'm curious to hear about your philosophy and what it is. speaker-0: Yes, everything was okay. Now it's 35 years that I'm a professional coach. I don't look so old. know, but okay. I am. And so I try in the last 10 years to start to study again, because in some moment in your career, can feel, okay, now I know everything. I'm done. So now I can act like a professional coach. In that moment, I have this feeling to start a new, a new trip, a new, ⁓ Voyager. And so in that moment, I start to study again, to put myself in trouble and to ask to myself, are you sure that there is, there is not something new? And so I start to read a lot to follow podcasts, to, ⁓ start to have my podcast. And I start my podcast because it was an opportunity for me to interview the best coach in the world. And so in that moment, I start to have ⁓ the idea. that everything is changed and now we have new tools, new opportunity to make our job in a totally different way. So I was lucky because I was a head coach in one top club in French. And so in that moment, I start to ⁓ experiment something new. Step by step, I changed my way of coaching. I find my new way. And now after five, six years, I think I'm ready to propose something totally new. What I mean is that for me, too many times as a coach, we try to improve our drills, but not to improve our game. Too many times we push our players to become ⁓ the best players in the world to play our drills, but not to be the best players in the world to play volleyball. So in that moment, I realized that we can be different. In which way? For sure, I'm starting to... love ecological approach and dynamical approach. And so I start to make everything in a different way. So now every day I ask to myself what we can do today to become better player inside the game. So I don't want to be the best coach in the world with my amazing drill. I want to be a winning coach with my knowledge and with my new philosophy. speaker-1: First of all, want to ask you about building the program that you did in Mluz and how did you go about doing that? speaker-0: Wow, so I think that everything was step by step. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity every season to put something new. So I changed totally, not only the structure of the club, but also I changed my staff. I put a new person inside the staff. I tried, I start to work with specialists in, in kinesiology. physical preparation, tactical preparation, mental preparation, and also for sure technical preparation. So I try to change everything. I have this opportunity. I was also sport director, so I have the opportunity to choose the player. And I was, for the first time in my life, I was looking not only in the technical ability, technical skills, but also in mental structure and mental power. So in that moment we were able to create a ⁓ special teams. I'm very proud because we won a lot of trophy, but I'm more proud because a couple of season, a lot of things went wrong, injured, bad decision, bad situation. But even in that moment, we find a way to win something. So this was very interesting because... ⁓ When you are in the flow, your team plays amazing, you win every game, it's so easy to be a coach. But when you struggle a lot and in the same moment you have to find a way to go out of the tunnel and find a solution, new solution to win something or play some finals. So in that moment I'm very proud because we found a way. speaker-1: For instance, I'm looking forward to seeing how you build that with Orlando, but the burning question on my mind, which you said in your press release is that you were looking to quote, bring a little bit of madness. What does that mean? And I'm curious just if you can describe that a little bit more for us. speaker-0: This is so important for me. I'm crazy enough to look for a crazy player in a situation. I think that it's not only about the incredible audience of Orlando Arena, that looks crazy. Sometimes also the mascot is so funny and pushes so hard the good vibes inside the gym. It's also to create something mad in the game. So we are looking to find a system. that is inside out and back point in something new, in something that is not only to find the smart solution, but also to find new solutions. To create something new, to create something special and to create a team that is not only a team that is work hard to win, it's also a team that want to show incredible volleyball. So we need to be crazy, we need to be full, totally. We need day by day to do something out of the box. And I want to link to your last question. Also in this way, use a new ⁓ theory, new philosophy, new way of practice, new way of push players to do something different. It will be part of my philosophy to create something that is totally new. And also because as I told you, it's not so easy to win again. And so if we want to be ready to compete at the top level in the league, we need to be different. speaker-1: And to go back to your philosophy, your coaching style like we talked about a little bit, what changed in your mindset going to Series A facing that high level competition and how you had to adapt for that level? speaker-0: I think that I was enough lucky to work with some incredible American players. Juliet Fawcett, Michelle Barsh, Madison Bagg, Carly Snyder, Erica Pritchard, Jalyn Keene. So I started to study. ⁓ I asked them to help me to understand American mentality. It's something that I really love. I think that what is very interesting, the real challenge, if I'm going to be able to create this synergy between Italian mentality and USA mentality, Latin mentality and your way of play volleyball. But for sure, I was enough lucky also to live something incredible experience. I was coaching African during Ramadan. So it was not possible to practice during the day. So I was waiting for my player to wake up in the evening, eat something, and we practiced all night long. So was something incredible with a totally different Islamic culture. It was so interesting. At the same time, I was lucky enough to work in Azerbaijan, to work in Romania, France, and not only. So I think I have enough experience to fix my style, my philosophy, with something totally new. At the same time, Day by day, I'm watching last season championship. I start to understand how the team played this championship. I know that I'm going to work with incredible coaches. I'm close friend with Lauren Bertolacci, but not only. And so what she did this season is incredible. So I know that it will be really, really tough for me to do something better than them. But this is the reason why this job is so exciting because I think that what I did, everything I did in my life, prepared me to live this new challenge. speaker-1: I think you're ready. think you can be on their level for sure. I'm not worried about that at all. But you did jump right to my next question, which was if you've had a chance to watch some MLV maybe either this past season or the season before when Orlando was obviously doing as well as they did, what were your impressions of just some of the level of competition that you were able to watch in MLV? speaker-0: Honestly, the level is really, really interesting. I didn't expect so much, not because I don't respect the league, but because everybody talks about something new. So it sounds like not ready, but it's not true. Everything is ready enough because the level of competition is so interesting. At the same time, is special about comparison with the European Championship is physically... I think American players are really, really top-level. What we miss, I think, is to find a good balance between the technical and physical part of the game. And also, I think, can change something in tactical preparation. I think I'm lucky enough to work with some incredible coaches in Europe. When I play with them, you have the feeling like when you play chess. I'm right, chess, no? that you have to find every time something out of the box to beat them. So I think that in USA we can do something new in tactical part of the game, not only preparing the game in a different way, but also to find solutions inside the game with something that your opponent didn't expect. And so this will be also something new. ⁓ It will be interesting because also new Frank Kijer, new coaches in next season. So it will be very interesting competition. speaker-1: That's why I know a lot of those solutions are going to come from the players on your roster. And I know that we can't talk about the specifics at this current point in time, but generally speaking, just overall, how will you want to approach building your roster for the 2027 season? What kind of players do you want and how will you approach building it? speaker-0: Everything starts from the setter. I think that we need a setter that can play in exactly the way that I think is the best way to play volleyball. So I'm looking for a setter that is part of my idea of volleyball. Second step is to create a very stable passing line. If you want to play something mad, something fast, something exciting, you need to be to have a very stable passing line, you need something incredible to solve problems out of the system. So, before you talk about Brita, you have to be perfect inside the system, very fast, a lot of solutions, every time different solutions inside out, and the same time you have to create a very strong blocking defense system to play important points out of the system with players that can handle high ball. difficult ball off of the net with bad set, with no approach, every time to have tools and solutions to score even when nobody expects that you can do it. So start from the setter, good passing line and a couple of players that can solve difficult situations. speaker-1: I think that's a perfect well-rounded answer, a perfect well-rounded roster more like it. And so I'm looking forward to seeing that from Orlando in 2027. Francois, want to go back to you. You've had such a fantastic career, as you said, over 30 years of coaching. Is there a win, a specific win that is one of your favorites or that really encapsulates the way that you hope everything goes in order to achieve victory? speaker-0: One game will always be my perfect game. ⁓ I lost one important game in the European Cup, an inside game with the Russian team, with the best coach of this moment, Mr. Karpov. So we have to fly there. ⁓ When we arrive in Russia, this team creates... all conditioned to make everything impossible. We slept in one hotel inside the forest, minimum 25 degrees. So only ice. When we have to move to the gym, we move with one old, old bus with no warm. So my player was freezing inside the gym, inside the bus. When we arrived in the arena, the audience was so, so tough with us. So in that moment, we feel with this amazing team in this condition, it's not possible to win. But in that moment, something incredible happened. We won 3-2, but it was not enough because we also have to win the Golden Set. And in that moment, I have the feeling that nobody can kill us. Because I was looking at my player, in that moment, was okay. Now, nobody can kill us. We will do it and we did it. This game is, I think, is more exciting game in my life. And if I can talk one funny episode after the game, because my wife, my family was in Italy, they was watching the game, but I was, they know that I'm lost in Italy 3-1. So I won in Russian 3-2. So they suppose that was not enough. because in that moment the TV, a Russian TV, stopped to put the video online. So after the game, I was with one big bottle of vodka, very dry, so happy. My wife called me, she was crying, Francois, I'm so sorry for you. You did incredible game, but you are out. And so in that moment I said, no, no, my darling, it's not true. We are in, we did it. And so also this moment with my wife was so exciting. And in that moment I understood I will never forget this match in my life. speaker-1: Well, that's the first real like anecdote that I've asked you from being here and I cannot wait to talk to you more throughout the season to get more stories like that because honestly, best coaching story I've ever heard. mean, bar none, just fantastic. ⁓ my gosh. I'm so excited for more stories like that to come this year. ⁓ incredible. I mean, how do I even top that? Just amazing. I guess the only thing to go with after the best win is to ask you. What do you like to do when you're not coaching? We know that you're an author. We know that you like to also podcast in this medium, which again, with stories like that makes a lot of sense why you'd be great at podcasting. But just when you're not coaching, do you enjoy doing? speaker-0: First off, I'm a lucky husband and I'm an amazing lucky father. So I try to enjoy my family. But at the same time, work during the summer with summer camp. I try to use my knowledge as a professional coach to help younger talent, younger people, young players to grow and to receive advice from someone like me that has a lot of experience. And as you said, I handle one of most important Italian podcasts of volleyball. And also with my partner, we've wrote a couple of books. One is a volleyball guide and one is biography of one of the most important coaches, the coach Julio Velasco of Italian national team. So I spend the time to study volleyball, do my best to help young coaches in Italy to have opportunity to receive a formation for free with my YouTube channel and ⁓ podcast. But I am so lucky because I live in my wife's village, close to Italian seaside. So I love to be tan, I love to spend my time on the beach. So I try to enjoy life because seriously, I need a lot of energy to be ready when I start to be 100 % focused in my job as a coach. speaker-1: I need to get some of that Italian seaside sun for my face. We can tell I'm not getting enough of that Italian seaside sun and I need some of that, but that's fantastic. Francois, my final question for you is, you know, we know it's a tough situation. You're coming in to replace Amy, who is a beloved coach, and you're trying to bring Orlando back to the postseason. From our talk today, it seems like you're more than up for the task, but what would be, as my final question, your message to the fans, the Orlando fans? of just what you'd want to say about starting this journey together with them. speaker-0: For me, this is the most interesting question. What everybody have to understand, you cannot cook pasta by yourself. If you want to do something incredible, you need help. So if we are going to do the best spaghetti ever, I need that my staff, my club, the sponsor, but for sure, all the fans, all people from Orlando and not only, all people coming from Florida have to join us. have to give us energy, have to create an incredible relation with players, because all of us come in Orlando to respect the jersey and to write important chapters of the story of Orlando sports. speaker-1: Well, Francois, well said, and we cannot wait to cook that pasta with you or at least be along for the journey as that happens here in 2027 coming up for that season. But Francois, we cannot thank you enough for your time. You've given us so many amazing stories and quotes to think about after this episode, but we really appreciate it and we're looking forward to, like I said, coming along on that journey with you for this season. Thank you for joining us. speaker-0: Sammy, it was an honor for me to be a guest of your podcast. Thanks a lot. Normally my wife told me that I'm very boring. So I hope that for your audience, I will not be so boring. And thanks a lot. I'm waiting to be in Orlando and to maybe to meet you face to face. speaker-1: big thank you to the new head coach of the Orlando Valkyries Francois Salvani for joining us just I mean I was having a chat with producer Mike afterwards just saying I mean we both agreed he is a quote machine it's so tough to pick out one thing that he said because it's just I'm fascinated by the whole the whole thing I cannot wait to be there in person he seems like a guy with such energy and I cannot wait to interview him in person And to see the energy that he brings to his team, you know, we asked him, what does it mean to bring a little bit of madness? And I think what it means is it's going to be good madness. And it's going to be such an exciting group to see it and just to see how that energy feeds off, as I said. So thank you once again to Francois for joining us. We can't thank him enough. We can't thank the staff at Orlando enough. Huge thank you to Dylan and Sarah over at the Valkyries who made this happen. So I'm just an A plus staff over there and we really appreciate them. ⁓ Coming up, honestly, I'll let you know what we've got. cooking in the works, we're gonna chat with Alicia Childress, I believe that might be next week, new head coach of the Los Angeles team. We've got an interview in the works with Chris McGown, new head coach of the OMA Supernovas. And we'll be live, we're traveling to Iowa for a camp at the end of ⁓ this month, which is gonna be exciting. So that's in a couple of weeks. So we'll be live there with a couple of athletes that are gonna help us run that camp. that just actually, we're in the works on that today, where we're booking flights and stuff. So. Looking forward to bringing you what we get from there. And then also we chatted with Leah Edmond recently. So a lot lining up to be able to bring you on the set six podcast in the near future. So stay tuned for that. I know it's a lot of a lot of coach news, but it's so cool to hear all of the perspective from ⁓ these coaches and just how differently they think about the game. And it's all so fascinating how how you can approach a situation so differently and have a different mindset as a coach and it all, you know, can lead to winning from a variety of different ways. So ⁓ So, so cool. Find the full list of transactions. I know there's a big focus of our episode today. Find a full list of those transactions on our website. I know Orlando will have a big announcement next week. So if you think back to something that I hinted at two episodes ago, make sure that you're staying tuned to the Orlando socials, maybe around this time next week. ⁓ We know that they already got Okeana Valley, Molly Montserrat and Ellie McKissick. So just three great signings for Orlando as well. Building a nice group there and It's gonna be so neat to see Marley leading that team and as they build from some returners and then also with this new group, gonna be very exciting to see what goes on in Orlando. Hey, ask some more questions and comments. I've loved what I've seen there and we really appreciate that. What I wanna start doing is using this space at the end of the show to really build kind of a mailbag and to be able to answer some of your questions. We can talk about whatever. It can be from as mundane to, you the baking recipes or can be as in depth as answering more of your volleyball questions and giving you more of some of our knowledge from around the league and the inside to the best of our abilities. please continue to comment. You can also email me that's at Severin, S-E-V-R-I-N at MLVB.com and we'll start doing some mail bags. I think that'd be a fun way to end these shows. For now, what I'll do is just give you what's on my playlist, which we did a couple of weeks ago. It will give you there for what's really been the soundtrack for my week this week. It's ⁓ Been a little bit of everything, so we'll start Listen Up by Oasis, always a classic. Never and Always by, it's the new, it's actually Never Always, the new album by the band Camino. I saw them in live last year, no, in October. Yeah, that would have been last year. I think it was The Will Turn, and that was such a great show. They played almost everything they did for two hours and 15 minutes, I think. It was a really good show, so if you're into that kind of music, go see them on tour if you haven't. Velcro by Stand Atlantic, love Stand Atlantic, been a fan of them since, really since they, We're created. That's more of your more of your email music there, but they're great. Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith. You all know that one. Reflection by Holding Absence, which I just found. And then Heart by The Wildlife. So if you like the band Camino, you'll probably like The Wildlife. So that's what I've been listening to this week. And we'll end it there. But thank you so much, everybody, for tuning in, for listening once again to episode... Is this seven? I think this is episode seven of set six. Yes, we appreciate it. Thank you to producer Mike, to Amy, to Jenna, to everybody for helping make this show happen. Thank you to you for also being equally as big of a part for making this show happen. We really appreciate it. Until next time, everyone, stay tuned. We'll be back with you for next week. But for now, I'm Severin Lavinstein, and thank you for listening to Set Sit. you