Former Wisconsin volleyball stars see new US pro leagues as 'such amazing opportunities' (2024)

A Wisconsin volleyball reunion would break out whenever the San Diego Mojo traveled to Omaha to take on the Supernovas.

The Mojo and Supernovas are two of the teams in the new Pro Volleyball Federation, which is nearing the conclusion of its first season of operation.

They also are the teams of the four former Badgers in the league— setter Sydney Hilley and middle blocker Danielle Hart with Omaha and outside hitters Grace Loberg and Temi Thomas-Ailara with San Diego.

The first meeting in February saw a couple sets of parents, Mike and Christy Hilley and and Greg and Colleen Loberg, make the trip to Omaha, along with former Badger Liz Gregorski, who came from Kansas to socialize the night before.

Former teammates Lauren Barnes, Tiffany Clark, Nicole Shanahan and Gregorski came to watch when the teams met again in April. Also on hand for it all was Thomas Robson, a former volunteer assistant who now is an assistant with the Supernovas.

“It’s really cool to have the Badger connection,” Hart said. “There will always be a connection with those girls. I never played with Temi, but I think the connection is still there in a sense. And seeing Syd’s and Grace’s parents, I was just overjoyed.”

Thomas-Ailara played just one season with the Badgers, transferring from Northwestern last year. But she has developed a close friendship with Loberg in San Diego and said, “It’s really nice to be a part of that Wisconsin community.”

Hilley said she feels that kinship with a person she only knew as an opponent.

“Being a Badger and playing for Wisconsin volleyball is such a unique experience and the people you played with will be your friends for life,” Hilley said. “And people who came before me or after me, there’s still that connection and commitment and love for the program. That’s something that bonds you even if you didn’t play together.”

Loberg said that while she has found it somewhat difficult to play against a couple of her best friends, she’s appreciative of the opportunity to do so.

“It’s cool having people on these teams,” Loberg said. “It stinks playing against them, but it’s cool to be able to play against them here rather than have them overseas.”

New U.S. pro ventures offer options for players

Indeed, chances are that none of the former Badgers still would be playing volleyball without the arrival of the PVF. There had been several attempts to establish pro volleyball in the past, but none lasted long or had the funding of the current efforts.

The PVF is one of three leagues attempting to get established in the United States, each with a slightly different approach.

Athletes Unlimited was the first to get going and has played three seasons. It has a unique format with all the matches played in one city with players switching teams each week. Players who earn the most points each week become captains and select teams for the following week. The first two seasons were played in Dallas and last season was held in the Phoenix area, where it will return this year for the five-week season, which begins in early October.

PVF is a more traditional U.S. league with teams in seven cities, each with its own ownership and organization. In addition to Omaha and San Diego, the league has franchises in Atlanta; Columbus, Ohio; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Orlando and Las Vegas, with plans to add teams in Dallas, Indianapolis and Kansas City next year. The season started in January and a four-team playoff will be held Wednesday and Saturday in Omaha.

Joining the mix in January will be League One Volleyball, or LOVB (pronounced love), with one of its current six teams located in Madison. Others will be in Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Houston; Omaha and Salt Lake City.

Hilley and Hart are among a number of players who competed in both AU and PFV this past season and both plan to play in AU again this fall. Hilley has signed to return to Omaha’s PVF team.

Thomas-Ailara and Loberg are uncertain about next season, but all four of the former Badgers are thankful that they’ve had the opportunity to continue their careers without having to try to find a job overseas.

“The opportunity to be able to play in the U.S., you can’t put words to it,” Hart said. “If I didn’t have the opportunity to play in the U.S., I don’t know that I’d still be playing. It might’ve meant the end of my career. I do know that it’s really special to be here in the States and be close to family and friends and have the ability for them to come out and watch games.”

Playing in U.S. a perfect fit for ex-Badgers

For each of the former Badgers in the PFV, playing in the U.S. matched up perfectly with where they are in life.

Hilley is able to continue in her “real” career as a manufacturing scientist for Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, a multinational firm based in Chaska, Minnesota. She’s able to work remotely during the volleyball seasons, at least for a few years.

It’s doable, but not easy.

“When I do things, I like to give 100%, so working a full-time job and playing professional volleyball, it’s a lot,” Hilley said. “I’m really grateful to have a boss that allows me to be really flexible and work odd hours, whether it’s working late at night or on weekends.

“I do know that if I keep getting promoted in my job, it’s going to matter what time of the day I’m online or at the office because I’d be leading things, so I can’t be as flexible with what time practice is or training is. I don’t know how long this can go on, but I’m just really thankful that I’m able to do both. I have the best of both worlds even though sometimes it’s a lot of sacrifice.”

Thomas-Ailara wasn’t eager to go overseas and playing in the U.S. worked for her as she finishes her master’s degree in applied biotechnology from Wisconsin.

“I wanted to play pro volleyball, but I wasn't so sure I'd like it because it’s so different from college,” said Thomas-Ailara, who has emerged as a star in the league, leading the Mojo with 3.64 kills per set and hitting .364. “If I play overseas and I don’t like it over there, then I’m stuck, a 10-hour flight from home. That’s another reason I wanted to stay in the States. And the chance to be in San Diego is something that’s hard to pass up.”

The lure of playing in San Diego also was a big factor for Loberg. After completing her four years at Wisconsin, Loberg wanted to transfer and play a season of beach volleyball, but the NCAA denied her request for a year of eligibility. So after a year at home in the Chicago area and working with the Big Ten Network, she decided to head to California and train to play pro beach volleyball.

With the help of her mother's college roommate, she was able to get a spot in the USA Volleyball Beach National Team Development Program, training alongside some of the best players in the nation and working with coaches who are paid by USA Volleyball.

“Getting in that group was huge for me and my whole beach journey last summer,” Loberg said. “It’s a really awesome program that I’m so thankful I was a part of.

“I love beach volleyball, but there’s not a lot of money in the sport. So I was kind of feeling that pressure.”

That was when she got a call from PVF Commissioner Jen Spicher, who told her that there would be a team forming in San Diego. That led to some conversations with that organization and a contract.

“I’d heard about the PVF, but I wasn’t sure it was going to be a real thing,” Loberg said. “Then I saw more players commit to it and once I saw that Sydney and Danielle had committed to it, I was like, this thing is legit.”

Hart took some time off after completing her Wisconsin career to give her surgically repaired knee some time to strengthen. She then worked with the USA National Team in Anaheim, California, before joining AU in the Phoenix area, then the Supernovas.

But her career again was sidetracked by injuries, this time a series of concussions. She suffered two concussions in just more than a week while playing in AU, both after getting hit on the head while blocking. She was sidelined for several weeks with persistent headaches, then was involved in an auto crash that didn’t help matters.

She was able to begin exercising in December, but the headaches returned when practices began for PVF. She played in six matches but then got hit in the head again in practice, effectively ending her season.

It has been an educational, if frightening, experience.

“Migraines and headaches were never a thing for me before the concussion,” Hart said. “This time around it really scared me. Is this something I’m going to have to continue to deal with? Why am I getting so many? What does this mean for me long term?

“I was worried about this season, but thinking bigger picture, am I going to be more susceptible to these throughout my career? How many of these can I have, especially since I’ve had so many in such a short time before you start having permanent damage? Just asking some scary questions.”

Nevertheless, Hart wants to continue playing.

“I’m trying to be smart and set myself up for the best career opportunities within the sport and also putting myself in a good place for life in general,” she said.

Can these pro leagues survive?

Although there is skepticism that all three leagues can survive long term, the four ex-Badgers have nothing but positive things to say about their experiences in the new ventures.

Players may not earn as much as those in the top European leagues, but the top players on each team make more than $100,000 with bonuses available for the playoffs. Housing and autos are provided.

Fan support has been encouraging, especially in Omaha, where several matches have drawn crowds of more than 11,000.

“It’s really cool to see how it’s taken off in the first year and how excited people are about it,” Hart said. “It’s already blown away my expectations for this first year. Obviously Omaha is the leader in fandom because it’s known to be volleyball country. But plenty of other locations have pulled in big crowds.

“My first week in Omaha, I went out to eat at Panera and I wasn’t wearing anything volleyball at all. And I got stopped while I was eating and asked if I was a Supernova and wanted a picture. I thought that was amazing.”

Hilley said she’s been told by numerous Nebraska Cornhuskers fans that they’re glad she’s no longer a Badger so they can root for her.

“The people really support and care about us, which is really cool,” said Hilley, who was named PVF Player of the Week on April 2. “I definitely think the level of play is higher than college. You have people who have played pro for 10, 15 years. People who have been to the Olympics. And then you have people fresh out of college thrown into the mix.

“Is it as high as some of the leagues overseas in Turkey or Italy? Probably not. But it’s a high level of play, and I feel like it challenges me. It’s fun and I still find ways I can improve every single day.”

Fan support hasn’t been as fervent in San Diego, but crowds have been decent for weekend matches, Loberg said.

“The time is definitely right,” Loberg said. “Volleyball has grown in popularity so much and there are so many athletes that have always dreamed about doing this and are leaving their careers overseas to play in the United States. That’s so important in building the sport here because you want all of your best players playing here rather than overseas.

“This is the first year and there are some bumps in the road, but I’m just trying to see past those bumps and realize that things are still being figured out. But we’re playing the sport we love in front of fans and getting to do that for work, which is very cool. I think it will last a while because I know there are people investing emotionally and financially in this league who want it to keep going. Whether it’s PVF or LOVB volleyball, people are determined to make volleyball stay.”

One of the obstacles for PVF has been television exposure, with YouTube being its primary outlet. The playoff matches will be shown on CBS Sports Network.

LOVB recently announced a deal that will have 10 matches shown on the ESPN family of channels with 18 matches streaming on ESPN+.

“The sport is definitely hot and it’s going to continue to gain a bigger following as it gets more promotion and coverage,” Hart said. “I don’t think anybody knows what will happen with each league. I do think that both will be around for several years and more than anything it’s so exciting that they both exist and can create such amazing opportunities for individuals and continue to grow the sport.”