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2025 Women’s VNL Week One Roster Announced

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 30, 2025) – USA Volleyball announces the 14-player roster for the U.S. Women’s National Team that will compete in the opening week of the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), June 4-8 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The VNL brings together the world’s top 18 teams for three action-packed weeks of preliminary […]

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 30, 2025) – USA Volleyball announces the 14-player roster for the U.S. Women’s National Team that will compete in the opening week of the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), June 4-8 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The VNL brings together the world’s top 18 teams for three action-packed weeks of preliminary play, with each team competing in four matches per week. Only the top eight teams will earn a spot in the Final Round, where a VNL title will be on the line.

The U.S. roster features a fresh look, with 10 athletes making their VNL debut. Four returners bring valuable leadership and prior VNL experience to the court as the team begins its campaign against some of the top volleyball nations in the world.

Get Tickets to Women’s VNL in Arlington, Texas, July 9-13

Outside hitters Madi Skinner and Roni Jones-Perry, and Liberos Morgan Hentz and Zoe Jarvis are the four players with VNL experience.

Although the other 10 players have no VNL experience, several have experience playing for the senior U.S. Women’s National Team. Opposite Olivia Babcock, setter Ella Powell, outside hitters Logan Eggleston and Sarah Franklin, and middle blockers Serena Gray, Amber Igiede and Molly McCage have all competed in senior NORCECA events.

Setter Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres, middle blocker Anna Dodson, and opposite Logan Lednicky are part of the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the first time.

The U.S. Women are the reigning Olympic silver medalists and ranked No. 3 in the world. They have won the VNL three times (2018, ’19, ’21) since its inception in 2018. In 2024, they lost in the quarterfinals to eventual Olympic champion Italy, who will be their first opponent in Brazil.

U.S. Women’s Week One Roster for 2025 VNL

No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
6 Morgan Hentz (L, 5-9, Lakeside Park, Ky., Stanford Univ., Pioneer)
9 Madisen Skinner (OH, 6-2, Katy, Texas, Univ. of Kentucky and Univ. of Texas, Lone Star)
13 Amber Igiede (MB, 6-3, Baton Rouge, La., Univ. of Hawaii, Bayou)
14 Anna Dodson (MB, 6-5, Fort Collins, Colo., UCLA, Rocky Mountain)
17 Zoe Jarvis (previously Fleck) (L, 5-6, Granada Hills, Calif., UCLA and Univ. of Texas, Southern California)
21 Roni Jones-Perry (OH, 6-0, West Jordan, Utah, BYU, Intermountain)
22 Sarah Franklin (OH, 6-4, Lake Worth, Fla., Univ. of Wisconsin, Florida)
24 Olivia Babcock (Opp, 6-4, Los Angeles, Calif., Pitt, Southern California)
27 Ella Powell (S, 6-0, Fayetteville, Ark., Univ. of Washington, Delta)
28 Logan Lednicky (Opp, 6-3, Sugar Land, Texas, Univ. of Texas A&M, Lone Star)
29 Molly McCage (MB, 6-3, Spring, Texas, Univ. of Texas, Lone Star)
32 Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres (S, Honolulu, Hawaii, Univ. of Texas, Aloha)
33 Logan Eggleston (OH, 6-2, Brentwood, Tenn., Univ. of Texas, Southern)
43 Serena Gray (MB, 6-2, Temple City, Calif., Pitt, Southern California)

Head Coach: Erik Sullivan
Assistant Coach: Mike Wall
Second Assistant Coach: Brandon Taliaferro
Second Assistant Coach: Tayyiba Haneef-Park
Second Assistant Coach: Joe Trinsey
Team Manager: Rob Browning
Team Doctors: William Briner, James Suchy, Chris Lee, Andrew Gregory
Physiotherapist: Kara Kessans
Physical Trainers: Shawn Hueglin, Shannon Boone
Mental Performance Coach: Andrea Becker, Katy Stanfill
Performance Analyst: Virginia Pham

Week 1 Schedule: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Matches will be shown live and on-demand on VBTV.

All times PDT
June 4 at 10 a.m. vs. Italy
June 5 at 5 p.m. vs. Brazil
June 6 at 5 p.m. vs. Czechia
June 8 at 1 p.m. vs. Korea



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Morrison Leads United States to Gold at U19 Pan American Cup – Texas A&M Athletics

ONTARIO, Canada – Texas A&M volleyball head coach Jamie Morrison led the United States women’s U19 national team to a gold-medal winning performance at the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Pan American Cup after sweeping Mexico in the final Saturday evening.   Morrison secured his fourth-straight international title after his teams’ fourth sweep […]

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ONTARIO, Canada – Texas A&M volleyball head coach Jamie Morrison led the United States women’s U19 national team to a gold-medal winning performance at the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Pan American Cup after sweeping Mexico in the final Saturday evening.
 
Morrison secured his fourth-straight international title after his teams’ fourth sweep of the tournament versus Mexico in the championship round. His group dominated from start to finish at the Pan-American Cup, finishing with a 397-322 point differential over the five matches to outscore their opponents by 75 points.
 
The United States hit the ground running in the pool play of the championships, going a perfect 3-0 and dropping only one frame. The group swept their opening two fixtures versus Venezuela and Mexico before facing Puerto Rico, where the Red, White and Blue went down 1-0 after the opening frame but responded by winning the next three to sweep their pool and advance to the semifinals.
 
Morrison and his squad carried their momentum into the penultimate round, once again putting on a dominant showing versus the Dominican Republic to capture their third sweep of the tournament. The win advanced the team to the gold-medal match.
 
The group closed the championships with a competitive three-set victory over Mexico for the second time at the tournament. Morrison’s squad played with a lead for the majority of the match, trailing in just nine of the 139 total points played in the fixture.
 
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter/X by following @AggieVolleyball.





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Honor Roll: The News-Gazette’s All-Area Boys’ Track and Field Coaches of the Year | Sports

Ryan Hornaday of Tuscola wins this honor for the third time YEAR COACH SCHOOL 2025 Ryan Hornaday Tuscola 2024 Ryan Hornaday Tuscola 2023 Phil Surprenant Salt Fork 2022 Phil Surprenant Salt Fork 2021 Forrest Farokhi Urbana 2019 Phil Surprenant Salt Fork 2018 Todd Lafond Mahomet-Seymour 2017 Todd Lafond Mahomet-Seymour 2016 Tim Gateley Unity 2015 Tim […]

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Ryan Hornaday of Tuscola wins this honor for the third time

YEAR COACH SCHOOL

2025 Ryan Hornaday Tuscola

2024 Ryan Hornaday Tuscola

2023 Phil Surprenant Salt Fork

2022 Phil Surprenant Salt Fork

2021 Forrest Farokhi Urbana

2019 Phil Surprenant Salt Fork

2018 Todd Lafond Mahomet-Seymour

2017 Todd Lafond Mahomet-Seymour

2016 Tim Gateley Unity

2015 Tim Gateley Unity

2014 Ryan Hornaday Tuscola

2013 Nic Haab St. Joseph-Ogden

2012 Jeff Butler Monticello





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The Right Time: Why Don Oberhelman chose to step away after 15 Years leading Cal Poly Athletics

Don Oberhelman leaned back in his chair and listed the things he was looking forward to during his retirement: house projects, travel and reading a stack of books “probably 10 feet tall.” Then Oberhelman, who served as Cal Poly’s athletic director for 15 years took a pause.  “There was this other sobering thought that entered my […]

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Don Oberhelman leaned back in his chair and listed the things he was looking forward to during his retirement: house projects, travel and reading a stack of books “probably 10 feet tall.”

Then Oberhelman, who served as Cal Poly’s athletic director for 15 years took a pause. 

“There was this other sobering thought that entered my head,” Oberhelman said.

He realized if he had the same life expectancy as his father, whom he described as “one of the most healthiest and vibrant individuals” he’s been around, Oberhelman would only get to live 15 more years.

“That’s not much time. I want to spend that time with my wife doing the things we love, and that’s going to be reading, traveling, being in our home and seeing our friends,” Oberhelman said. “My father loved his retirement, and I dearly wish he had more years of it.”

Oberhelman announced his retirement on June 9. He will remain in the position until the fall or until his next replacement is hired. 

READ MORE: Cal Poly Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman announces retirement

During his time at Cal Poly, the Mustangs have secured 54 team conference championships, the most of any Big West university over that period. Additionally, the graduation rate amongst student-athletes increased from 71% in 2011 to 93% in 2024, according to Cal Poly Athletics, which is one of his produdest accomplishments.

In recent years, Oberhelman has been adjusting the department to the new changes in college athletics, such as the rise of name, image and likeness (NIL) payments along with increased use of the transfer portal. The recently approved House v. NCAA settlement will usher in an age of direct payment to athletes, roster limits and new financial burdens for institutions. 

He said, however, college athletics’ vastly changing landscape didn’t affect his decision. Yet, the timing of his decision does bring him “greater peace” by stepping down at the right time.

“I’ve held this baton now for 15 years, and I’ve sprinted as fast as I can. I need to hand it to somebody now who’s fresh, who can now sprint us forward, and take us through this next phase of what Division I athletics is going to look like.”

Don Oberhelman

Across the country, many universities have decided to end sports programs. Loyola Marymount University dropped six sports in January 2024. So far in 2025, Grand Canyon discontinued a successful men’s volleyball program and UTEP cut women’s tennis. St. Francis (PA) is moving its athletics program from Division I to Division III.

Cal Poly fell into the same category when it eliminated its swim and dive program in March 2025. All schools, including Cal Poly, cited budgetary reasons and the House settlement as the reasoning for their moves.

LATEST ON SWIM AND DIVE: Uncertain future for Cal Poly swim recruits amid program cut

“It’s going to be the non-revenue Olympic spots that are going to pay the price,” Oberhelman said. “Until we’re able to change the financial structure of what the NCAA is looking like, I don’t see another way for us to do this.”

Following the cuts, the team worked toward reinstatement and put together a fundraising campaign. However, they fell short of the $15 million mark set by the university after raising $9 million. 

Oberhelman said 22 sports is too many for the department.

“We were starting to see sports suffer because we have too many mouths to feed,” he said. “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do as an athletic director, but I 100% believe it was the right decision for our university, and we did not go into it lightly.” 

He recognizes the pushback he and the athletic department have received. 

“We knew exactly what this is going to look like,” Oberhelman said of the criticism he’s received. “But it doesn’t make it a bad decision. It’s going to benefit the rest of our student body and the rest of our student athletes.”

With the elimination of the swim and dive team and the upcoming roster limits, he estimates there will be around 100 fewer student-athletes. 

“While that is not a great thing at all, it’s a very good thing for how we fund our program,” Oberhelman said. “It’s going to lead to greater success in our sports.”

Out of college, Oberhelman worked at a bank but didn’t enjoy his job. He had a friend who worked in public relations in the NFL and was recommended to pursue a master’s degree to break into the sports industry.

He then enrolled in graduate school at Florida State to get his master’s in athletic administration. His professor at the time offered him an internship, which he turned down.

That night, Oberhelman thought about the opportunity and changed his mind.

“The next day, when he came to his office, I was sitting outside his door, and he looked at me and said ‘I didn’t think I’d see you again,’” Oberhelman said.

From there, he worked his way up in Division I athletics working at Florida State, Texas A&M, Southern Miss and San Diego State with the ultimate goal of becoming a Division I athletic director.

Over his final year at Cal Poly Oberhelman was tasked with adapting to the financial challenges stemming from the House v. NCAA settlement, which was cited as a major factor in the department cutting swim and dive in March 2025. Mark Robinson / Mustang News

Oberhelman loves the excitement of working in college sports.

“I love the energy of our hallway,” Oberhelman said. “There’s a reason there’s a hallway just like this in every athletic department in America.”

His office is located in the upstairs hallway of the Mott Athletic Center. The rest of the coaches for all sports can be found on the first or second floor.

“I love having my door open. I love hearing the student-athletes, hearing their banter and them talk about the school and practices,” Oberhleman said. “It keeps you young.”

He enjoys the opportunity to be a mentor and leader and help equip students with the skills to solve problems. 

Additionally, he said working with the other coaches has made him better.

“We have some of the best leaders and educators I’ve ever been around,” he said. “ I learned something new from one of them every single day.”

Oberhelman has an education-first approach to athletics, but the same can’t necessarily be said for the rest of Division I. He predicts an incoming split at some point between the biggest schools and conferences and everyone else.

“We’ve lost our North Star, which is educating students,” he said. “Now it’s just about compensating students.” 

With the amount of transferring, he’s worried graduation rates will tumble as credits don’t always transfer evenly between colleges. 

While not official, it appears Cal Poly is leaning toward opting into the House settlement. The university won’t necessarily engage in direct revenue sharing, at least initially, but the newly established Players’ Trust will enable programs to provide scholarship supplements to athletes, which will exceed the cost of attendance. 

The goal under the new rules will be to put as many players as they can on scholarship with no more limits on the amount. Regardless of how the university and the next athletic director tackle these problems, Oberhelman says the next person will need to be “a really good planner and change agent.”

“Change is coming at us so fast,” he said. “It’s got to be somebody who can really work through what that change means and get our organization to be able to adjust to that quickly.”

Oberhelman believes he’s built a strong framework to remain competitive. However, as has been demonstrated in recent years, the NCAA is an ever-evolving entity.

“I would say NCAA Division I athletics has been pretty constant for a very long time, and now all of a sudden it’s just all these changes coming at us,” Oberhelman said. “Everybody thinks now we have our structure. I disagree with that completely. We have our structure for today. We might have our structure for next month, but this isn’t the structure for the next year.”

After 15 years, Oberhelman is undecided about whether he has enough energy to continue leading the department through this next change. He wants to enjoy the precious time at home with his family, as he feels his father didn’t get enough of it. 

“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t, but that doubt is enough to tell me I’m doing this at the right time,” he said. “Here’s the thing: I’d do this anyway. The timing of this is based purely on our family financial situation and what we want to do with our lives.”

But once again, Oberhelman paused and tried to find a way to explain what he meant. It isn’t purely a pursuit of more free time. It’s a move also for the betterment of the institution in his mind.

“With everything going on in the landscape, it’s not going to make me second-guess this in a couple of months, wondering if I did the right thing or not,” he said. “I believe I’m doing the right thing for me, but I also think I’m doing the right thing for this university.”



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SAI Centre Bengaluru the go-to venue for Indian athletes seeking world-class facilities

From a modest training base with limited facilities to being responsible for implementing all SAI schemes across three states and holding National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) for hockey, athletics and volleyball, financial and professional impetus has made the Netaji Subhash Southern Centre the go-to venue for athletes seeking world-class facilities at home. With a cumulative […]

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From a modest training base with limited facilities to being responsible for implementing all SAI schemes across three states and holding National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) for hockey, athletics and volleyball, financial and professional impetus has made the Netaji Subhash Southern Centre the go-to venue for athletes seeking world-class facilities at home.

With a cumulative investment exceeding INR 140 crore, the Sports Authority of India’s Southern Centre has undergone a major transformation in the last decade. Besides the three NCOEs for comprehensive training across age-groups, the centre also hosts national camps in table tennis, kabaddi and water polo, and conducts academic programmes in 11 disciplines.

The 3000m steeplechase national record holder Avinash Sable said the venue had always helped him perform well at major competitions. “I came here for the first time in 2017 and things have changed a lot. The recovery centre is new, there are two synthetic tracks, experts for physiotherapy, medicine, biomechanics. I have trained abroad also but no facility has so many things together at one place. I have always performed well after training here,” he said.

READ | Fit again, Avinash Sable targets sub-8 steeplechase mark in 2025

The centre today has a state-of-the-art sports science centre with labs for biomechanics, sports medicine and sports psychology equipped with some of the latest testing and training machines from across the world. Out in the field, the athletics stadium boasts of a smart track with sensors that can gather and analyse data of every stride, exclusive strength and conditioning area, recovery room and modern changing rooms for hockey with more facilities planned in the near future including exclusive testing machines for para-athletes.

P. V. Sindhu, who came for isokinetic testing, was appreciative of the facilities. “I have come here a couple of times and SAI has always been very helpful. My father also used to come here as a player and things have changed completely since then,” she admitted.

The biggest change, however, has been in the diet department with the centre boasting of a state-of-the-art research kitchen headed by Chef Jeyraj that works closely with nutritionists to create customised recipes and also provides athlete’s meal cards to track their consumption.

(The writer was at the NSSC Bengaluru on invitation from the Sports Authority of India)



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Title IX Violations Cited in Letter to Reinstatement Cal Poly Swim

Citing Title IX Violations, Champion Women Sends Demand Letter for Reinstatement of Cal Poly Women’s Swimming Several months after Cal Poly announced it was cutting its swimming programs, citing the House Settlement as the reason, Champion Women and Equity IX Sports Law have sent a letter to the university’s president demanding the women’s program is […]

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Title IX Violations Cited in Letter to Reinstatement Cal Poly Swim

Citing Title IX Violations, Champion Women Sends Demand Letter for Reinstatement of Cal Poly Women’s Swimming

Several months after Cal Poly announced it was cutting its swimming programs, citing the House Settlement as the reason, Champion Women and Equity IX Sports Law have sent a letter to the university’s president demanding the women’s program is reinstated. Champion Women, headed by Olympic swimming gold medalist Nancy Hogshead, and Equity IX Sports Law, spearheaded by Leigh Ernst, have notified the school that its athletics department is not in compliance with Title IX.

The demand letter was sent to Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong. Additionally, the organization forwarded multiple documents that statistically show where Cal Poly is not in compliance with Title IX. Those documents, compiled by Cal Poly swimmers, can be found below.

Champion Women – Title IX Statistics
Cal Poly Facts & Information Sheet (Compiled by Champion Women)

Recently, Armstrong announced that fundraising efforts by members of the swim teams and alumni did not meet the necessary support required to reinstatement the Cal Poly swim programs. Armstrong will now have to answer to why the school is out of Title IX compliance, but has opted to cut a women’s athletics program.

Here is the letter sent to Cal Poly President Armstrong by Champion Women and Equity IX Sports Law:

Dear President Armstrong, 

We have been retained by members of the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis  Obispo (“Cal Poly”) Women’s Swimming & Diving Team (“Women’s Swimming”) to address  concerns regarding gender-based inequities within the university’s athletic programs.  

We respectfully request that Cal Poly take the necessary actions to ensure both immediate and  long-term compliance with applicable state and federal laws. We urge your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to discussing potential solutions with you. 

Elimination of Women’s Swimming – Violation of Title IX 

On March 7, 2025, you publicly released “Letter from President Armstrong on Budget and  Organizational Changes,” which announced that both Men’s and Women’s Swimming and  Diving Programs (“Programs”) would be “discontinued effective immediately.” 

The elimination of Women’s Swimming is a violation of Title IX of the Education  Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”). Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs and activities, including athletics, for institutions that receive federal  financial assistance.1 Title IX’s implementing regulations further specify that: 

“[n]o person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be  denied the benefits of, be treated differently from another person or otherwise  be discriminated against in any interscholastic, intercollegiate, club or intramural athletics offered by a recipient, and no recipient shall provide any  such athletics separately on such basis.” 34 C.F.R. § 106.41(a). 

This provision clearly mandates that Cal Poly must offer equitable athletic opportunities, and the  elimination of Women’s Swimming on March 7, 2025, violates that mandate. Below are facts, data, and law that clearly demonstrate that Cal Poly cannot cut its Women’s Swimming Team.  Further, Cal Poly needs to add additional women’s athletic teams.  

Similarly, under California state law, discrimination on the basis of sex is prohibited in schools,  and individuals are guaranteed the right of equitable treatment, benefits and an equitable  opportunity to participate in all academic extracurricular activities, including athletics. Cal.  Educ. Code § 221.8.2 This state provision further reinforces the protection offered under federal  law, Title IX, ensuring that women have the same opportunity to participate in athletic programs  as their male counterparts. 

Based on available information, Cal Poly is not in compliance with Title IX or the Cal.  Education Code § 221.8.  

Evidence we have reviewed is clear: in Cal Poly’s athletic department, male students are  receiving disproportionately more participation opportunities than female students, more athletic  scholarship dollars, as well as more favorable treatment and benefits. These discrepancies directly contradict the requirement of both federal and state law, which mandates equal  opportunities and equitable treatment for all students. 

Equal Participation Opportunities, Equal Athletic Scholarships, & Equal Treatment and Benefits 

Title IX prohibits three broad categories of discrimination against student-athletes based  on sex. First, educational institutions must provide female students with equal athletic  participation opportunities. 20 U.S.C. § 1681. Second, educational institutions must  provide men and women with equal athletic scholarships.3 Third, long-standing federal law mandates female students receive equal treatment and benefits compared to their  male counterparts.4 

Cal Poly is engaging in all three forms of sex discrimination. Specifically, Cal Poly has failed to  provide female athletes with equal participation opportunities, equal athletic scholarships, and  has not ensured that female athletes receive equal treatment and benefits. These actions represent  separate violations of Title IX. 

Facts from the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act 

According to the most recent publicly available Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (“EADA”)5 report submitted by Cal Poly to the Department of Education, in the 2023-24 academic year, Cal  Poly has an undergraduate population of 10,697 men and 10,774 women, with women  representing 50.2% of total undergraduate enrollment.  

During that same academic year, Cal Poly’s athletic department provided men with 403 athletic  opportunities and women with 296 athletic opportunities, using the duplicated count. As such,  women comprised 42.35% of total athletic participation opportunities. Using the unduplicated  count, Cal Poly reported 357 males and 223 female athletes, meaning women comprise just 38.45% of all Cal Poly athletes.  

Again, with the duplicated count, Cal Poly would need 38.9% more athletic opportunities for  women in order to equal the number of opportunities the school provides to men, or 115 more  women.  

Using the unduplicated count, Cal Poly would need to add 141 more female athletes to its  athletic programs in order to achieve equity in athletic participation opportunities.  

Additional Facts From Roster Counts on Cal Poly’s Athletics Website 

In 2023 – 2024, according to a roster count from Cal Poly’s athletics’ website,6 Cal Poly gave  365 men and 237 women athletic opportunities, including swimming. According to the Cal Poly  website, women that year were just 39.3% of the athletes at Cal Poly.  

In 2024 – 2025, according to a roster count from Cal Poly’s athletics website, Cal Poly provided  athletic opportunities to 341 men and 220 women, including swimming. Again, according to the  Cal Poly website, women were just 39.2% of athletes at Cal Poly. 

EADA Athletic Scholarship Data 

Women athletes at Cal Poly are entitled to equal athletic scholarship allocation while  participating in athletic educational opportunities.7According to the EADA’s latest data, Cal Poly  needs to add $1,428,121 in athletic scholarship aid for women.  

EADA Athletic Recruiting Dollars Data 

Women athletes are entitled to equal treatment while participating in athletic educational  opportunities, including equal recruiting.8 According to the EADA’s latest data, Cal Poly needs  to add $124,327 in recruiting dollars for its women’s sports.  

Title IX Liability 

On March 7, 2025, Athletic Director Don Oberhelman informed members of both the men’s  and women’s swimming teams that both Swimming Programs were being discontinued. During  this in-person meeting on campus, Mr. Oberhelman was directly asked whether the elimination  of Women’s Swimming constituted a Title IX violation. He responded by stating that cutting  Women’s Swimming does not violate Title IX.  

Mr. Oberhelman’s assertion is legally incorrect and reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of  federal anti-discrimination law. 

Even prior to the announced elimination of Swimming, Cal Poly would have needed to add 141 more female athletes to achieve compliance with Title IX. 

Eliminating Men’s and Women’s Swimming cut 29 male athletes and 29 female athletes. The  simultaneous discontinuation of both the Men’s and Women’s Swimming Teams, with the same  number of athletes on each team, does not mitigate Cal Poly’s Title IX liability. But with women  comprising 37.3% of total athletic participation, the cuts actually widened the participation gap  between female enrollment and athletics participation to 12.9%. 

Obviously, eliminating Women’s Swimming reduced athletic participation opportunities for  women.  

Here, the facts show that the gaps between men’s and women’s athletic opportunities at Cal Poly  remains large. Both before and after the cuts to one or both Swimming Teams, women were not,  and are not, receiving equal educational opportunities: 

  • in the percentage of women athletes in the athletic department,  
  • in the percentage of women athletes Cal Poly needs to add, and  
  • in the additional number of female athletes needed to equal the opportunities it currently  provides its male students. 

Financial Constraints Do Not Exempt Title IX Compliance 

Financial constraints or budget cuts are not a valid excuse for non-compliance with federal laws.  As a federally funded institution, Cal Poly is legally required to ensure that its athletic programs  provide equal opportunities and treatment for female athletes, regardless of budgetary concerns. 

Your March 7, 2025 letter to the teams stated that, “Cal Poly’s men’s and women’s swimming  and diving programs will be discontinued effective immediately. While this is disappointing  news to share, the financial realities made this decision unavoidable.” On June 16, 2025, you  reiterated your financial concerns, stating, that despite raising $9 million, “the fundraising effort  has fallen well short of the goal to reinstate the program.” 

Title IX mandates that equitable access to sports programs, and this obligation cannot be  circumvented due to financial limitations. In other words, Cal Poly cannot justify discriminatory treatment based on funding sources from boosters, sponsors or other third party sources. As the  Civil Rights Restoration Act made clear, Title IX prohibits discrimination in all programs and  activities of an institution that receives any federal funds, regardless of how a particular program  or activity is funded.9 The fact that there may be different funding sources for different teams is  irrelevant to the institution’s obligation to ensure equal treatment for the male and female sports  programs. According to the Office for Civil Rights Investigator’s Manual: 

[W]here booster clubs provide benefits or services that assist only teams of one sex, the  institution shall ensure that teams of the other sex receive equivalent benefits and  services. If booster clubs provide benefits and services to athletes of one sex that are  greater than what the institution is capable of providing to athletes of the other sex, then  the institution shall take action to ensure that benefits and services are equivalent for  both sexes.10 

In Brown v. Cohen, the court noted that if funding were a sufficient defense against claims of  discrimination, Congress would not have needed to enact Title IX, which aims to eliminate  gender discrimination in educational programs receiving federal assistance.11 

Retaliation 

Title IX prohibits retaliation against any individual who complains of sex discrimination,  including parents, coaches, and students, regardless of whether that person was the direct victim  of discrimination in the original complaint.12  

Complainants seeking to exercise their rights under Title IX are afforded both statutory and  regulatory protections against retaliation. Retaliation from complaints of sex discrimination is  considered “intentional conduct that violates the clear terms of [Title IX].’” Ollier v. Sweetwater  Union High Sch. Dist., 858 F. Supp. 2d at 1113. 

It is our understanding that Title IX and retaliation claims related to Women’s Swimming have  already been filed against Cal Poly. Therefore, it is imperative that Cal Poly take all necessary  steps to ensure that no member of Women’s Swimming, nor anyone associated with them (including family members, friends, their supporters, or coaches), is subjected to any form of  retaliation. 

Remedy – Reinstate Women’s Swimming, and  

Provide Women with Equal Treatment & Benefits 

We respectfully request that Cal Poly representatives meet with us to engage in productive and  structured negotiations aimed at helping the university implement both immediate short and  long-term changes, to ensure compliance with Title IX. Specifically, we propose the following  actions: 

  1. Reinstate Women’s Swimming immediately; 
  2. Elevate Women’s Athletic Scholarships on the Swimming Team;  
  3. Ensure Women’s Swimming and all female athletes at Cal Poly receive Equal Treatment  and Benefits, including Recruiting Budgets; and 
  4. Create a plan to add additional women’s teams post-haste, to provide women at Cal Poly  with equal educational opportunities.  

We look forward to discussing these matters with you and working toward a resolution that  ensures full compliance with both federal and state law.  

Please respond to this letter as soon as possible and, in any event, no later than Monday, July 7,  2025.  

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Volleyball Zero Codes (June 2025)

Update: added new Volleyball Zero Codes on June 29, 2025 When it comes to anime-inspired sports games, Chrollo never misses, and he is back with another banger. Volleyball Zero is a fresh Roblox game clearly inspired by Haikyu!!, letting you channel raw energy and slam down spikes like a pro. The goal is simple: Dunk […]

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Update: added new Volleyball Zero Codes on June 29, 2025

When it comes to anime-inspired sports games, Chrollo never misses, and he is back with another banger. Volleyball Zero is a fresh Roblox game clearly inspired by Haikyu!!, letting you channel raw energy and slam down spikes like a pro. The goal is simple: Dunk those nets and rise to the top. But to truly dominate the court, you’ll need elite abilities. To help you get there, we’ve gathered all the active Volleyball Zero codes that grant free Style and Flow Spins. Use them to unlock your best moves and rule the arena as the ultimate legend.

All New Volleyball Zero Codes

  • PLAYTEST: 6 Lucky Style Spins and 6 Flow Spins (NEW)

Expired Volleyball Zero Codes

There are no expired codes in this Roblox game yet, as the game is currently in playtest. So, get the freebies before a new update hits and the developers remove these codes. This list will be updated as any codes become inactive.

While you wait for additional codes, try the anime-inspired games like Anime Shadow 2 or Anime Rangers X. You can also play the other top anime sports games on Roblox, like Volleyball Legends and Basketball Zero. Tired of the typical anime games? Check out our Roblox game codes master list to find your next adventure.

How to Redeem Volleyball Zero Codes

Redeeming the codes for Volleyball Zero is straightforward, despite being a tough sports game. Here is how to do it:

  • Run Volleyball Zero on the Roblox player.
  • Click the Codes option from the bottom menu.
  • Type a working code in the ‘Enter Code..’ area.
  • Click the Redeem button to get rewards.
Volleyball Zero codes redeem

How to Get More Volleyball Zero Codes

If you don’t want to waste time searching for new codes, you can rely on us. We keep this page updated with the latest codes as soon as they drop. On top of that, we shift the expired ones to remove any confusion. Bookmark this page and keep the grind going strong!

Just like being a pro on the Volleyball court, even the toughest players need assistance. If you’re looking to stay ahead, join the official Volleyball Zero server. That’s where new codes for Volleyball Zero often get posted early. On the server, you can usually find them in channels like #code-list. You can also follow the game on its Roblox page to catch news about updates and events.

Got a better moveset with those free codes? What Style did you land from your spins? Drop your results in the comments, we’d love to see what you rolled!

Ishan Adhikary

A gaming nerd who covers all things video games. Spending time playing games and writing about them was always a dream. Thanks to Beebom, I live it. Once I am done gaming, I write. Once I am done writing, I game. You feel me.




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