FRISCO — Grady Raskin will be the first to admit how hard it is to name a professional sports franchise. But as a born-and-raised Dallasite, Raskin believes the city is deep in the heart of Texas. So, when creating the name, the Dallas Pro Volleyball President and CEO asked himself a question: What relates to the heart?
“It’s a pulse,” Raskin told The Dallas Morning News, before later adding, “I feel that a pulse is personal. Everybody has a pulse. And if you can make things personal to somebody, and they can feel like they’re part of something, then they’re going to support it.”
North Dallas’ first pro volleyball team, the Pulse, revealed its name and logo on Thursday morning in the Pulse’s new home at the Comerica Center in Frisco following two years of planning.
A new logo is displayed during a press conference regarding The Dallas Pulse, the new North Texas Major League Volleyball team, at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas, on Oct 16, 2025.
Jason Janik / Special Contributor
Sports Roundup
The team is part of a collaboration between the Pro Volleyball Federation and Major League Volleyball to create a new single, unified league working to “elevate professional women’s volleyball teams in the United States,” capitalizing on the sport’s growing popularity.
The league’s inaugural season begins in January and will feature seven other teams based in Atlanta, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Omaha, Orlando and San Diego. In 2027, the league plans on adding two more franchises in Washington D.C. and Northern California.
The Pulse have already signed 14 players during a free agency period that began in early August. In September, the Pulse announced Shannon Winzer, the former Canada Women’s National Team coach, would lead the program. The Pulse will sign four more players during a draft in November, where it has the No. 1 pick. Training camp is set for December.
Mayor Jeff Cheney, left, Grady Raskin, and Matt Bowman pose for a photograph during a press conference regarding The Dallas Pulse, the new North Texas Major League Volleyball team, at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas, on Oct 16, 2025.
Jason Janik / Special Contributor
And although the team’s schedule is still being finalized and the entire team hasn’t met or practiced yet, the pending details haven’t dulled the excitement about the opportunity it creates for volleyball players.
“It’s literally a dream,” opposite hitter Kelsie Payne said. “I never thought I would have the opportunity to play in America, let alone Texas. And then, even to be in Dallas, where I have so many friends and family, is beyond my wildest imagination.”
Celia Cullen, left, and Kelsie Payne celebrate during a press conference regarding The Dallas Pulse, the new North Texas Major League Volleyball team, at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas, on Oct 16, 2025.
Jason Janik / Special Contributor
After graduating from Kansas in 2017, Payne has played in Brazil, Turkey, South Korea and Switzerland. Payne, along with SMU graduate and Pulse member Celia Cullen, hope that the MLV will continue to offer players the chance to pursue their athletic careers in the United States.
“It just makes us really want to put on a great show for our fans and supporters,” Cullen said. “We don’t want to take this for granted that we have the opportunity to play here in front of our friends and family. So, we want to put on a great show and let people know that this wasn’t a mistake to start implementing more support for volleyball.”
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