What was it actually like to be inside Wrigley Field for one of the most talked-about volleyball events of the year?

In this bonus episode, Susan takes you behind the scenes of her experience at the Wrigley Field volleyball matches in Chicago. From attending Mizzou’s practice and getting media access to watching the matches from field level, Susan shares what she saw firsthand and what the experience was really like inside the stadium.

She talks about the unique challenges of playing volleyball outdoors, the elevated court, the atmosphere inside Wrigley, and what was happening from a fan’s perspective when court conditions eventually stopped play. Susan also shares what stood out to her about the athletes and their willingness to adapt, help find solutions, and make the most of an incredibly unusual situation.

But this episode is about more than what went wrong. Susan reflects on what it meant to see more than 40,000 volleyball fans show up for an event like this and how far the sport has come from the days when she had to record Olympic volleyball on VHS in the middle of the night just to watch it.

Was everything perfect? No. But Susan believes there’s a lot the volleyball world can learn from Wrigley and even more to be excited about when it comes to where the sport is headed.

Chapters

00:00 – Why Susan went to Wrigley Field
01:45 – Susan’s lifelong connection to volleyball
05:00 – From recording volleyball on VHS to filling stadiums
07:15 – Behind-the-scenes access at Wrigley
09:10 – Seeing the outdoor court and practice firsthand
11:00 – The challenges of playing volleyball outdoors
12:00 – Why Susan was so impressed by the athletes
15:00 – What happened with the court conditions
17:00 – What the experience felt like inside the stadium
18:00 – How the athletes responded
20:00 – Was the Wrigley Field event still a success?
24:00 – Susan’s favorite part of the entire experience
27:00 – What Wrigley says about the future of volleyball

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.

What does the volleyball recruiting process actually look like from the parent side?

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Susan sits down with three volleyball dads whose daughters recently committed to Division I programs in the class of 2028. Each came into volleyball with experience in other sports, and each quickly discovered that college volleyball recruiting operates very differently.

They share what surprised them most about the process, what happened when June 15th arrived, and just how quickly calls, emails, offers, and decisions started moving. They also talk about college camps, visiting campuses early, building and narrowing a target school list, and trying to understand where their daughters realistically fit within the national recruiting landscape.

Susan also breaks down why recruiting can feel so subjective in volleyball, why measurable stats only tell part of the story, and why gaining clarity early can help families spend their time, energy, and resources more strategically.

If you’re a parent trying to understand what may be coming next in your daughter’s recruiting process, this episode gives you an honest look at what these families learned while going through it in real time.

Chapters

00:00 – Susan’s recruiting support and Volleyball Recruiting School
06:00 – Why these three dads wanted to share their experience
07:25 – Meet the volleyball dads and their daughters
11:25 – How volleyball recruiting differs from other sports
13:30 – What happened when June 15th arrived
18:50 – When families realized recruiting was moving fast
19:10 – Visiting campuses early to gain clarity
22:55 – Why camps matter more than families may realize
24:20 – Narrowing the school list and targeting strategically
27:20 – A late-blooming athlete and a very fast recruiting journey
29:20 – Why evaluating volleyball recruits is so subjective
31:35 – The importance of jump touch and measurable traits
32:20 – What’s coming in Part 2

About the Guests:

Jason Wender
Father of Liv Wender, 2028 S, West Virginia Commit

Matthew Delaney
Father of Carolina Delaney, 2028 OH, Pepperdine Commit

Brett Baatrup
Father of Amaya Simon, 2028 MB, Colorado State Commit

Connect with the Players:

• Amaya Simon: @amayaclassof2028
• Carolina Delaney: @carolinadelaneyvb
• Liv Wender: @livwendervolleyball

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.

What does an SEC head coach really look for when evaluating recruits?

In this episode, Susan sits down with University of Missouri head coach Dawn Sullivan to talk about recruiting, culture, and what she’s building at Mizzou. Dawn shares why talent is only one piece of the evaluation process and what she notices about an athlete’s competitiveness, resilience, communication, coachability, and how they respond when things don’t go their way.

They also dive into how Dawn rebuilt Mizzou’s roster, the role the transfer portal has played in the program, and why finding the right people and creating genuine relationships are at the center of her recruiting philosophy. Dawn gives athletes and parents a behind-the-scenes look at the things college coaches may be evaluating that recruits don’t always realize.

Then the conversation heads to Wrigley Field. Dawn shares how Mizzou was selected for the SEC-Big Ten Challenge, how the team has prepared to play outdoors, and what she hopes fans see when Mizzou takes the court on one of volleyball’s biggest stages.

Whether you’re navigating recruiting or simply excited about where college volleyball is headed, this episode offers an inside look at what it takes to build a program where talent, culture, and the right fit all matter.

Chapters

00:00 – Why this Mizzou conversation is special
02:25 – Meet Mizzou head coach Dawn Sullivan
05:35 – Dawn’s coaching journey and philosophy
07:15 – Building a program around people and culture
09:10 – Recruiting athletes who fit the program
11:20 – How Dawn evaluates character
12:20 – Building confidence, trust, and connection
16:25 – Rebuilding Mizzou volleyball
19:00 – Recruiting Missouri athletes
20:05 – How the transfer portal fits into Mizzou’s strategy
23:25 – What Dawn really looks for in recruits
27:05 – Grit, ownership, and the role of parents
30:00 – How the Wrigley Field match came together
32:20 – Preparing to play volleyball outdoors
36:20 – Mentally preparing for the Wrigley stage
37:35 – The personality behind this Mizzou team
40:05 – What Dawn hopes fans see at Wrigley

About the Guest:

Dawn Sullivan is the head coach of Mizzou Volleyball, where she has quickly helped reestablish the Tigers as a contender in the SEC. Sullivan took over the program in December 2022 and led Mizzou to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in her first two seasons, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2024. She was named SEC Coach of the Year in her first season and AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year in 2024. Now entering her fourth season at Mizzou, Sullivan has compiled a 57–33 record with the Tigers and recently signed a contract extension through the 2029 season.

Before Mizzou, Sullivan spent five seasons as the head coach at UNLV, where she built the Rebels into one of the Mountain West's top programs. She went 109–38, led UNLV to five straight postseason appearances, two Mountain West championships and the 2021 NIVC Championship, while earning Mountain West Coach of the Year honors twice. Prior to UNLV, Sullivan spent 13 seasons on staff at Iowa State. A former All-American at Kansas State, she helped lead the Wildcats to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances as a player and was inducted into the Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

Connect with Dawn:

• Website: https://mutigers.com/sports/womens-volleyball
• Instagram: @dawn3sullivan

Link to the book:
Sidelined No Longer: The Untold Story of Women's College Sports by Karen S. Rudolph (Susan's Mom)

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.

What if volleyball could help you build opportunities that last long after your playing career ends?

In Part 2 of Susan’s conversation with professional volleyball player Bella Bergmark, they shift the conversation off the court and into NIL, social media, personal branding, and what athletes can start building while they’re still playing.

Bella shares how she went from being skeptical of social media to growing an audience, working with brands, and creating income through content. She explains why athletes don’t need a massive following to get started, what brands are actually looking for, and how sharing her own experiences with burnout and mental health helped her connect with thousands of other athletes.

They also get practical about overcoming the fear of posting, staying consistent, approaching brands, working with agencies, and creating content that fits into an already busy athlete schedule.

More than anything, Bella and Susan explore how athletes can use the opportunities available today to build skills, income, relationships, and a personal brand that can create more options when their playing career eventually ends.

Chapters

00:00 – Building opportunities beyond volleyball
02:05 – Bella’s introduction to NIL
04:25 – How athletes can build an audience
06:05 – Why brands work with athletes
07:40 – Getting over the fear of posting
10:10 – Sharing her mental health journey
15:10 – Using content to help other athletes
18:40 – Creating content consistently
22:15 – Brand partnerships and agencies
27:40 – Turning what makes you different into an advantage
30:00 – Create more than you consume
33:00 – The growing opportunities in volleyball
35:15 – NIL and life after sports
39:45 – Final takeaways

About the Guest:

Bella Bergmark is a professional volleyball player and coach originally from San Francisco. She played her undergraduate volleyball at UC Berkeley before transferring to the University of Texas, where she won two national championships.

Since turning pro, Bella has competed across three professional seasons — in Puerto Rico, France, and most recently with LOVB Austin, where her team won the league championship last season.

Beyond competing, Bella runs volleyball clinics around the country each year and coaches athletes online through her program, the Bergmark Performance Academy, offering personalized film review and 1-on-1 coaching for players looking to take their game to the next level. She's also active on social media, sharing volleyball tips, strength and conditioning content, and volleyball humor with her audience. Off the court, she lives with her dog Freyja and her cat Mochi.

Connect with Bella:

LOVB Website: https://www.lovb.com/teams/lovb-austin-volleyball

Instagram:@bella.bergmark

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.

Bella Bergmark’s volleyball journey is proof that being overlooked early does not mean you are behind.

In Part 1 of this conversation, Susan sits down with Bella to talk about the path that took her from being a developing recruit in the Bay Area to UC Berkeley, the University of Texas, two national championships, and eventually a professional volleyball career.

Bella opens up about changing positions during recruiting, dealing with performance anxiety, redshirting at Cal, navigating the disruption of COVID, and reaching a point where she knew she wanted more from her volleyball experience. She shares what pushed her to enter the transfer portal, how quickly Texas came calling, and what it was like stepping into a gym filled with All-Americans and competing for a role on a championship team.

They also talk about the coaches who believed in Bella before she fully believed in herself, learning to trust the process, and how taking a chance on herself ultimately opened the door to a career she never imagined when she was a high school athlete.

Today, Bella has played professionally in Puerto Rico, France, and with LOVB Austin, where her team won the league championship last season.

If you’ve ever felt overlooked, behind, or unsure where your recruiting journey is headed, Bella’s story is a powerful reminder that your first opportunity does not have to be your final destination.

Chapters

00:00 – From an overlooked recruit to Cal

04:20 – Bella’s recruiting journey and position change

07:35 – Arriving at Cal and fighting for playing time

12:25 – When volleyball stopped feeling fun

16:40 – Deciding to enter the transfer portal

20:05 – Why Bella took the chance on Texas

23:15 – The coach who believed in her

25:15 – Building belief and detaching from outcomes

28:15 – From college volleyball to playing professionally

About the Guest:

Bella Bergmark is a professional volleyball player and coach originally from San Francisco. She played her undergraduate volleyball at UC Berkeley before transferring to the University of Texas, where she won two national championships.

Since turning pro, Bella has competed across three professional seasons — in Puerto Rico, France, and most recently with LOVB Austin, where her team won the league championship last season.

Beyond competing, Bella runs volleyball clinics around the country each year and coaches athletes online through her program, the Bergmark Performance Academy, offering personalized film review and 1-on-1 coaching for players looking to take their game to the next level. She's also active on social media, sharing volleyball tips, strength and conditioning content, and volleyball humor with her audience. Off the court, she lives with her dog Freyja and her cat Mochi.

Connect with Bella:

LOVB Website: https://www.lovb.com/teams/lovb-austin-volleyball

Instagram:@bella.bergmark

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.

Most volleyball families spend hours researching schools, tracking coaches, copying emails, and trying to stay organized throughout the recruiting process. But what if there was a better way?

In this episode, Susan sits down with Mike, founder of RallySend, to talk about how a simple goal of helping his own daughter navigate recruiting turned into one of the most innovative tools available for volleyball athletes today. With a background in product development at Snapchat and years in the tech industry, Mike shares how he applied technology to solve some of the biggest pain points families face during recruiting.

Beyond the software itself, this conversation explores why volleyball is experiencing incredible momentum, what professional volleyball in the United States means for the next generation of athletes, and why the recruiting process should be about finding the right fit, not simply getting an offer.

Whether you're just beginning your recruiting journey or already reaching out to college coaches, this episode is packed with practical insights that can save you time, reduce stress, and help you approach recruiting with more confidence.

Chapters

00:00 – Meet Mike and RallySend
02:15 – From tech to volleyball
04:15 – Investing in pro volleyball
08:45 – Why volleyball is ready to grow
13:00 – What pro volleyball creates for young athletes
15:15 – Entering the recruiting process as a parent
18:15 – The biggest recruiting time-wasters
20:15 – How RallySend was created
22:45 – Using roster trends to target schools
25:30 – The features that make outreach easier
28:15 – Tracking coach engagement
29:45 – Keeping coach information current
31:15 – The future of RallySend
32:30 – What Mike hopes his daughter remembers
34:30 – How families can get started

About the Guest:

Mike Su is a volleyball dad, serial entrepreneur, and founder of RallySend.com, the premier tool for streamlining athlete outreach to college coaches. Mike is also a minority owner of the San Francisco Signal, LOVB's newest expansion team. With a 25+ year career as a product executive at companies like Snap, mitú, and Upworthy, he now focuses his expertise on solving the recruiting grind. When he's not building RallySend or editing highlights for his daughter Kylie (2028 scrappy libero with a 4.36 GPA *hint hint* ), he is involved with his local church, Defy Ventures, and Rideback Rise. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, three kids, and their dog, Boogie.

Connect with Mike:

Website: www.rallysend.com

Instagram: @getrallysend @biggiesu

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.

What if practice was something your daughter actually wanted to show up for?

In Part 2 of her sit-down with University of Nevada head coach Jason Borchin, Susan goes deep into the coaching philosophy and practice model Jason has spent years refining, first at Cal Poly and now at Nevada. This one is a masterclass in what a healthy, high-performing college volleyball environment can actually look like.

Jason walks through how his team lifts for 30 to 40 minutes right before practice, why he ditched the traditional dynamic warmup and pepper drill in favor of letting his athletes self-direct their warmup, and why he refuses to run practices longer than two hours. He explains how giving athletes ownership over their own development, from what they choose to work on before practice, to what they stay after for, to what they eat, has become the center of his coaching philosophy. He also shares the simple challenge he gives every player: "Give me two days a week where you stay after 10 minutes and work on something."

Susan and Jason then get into the concept of "enough-ness" and why celebration motivation is more sustainable than pushing yourself from a place of lack. Jason shares how becoming a dad, working alongside Cal Poly head coach Caroline Walters, and lots of self-reflection shaped the kind of coach he wants to be, and the kind of coach he would want his own kids to one day play for. He closes with what drew him to Nevada, from Lake Tahoe and ski mountains 15 minutes from campus, to state-of-the-art facilities, to a tight-knit community he can't wait to build a program around.

If your daughter is trying to figure out what a healthy college volleyball environment actually looks like, this episode is a must-listen.

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome back to Part 2
01:00 – Practice as a choice, not a chore
02:30 – Ditching pepper and the dynamic warmup
06:30 – The 2-hour practice cap and why every rep matters
11:00 – "Give me 10 minutes after practice"
17:00 – Enough-ness: celebration over lack motivation
19:00 – Why he trusts his athletes with their nutrition
23:00 – How becoming a dad changed his coaching
27:30 – What drew him to Nevada
33:30 – Vibe attracts your tribe

About the Guest:

Jason Borchin is the head coach of the University of Nevada Women's Volleyball program, named to the role in December 2025 after helping lead Cal Poly to a historic Cinderella run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Over nine seasons at Cal Poly, he served as recruiting coordinator and associate head coach, helping the Mustangs win back-to-back Big West titles and earn multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. Prior to Cal Poly, Jason coached at Notre Dame and Sacramento State, and he brings 18+ years of coaching experience across the intercollegiate, high school, and club levels. He and his wife Jessie (who advises athletes at NXTVB) have three young children.

Connect with Jason:

Nevada Wolf Pack Volleyball: @nevadavolleyball
Coach page: Jason Borchin at Nevada

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.

What actually separates the athletes who get offered from the ones who don't?

For the 50th episode of the podcast, Susan sits down with a good friend and one of the most talked-about names in college volleyball right now: Coach Jason Borchin. Jason was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Cal Poly during their Cinderella Sweet 16 run in 2025, and just weeks later, he was named the head coach at the University of Nevada.

Jason takes us behind the scenes of the whirlwind that was Cal Poly's postseason: upsetting #5 BYU and #4 USC as an unseeded team, interviewing for the Nevada job the Monday after the tournament ended, and uprooting his family with three young kids in tow. He shares what made the Cal Poly team so magical, from a culture of celebration and authenticity to the philosophy that "the right kid beats the best athlete," and why letting players be fully themselves is what unlocks the confidence to win.

The second half of the conversation is a masterclass in recruiting. Jason walks through what actually separates athletes at the finish line of a coach's target list, the "genuine interest hack" that gets him to invest more time watching a recruit, and why copy-paste emails get ignored while a personal, well-researched email can move an athlete up the board. He also shares what it looks like when an athlete is willing to wear her heart on her sleeve, and why that vulnerability is often the difference between an offer and a pass.

If your daughter is on a college coach's radar (or trying to be), this episode is exactly what she needs to hear.

Chapters

00:00 – Celebrating 50 episodes with Coach Jason Borchin
02:00 – The whirlwind from the Sweet 16 to the Nevada job
06:00 – Managing chaos, family, and the transfer portal
09:00 – What made Cal Poly's Cinderella team so special
13:00 – Confidence, celebration, and letting kids be themselves
17:00 – Being underestimated as a mid-major program
19:00 – "Cal Poly kids": the right kid over the best athlete
23:00 – Building the same culture at Nevada
26:00 – What genuine interest looks like on a recruiting call
33:00 – Why copy-paste emails get ignored

About the Guest:

Jason Borchin is the head coach of the University of Nevada Women's Volleyball program, named to the role in December 2025 after helping lead Cal Poly to a historic Cinderella run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Over nine seasons at Cal Poly, he served as recruiting coordinator and associate head coach, helping the Mustangs win back-to-back Big West titles and earn multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. Prior to Cal Poly, Jason coached at Notre Dame and Sacramento State, and he brings 18+ years of coaching experience across the intercollegiate, high school, and club levels. He and his wife Jessie (who advises athletes at NXTVB) have three young children.

Connect with Jason:

Nevada Wolf Pack Volleyball: @nevadavolleyball
Coach page: Jason Borchin at Nevada

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.