In recent years, women’s volleyball has become the fastest-growing sport in the USA. Thanks to the extensive coverage of the Volleyball Nations League, the FIVB Volleyball Championship, and the formation of multiple professional competitions like the LOVB and the PVF, the fandom of the sport has reached heights like never before. The craze can also be reflected in the realm of college volleyball. However, some veterans believe there’s still room for improvement.
The 2024 NCAA regular season saw a 21% year-over-year increase from the previous season, making it the most-consumed college volleyball season in history. With a total of 635 million minutes watched across 38 regular-season matches on various networks, last year marked a major milestone in the collegiate scene of the sport. And yet, Kirsten Booth isn’t quite happy about how the D1 programs are covered on air.
The legendary former coach of the Creighton Bluejays took to X on September 19 to note her frustration over how streaming options aren’t aplenty for college volleyball matches. “My high school daughters’ road matches are easier to stream than my D1 daughter,” she vented, agitated, noting how she doesn’t get the opportunity to follow the career of her daughter, Reese Booth, who plays for Northern Iowa. With that, Booth made an earnest appeal to her colleagues.
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“Every college match should be streamed— even when the home team isn’t playing! (Skip the commentary if needed) Coaches, we need to fight for this. This is how we grow our game!” she went on writing in the social media post. Her vexation would make sense until you remember that college volleyball continues to attain newer milestones. Tuesday’s match between Nebraska and Creighton, held at the CHI Health Center, posted 388,000 viewers on FS1, as per an official FOX Sports tweet, making it “the most-watched women’s college volleyball telecast in the network’s history.”
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Under such circumstances, it’s easy to comprehend why the Bluejays’ ex-boss feels her annoyance. While TV broadcasts are making waves, streaming college volleyball matches are yet to catch up, and it’s only natural for someone like Booth to feel the sting. After all, it was Kirsten who led Creighton into uncharted territory. With 502 matches won, 14 NCAA Tournament trips, 12 regular-season conference titles, and 11 conference tournament championships, Booth cemented her place among college volleyball’s all-time greats. Naturally, seeing broadcasters still ignoring the potential of her and her peers’ work feels like a blow to the gut to Booth.
Moreover, Booth’s grunts might be stemming from the fact that Nebraska volleyball is doing incredibly well in terms of viewership numbers even when most of their peers are struggling. Just last month, the Huskers attained NFL-level numbers when Dani Busboom Kelly’s girls took on Pittsburgh in the AVCA First Serve Showcase. On top of that, Nebraska also holds the highest attendance record for a college volleyball match (92,003, set in 2023). With such stats in mind, Booth probably feels like the Huskers’ foes should also capitalize on the growth trend of the sport, and the TV networks should lend a helping hand.
Thankfully, though, at her new office, Kirsten wouldn’t need to be too worried about such things.
Booth can now be part of something bigger than college volleyball
In April this year, Booth announced her decision to step down from her head coach role at Creighton. The three-time national coach of the year subsequently took on an administrative role with LOVB Nebraska (previously LOVB Omaha). Only recently, Versant, a Comcast spinoff, signed a major multi-year deal with the women’s professional volleyball league. As per the contract, Versant’s USA Network will air a match every week in primetime at 8 p.m. ET every Wednesday.
The LOVB playoffs and championship matches will also be televised. “It’s really about the growth that we feel is ahead for them as a league and for volleyball as a sport. We saw a common vision, how we could lend our assets and that would complement what they are doing to grow their sport,” said Versant’s president of sports, Matt Hong, on the deal. “Versant’s commitment ensures that women’s volleyball has the platform it deserves — consistent, national primetime coverage that reflects the caliber of our athletes and the passion of our fans,” said Raquel Braun, LOVB’s chief media officer, on the deal.
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This, undoubtedly, stands in stark contrast to Booth’s qualms about the college volleyball scene. So, how would you suggest the NCAA pays heed to the ex-Bluejays’ coach’s request and ups its game, following in the LOVB’s footsteps? Drop us a comment with your thoughts.