Sports Roundup<\/p>\n
By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s super fun and exciting to come into a new franchise,\u201d Valentin-Anderson said. \u201cAnd be able to be the very first people to be in this gym with Dallas Pulse across our chest.\u201d<\/p>\n The league is attempting to do what\u2019s failed before in the United States, starting with the original Major League Volleyball in the 1980s that folded in its third season in 1989. There have been several other attempts \u2013 including new ones like League One Volleyball and Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball \u2013 but they are both less than 5 years old.<\/p>\n The new MLV is latching onto increasing youth participation and college viewership. In 2023, Nebraska set the world record for women\u2019s sport attendance, hosting 92,003 fans in Memorial Stadium during a match against Omaha. College volleyball<\/a> is bringing in ratings and high school volleyball participation is at an all-time high.<\/p>\n But is that enough? <\/p>\n \u201cVery few people get to do what we do and what we\u2019re going to do,\u201d president and CEO Grady Raskin said. \u201cIt\u2019s something that I hold near and dear to my heart.\u201d <\/p>\n Creating the Pulse<\/p>\n The Pulse\u2019s origin can be traced to a poker game. <\/p>\n In 2023, Raskin ran into the initial group working to create the MLV. Raskin, who helped in the early stages of the United Football League\u2019s Dallas Renegades<\/a>, liked the work and decided he wanted to contribute to a new, upcoming league. <\/p>\n \u201cI realized I like the emerging sports,\u201d Raskin said. \u201cI liked using my knowledge and using my experience to build something.\u201d<\/p>\n He was tasked with finding some ownership groups. As a Dallasite, he knew just the place. <\/p>\n Two weeks later, he was playing poker with his friend, investment salesman Evan Stone, and pitched the idea. Stone\u2019 s daughters played volleyball on club teams and at Greenhill before continuing the sport in college. <\/p>\n Months later, Stone bought the franchising rights for Dallas and Fort Worth, helping put together what would become the Pulse. <\/p>\n Raskin said he believes Dallas is deep in the heart of Texas, hence the name.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel that a pulse is personal. Everybody has a pulse,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if you can make things personal to somebody, and they can feel like they\u2019re part of something, then they\u2019re going to support it.\u201d<\/p>\n By August 2025, the program had signed 14 players in free agency. In September, the Pulse announced Shannon Winzer, the former Canada Women\u2019s National Team coach, would lead the program. By November, the Pulse drafted Wisconsin graduate Mimi Colyer No. 1 overall in the 2026 MLV draft. <\/p>\n While the team will play in Comerica Center, the Pulse practiced in McKinney throughout December, preparing for its season opener. The front office staff has been marketing Dallas\u2019 newest pro team, selling season and single-game tickets. <\/p>\n The Pulse is targeting specific markets, including Frisco, families and young couples. The staff is primarily focused on getting people to the season opener, then building loyalty and customer retention once individuals experience the Pulse\u2019s environment. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a long, long road, if you will, but lots of great experience,\u201d Raskin said. \u201cWe were well prepared for this upcoming season, so I\u2019m ready to go, and I\u2019m anxious to see it in January.\u201d <\/p>\n Player\u2019s hopes<\/p>\n After joining Romanian Club CSM Volei Alba Blaj in 2023, Kaitlyn Hord knew it wasn\u2019t for her. <\/p>\n Away from the people she loved, the middle blocker wished for a closer alternative. Two years later and during her second year in the league, the Kentucky native is only around 870 miles from home compared to almost 6,000. <\/p>\n \u201cNow that it\u2019s in America, a lot of younger girls can see that this is the stage that you can be on one day,\u201d Hord said. \u201cSo, I think that it\u2019s just giving a lot of people hope and goals to be in the volleyball world, and it\u2019s growing every day.\u201d<\/p>\n Once their college careers are complete, volleyball players have limited opportunities beyond the NCAA, especially in the United States. <\/p>\n Although the Association of Volleyball Professionals \u2014 which only features beach volleyball \u2014 has endured, there aren\u2019t many indoor options unless players go to South America, Europe or Asia. It\u2019s a commitment that\u2019s challenging for many. <\/p>\n \u201cYou have to play pro volleyball overseas,\u201d said Wintzer, the coach. \u201cYou\u2019re away from family, you\u2019re away from friends, you have to sacrifice a lot, and I think we lose a lot of players too early in their careers because they have to make those decisions.\u201d <\/p>\n Opposite hitter Keslie Payne has played in Brazil, Turkey and South Korea, but has lived in Dallas the last two years. <\/p>\n \u201cIf I could tell 10-year-old me, one day you\u2019re gonna play here, she would just not believe it,\u201d Payne said. \u201cGoing overseas was kind of the only option we had. And thanks to the MLV and so many other leagues, we have the opportunity to stay here and that\u2019s just huge. And I\u2019m really excited for it and the girls in the sport.\u201d <\/p>\n The team also includes setter Celia Cullen, who played volleyball at SMU<\/a> last year and was a Mustangs assistant this season. <\/p>\n And while women\u2019s indoor volleyball arguably has more attention than ever and player support, is that enough to promote the MLV? <\/p>\n Only time will tell. <\/p>\n The team was formed over poker, and its success will be a gamble.<\/p>\n On the cusp of history, head coach Brianne Groth is pregnant with twins and working against time. But she\u2019s content after almost stepping away three years ago. <\/p>\n Byron Nelson swept nationally ranked Houston Stratford in the Class 6A Division II state final<\/p>\n For more sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Brianne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ITMESSGGYJEIZOCOSBN52XONRY.jpg\")
<\/a>How Byron Nelson\u2019s Brianne Groth balances pregnancy, identity and a chase for history<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Trophy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2MENYMP2ENC43GH5M7FSKSDQ2I.jpg\")
<\/a>Byron Nelson\u2019s dominant season ends with 13th consecutive sweep, second state title <\/a><\/p>\n