Badgers aim to sell out 17,000-plus-seat Kohl Center against SEC opponent

• Wisconsin volleyball’s match against Florida on Sept. 21 will be held at the Kohl Center.
• The move aims to sell out the 17,071-seat arena, building on the success of previous Kohl Center matches.
• The Kohl Center will also host the Opening Spike Classic featuring Wisconsin, Kansas, Texas and Creighton in August.

Wisconsin volleyball will play one of its signature nonconference matches at the Kohl Center instead of the UW Field House.

Marina Gladun and Tetyana Lazarenko, Ukrainian volleyball players, made history by becoming the first representatives of Ukraine to reach the final of the European Beach Volleyball Championship. In the decisive match, they defeated the French duo Clemence Viera and Aline Chamero.

Previously, the Ukrainian women’s team had never advanced beyond the round of 16, while the best achievement among men was a bronze medal. At the competition in Düsseldorf, Germany, Gladun and Lazarenko secured three playoff victories: against the German pair Linda Bock and Luisa Lippmann, the Dutch team Mila Kenink and Raisa Schonn, as well as the Spanish duo Daniela Alvarez Mendoza and Tanya Moreno.

In the final, the Ukrainians faced opponents with similar world rankings: Gladun and Lazarenko were ranked 12th, while Viera and Chamero held 11th place.

The first set began with the French taking the lead, but in the second half of the set, the Ukrainians managed to pull ahead, leading 20:15. However, their opponents caught up and won the set 23:21.

In the second set, the Ukrainians gained a slight advantage, leading by 1-2 points. The decisive moment came when the score was tied – 21:18 in favor of Gladun and Lazarenko.

The third set proved to be extremely tense. At 13:13, both teams were even, and the Ukrainians failed to convert their first match point. The decisive moment occurred at 15:14 when the French made an error, sending the ball into the net, which brought the Ukrainians the historic European Championship gold.

Euro 2025 Final Result (Women):
Clemence Viera / Aline Chamero (France) – Marina Gladun / Tetyana Lazarenko (Ukraine) – 1:2 (23:21, 18:21, 14:16)

“I have no words. It was very stressful, but we stayed a team until the end – and we won.”

“I can’t believe this happened. Thank you all for your support.”

Lyndsey Oates felt that she wasn’t ready to be the University of Northern Colorado volleyball coach when she accepted the job 20 years ago.

In August 2005, Oates had only three seasons of experience as an assistant coach following her collegiate playing career.

Now, days away from the start of her 21st year with the Bears, Oates is arguably the most successful coach of the most successful team currently operating in the UNC athletic department.

“I don’t think there is any program that compares with the production and consistency with women’s volleyball,” said Terry Pettit, former Nebraska coach and an Oates mentor.

UNC begins its preseason Thursday, Aug. 7. The Bears’ first match is an exhibition Saturday, Aug. 23 at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The regular season begins the following week, Friday, Aug. 29 against the University of Washington at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley.

UNC will host the Big Sky Conference Tournament in November as the 2024 regular-season Big Sky champion.

Not only is the volleyball team the best intercollegiate program at UNC, it’s one of the best in the Big Sky Conference — the university’s primary athletic conference.

Oates, who is from Eaton and attended UNC matches as a girl during the Division II era, has overseen the majority of the program’s short, 23-year life in Division I.

She has an overall record of 376-234, and she’s a five-time Big Sky coach of the year — including last season when the team won its seventh regular-season title either outright or shared.

The Bears have won 14 Big Sky titles under Oates, and they’ve earned seven bids to the NCAA Tournament.

Oates, 45, had never been a head coach before UNC. She was then only four years removed from her own college career at Louisiana State University. In 2002, the year she graduated from college, Oates was an assistant at Samford in Homewood, Alabama. Oates came to UNC as an assistant in 2003, which was the first season at the Division I level and the first of three seasons as an independent.

UNC didn’t join the Big Sky Conference until Oates’ second year in 2006. The Bears have been among the conference’s most consistent programs in those 18 years. There has never been a significant or prolonged dip in results.

Pettit met Oates in her early years with the Bears, and he recommended her for the head job to then athletic director Jay Hinrichs. Oates was an assistant to head coach Ron Alexander when he left a few days before the season started in 2005.

Pettit coached at Nebraska from 1977-1999. He remained with the Cornhuskers athletic department for a few years, mentoring coaches and working with administration. He and his wife moved to Fort Collins in the early 2000s because their daughter played volleyball at Colorado State University and they wanted to become more familiar with the area.

Pettit started consulting on leadership for coaches in Colorado and became acquainted with Oates. She was then known by her maiden name, Lyndsey Benson. Oates and her husband, Mark, married in 2012.

Pettit said he recommended Oates to be the UNC head coach based on her character. He described her as thoughtful, organized and collaborative.

“Nobody is really ready,” Pettit said. “You don’t know what it’s like being a head coach in college until you’re a head coach in college. There were people who would’ve taken the job with more experience. I’m more interested in where someone can end up.”

Change is key to success

Oates said a part of her success and the program’s success has come from her willingness to change. Oates and her staff have evolved with the times in college sports over the years, adapting and modifying how they operate in all phases of the program — from recruiting and training of athletes to selling tickets and hiring staff.

Changes had to be made early in Oates’ time as the head coach. There are big differences between Division I and Division II athletics, and the program had to adapt right away. This included athletes staying on campus and working out over the summer with the move to Division I.

Oates has never hesitated to ask for help, reaching out for feedback from other coaches such as Pettit, Alexander or Linda Delk. Delk, a UNC Hall of Famer, had a 702-290 record in 26 seasons from 1976-2002 when the Bears were a Division II power.

“I don’t want blind spots,” Oates said. “I think that’s my biggest thing. And when you stay at a place for a long time, it’s going to be natural to get blind spots. You can get the kind of mentality of, ‘This is the way we’ve always done it,’ and that’s the worst mentality I could possibly have.”

What has not changed is Oates and her staff emphasizing the athletes and the culture of the program, she said. “Culture” is an often-used word in UNC athletics. Culture, in part, means coaching people, not only coaching volleyball, Oates said. Culture is also the standard of behavior and professionalism in the program from year to year.

The culture, behavior and pride in the Bears program must be re-established each season and discussed often, Oates said.

Associate head coach Pi’i Aiu has been with Oates and the program for six years. Aiu coached at the University of Colorado for 12 years before coming to Greeley, and he’s been familiar with Oates for many years.

He said Oates cares about the players as people first.

“I think one of the biggest challenges for a coach is to get players to play hard for you,” Aiu said. “She’s really good at motivating kids and keeping them engaged. She makes players better in all phases of their lives, in academics and in volleyball.”

Among the biggest changes in college sports in the last few years has been the introduction of the transfer portal and NIL (name, image and likeness) opportunities for athletes. These newer components of college sports are continuing to evolve and change, and Oates is still figuring out how to use them, she said. She sees pros and cons to the portal and NIL.

“As soon as I feel like I have it a little bit figured out, the next day, there’s a new rule, or I learned something new where I go, ‘Oh man, that’s not the path we’re going to take,’ ” she said.

Oates said with the approval of the landmark House v. NCAA settlement several weeks ago, there may be a benefit for a mid-major Division I program such as UNC. A part of the lawsuit settlement set caps on how much schools may pay athletes. For the upcoming school year, the cap is about $20.5 million for schools with financial resources to go that high.

Oates said even bigger schools, such as those in the SEC, likely won’t send NIL money to volleyball programs. A mid-major program where volleyball is prioritized, like UNC, might then be able to attract athletes with community support.

UNC athletic director Darren Dunn used the same word: “priority.” Volleyball is a priority for the university from the board of trustees to President Andy Feinstein to the athletic department.

The success of Oates and the program has increased the visibility of UNC volleyball, Dunn said. The sport was certainly successful at the Division II level.

“She has continued that tradition and raised the bar,” Dunn said. “It’s never easy at Division I.”

Dunn said Oates embraces change. She does not fear changes in the industry, and she’s always interested in how the program can improve or grow.

“Student-athletes, in my opinion, have changed over time, and she gets the most out of them,” Dunn said. “She has been able to figure that out — how to work with student athletes to get the most out of them, and that has not changed.”

Oates as a mentor

Five years ago, Oates and her staff brought in an athlete who developed into one of the best in the history of UNC volleyball. Syd Cole was an all-state player and team MVP at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora.

Playing the key position of setter, Cole was twice named an All-America honorable mention selection by a coaches association. She is the only player in the Division I era to earn these honors. Cole was also a three-time Big Sky Conference first-team selection, and she was named conference MVP, setter of the year and player of the year through her career.

As the Bears’ setter, which is like the quarterback in volleyball, Cole worked closely with Oates. Cole was impressed with Oates from the first time they met, she said. Cole liked the quality of the UNC program. The Bears were winning before Cole arrived in 2020. She liked that Oates played top-level, Division I volleyball at LSU. Cole saw all of this and realized she wanted to be part of Oates’ program.

Cole said Oates has changed and evolved as a coach. Cole isn’t a fan of being yelled at by a coach. Oates saw this, and the women developed a closer player-coach relationship in Cole’s five years with the Bears.

Cole said Oates changed each season in how the coach was able to connect and communicate with all of her players.

“It’s amazing and hard to do,” Cole said.

This year’s UNC team appears to be different from last season when the Bears won a Division I-program record 28 matches. They won the Big Sky regular season, reached the conference tournament championship and then played in the postseason. After losing to Sacramento State in the tournament championship match, the Bears qualified for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship and reached the tournament semifinals.

Cole exhausted her college eligibility. Gabi Placide, a dominating sophomore outside hitter on last year’s team from Centennial and Grandview High School, transferred to the University of Mississippi.

Placide was the Big Sky freshman of the year in 2023 and on the conference’s first team after the 2024 season. She and Cole were named to the conference tournament team last year, after the Bears’ five-set loss to Sacramento State.

Cole said Oates won’t have to rely on a special level of growth and change this year as a coach to compensate for the loss of two strong players. Cole said many of the players on the roster have been in the program for a while. Athletes such as senior outside hitters Brynn Reines and Bella Van Lannen, senior middle block Isabel Bennett, junior defensive specialist Bella LePore and sophomore outside hitter Alayna Tessena have experience, have started matches and are ready to show what they can do.

“I think losing those pieces won’t be that big of a deal,” Cole said, adding Oates knows how to manage a team and a program.

​​Oates and Cole met regularly when Cole played for the Bears. Cole said she liked Oates’ open-door policy at the coach’s office. The women talked about a variety of things, relating to life and volleyball. The conversations continued when Cole left UNC late last year for her first professional opportunity.

Cole, 23, played through the winter and spring with the Vegas Thrill of the indoor Pro Volleyball Federation. She’s leaving for Switzerland later this month to play for a club in the Swiss League.

The all-important athlete connection the program stresses was clear and easy to see for Cole. She considers Oates a mentor, and a person Cole will look up to for the rest of her life.

“I can call her anytime, and she’s willing to talk to me,” Cole said. “Seeing her with her family, I want to be the great mom she is.”

Balancing head coach with family

Being the head coach of a Division I athletic program, which is a role essentially similar to a chief executive at a company, in addition to having responsibilities of spouse and parent is not an easy load to juggle.

Mark Oates and the children, Dylan and Rylee, are often at matches, and they take a big interest in UNC volleyball.

Dylan and Rylee are both interested in sports, and found perks and benefits from being the children of a college coach. Rylee attended a UNC volleyball camp earlier this summer. Lyndsey said the kids have also attended other camps at UNC or worked with coaches.

“They are a part of it,” Oates said. “I kind of check in with them every year: ‘Are we still up for me coaching again?’ They’ll say ‘yes.’ They love it.”

Oates said Mark is a hero in their family story because he manages the children when coaching duties keep her away from home. They also receive help from Lyndsey’s mother, Connye Benson, who lives in the area.

Lyndsey was coaching at Samford in October 2002 when her father was killed in a vehicle crash. She returned to Colorado for a graduate assistant role at UNC to be closer to family.

Benson introduced Lyndsey to volleyball when Oates was a girl in Eaton. Benson taught the sport at Aims Community College, and she coached at Eaton High.

Oates said she’s also learned through the years to be present where she is when conflicting feelings creep in surrounding the team and her family.

“It’s just to be where my feet are,” Oates said. “There’s always something more to do with work, but when I’m home, I need to be with them. That’s easier said than done. I’m not perfect at that. If I can be emotionally engaged with whatever I’m currently doing, that has helped the mom guilt or the job guilt in both directions.”

Editor’s Note: The Nasdaq and S&P aren’t far below all-time highs. Big Tech earnings, overall, are wowing Wall Street. And FOMO is rising.

But as we’ve seen before, not every rally ends well.

Today, we’re turning over the Digest to our macro investing expert Eric Fry for a timely take on what’s unfolding in the markets.

In his essay below, Eric draws an unexpected – but surprisingly revealing – analogy between his decades playing beach volleyball in Southern California and navigating today’s investment landscape.

You’ll see why some stocks soaring right now may have run too far, too fast… why others are starting to break down mid-rally… and why only a select few have the fundamentals in place to deliver real, lasting gains.

If you want to avoid the AI hype stocks and find the companies with strong footing and room to run before their next earnings drop, today’s Digest is essential reading.

Enough introduction. I’ll let Eric take it from here.

Have a good weekend,

Jeff Remsburg

I’m a native Southern Californian, so it probably won’t surprise you to hear that I’m an avid beach volleyball player.

In fact, I’ve been playing for decades, and spent my “crazy youth” of the 1980s at the volleyball nets ofCalifornia’s beaches.

Although I have jokingly referred to the sport as my “real job,” the truth is that playing volleyball has similarities to playing the market, especially during a rally.

Like the one we’re experiencing right now.

On Friday, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite indexes both hit record highs during intraday trading. They started out even higher today largely due to optimism surrounding yesterday’s trade agreement between the United States and European Union

This upward trend may continue this week, as several big tech companies deliver earnings.

While the “fear of missing out” may have you wanting to participate in this rally, you should still do so cautiously.

Here’s what my time at the net has taught me about smart investing…

Beach volleyball, like the markets, also consists of rallies. In the sandy game, though, a rally is the sequence of hits back and forth between teams during any given point.

A volleyball rally always starts with a serve – and it ends in only one of three ways…

1. The ball lands out of bounds.

From an investing angle, you can think of this as companies with sky-high valuations. While these firms may seem attractive to investors, like Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), the truth is that their valuations are overshot, landing them in the stratosphere.

For instance, Nvidia’s market cap sits at $4.23 trillion, the highest in the world. It is currently trading for 56X its trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, or about double the market average.

I recommend avoiding out-of-bounds stocks like these because their high valuations yield to low valuations… eventually.

Instead, you’ll want to focus on companies that land squarely within the winning parameters of the court. That is why I look for companies that have a promising runway built by strong fundamentals – attractive valuations.

In fact, I recommend one such company over Nvidia. And it is set to report its second quarter earnings for 2025 tomorrow, July 29. Analysts expect this company to beat estimates with over 20% year-over-year earnings growth and nearly 7% year-over-year revenue growth.

You can learn how to access all of the details about this company – before its earnings call – by clicking here.

This brings me to the second way a volleyball rally…

2. A team commits a fault, like failing to return the ball over the net.

You can think of this as companies that miss the mark. Like Tesla Inc. (TSLA), as we talked about in last Saturday’s Smart Money.

The company announced last week that it missed both top and bottom lines for the second quarter of 2025. This is largely due to declining vehicle sales. CEO Elon Musk said that the company “probably could have a few rough quarters” ahead.

What’s more, Tesla is well behind the pace needed to meet its stated goal of producing at least 5,000 Optimus robots this year. The company has so far only produced a few hundred.

Tesla is failing to return and is, therefore, not a stock that we want in our portfolios.

I’ve got my eye instead on a company that is successfully sailing over the net. It’s a robotics company that is a direct competitor to Tesla, and its current backlog means there’s another $23 billion in future sales already baked in the cake. You can learn the name of this company, for free, here.

Of course, the most favorable way to end a beach volleyball rally for the serving team is when…

3. A point is scored.

You don’t have to be a beach volleyball fan, or even a sports fan in general, to know that scoring a point is the only way to win.

Of course, as investors, we also want to “win” the rally.

The best way to do that is to play it right. You don’t want to stock up on overvalued or faulty companies. In fact, I recommend selling those types of stocks if they are in your portfolio right now.

You want to invest in the right stocks at the right time.

That’s why I’ve compiled a list of three companies that I believe are “Buys.” These are under-the-radar, early opportunities that can help you protect and multiply your money during make-or-break markets.

You can find the details of these companies – ticker symbols and all – in my brand-new special broadcast, free of charge.

Regards,

Eric Fry

Editor, Smart Money

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