💰 Inside the Latest $325M Bet on Women’s Volleyball

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Happy Wednesday,

Women’s volleyball is having a moment.

It’s now the #2 girls’ high school sport in America, trailing only track. College matches regularly draw millions of viewers on ESPN and FOX. And Nebraska recently sold out a football stadium to watch a volleyball game.

So why hasn’t professional volleyball taken off?

That’s the question we posed to Abby Benton—a volleyball content creator and one of the sport’s most plugged-in voices—after a headline-grabbing merger between two of the sport’s top leagues.

This week, Jake and I sat down with Abby to break down the business of volleyball, from the club-to-pro pipeline to team ownership dynamics to the $325M league that could reshape the sport in the U.S.

🎧 [Listen to our full episode with Abby Benton]

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5 Takeaways From Our Conversation With Abby Benton

1. Volleyball has the numbers—but the pro game hasn’t caught up.

College and high school volleyball is thriving:

• 92,000 fans at Nebraska’s outdoor match

• 1.7 million viewers on FOX and ESPN

• Girls' club participation is up 40% since 2013

But the pro level is still catching up in terms of broadcast exposure, fandom, and financial structure. Abby sees the next 5 years as the turning point.

2. The PVF–MLV merger was necessary—and inevitable.

What began as a rivalry between leagues turned into a $325M merger after the Omaha Supernovas—who drew 36% of PVF’s total attendance—threatened to leave.

Abby told us it wasn’t so much a merger as a survival move. “PVF couldn’t afford to lose Omaha. MLV needed other teams to play.”

3. Omaha is the volleyball capital of America.

The city averaged 10,925 fans per game and is considered the “epicenter” of U.S. volleyball culture. The Supernovas’ success proved a U.S. pro team could thrive—and gave them massive leverage in league negotiations.

4. The ownership model brings big money—and big expectations.

The newly merged Major League Volleyball (MLV) follows an NBA-style franchise model, with ownership groups tied to the Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, and D.C. United, as well as notable names like Kerri Walsh Jennings and Jason Derulo.

That funding allows for competitive salaries (starting around $60K–$100K) and long-term viability—but it also raises the pressure to build a profitable, sustainable league.

5. New media is volleyball’s next frontier.

Pro volleyball lacks consistent, mainstream coverage. Abby believes storytelling—not just stardom—will define the sport’s growth.

“There are creators who want to cover the sport. The leagues just need to embrace them.”

Why It Matters

Pro volleyball is sitting on a goldmine:

• Massive grassroots participation

• No dominant men’s league to compete with

• Demonstrated success at the college level

• Institutional buy-in from major sports owners

The PVF–MLV merger is more than just consolidation. It’s a bet on structure, scale, and sustainability—and a signal that volleyball’s moment might finally be here.

🎧 [Listen to our full episode with Abby Benton]

📩 And don’t forget: Bottom of the Ninth is back this Friday with the top three stories in sports and business from the week.

See you then,
Tyler & Jake