Latest / Set 6: The Official MLV Podcast / Episode 016 | Dressed for What’s Next at REN

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Episode 016 | Dressed for What’s Next at REN · Set 6: The Official MLV Podcast

• Mike Moline: What's going on? How are we doing, everybody? Welcome back to another episode of the Set 6 podcast. Of course, the official podcast of Major League Volleyball. I'm your host, Sever Lavenstein. It's always great to be with you, but great to be with you today as well. Once again, we are coming to you from episode 16, and this is our live from Ren episode or our on location episode. From Ren episode that you'll be listening to. But please, before you go listen to this one, first like, comment, share, subscribe. We are on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and all of the great places that you get your podcasts. And among those great places that you get your podcasts, there's gonna be an extensive library of all the episodes we've done up to this point, including episode 15 last week with Lauren Bertolacci, the head coach of the Indie Ignite, where we talked role models, coaching philosophy, the state of MLV. And much more. So I think a fantastic episode that you should go listen to, ⁓ regardless of the order, but especially before this one as well. And then we can launch into this one, which is gonna be, like I said, our on location episode from Ren. And the voices you will hear in order are Taylor Lanfair from MLV NorCal, Avery Carlson from the Columbus Fury, Peyton Caffrey from MLV Minnesota, and Carly Snyder with the Grand Rapids Rise. The show format is going to be the news. Then we're gonna launch into those interviews about 45 minutes or so. And then we'll wrap up. So let's get right into the news. And this was something I was dying to tell you last week, but ⁓ you know, they had such great fanfare that it's it would have been bad if anything official came out before this, and I don't think it did. And ⁓ like I sort of mentioned in in one of my videos, it was it was a secret that was hard for some on the chat boards to keep a secret. Yes, I do see them, I do read them. ⁓ but nonetheless, what an amazing announcement that the Vegas thrill are back. I was there in Vegas and it was so much fun. I think it was done so well. They had a nice event at the Lees Family Forum where they'll be returning to play their games. ⁓ first off, side note, great venue. I mean we we visited it while they still had their, I believe it's the box lacrosse and the ⁓ the arena football setup, if I'm not mistaken. ⁓ and someone there actually found a lacrosse ball in the ⁓ in the stands. But ⁓ it's squishy floor and it goes only about twenty five yards, but the stadium itself or the arena itself is ⁓ really, really nice and I had to pop up and down for different meetings in between rooms and the media area is nice. So just in and of itself a a very great venue. But I don't want to launch too much into it because this is going to be the focus of our next week's episode, frankly. So today is going to be live from Ren and then next week is going to be all about Vegas. But just on the whole, it was it was so much fun. And if you want to see more of what happened behind the scenes, I'll have a short ⁓ behind the scenes vlog going up on my personal, which is at Severin underscore L. ⁓ that should be out by now, by the time this episode is out. ⁓ but also just wanted to shout out Michael Landeer, of course, the owner and CEO, for bringing the team back. His passion, I think, is so evident when you talk to him. ⁓ he i is is done just such a great thing in in bringing this this team back. But also, you know, mentioned a lot in his speech about being a fan, and I don't think any of it is is just to to service the fans from a purely vocal standpoint. I think that he's he means every word that he says there. ⁓ and also want to shout him out for being a listener of this podcast, which he talked to me about, which is so great. And I know that ⁓ you know, a lot of our executives in the league do. So if you're listening, thank you for listening and welcome. ⁓ but yeah, it was it was great. Like I said, we'll talk more about it and more, more about kind of the ins and outs next week. But also ⁓ Fran, Ruben, the front office, so great to talk to you all and thank you for all you did. Next bit news, I just wanted to shout out Madison Fitzpatrick for being named to the ESPN ACC primetime crew, one of several crews that are are ⁓ along there as a sideline reporter with Max Brown and Wes Durham, part of the ⁓ college football slate that's coming your way relatively soon. It's crazy that we're already in the first week of August. ⁓ you all know Madison. She's been on air longer than I've been here, ⁓ but has done so many amazing things with MLV, whether it's on the mic, ⁓ in social videos. ⁓ and is just all around a fantastic person. I can guarantee you that as cool as you think she is, when you see her on TV, she's even cooler in person. And I I got to know her a little bit better this past season, got to work with her closely at MLV Awards, and she is the nicest person, deserving of all of the greatest things that could possibly come her way. And to see her get named to this ⁓ ESPN ACC ⁓ broadcast crew was so cool and it's something that is she she is so deserving of. And so just a huge shout out to Madison Fitzpatrick. And also there are other volleyball names that you'll notice for this college football season. I know that, you know, those two sports don't always overlap in terms of interest, but if you happen to turn the TV on, you might also see Michela Chester and Katie George, who are both also going to be in that sign line reporter capacity. ⁓ but certainly want to recognize ⁓ all three of them and particularly Madison for that ⁓ accomplishment. And ⁓ this is my oversight. I forgot to talk about VNL last week. I was so Probably in the frenzy of trying to make sure I had all my ducks in a row in terms of the travel and ⁓ everything that was coming up with the Vegas announcement that we were planning behind the scenes. ⁓ so I forgot to mention, and we're ending the news on a little bit of a downer note, but you all probably know this by now, considering we were covering this all the way ⁓ up to this week. But it was the surprising loss, top seeded in third ranked USA losing to China, which finished ninth in the preliminary round and was seeded eighth. ⁓ this is of course talking about women's VNL. ⁓ I just thought, you know, my quick match thoughts were I really felt like the US lost momentum in the middle sets and middle play to me was the difference. ⁓ Dana Retke was going off. I know a lot of the message boards and Twitter were saying where was ⁓ Chiaka? That's I I thought was fair criticism, but also ⁓ really just was about momentum and and it was it was unfortunate to watch the US go down like that. ⁓ but like I said, middle play was the difference to me. It's the second consecutive VNL quarterfinal loss. For the US women's national team, but they're gonna be right back in action pretty soon. The senior Norseca Continental Championship is August 19th in the Dominican Republic. ⁓ and the rumor that I've heard is it will be the A squad going there. So how about that? ⁓ we'll see if that's confirmed, but that's just ⁓ me trying to give you at least what I've heard to this point. But ⁓ yeah, either way, I know a lot of thoughts have been said on it already because I'm a week late, so I'll leave it there. ⁓ but yeah, that is the news, and we will now preview this episode really quickly to get you right into the interviews. ⁓ once again, it's Taylor, Avery, Peyton, and Carly in that order. They'll talk to me about what they did at Ren, designing jerseys, giving player feedback on apparel in addition to jerseys. ⁓ we'll talk all about their new teams except for Carly. She's one of the only ones who's staying with her team ⁓ that we talked to from from all of these ⁓ from from all these interviews. But ⁓ I I I don't wanna you know what, I'm gonna let you listen to it and then I'll give you my thoughts on the on the back side of things. But ⁓ I thought they were they were really forthcoming on what I thought were some some tougher questions, which I'll talk about ⁓ in the outro. But without any further ado, let's get to it. Here are Taylor, Avery, Payton, and Carly on the Set Six Podcast on Location from Ren. Taylor, welcome to the Set Six Podcast. It's awesome to talk with you. Here from Ren, and we're doing a bunch of great stuff with uniforms. You got the nice new hoodie on. Just first walk us through what today has been like, all the great design stuff that you've done and what today has been like for you. It's been super exciting. So I actually got to go see the jerseys and I majored in graphic design. So that was super cool just to kind of see all the colors and the logo and the fonts and all that kind of come together. And then the sleeves and just like it was just so cool to see everything come together. And then when I walked in, I got the the gear and it was super cool because I got to try on all the different sizes. And got to just see the whole layout of all the gear. So there like spandex and leggings and hoodies and sweatshirts. it was so cool. And then there was a whole photo shoot, which we got to do, which is super cool. And I was doing a bunch of different poses and videos and talking and there was just so much I feel like there's just so much care that's put into this. And it's super cool that I got the opportunity to come and kind of see everything. And I feel like it's super cool that we actually get to have a say so it's the players having a say-so in the gear and in the jerseys and the sleeves and all that kind of stuff. It just feels like MLV is actually making sure that we all feel included and it's not just the league and then players. It's like one collective thing. Yeah, and I love getting to have your opinion on on like the gear and everything, especially with your graphic design view on it as well. What are some of the things that you know you as players are looking for with the jersey design, with the gear that you're you're making notes or that you're making note of ⁓ in these kind of settings? I think colors, I think if we kind of stand out from the crowd, I feel like that's something that we always want to look for and then making sure that whatever we kind of want to represent with Norcout. making sure that that's actually into incorporated into the jerseys and everything el ⁓ everything else like that. And then just it looks cute. We wanna make sure that we look good out there. So like the spandex and the jerseys and all that kind of look really, really good together. And they're just feeling comfortable. Like that's kind of the main goal when it comes to jerseys and spandex and leggings and all that kind of stuff. Just feel we can c we're comfortable and we can go do our thing on the court. Totally. And it seems so cool talking to some of the Ren staff. Like they're all former players at D one places and it's like They know volleyball too as well, so it's probably nice to bounce your ideas off of them and they really understand it from your player's standpoint as well, right? Yeah, because then they can even be like, hey, listen, I've seen this in the past, I think we can add this, or I think this car would look cool, or just kind of like that bouncing ideas off each other I feel like is super helpful. Totally. Well we're super excited to follow you around the rest of the day too, and more social stuff is gonna be out there both on your new team, MLV NorCal's page, but also on ours as well. So let's go there. You sign with MLV NorCal, which is unbelievably exciting, but first Walk us through that decision. I think I just wanted to be a part of something new and just be able to be someone that can kind of add to the success of a new program within the MLV. I feel like it's keeps growing every single day. And I feel like I keep getting updates of things that are gonna happen with the coach and where we're gonna be playing at and our facilities and we're gonna be living. Like there's just so many different things that I feel like being able to be one of the first players on a new team is something super cool, and I'm very honored and very blessed to be a part of that. And I get to play with one of my old teammates, Allie Check. So I'm super excited to play with her. So I feel like everything's kind of just aligning the way that it's supposed to. And I've been praying about it. I've been just trying to figure out what looks best for me, making sure that I kind of put myself first in that decision process. And I've been talking with my family and my agents and everybody else in between. So I feel like this is de definitely the best decision for me. And I'm super excited to. Get there and start working with everybody. Can't wait to see it. We talked to Allie on this podcast a couple episodes ago. She mentioned how excited she was to reunite with you. What have the conversations been like with Allie and with your teammates and just overall on the construction of the team? It's looking like it's gonna be a really solid unit. ⁓ I definitely think so. And me and Allie were like, We're gonna be roommates for sure. We're gonna make sure that we have all these different things planned, we're gonna be driving places, like yeah, all this other kind of stuff. But also we're gonna make sure we bring the TikToks back and all that. You were saying that to Allie like, I gotta get on the dances, Taylor's gonna make me do the dances again, I gotta get back into this into the gear. Yeah, that's so funny. So we're gonna do the TikToks and all that kind of stuff. And then honestly, I'm just super excited to meet all the girls. I mean, I've actually played with Nia Gross, so I played with her at Minnesota before. So I mean, that's another connection that's super cool that I get to have at ⁓ at NorCal. So I'm just excited to kind of just see everybody meet everybody and just start working for the team. And you know about an elite level TikTok game from being with Indy. What did you learn about on court and just that camaraderie and such you know being such a good cohesive unit that, like you mentioned, you're gonna now, I would assume, use To build a team from the ground up. Yeah. I think it's really cool that there's so many girls that I've played college with or I've seen play in college or I've competed against or I've been with for USA, for example. I mean, I feel like it's super cool that I get to actually see all those other girls again and actually be able to play with them all over again. So I feel like that kind of gels all of us together, but then also just playing in the US, I feel like it's something that not everybody gets to say that they can do, and especially in such a growing league, I feel like that's super important. And I feel like all the girls on this team now are gonna be a part of something that's gonna be great. So I feel like we're all gonna be super dedicated and super driven to make that NorthCal is represented the way that it's supposed to be represented. Tell me more about what you learned last year in Indy, just with the whole scope of the season and and with what your role was and just how that kind of shaped you going forward as a player. I think honestly learning just to go for it and when it comes to pros, everybody's good just like it is in college, but it's just a whole nother level and this is This is now my job, so I'm getting paid to do this. So it's just kind of another added layer of pressure. But I feel like when it comes to that pressure, I want to make sure that I thrive and I strive in that. So from Indy last year, just taking every single day of practice. I mean, if there's extra reps, take them. If there's extra practices, take them. Just keep growing and developing and all that kind of stuff. Because that was my first year last year, obviously. So I mean, I feel like I have so many more years to go when it comes to this league. So just don't take any day for granted and make sure that like I'm always in the gym ready to work and I'm trying as hard as I can to experiment and do new things and make sure that I just stand out from the crowd so I get my opportunities on the court. It's a g it's a great point because ⁓ where I wanted to go with that too is like I'm so excited to see you in at MLV NorCal, I would assume in in an e expanded role, that's at how when I'm I'm picturing out the depth chart there, but I guess my question is, can you shed some light on what it's like to mentally shift or or prepare for the the role I mean obviously you were such an amazing talented player who had all the spotlight in college. And then obviously that's a different shift when you get to the pros, and it's it's not necessarily like a different spotlight, but it's a whole different role, right? How do you mentally kind of compartmentalize that and change your w the way your the way you play for that kind of new role? I think kind of embracing the game changer mentality more. I feel like when it kind of comes to that understanding, like I am not starting, that's totally fine. Like I know that whatever I've done in practice and I know what the coaches have told me are still gonna prepare me for moments whenever my name is called. So Just always kind of staying warm, moving around on the sideline, all that kind of stuff, but then still being super, super supportive from my teammates, which also kind of adds to all like them the warming up and all that kind of stuff. So when my name is called, I'm like, okay, this is kind of my moment to shine. And I mean, it's not like I'm trying to replace somebody. I'm just trying to add something to the team to try and help us win. That's the end goal for all of our our games, just to win so we can get to that championship. So I think just going into the court, being like, this is my moment. I mean, I'm gonna take advantage of it. I've worked so hard. And if I'm not starting in all these games, it doesn't really matter because I know what I can do internally and I know who I am as a player, and just kind of take what I've done in practice and just apply it to that game. Totally. ⁓ it's like the perfect answer. I love that. You're I I'm also looking for what your answer would be to it's a broad question on my part, so I apologize in advance. But what does a successful first season in MLV NorCal look like? I think just trying to be different, trying to stand out from the crowd, trying to be different than all the other. MLV teams, especially as the first MLV group for NorCal, like all of us girls, I feel like are gonna try and make sure that people talk about NorCal and say, ⁓ wow, I want to go to NorCal or I wanna watch NorCal on TV or I wanna go to a game, just making sure that we're not just kind of ⁓ blending into the mix, but we want to be like NorCal here. Like we want to make sure that we really stand out and be this unique team. And I feel like we do have the capabilities of doing all of that. I would agree with you. What did you make of not only the the new teams coming, NORCAL being one of them, but also, I mean, so many different signings and the free agency frenzy, you know, obviously you being one of the the marquee names, but just your overall thoughts on the free agency period and seeing all those names signed to all the different teams. I think it's super cool. I think it's cool seeing all my friends go to all the different places and all the girls that I've played with before and all the girls re-signing at Indy. I think it's super cool just kind of seeing where everybody ends up. And I feel like with MLV with these new teams added I feel like there's so many really, really high-level athletes that are now coming from overseas and now they're gonna play in MLV. And we're kind of like getting girls from LOVB and there's people like just moving around, all that kind of stuff, but then the MLV. So I feel like the talent level is super, super high, and I'm super excited to compete in that. Totally. And and ⁓ expanding on that too, like I mean, we just asked you out there and I you know heard all the directing stuff about like, you know, what is MLV and what defines MLV, but to kind of ask a similar question, what what's your your take on where the league is currently at? Heading into this new year with obviously all this expansion, just you know, y you as a player on the court, how you see where the league is currently standing. I think it's in a really, really good plot spot, and I think it's gonna just keep going. Like the amount of fans that we have coming to these games and the mascots are super important, they're super cool, and people are loving the mascots and they're loving coming to our games, and like you s they see us along the street and they're like, ⁓ my gosh, you play for a pro team. So it's just it's very inspirational for these younger girls. So I feel like I feel like I'm super honored. To be able to actually be that inspiration for these girls outside of college. But then also just kind of understanding like we're also a part of history, like we're making history. And I feel like it's super cool just being able to kind of be a part of that history, especially being with NorCal, this new team. Like when they think of NorCal, like we're the first girls that are part of that. And I think it's super, super cool to think about that. That's so great. First off, with the mascots, with your design input, are you gonna have any design input on the mascot for NorCal? I also I'm curious to know what it's gonna be too. But ⁓ I think that was such a great point that you just made too, where how do you I I I'm looking forward to seeing how the impact in the community is made too. And obviously, you being on a team with Indy that has such a great impact in their community. How do you bring that to NORCAL? I mean, because really creating that connection with the community has got to be so genuine, right? And what what does that look like? I feel like just kind of getting ourselves out there, just kind of Trying to find any type of way that we can to really get sh like make sure that we're actually incorporated within the community. And then if it's just doing like little events, it doesn't really matter. Like whatever that may be, whatever opportunity we have, I feel like we should always jump on it. And also just come with a smiling face and high energy and being able to socialize and all that kind of stuff. Just make sure that we are athletes, but the people actually see our personality and see who we are as people and we can be friends and sisters and all that kind of stuff. Like they're just more to us than just athletes. And I want to make sure that we all let that shine through because I feel like we have such a really good group of girls. And I'm really excited to see everybody's personalities and all that kind of stuff. So, like however that looks, I feel like just kind of making sure the community feels included within our own team. Like it's not just NORCal, it's everybody within California is a part of NORCAL. I love that. And I I wanted to jump back to an answer that you had earlier on in our conversation with your experience with USA. I wanted to expand on that because I I was curious how that impacted you as a player and what you learned from your USA experience that's helped you play at the the highest level that you can. I think just being around such high level athletes all the time is something that's super just not everybody gets to experience that. And I'm glad that I've been able to experience it. And also just learning from these super high level coaches. And honestly, a lot of the time, like you'll see other teams within the gym. So you can actually watch those girls, the girls that are part of the national team. You can see them practicing and you can see them just being so successful. And honestly, you can just watch and be like, Hey, listen, I'm gonna be I wanna try that. Or I can go out back and watch their film or do something like that. So I feel like just always being in an in a gym where there's just so many amazing athletes, that's one thing, but then also they're always so nice and they're so kind and they're like, if you need anything, let me know. If you need to go to the store, let me know. If you want to just go hang out, let me know. So I feel like it's just more than just an athlete, like I always say, it's just like we're all becoming friends and that's I feel like a really big part of volleyball. Just making sure that, you know, you're around people that you love and you care for and you treat people the way that you want to be treated. Connecting on that USA experience is the c new coach, Alex. I mean, have you gotten to talk to her at all? And also, do you know just how excited were you when that announcement came through and you know, any conversations, inside info that you have there with Alex? So I actually did get to talk to her and it super fun. We just talked about how she's doing and my family, and we talked a little bit about her family, and just kind of I love that we actually get to have a conversation before we meet in person. And she said we're gonna kind of keep in contact like after this trip and we're gonna talk maybe two or three more times, but I feel like just having a coach that's actually Wanting to make sure that we have a relationship before we actually see each other in person is something that's super important to me. And I feel like also it's just so cool that she got announced. Like we were just waiting and waiting and waiting. And when we finally got the announcement that she was our coach, I feel like, especially as a female coach, like I'm just so grateful that we get to be coached by a female coach who's very successful, who's just doing amazing things. And I feel like she's really gonna be able to guide us into the right direction to be very successful within this league. Taylor, I gotta ask what what does the rest of your off season look like? I mean, it seems like everything is still so so go go go for everybody. But you know, you are you getting some downtime, you're getting to do some things away from volleyball? You know, are you are you planning your move out to to NorCal? You know, where are things at for you in your off season? So I'm hanging out with my family, just making sure that I can soak up every second when I that I can with them, just taking my little brother to the water park or we're doing like obstacle courses out in the front yard or like doing a cook-off. Like what like those like silly little things you just get to do with a family, but then also Just kind of like working out, resetting, letting my body rest, not doing too many treacherous things that just didn't do a lot of wear and tear on my body. I just want to make sure that I really take the time to decompress and let my body kind of reset before I go back to the treacherous season. But also just like connecting with my old teammates, I'm doing camps, like kind of whatever I can just to kind of stay within the community still. And not just kind of separate volleyball completely out of my life. Because I still want it to be a part of my life right now, even though it's off season. Of course. I I mean, I just think you're the best sibling ever. I wish my brother did that kind of stuff with me. I mean, gosh, first of all, what does the obstacle course look like? That's the one that caught my I mean, are we doing like little little jumps? Are you setting up cones? Like, what does that look like? Okay, so we did it yesterday. Okay. And we did hopscotch, and then we rode this like cute little bike that's way too small for me. And then we had to run around the net. We had like a huge bat and net, because we had to run around that, and then we had to do a hula hoop. And then we had to cornhole, and then we had to do badminton, and then jump over hurdles, and then ring a bell. I need to like this is the best way to get your cardio in. I gotta start doing that instead of the treadmill. That's awesome. ⁓ yeah, it's a And like take him to the water park, that's sick. That's awesome. Take Tatum, he's 11, so he loves water parks. We just actually went on a family trip to Florida about a month ago. So just, you know, just doing stuff. That's so neat. Yeah, just awesome. I hope that you'll share some of that, or if you continue to share some of that on your your socials. We'll need some of that to put as a B-roll over this for sure. But that's amazing. And I'm glad that you're able to do that while also kind of resetting for volleyball as well. But we're so glad that you're here and getting to experience this with us too. We cannot wait to see you at MLV NorCal. But thanks for sitting down on the Set Six podcast. We appreciate it. Thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. Avery, how are you? I'm good. So great to have you here at Ren. This is an easy trip down the road for you, right? But Tell me about all the cool stuff that's been going on today. What you've been doing with the jersey design and then the photo shoot out there. Walk me through what's happened today. Yeah, it's been so much fun getting to join today. We talked a little bit about jersey design this morning and like what ⁓ alterations they're making to the jerseys from last year. So that was super cool to see. And then we did a little photo shoot and some of the gear and it's just been a lot of fun. I got to see some of the designs as I was passing by that room. I I've been wanting to poke my head in, but it looks like it's so in-depth and it's so neat that you you all get to have like a say and an opinion and like they're really listening to what your input is. Yeah, it's so awesome. It's really cool to see like how they've like taken the jerseys from last year and making small changes, but really like completing them. It's really awesome. Tell me more about like what are some of the things that you're providing feedback on. Yeah, I think it's really cool to see just them adding like small details from like last year. ⁓ we had like some flowers on the Columbus jerseys so that was really cool. And then just kind of keeping it more simple for some of the other ones, which I think is really awesome. So let's talk about Columbus signing there. We're super excited to see you. We we want to see Columbus back to the top. So the first question I want to ask is like, how does that happen? It's a big, it's a big it's a big ask, it's a big question. You know, it's like it's got anywhere that you could take that. But obviously for you as well as a setter, like very important that you you lead the team in in not only w we how you how you do on the court, but also how you ⁓ kind of connect with everybody as well. So just broad question how does Columbus get back the top? Yeah, I'm super excited to get at it and get working. I think We have a great group group of girls and our coaching stuff seems so amazing and so I'm just really excited to be a part of it. I think we'll really train and get after it. Do you have any conversations with Dave? Obviously getting to see that he's gonna be the head coach was super exciting for us, but any any chats with him? Yes, he seems so amazing. I haven't actually gotten to work with him, but he was at Florida and so just like seeing the tra the setters that he's trained and just how well that they've like grown their game, I'm like really excited to be a part of it. What are the conversations like or what were they like when you were getting ready to pick your next team and then choosing Columbus? Yeah, I think it's the same as like the college recruiting process, like finding which coaching staff and program, like their systems like work best with you and so just finding out like what they want from their players and how they want to like grow their game there is really important. Absolutely. And then maybe taking what you learned from Atlanta last year, how does that kind of how do you transfer that into the previous question about bringing Columbus back to the top and obviously with Atlanta being such a tight knit group last year as well, what lessons do you take away from last year? Yeah, Atlanta was great. It was everything I wanted to be my first season. I mean I really didn't know what to expect coming into the pro world. I mean it's so different than college and so kind of a wake up call in a sense, but I feel good about coming into next season, like knowing what to expect and being more prepared, I would say. Tell me more about what what is ⁓ what's some of the change like to becoming a pro. What what are some of the things that are different from college? Yeah, definitely the speed of the game. Everyone is so physical, so terminal. ⁓ I think that was probably the biggest surprise to me. Like it's the top players from every college playing in pro. And so the just the speed of the game and just how well everyone plays was probably the biggest difference for me. How do you how does one so like let's say me as a fan, how do I notice when that adjustment clicks for specifically the setter position? Like is that when, you know, I start seeing faster setting or when it, you know, running the running the tempo a little bit faster? Like what would I notice about someone's game coming in from the college where it's like, okay, that's clicked and they're now ready for the pro level? Yeah, for sure. I think definitely the tempo of the system that they're running, and then I think also just connection with hitters, I think. A lot of times when you're coming into a new team like that takes a long time to build and like know what your hitters need and versus other players, you know, and so I think connection and tempo. How do you build that connection? I mean, is that more team dinners, you know, going out for for different events? Like do you how do you naturally build that new connection? Yeah, it's just as important off the court as it is on and so I think just building relationships on and off the court is so important. Getting to know your teammates not just as your teammate, but actually as your friend is super important. Avery, what did you make of the signings in Columbus? And then my second half of that question is gonna be the signings around the league because free agency was a whirlwind, but obviously, you know, Columbus is coming at it with a little bit of a different unit. You're you're gonna be a key part of that unit, but what what did you make of the team building to this point? Yeah, I actually know like a few girls. I've played with them in the past, so it's kind of fun to look forward to that. But it's a great group of girls. I'm really excited. They all seem like really hard workers, and yeah, I'm just I'm ready to get after it. Anything you ever noticed from playing across the net from Reagan specifically, where you're like, ⁓ I'm so happy she's on my team now. I'm so happy. She's so awesome, such a great player. It's gonna be so great to see you with her as well. And then with around the league, you know, obviously we've got a lot of players here, some of the key signings from the off season as well. But it really seemed like, you know, a lot of international talent, a lot of ⁓ different, you know, changing of teams, but also just a big influx of talent as a whole to MLV and just curious your thoughts on the off season with everybody signing everywhere. Yeah. It's so awesome. I mean, this sport is growing so much and I'm just so honored to be a part of it, a small part of it. yeah. I just think that volleyball in the US is just so amazing and that we get the opportunity to play the sport that we love. It's really cool. ⁓ this is my opinion, but just getting to see you all interact, you know, whether it's here, whether it's on the court, it seems like such a tight-knit group of players who genuinely, you know, are friends and care about each other and have such a great environment. Is that right? And like what What is it is it just 'cause you all played in college and know each other now? But like, you know, what is it about that environment that just b makes it seem like when we come here, you all are like the best friends? Yes. It's so cool to see. A lot of us have played college or even like if you're from the same city, like you probably played club against them. ⁓ so it's just really fun to like get back together and compete against each other and then potentially like compete with them on following teams. It's really awesome. I wanna ask you a little bit about college and ⁓ throwing some of my nerdy perspective here, but you like you collected basically the infinity stones of Texas colleges. I'm imagining transferring credits was nuts, but then you also just told me that this summer you you know got to walk and you finished up school, which congratulations. But I would I would imagine that you know you learned a lot along your way from playing in some very high level programs. Yes, for sure. My college experience was definitely a rural win, so I would say I went to three different schools and so as you were saying transferring credits, it was a hassle. But I wouldn't have traded f for the world. I mean I learned so many different things at each of those programs and it really made me the player that I am today. Always staying around the the the Texas area, but I want to ask you I know that, you know, Columbus now and obviously Atlanta, but I I feel like you're more qualified than most to talk about how important volleyball is in just, you know, North Texas, Texas in general. But please, you know, shed some light as a non Texan what that what it's like with that vol volleyball culture. Yeah, Texas is Such a volleyball like hot spot. ⁓ we have great players that come out of here from Dallas and from all over Texas. And so just being able to be a part of it is so awesome. Totally. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention your part of your volleyball journey with ⁓ Team USA. I believe the starting center on the U-23 national team with the 2025 Pan Am Cup win. I believe also with ⁓ Kara Kressey and ⁓ then Nora Tob ⁓ Norah Tobrok Nora Sis still, ⁓ and Ava Martin as well. So plenty of MLV representation, but just please. Share more about your time there with USA. Yeah, it was so amazing. I actually played for Kayla. She was our assistant coach there. And so getting to play under her in Atlanta was so special. ⁓ and then a few of the girls as well. I actually was roommates with Ava at in Atlanta. And so it's just really cool to like build those relationships and get to play with them down the road. It's really awesome. Do you take any of like the systems or any like specific tips or tricks that those coaches tell you about? you know, how they teach their setters and you apply that to what you already know, or or is it more like, hey, they're they're choosing us because of how good we are. We just kinda do our thing. Yeah, I think you take things from every coach that you play under. ⁓ they're so knowledgeable and so I just try to take things from them and things that really resonated with me and works well. but the USA Gym is so competitive and those coaches are so knowledgeable and so it's always fun to be there. Avery, I want to finish up with just, you know, taking us from the the super in-depth to the big macro question of just where do you see the the league right now? And just you know, your perspective as a player is so valuable from you know, we we can only speculate from the outside, but you being in it, like how do you f where do you feel the league is at? Big general question, but take it wherever you want. Yeah, I think it's honestly so awesome that it's just growing so much. Like when I was younger, I always dreamed of playing pro, but at the time you had to go overseas to play. And so Now that we have the opportunity to play in the US, it's just honestly like kind of mind-blowing because I never thought that this would be a possibility. So it's just awesome. I think it's growing so much and I think there's more growth to happen. But it's really, it's really awesome to be a part of. Well, Avery, we really appreciate you being here and taking some time on the Set Six podcast. We appreciate Thank you so much for having me. Peyton, great to see you. Great to have you here at Ren. Great to have you at MLV Minnesota. We're gonna talk about that in a second, but first. Tell me about what's been going on today, what we've been doing here. Yeah, we've been walking around, just kind of looking around the facility, trying on some gear, taking some pictures. I've been able to talk to a few girls that I've seen in the past, so it's been a lot of fun. Yeah, tell me more about the the design, especially for you know being an all-new team too and getting to have input like that seems so neat. Just w what are some of the kind of things that you're providing and put on? Yeah, I mean to start, it's really cool that they asked for us players to kind of put our opinion towards what we're gonna be representing. And I think that's huge for teams to actually take the time to do that, to get their players' opinions, because yes, they're the ones wearing the gear, but us players, we're the ones that are on the court, we're the ones wearing the jersey. So it's been a lot of fun. We've had meetings kind of with our design team and with a few of us girls on the calls and we've really put our input in and Being here and seeing the designs come to life has been a lot of fun and even coming in today I've been able to kind of input my opinion as well. So it's been great and I love that we're very active and kind of deciding what the year's gonna look like. Yeah, it's so neat and then you getting to talk to some of the staff, like most of them being D one volleyball players themselves too. It's like everybody knows what they're talking about, which is sick. So a lot of common ground there with that. Yes, exactly. Yeah, it's cool. I mean, I didn't realize the amount of volleyball players that were on this staff here at Ren. So I mean I got to play against Lexi growing up in college, so it's been a lot of fun to kind of see her step into this new role and just help this league be super successful. And I'm really happy that she found something outside of volleyball, which is awesome. And I know as volleyball players that's sometimes difficult to do to kind of separate it, but she's found a way to kind of put her name out there and help this league be dressed to impress and to compete at the highest level. Dressed to impress indeed. We should point out too, we're wearing some of that merch. We've got Some of these nice lovely examples behind us as well. And the photo shoot looked super great as well, too, where you were an absolute rock star. Yeah. Also, but a lot of different poses, a lot of different designs. You had the intense one, you had the fun one. So you were killing it. Thank you. Yeah. Photo shoots are always fun. I always enjoy doing them. It kind of lets us girls kind of just be loose and be ourselves. And it gives the people on the outside world an opportunity to see what we're like, kind of outside of this volleyball environment. So doing these is a lot of fun and again seeing girls that I've played with before has been awesome too. Alright, let's talk MLV Minnesota. Just walk me through the whole process of signing there. We're also gonna get to this too, but I I I don't want to bury the lead that you're no stranger to playing for a bunch of different teams, but now to be able to play for this one in the MLV, just just walk me through what that that decision making process was like to sign with Minnesota. Yeah, it was different. I mean, I never imagined myself playing in the US super early in my career. ⁓ I've spent Five years outside, and Pedro ended up reaching out, and he really convinced me and really kind of made me feel like it was time for me to come home. And I'm a big family person, so I want to be able to play in front of my family. And my sister's going to college, my other sister's getting married. So I felt like outside of volleyball, it was time for me to be close to them and to be able to spend time with them, which doing this gives me that opportunity. I mean we have a great team and just the staff kind of sold me on coming. We have a great head coach, we have a great assistant coach who again I got to play against her. She was one of the best in her time. And even now I think she still is. So I'm super excited to get just start training. but yeah, it was a very simple process. I got got a phone call from them, and I think within that same week I ended up signing. So they really sold me and my fiance's Brazilian, so Being with Pedro and having him kind of being the head coach really eased my fiancé's mind and made it kind of easy for me to do that because, you know, once we're married, he's gonna be with me. So it kind of felt like home for him, which is a big deal for me, because he is my best friend. So even going up to Minnesota this summer for working camps, Pedro was really involved with making my fiance kind of feel at home. And same with me. I feel like I got there and I was like, all right, it's time. To stay here, like I don't wanna leave, I just wanna start training now. And then so you know, what what is it like to be in an athlete relationship like that? And also planning a wedding too sounds it's gotta be a whole bunch of different stuff. A busy summer, definitely for you. But please, you the the the athlete dynamic has gotta be awesome. Yeah, I mean we're both competitive, we're both, you know, very hands-on with each other's sports. I've started learning more about basketball, he started learning more about volleyball and You know, we're each other's biggest supporters. So no matter where we go in life, we're always gonna support each other. And I think we established that early on in our relationship that we're not gonna keep each other from going somewhere just because we are together. And I think that's why we are where we are in our relationship. We're planning our wedding for next year just because, lucky enough, he ended up getting into a school here in the US. So he's gonna start a whole different career. And it's gonna be different for him. He's going in as a freshman. He's gonna be one of the oldest, but he is very mature and I think that's what drew me to him is that, you know, I try and avoid the basketball players. They're not, you know, like just it's a different vibe from volleyball. I always imagine, you know, a volleyball player with a volleyball player. But as soon as I met him, it was like I always say, it was like talking to a male version of me. Like I was talking to myself, I was talking to my best friends, and we had been talking It felt like for years, like I had known him, he had known me. So it was pretty easy for us to kind of establish that relationship and establish that bond that we have with each other and we have our we have a kind of like our own little family. We have two dogs. So it's been really fun and he has been so supportive of me throughout this whole process and throughout the past two years, especially when I was in Brazil. I was gonna say I know that that probably happened when you were at one of your international stops, which please stop me if I get one of them wrong, but Israel, Puerto Rico, Greece, Turkey, Brazil, and league champion last year with Brazil. That's a lot of stops. And now with MLV, you are more qualified than most to talk about this. What separates this league from all the other options out there? Yeah, I mean, I think just speaking as an American, it's a chance for us to play at home. It's a chance for us to not have to really feel the pressure of learning a whole different language and just like a different lifestyle. I know for me when I started playing professionally it was very easy for me to want to do that. I wanted to go and travel the world. I wanted to play volleyball at the highest level. And you know, it's kind of it's just different. I mean there's a different sort of pressure than there is overseas. You know, overseas usually it's you and two other foreigners, especially in Brazil, to where here it's, you know, I'm playing with Americans and maybe a few foreigners here and there. So I feel like I something that separates this league from that is like we kind of have to step up to kind of welcome people into not only our country but into American style volleyball. and I think we're kind of lucky to have Pedro as a coach because he's Brazilian. He knows kind of like that international way to play. And I think just here in MLV in general, you're seeing a lot of coaches that have coached at the international level, whether it's with national team. or somewhere overseas, I think they are starting to adapt to that. So I think there are gonna be changes is but it's gonna be in the best way possible. It's gonna be a lot of fun. I can't wait to catch up with you when we're more into the season because I'm so curious to ask you If the playstyle of Minnesota ends up taking on more of an international kind of identity to it. And I'm curious if I can match that with what I see to how you play. So I'm I'm tabling that question for later, for sure. I also don't want to leave out your time with Vegas. And I'm curious what you might have learned in that go-around that might be how you're preparing to enter this season with Minnesota. Yeah, my time with Vegas, it was a little different. I came in super last minute. I think I played a total of maybe six games. I just plenished. Finished playing in Turkey. I had a really bad experience there and kind of started losing the love and the reason of why I'm playing volleyball. ⁓ so after Turkey, I actually ended up playing in Puerto Rico for a few games. And then lucky enough, my head coach from West Virginia, Reed Tsunahara, reached out to me. He was with Vegas. He was like, Hey, do you want to come play? And I'm like, Yeah, why not? Like, let's go, let's go be a part of this hist historic moment being in the first league in the US. So I kind of went there with a very open mind, with no pressure, no expectations. It was like I was going in as a rookie and sure enough I kind of went in and the girls were very welcoming. They kind of helped me get used to everything and I think it brought out like a different level of maturity for me because I was one of the oldest. So I did kind of have to help, you know, maybe with the younger girls a little bit, just getting them used to the professional level and I think playing overseas, I was able to help them in different ways than maybe some of the older girls could. So I wanted to kind of be as hands-on with them as possible and it was a lot of fun. I like like I said, I got the love of volleyball back and I found my reason why playing there. So I enjoyed it and I think after playing there I kind of knew that I wanted to come back to the US sooner than I thought I would. I know you said no pressure, neck no expectations, but I'm gonna end with My version of a high pressure question, which is, I'm gonna leave others out of there. I'm just gonna say me, because I don't want to drag anyone else into my take. But I look at Minnesota on paper and I say, that is a team that's gonna be left standing at the end. Do you feel that kind of pressure just looking at the way that the team has been constructed, with Pedro, with the way the front office is setting up everything for success? And do you feel any of that? And if not, like what is the team dynamic gonna look like to make sure that you're playing free and easy? Honestly, I don't feel any pressure at all. And I would say that about any of the new teams, there is no really pressure. It's just kind of like, okay, you want to make a stand, you wanna kind of start something new. You know, there's a lot of new teams joining the league, and I think we just kind of want to make a name for ourselves and show people that we deserve to be here just as much as anyone else. And we our ownership team, they're very experienced with this professional life. So I think having these other sport pros around. it may feel like it is pressure, but it's not. It's just a lot of fun and I mean, our team on paper, it's we're a great group of girls. If you look at all of us, I think over half of us have had that international experience. And I think that's kind of gonna help us in the league. And even the girls that maybe this is their first professional season, they competed at some of the highest levels in college volleyball and They know what to expect. They've played against foreigners before, so it's just gonna be fun. I think that's how I'm going into this season. Like, yes, I wanna win. I don't wanna lose. I don't think anyone would. But I'm just here to have fun, compete, play with an amazing group of girls, and just you know, you never know what's gonna happen at the end of the year. I you know, people always ask me, ⁓ you think you're gonna win? And I'm like, I mean, of course I'm gonna say that, but it just we'll see. I think keeping track of MLV these past few years, it's The top team competes with the bottom team. So you just never know what's gonna happen. And again, I think we just wanna make our name known and we wanna kind of show people like this is what Minnesota has to offer. I love it. I love it. Well it's been one thing that's definitely been fun is having you on this podcast. Peyton, we appreciate it so much, and I cannot wait to see you on the court with Minnesota. But thank you for sitting down with us on the Set Six Podcast. Thank you. Thank you. Carly, thank you for joining us here on the Set Six Podcast. We are so excited to talk to you. But I want to ask you about what today has been like. It seems so cool being able to have a little bit of a design input on the jerseys for next season, on some of the apparel that we have here, some that you're wearing as well. But what has today been like? What have you been doing? Yeah, today has been so fun. I mean there's also girls from the league that I've kind of known and seen, but we don't have as much interaction because we really are go, go, go during season. So it's been kind of fun to hear what their off season's been like, hear how they've liked their seasons. And yeah, it's so fun because usually players don't have input in apparel and jerseys and you kind of just get what you get. And I think it's really fun that Ren is including us in that process and getting us out here to see what it's like. So yeah, it's been super fun. I haven't designed anything yet, but I know the people who have been are really excited to be involved and I'm just excited to be here and excited to have something to do with the league and the off season since we missed it. And I know we were talking before too about how everybody here has a volleyball background and you know some of them as well, but it it's gotta be nice too to be bouncing ideas off of people who know the sport who've played it at a high level and are now here at Ren to be able to help facilitate that. Yeah, absolutely. I think it one of the things I was impressed with with Ren during season before I did anything involving this trip was that the apparel is actually long enough. And the material is really comfortable when we're practicing traveling, it holds up all season. You know, a lot of times you get something that is, you know, fine for week one and then slowly you see this gear start to really be clear that it's not meant for the wear and tear that we put it through, but I really appreciated all the gear that we've gotten. All my friends and family are like asking me for my extras and I've been hoarding it. So it's it's just really fun to be here and have everyone kind of know what the gear needs to provide for us and know you know, the differing body types and and what we're doing with it. So it's been it's been really fun to meet some more people. Not all of them are gonna be available to everybody immediately, but hopefully eventually, but any favorites from the rack out there, from the rack here that you've seen of g of gear and apparel? Yeah, I'm wearing this fabric I had last year and I wanted more stuff with this fabric. So the hoodie I'm wearing right now is that was like the number one thing I was pulling out for practices. And I I wore it into the ground and I asked people, you know Who on the team sometimes at the end of the year everyone has their favorite stuff so you'll do some trades. So I was asking for this material last season and yeah, I grabbed it right off the rack. I love it. Well, Carly, I want to ask you a little bit more about Grand Rapids and obviously your amazing role on the team, but first I want to talk a little bit more about your playstyle. I had a blast watching you play and I feel like you were just so cool, calm, and collected while putting up any stat you could possibly think of on the stat sheet. My question is, have you always been that way? Or is that something that you kind of learned to sort of be like or at least present like over time? I think I was not always that way. I was really, really high energy, especially when I was a young, I was so competitive. My siblings made this PowerPoint presentation to tell my parents that I was too competitive. Like, you know, like ruining family game nights type of energy. What kind of games were you playing? Was it like mad Monopoly playing? Card games, Monopoly ping pong. You know, we would like go down to the basement to play ping pong and my parents would like hold their breath and be like, Okay, s it's gonna be a huge fight happening. Like I already know it because yeah, I was just very competitive and very high energy and I think once I got to college they kind of sort of needed a six hertzation outside who was a stabilizer. And you you also weren't trying to, you were with a bunch of other competitive people. So I think you were no longer trying to like pull people along with you. Like sometimes you are in high school sports, you know, there's like a differing degree of commitment and some people are playing clubs, some people aren't playing club. So I just felt like I needed to bring so much of that winning energy. And when once I got to Florida, they were like we yeah, we need a stabilizer. We need someone who's going to you know, keep the calm on the court. And I actually really enjoyed that role more than I thought I would because yeah, as six rotation outside you have so much responsibility on the court already. And I feel like when something is going wrong, if you ride the highs and lows of it, it can affect your teammates a lot. So I always just felt like, yeah, this is actually the perfect role for me. And I've sort of been that way ever since. And you know, when you have long matches and long seasons, I really do just try to be a consistent emotional force for the team. You know, at six AM at the airport. good vibes, you know, missed a flight, you know, trying to bring the positive energy. And I just feel like that's a really, you know, emotionally important role on a team that's easy for me to tap into because yeah, I just I just am a positive person and I just do like to look on the bright side of things. So yeah, I sort of have had that role for a while now and I enjoy it. Sometimes they do want me to get more excited. My coach in France is always screaming at me like Tiger Face. And I was like, I don't know if I have one. But But yeah, I so I you I I do tap into that ⁓ in the in the big moments too. But yeah, try to be consistent. I'm gonna have to go look for some of the tiger face clips now. Yeah, yeah. Occasionally there's like a real, you know, like a ref situation. also in practice they always make fun of me because I'm so on the scoreboard. Like if we're keeping score. So th everyone's like, Carly's so calm and collected and then the like Poor like director of operations gets a score wrong in practice, and I'm like, Jenna! And I feel and I feel so bad after it. I'm like, I'm so sorry. ⁓ man, I can see why if I was playing ping pong or pickleball against you too, that would that wouldn't go well. ⁓ yeah, we are we are on the scoreboard. We are like, yeah. That's so great. I think I know the answer to this, but you know, Carly, that's a it's a big role that you have at Grand Rapids. And like you said, being the positive presence of the airport at 6 a.m. is not always easy. I would not do well with that. Do you ever feel Any pressure to always be that positive presence, even if you're having a bad day, or even if you know it's just not going your way that day for whatever reason. And and if not, like how do you manage to to you know stay so consistent in your role? I think I don't necessarily feel pressure to do that. I think actually almost like it's freed me from the opposite. I think my teammates have been so appreciative of the like consistent energy that people can bring that when things have gone wrong, it's usually not just a missed flight or like the meal not turning out how you wanted it to. Like those things really never ruffle my feathers. I'm like so go with the flow about stuff that ⁓ happens, especially when it's someone's t job on the team and they're already worked up about it. You know, you don't need to pile on to that. But I do think there's times when you can make an important change where the team actually needs your voice. And last year as a captain that was sort of the the hardest part for me I think was speaking for the team when there is something that needs to be talked about that is Important information and also could be a growing opportunity for whether it be the organization, the staff, you know, that's sort of your job as a captain to like help with the schedules, help with the pulse on the team and so I think it was a really good learning opportunity for me to about like when you can voice a group opinion and not just to always say like, okay, everything is like perfect and good and you know, teams are teams always have things that they go through and being able to navigate those conversations is Also really important. And if you're someone who's usually positive, people are more likely to listen to you when you have feedback than if you've complained about, you know, how your steak is cooked for the last six weeks in a row. No, that's that's awesome. I this is this is probably my most difficult question for you, but I you're the more more most qualified person to ask it, where it's just, you know, maybe just looking at at the outside latch and just it's like you and PBR and Morgan, it's like this team is, you know, got some heavy hitters at great positions and then You know, just couldn't quite get over the hump towards the end of the season, but made that late charge. Yeah. What ⁓ needs to change, I guess, to make that postseason run n this next season? 'Cause for on the outside I look at like, you know, all of all of these great players. Doesn't seem like you need to change too much, but obviously maybe just one or two little tweaks and what does that look like? Yeah, the margins are just so small in this league and that's something that, you know, you you look back at games and it's like there's two points in the fifth set in January, and that really does matter, you know, we were one game away from playoffs. I think that's two years in a row for us. And there is some, you know, true factors you can look at is we had s a lot of injuries in February. That's not easy. And people stepping into roles that were really big and important like, you know, a draftee playing opposite who is an outside hitter and that's really hard. And we were so proud of them for doing that and so proud of them for stepping into those roles. And at the same time knowing that's not easy for them. So I think for us it's you know, being able to have confidence when we 'cause without a doubt, every team has had that happen, you know, last year at some point, you know. I think Dallas was playing with Kelsey Payne as a middle at one point and pulled off a win and just finding ways to ebb and flow with like the ever changing season because two games a week it's really hard if you say, Okay, we have an injured player and that makes that means, you know, it's gonna be tough, but you might play eight games before they're back and that's really makes a dent in your end of season. ⁓ record. So I think just for us like ebbing and flowing a little bit and you tapping into some of the strength we have and some of the leaders we have. So I'm really looking forward to next season. We have some great returners and a really good solid base with amazing people coming in. So I'm hoping that yeah we can speak it into existence now. Tell me more about that. What have you made of the team construction for this next season? What gets you excited and obviously new coach too, but coach that you already know. So just what have you made of the way the team's constructed for twenty twenty seven? Yeah I'm really excited. I think Mike is a great stable Force and he's really smart and he's really he's a really good people person, so I think he's gonna do wonderfully stepping into the role of head coach. We're really excited for him. ⁓ Kathy obviously is such a force to reckon with in the community, so I think she's going to do such a good job putting us out there and such a good job already, like making huge strides for the team. People really trust her and look to her, especially as a voice in women's sports. So I think we're really lucky to have her as a president. ⁓ personally and selfishly. I'm so excited because Maddie Bug, the setter, is one of my best friends. She just spoke at my wedding ⁓ two months ago. So she is, yeah, one of my closest friends and just such a consistently amazing person and a truly like competitive driven person who wants what's best for the team. So I'm really excited for that that energy too. And I also know Carly DeHugue really well. we played together in France years ago and we had the whole like Carly, Carly, you know, whatever thing. And so J it speaks volumes how much I like her because it is annoying to have the same name as someone on a team, but I was like, I'm so excited that she's back. Yeah. Well, Carly, I mean our time has flown by. I have so many more questions I'd like to ask you that I'm just gonna have to save for next time. But you're not allowed to escape without me asking you about your cats, specifically Mystic Cat. Yes. ⁓ my gosh, I'm so I'm so excited this is coming up. Mystic is my little world traveler. She I got her when I was playing in France. And she's come with me everywhere that I play. Everyone on the team knows that Mystic is this very interesting, not super cat-like. She almost acts like a human when I have girls over and we're all sitting in a circle. Mystic will like sit in a chair and close the circle and follow the conversation. So yeah, she she comes with me everywhere. She's definitely ⁓ one of one of the things that makes me really happy when I'm away from my family or my partner. ⁓ and all the girls on the team know that. Yeah, they they ask about Mystic all the time and she I think she has like powerful energy. So sometimes when things are going wrong, I'm like, guys, if you wanna come over and ask Mystic for a favor, she is in good ties with the universe. She's living up to her name. Yes. Exactly, exactly. We're gonna need like some pictures or video to to put in as mineral while we're talking about. She she has a crazy aura. Okay I mean ⁓ yeah, I you don't even have to include this because it's such an insane thing to say about one's pet, but she yeah, she's just this like large, beautiful cat. I think anybody who has ever had pets or been around pets knows they have a nora. So I think that's more than within the realm. But ⁓ man, there's so many more questions I have, but please we gotta get you back to where you need to be. But Carly, so great to talk to you. Thank you for sitting down with us on set six and we're so looking forward to seeing you next season. Thank you. Thanks for having me. This has been so much fun. Great stuff. I thought all handled those tougher questions like I mentioned really well. And you're probably like Severin, those weren't tough questions at all. Fair, noted. But still, I'm it's not often that I'm going to ask, you know, people like Peyton, like, hey, there's a lot of pressure given that the team that's assembled on paper, how are you dealing with that? Or it's not often that I'm gonna really just walk up to Carly and be like, Hey, you guys underachieved last year. And I don't mean that at all. I mean it more in terms of, you know, we see the I think I think we all get excited about the construction of rosters and also the the star power that we have in this league. And, you know, sometimes fans or ⁓ you know, people. prognosticators as I'd like to call them. ⁓ you would be just expect that something is gonna go one way or another way. And I thought both of them couldn't have handled those answers any better. ⁓ so I th just I I I will I like that. I got a kick out of that. ⁓ and I I think Carly is a hundred percent right too. I mean it's just one or two little pieces. And it's funny where a player of her stature will then talk about, you know, it's like maybe two sets that you win in ⁓ February or whatever it may be that could prove to be the difference in terms of seating and and a playoff spot versus going home. And she's right. And I think that's as close as Grand Rapids was. So anyway, that's all that I mean on that. And I I want to hopefully, you know, in the most respectful way possible, keep kind of asking those questions because ⁓ I think that's that's what at least I would want to hear. So ⁓ love it. I I think it was really cool to be at Ren. And once again a huge thank you to Lexi, Liz, Missy, and the whole Ren staff for just giving us a little bit more insight on the process. We got to see how the uniforms were made, the different stations, ⁓ Producer Mike, Jenna, and myself were all involved in ⁓ shooting commercial that was there. It was great to have producer Amy there as well, providing her feedback. We didn't get to see her a whole lot. She was involved in the ⁓ the jersey design process with all the athletes. If you don't know, producer Amy is all on all of the the design and graphic side of things at MLV and ⁓ just is the best. So that's why we didn't see her a whole bunch is because she had to be in those that really cool side room that they had having those big discussions ⁓ that I can only assume were about all the special colors and and design ⁓ processes that have to happen. So ⁓ just again a thank you to them. And I I really loved getting to see the stations and how everything is made. And I think the players liked it too. You they had even one sort of example where ⁓ they've rolled through everything and then ⁓ kind of produced the jersey or or an example jersey as a finished product, which was really cool. So ⁓ Ren was awesome. Hope you loved those interviews. And like I said, next week Vegas I said I wouldn't give you a whole lot of a of a ⁓ background of it here. I do have one just quick story for you. My my story time is ⁓ me in my infinite wisdom, huge sarcasm there, ⁓ decided to drive to Vegas rather than fly. ⁓ because I was like, ⁓ you it's close and and we'll do that. Well, ⁓ the Mojave Desert in late July, early August gets up to a hundred and twenty degrees, which I thought was fake. At least, you know, my my car thermometer, ⁓ I didn't even know I could read that high. So yeah, we got to that point and I've never seen my car do this, but the engine temperature, which is the gauge to the left side of your gas gauge for most cars, ⁓ started good to go up to that dangerous level. And I still had probably an hour and a half to go to get to Vegas. And ⁓ yeah, that was concerning. Don't recommend that for your heart rate ⁓ and or for your blood pressure on that one. ⁓ I'm a huge nerd if you haven't figured that out already. And I love ⁓ I love Formula One. That's one of many many niche sports that I watch. And ⁓ you know, they they sometimes they come on the radio when the engine gets hot or the brakes get hot and they do the you know, you gotta lift in coast is what they call it. So ⁓ I got to one point where I was able to move over and this is where if I had my nerd glasses I'd push them up my nose a little bit more. But my specific car has at least according to what I've been told, so if this is wrong, ⁓ my apologies. But has ⁓ the largest functional hood scoop, air airflow ⁓ sort of part of the the engine, engine bay, ⁓ as any production car, at least from twenty nineteen. And again, that's just what I've been told. So maybe that's wrong. But so me thinking that, I was like, Well, I'll just move over and lift and coast, which someone is just like, Yeah, you just didn't push your engine so much, which yes, true. But anyway, luckily did not have to call triple A and did not get stranded on the side of the road. But I think I'll be flying next time, probably, even though it's a you know, 45 minute flight, I think it's probably worth it. And we'll transition nicely into what I'm up to, which is going to be just one thing for this week. And I hate to end on kind of a serious note, but I'm going to kind of conceal it once again within the the nerd fashion of I really think you should go see Spider-Man. Even if you're not into comic book movies, or even if you're not really into just the Marvel superhero genre thing. ⁓ I say that because, you know, I was talking to my brother the other day ⁓ after we'd seen this movie. And we've seen a lot of stuff on the internet just about people connecting to the themes of this movie beyond the superhero stuff. Now, if you're a comic book fan, you're gonna love it. It's like reading it, it's like a comic book panel come to life on the screen. And, you know, that's always cool to see, you know, yay, superheroes fighting, great stuff. ⁓ I think it was more like the the themes of like, you know, relationship dynamics and, you know, love loss stuff and how, you know, life is messy and you know, the the at least for this context, like, you know, your your main character doesn't always get things to work out in his way. And my brother and I were talking about, you know, just obviously there's a lot of stuff going on. And it's like it's cool to see that a lot of people are feeling the same thing and that that kind of connection on something that everybody always experiences through their own eyes. And then you I think sometimes you w you get so engrossed into something like this and you're like, ⁓ well, I'm the only one who feels this way and can relate to the characters. But Then you look around, you're ⁓ no, everybody feels this way. And in a lot of, you know, again, not to get too meta about just a superhero movie, but in a lot of divisive stuff going on, I think it was cool to see that we're all we all feel a similar way. At the same time, it's concerning to see that we all could relate to ⁓ I think what the producers and directors had called one of the more like depressing Spider Man stories that they put out there. So ⁓ I think you should see it for the connection and for stuff like that. And I think it does kind of ultimately upswing into a happy kind of messaging at the end. And that's as much as I'll say because I don't want to spoil it. And I want you to go see it. So that's it. Sorry to end on that note, but ⁓ you know, I didn't want to throw too much of the of that at you. And ⁓ I I think that yeah, I think that's a it's it ends in in a positive and hopefully we're ending on a positive here too. ⁓ and I always like to think that we end on a positive here on the Set Six podcast. A huge thank you To producers Mike, Amy, and Jenna. And of course, thank you. Thank you to a couple of Vegas fans who came up and ⁓ chatted with me while I was out there saying they were listeners of the pod. ⁓ can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Love ⁓ to see that. So please continue to do that if you see me out in the public or if you see any of our producers out in the public. Please ⁓ come say hi, come say that you're listening to the pod. We love it. ⁓ and yeah, please continue to to submit your comments, questions, ⁓ concerns, anything you got for the mailbag. You can do that by leaving a comment on the videos or by reaching out to me. That's severin at mlvb.com. S-E-V-R-I-N. Please stay tuned to our socials. We'll have more from Vegas and maybe something from Minnesota next week. Huh. I wonder why we'd be going there. I'll leave you with that. Thank you so much for listening, everybody. This has been episode 16 of the Set 6 podcast. I'm your host, Severin Lavinstein. This is the official podcast of Major League Volleyball, and we'll see you next episode.