The Deep Corner

New York Legion middle blocker Mike Marshman (@mikemarshman) returns to the show, with a weekend of VLA volleyball and an all-tournament award behind him, to talk about his team's weekend at the Kickoff Classic. We get into LVC's habit of going to 5 sets, what it takes to shake off rust and build team chemistry quickly during a tournament, what big takeaways New York had from the weekend, and how bright the future of the VLA is. Marsh also announces his return to Cambrai Volley in France, now having moved up to the French A league, and realizes a long time goal of his to play in a league of that caliber. We also touch on the shocking news of Stanford cutting their men's volleyball program and talk about what all you listeners can do to help: click the link in Marsh's instagram bio to sign the petition!

The Deep Corner is back! Chicago Icemen outside hitter and recently crowned MVP of the VLA Kickoff Classic Dave Wieczorek (@davewieczorek) joins the first show since last weekend's event to talk about everything in his volleyball life. He gets into each match the Icemen played throughout the tournament, plus his college career, time spent in the USA gym, and how no matter what, there's #AlwaysMoreAngle. It's been great to get to know a guy who's so talented, hard working, and is now a huge ambassador for our league. Don't miss it!

Live volleyball is happening this weekend! Yes, seriously! VLA Director of Digital Operations Vince Zanzucchi (@vzanzucchi10) rejoins the show to give a preview of what everyone can expect starting Thursday evening, July 2 all the way through Sunday July 5. Make absolutely sure you're subscribed to the VLA YouTube channel, where the Thursday pre-stream and all ten matches throughout the weekend will be streamed live and available on demand, and follow @vlavolleyball on instagram so you don't miss a moment of the action!

A new addition to the New York Legion roster for next weekend's VLA Kickoff Classic, outside hitter Cody Kessel (@codykessel) joins the show in anticipation of returning to volleyball in a week. He talks about growing up in Colorado where there's barely any boys' volleyball, having USAV legend John Kessel as a father, taking a gap year between high school and starting at Princeton, switching from opposite to outside hitter as a pro, and playing abroad with a record setting number of Americans on a team. We also get into his long standing connections with Team LVC and what a great opportunity being able to play next weekend is. Great chat with a big name in the USA Volleyball world.

Phoenix Ascension setter Zach Melcher (@zach_em_smack_em) joins the show to talk about his quarterback-like approach to the setter position, his transferring from Cal Baptist to Grand Canyon JUST before Cal Baptist's program was cut, his first professional season overseas in the Czech Republic, and much more. An impressive rapid fire question performance is followed by some Ascension talk - what it's like to have Joe Kauliakamoa as a teammate, what it's like to keep playing with/for Vince Zanzucchi, and how quickly the Ascension are going to be able to shake off the rust before flying east to play in a couple weeks. Great show with a stud setter with a ton of personality.

VOLLEYBALL IS BACK! That's right, real, live, professional sports are back on the schedule! VLA Director of Player Relations Tim Falknor rejoins the show to talk a few quick details about the event now on the calendar: July 3-5 at the Ball Sports Academy in Angola, IN. Stay tuned to the VLA social media platforms for many more details!

Rob (@rstclaire1) goes solo again this episode to break down the play and commentary of a match from last year's FIVB World Cup between the US and Brazil. You'll definitely want to watch the video for this one on the VLA YouTube channel!

Chicago Icemen outside hitter Mark Jones (@mjoneo11) joins the show to break down his volleyball career in detail, from hilariously humble beginnings to a stellar college career at George Mason where he shared EIVA co-player of the year honors with some guy named Aaron Russell. He breaks down the differences between outside hitter and opposite in detail, plus the mindset shifts from beach to indoor at a very high level. We also get into several aspects of how awesome the volleyball community is, from Chicago to nationwide and how all the VLA players are coming together to grow the game. Be sure to check out the episode on the VLA YouTube channel to catch a cameo appearance by Mark's dog, Oakley!

Team Pineapple outside hitter Tomás Goldsmith (@tomas.goldsmith) joins the show to talk about his unique volleyball career. He gets into the transition from playing division 1 libero to absolute all star college club outside hitter, how he's continued to level up his game since college, how his jump serve is so crazy good, and how his indoor game translates onto the grass. After the extremely intense quick fire questions Tomás compares playing volleyball to being a professional musician (which he went to school for) and goes through his history with Team Pineapple. Great episode with a star of the league.

Your familiar host and VLA play by play guy Rob St. Claire (@rstclaire1) goes solo for this show to talk about volleyball broadcasting. Just about everyone in the volleyball community knows what it's like to be frustrated by bad uneducated commentators while watching a match...Rob gets into why it's such a common problem, what it takes to be a better volleyball broadcaster, who are the best in the world, and more. He also breaks down an old USA men's national team match highlight video, looking at the play and Paul Sunderland's commentary. Highly recommend checking out the video version on the VLA YouTube channel, at least for the match analysis portion.

Hope you enjoy the slightly different format! Normal episode with a guest coming Friday.