Grand Canyon University has abruptly cut their men's volleyball program, effective immediately, with no advance warning to coaches or players, sending shockwaves through the volleyball community. We explore what this means for the future of men's volleyball and share insights from our personal experiences with program cuts at Stanford and University of Pacific.

• Blueprint for fighting program cuts based on Stanford's successful campaign to save their program
• Importance of building alumni databases and organizing coordinated responses
• Strategies for fundraising through pledges rather than immediate donations
• Critical timing of GCU's announcement during peak men's volleyball season
• Complete NCAA tournament field breakdown and selection committee controversies
• Final Four predictions with analysis of key matchups
• Potential collegiate players likely to join USA Volleyball's training team this summer

If your program doesn't already have a comprehensive alumni database and communication system in place, start building one today. Don't wait for an emergency announcement to begin organizing your support network.

Arielle, Chad, and Matt dive into a lively discussion of recent collegiate men's volleyball action and debate the future of the game.

• Hawaii splits with Long Beach State
• USC battles significant injuries to key players, creating strategic challenges for upcoming matches
• Conference tournament predictions across MIVA, EIVA, Big West, and MPSF
• Data reveals NCAA men's volleyball is 16% international athletes
• Discussion of whether international roster limits would benefit American player development
• Proposal for rule changes to improve men's volleyball as a television product, including a service "foul out" rule
• Brief recap of LOVB Championship results, with Austin defeating Omaha in a sweep

Support our podcast by following, leaving a review, or showing off your new silver chain just like Chad.

The NCAA's back-to-back scheduling format deflates the impact of big upsets by forcing immediate rematches, preventing storylines from developing and limiting media coverage opportunities.

• The weekend featured multiple top-5 upsets including CSUN over Hawaii, UC San Diego over UC Irvine, and GCU over UCLA
• Back-to-back scheduling forces teams to play the same opponent twice in consecutive days, eliminating the buildup between matchups
• The upcoming 18-man roster cap will significantly impact recruitment strategies and player movement between programs
• International players dominate many starting lineups in NCAA men's volleyball, raising questions about American player development
• American volleyball development lags behind European counterparts that use academy systems with more frequent, specialized training
• Hawaii vs. Long Beach State this weekend is the most anticipated matchup of the regular season with major NCAA tournament implications
• The coaches predict Long Beach will likely win at least one match, with Nikolov expected to excel in the high-pressure environment

Join us for a potential live stream "Manning Cast" style commentary during the Hawaii vs. Long Beach matches this weekend!