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Dan Meske era set to begin with investment

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Inside the athletics department’s decision and the impact this new era is having on women’s and Olympic sports.

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  • Athletics director Josh Heird told The Courier Journal that U of L will invest in the following five sports: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and volleyball.
  • Nine schools, including U of L, expressly told the CJ they are investing revenue-sharing money into women’s volleyball.

The Dan Meske era of Louisville volleyball officially begins Friday versus Auburn as part of the Cardinal Classic at L&N Arena. 

Friday also marks U of L’s first game of the revenue-sharing era, in which schools are allowed to pay athletes directly with a per-institution cap of $20.5 million (a number set to increase annually by 4%). While most schools will likely put the bulk of their $20.5 million into programs that turn a profit, athletics director Josh Heird told The Courier Journal that U of L will invest in the following five sports: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and volleyball.

“I think if you asked anybody around the country,” Heird said, “‘Are you giving rev share to football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball?’ There’s probably not a school that’s going to say we’re not at least giving something to those three. I think volleyball is a unique one.”

The Courier Journal asked 26 athletics departments (including Louisville’s) that sponsor college volleyball’s top programs whether they’re allocating revenue-sharing money to those athletes. Four of those 26 never responded to the inquiry. Thirteen either declined to answer or did not answer in their responses. And nine confirmed volleyball would receive a cut but did not share specific percentage breakdowns when asked to.

The following schools expressly told The Courier Journal they are investing revenue-sharing money into women’s volleyball:

Louisville’s logic as far as which programs to invest revenue-sharing money into came down to three factors: return on investment; external impact of on-field/on-court success, or good PR; and coaching staffs with proven track records. 

Volleyball doesn’t bring in units like both NCAA basketball tournaments or TV money like football. But the program’s consistent top-ranked status shines a positive light on U of L’s overall brand, more so than a top-25 team finish at the NCAA outdoor track & field championship, as both Louisville’s men’s and women’s squads achieved this summer. For example, the 2024 volleyball national championship between Louisville and Penn State drew 1.3 million viewers, peaking at 1.9 million, according to ESPN. Viewership and visibility are valuable, if not easily convertible to exact dollar amounts.

While 2025 will be Meske’s first as head coach of Louisville volleyball, he served as Dani Busboom Kelly’s associate head coach from 2017-2024, helping lead the Cards to two national championship appearances and three Final Fours. So, from Louisville’s perspective, Meske has a proven track record of success. To maintain that success, and to finally snag an NCAA title, will require investment. 

Especially knowing that other top volleyball programs will invest, too. 

“Volleyball, they’ve had success, and we’ve invested in it,” Heird said. “So, it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re committed here with volleyball, and if we don’t do some things from a rev-share standpoint, then we should probably reduce everything that we’re doing from a volleyball standpoint. Because we’re not going to have the success that we want to have.’ And I think that was one of the biggest questions for us in making these decisions. Like, do we just do a little here, a little there, here? It was like, no … where can we have the most success?” 

It’s an imperfect calculation. And many athletics departments are keeping the details to themselves, citing the need to maintain a competitive advantage, despite the fact that all schools are working with the same salary cap. And despite questions from fans who’ve donated to their NIL efforts and local taxpayers whose money is helping fund institutional support in the form of loans from universities to athletics departments claiming aid to stay afloat.  

Earlier this year, Heird told The Courier Journal that Louisville had no plans to cut any of its 23 sports teams to help offset revenue-sharing costs. But that is a widespread, national concern among proponents of Title IX and Olympic sports. 

Under the Biden administration, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a guidance saying NIL money should be treated the same as financial aid (like scholarships), i.e. subject to Title IX. Title IX is a 53-year-old antidiscrimination law requiring schools to issue financial assistance in proportion to the number of men and women who play varsity sports. The law also requires schools to provide opportunities for men and women to play sports that are proportionate with the student body’s gender makeup.

However, the Trump administration rescinded this guidance, meaning schools can manage their revenue-sharing budgets however they see fit without any risk of violating Title IX. Many schools have chosen to dump an overwhelming percentage into revenue-generating sports like football and men’s basketball.

Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas just lost a Title IX lawsuit filed by current athletes seeking to protect women’s bowling, women’s golf and beach volleyball after the school announced the elimination of those programs (plus men’s golf) “based on sustained departmental budget deficits and the anticipated financial impact of upcoming revenue-sharing requirements with Division I athletes.” SFA filed a notice of appeal Aug. 7, according to online court records.

“The funding of those revenue-sharing payments for football players and men’s basketball absolutely cannot come at the expense of women’s sports,” plaintiff attorney John Clune told USA TODAY. “So this is a huge message to schools across the country. Whatever you have to do to figure out how you’re going to fund your revenue-sharing payments, it’s not going to come at the expense of women’s opportunities to participate in sports. That’s a big deal.”

While President Donald Trump issued an executive order this summer stating that “all college sports should be preserved and, where possible, expanded,” including women’s and other non-revenue-generating sports, the word “should” is key. His anti-DEI executive orders used the threats like litigation and revocation of federal funding as enforcement. The “Saving College Sports” EO is effectively toothless until and unless Trump’s Cabinet members come up with policies to actually implement what he outlined in July.

That’s why many leaders in college sports — including Heird — are looking to Congress. Before he became an administrator, Heird spent five years in Washington, D.C., working for Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho and Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado. Those five years are proving very useful nowadays, as he lobbies Kentucky representatives to support federal regulation of college athletics.

“Congress doesn’t get involved in anything, for the most part, until they feel like they need to,” Heird said. “And I do believe that we’re at that point. … In a perfect world, free market society, none of that takes place. But that’s just the fundamentals of government. Like, ‘Hey, this isn’t working by itself. We need to step in and raise guardrails, rules, laws, so that it works better for everybody.’

“And the other piece of it, too, is this idea that college athletics is uniquely American. Nowhere else in the world do we have something like college athletics that supports opportunities for student athletes from all different backgrounds, supports women’s sports, supports Olympic sports, all these different things. If you look at why we are so good at the Olympics, I would contend it’s because of the college athletics model for all intents and purposes. And so I absolutely think college athletics needs to be protected for those reasons.”

Speaking of legislation, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee sent a letter to lawmakers expressing concern with the House’s SCORE Act (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements), a bipartisan bill with the aim of establishing national standards around collegiate athlete compensation. 

“Without careful calibration,” the letter read, “proposed legislative reforms could result in potential for widespread program cuts, or material reductions in the investment level, that could dismantle decades of progress in sport diversity and opportunity.

“We encourage Congress to consider a model that ensures proportionate investment in operating costs and scholarships across sports programs.”

When asked how Louisville is working proactively to preserve Olympic sports and abide by Title IX during an era of constant flux within the industry, Heird said: 

“For me, it’s, ‘Can we do a really good job of taking care of all of our 23 sports?’ I think we have a great track record investing in all of them. Obviously there’s always been some push and pull there relative to investment, but there’s more now. But if football and basketball for us aren’t successful, then everybody’s resources are going to get reduced. 

“And I think that’s what you’re really trying to reconcile, is, ‘How do we make sure that we can provide the most resources to all of our programs?’”

Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com and follow her on X @petitus25.



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Texas A&M tops Kentucky for first NCAA volleyball championship: ‘We sent a warning shot out to the world’

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December 22, 2025

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With Texas A&M up 24-20 in the third set of the NCAA women’s volleyball title match, Maddie Waak set the ball for Ifenna Cos-Okpalla. Though Logan Lednicky and Kyndal Stowers had played bigger games for the Aggies, it was Cos-Okpalla who got the call for the championship point.

She elevated and slammed the ball in between Kentucky’s defenders at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. With that kill, Texas A&M won an improbable national title, 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-20).

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“They’re putting on t-shirts behind me. I can’t believe it. I’m still a little bit in disbelief,” Aggies coach Jamie Morrison said to ABC after the game. “We sent a warning shot out to the world about what we’re about.”

Kentucky, the No. 1 seed, started out strong in the first set. They built a lead as big as six points before Texas A&M started chipping away, eventually winning the set, 26-24. With that momentum, the Aggies owned the next two sets. Lednicky was the star of the match with 7 kills, 11 digs and 2 blocks. With every point won, Texas A&M’s confidence grew.

Kentucky was the third No. 1 seed that Texas A&M — a third seed — beat on the way to the national title, and every win from the Sweet 16 on was shocking. First, the Aggies came back from 2-0 to pull the reverse sweep against Louisville. Next, Texas A&M had to face undefeated, No. 1 overall seed Nebraska in Lincoln. In what was the best game of the tournament, the Aggies beat Nebraska in five sets.

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But their magic didn’t stop once the Aggies got to Kansas City. In the national semifinal, they swept No. 1 seed Pittsburgh, the first time the Panthers had been swept all season. And then in the first-ever All-SEC final, the Aggies came out victorious.

Unlike Kentucky, which won the national title in 2020 and has been one of the top teams in women’s volleyball for years, Texas A&M is a newcomer to volleyball’s elite. Though it had some good teams over the years that made it to the Elite Eight, this was the program’s first Final Four and their first national title.

Morrison took over the program in 2023, and held onto Lednicky and Cos-Okpalla. The Aggies turned the program around quickly, earning a bid to the tournament in 2023 and then making it to the Sweet 16 in 2024. This year, the Aggies went 29-4 and looked like a team on the brink. But with so many seniors, they had no time to waste and adopted the mentality of “Why not us?”

Lednicky, who played with the U.S. national team over the summer, was the heart of this team’s championship run, and the player who kept asking “Why not us?” Stowers’ comeback might be one of the best sports stories of the year. While playing for Baylor, she suffered concussions and medically retired from the sport. But after being medically cleared and deciding she had more to give to the sport, Stowers signed with Texas A&M and is now a national champion.

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Morrison has built a program that is not only a national champion, but is in a great position to continue to grow volleyball in Texas. While he will lose seniors like Lednicky and Waak, he can now show off a championship ring while on the recruiting trail.

But figuring out who will play for the Aggies next season is tomorrow’s problem. Today, Texas A&M gets to celebrate how it defied the odds to win the school’s first-ever national title in women’s volleyball.



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Kentucky vs. Texas A&M NCAA Volleyball Championship: How to watch, preview

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December 22, 2025

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Kentucky volleyball will look to win its second national title in five years on Sunday when it takes on Texas A&M in Kansas City.How to watchSunday’s game tips off at 3:30 p.m. at the T-Mobile Center. It will air on ABC.PreviewKentucky comes to the game on Sunday with the edge. The Cats are No. 2 overall in the NCAA ranking, and they have previously beaten the No. 6 Aggies 3-1 in October. That game, an A&M home game, saw then No. 3 Kentucky face off against No. 9 Texas A&M, but since that meet-up, the Cats have not lost a single game, and the Aggies are right behind them with a single loss to home state rival Texas. The Wildcats have won 27 straight games, 30-2 overall, with their last loss in September to Pittsburgh. Texas A&M comes in 28-4 overall, with a five-game win streak, after their loss to Texas destroyed their 11-game win streak.Kentucky is no stranger to the NCAA championship. The Cats snagged their first title in 2020 after they beat Texas 3-1 in Omaha. Texas A&M has not made an appearance at the NCAA championship but has finished in the top ten four times in the last five years, finishing in fifth place in 2024.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

Kentucky volleyball will look to win its second national title in five years on Sunday when it takes on Texas A&M in Kansas City.

How to watch

Sunday’s game tips off at 3:30 p.m. at the T-Mobile Center. It will air on ABC.

Preview

Kentucky comes to the game on Sunday with the edge. The Cats are No. 2 overall in the NCAA ranking, and they have previously beaten the No. 6 Aggies 3-1 in October. That game, an A&M home game, saw then No. 3 Kentucky face off against No. 9 Texas A&M, but since that meet-up, the Cats have not lost a single game, and the Aggies are right behind them with a single loss to home state rival Texas.

The Wildcats have won 27 straight games, 30-2 overall, with their last loss in September to Pittsburgh. Texas A&M comes in 28-4 overall, with a five-game win streak, after their loss to Texas destroyed their 11-game win streak.

Kentucky is no stranger to the NCAA championship. The Cats snagged their first title in 2020 after they beat Texas 3-1 in Omaha.

Texas A&M has not made an appearance at the NCAA championship but has finished in the top ten four times in the last five years, finishing in fifth place in 2024.



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Texas A&M volleyball beats Kentucky to win national title

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December 22, 2025

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NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! – Texas A&M Athletics

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December 22, 2025

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Texas A&M Aggies overwhelmed the Kentucky Wildcats in the final two sets of a 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-18) victory to claim the school’s first-ever NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Sunday evening inside the T-Mobile Center.

 

Entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Lincoln Regional, Texas A&M (29-4) completed a postseason sweep of three of the tournament’s No. 1 seeds, beating Nebraska (3-2) and Pitt (3-0) before dispatching of Kentucky (30-3). The last three teams the Maroon & White beat were a combined 93-6 before their respective seasons were ended.

 

The Aggies became the ninth team in the 45-year history of the NCAA Championship to sweep both of their Final Four matches.

 

The Maroon & White never trailed in the last two sets. The opportunistic Aggies took advantage of the Wildcats’ nine service errors and 16 attack errors.

 

Kyndal Stowers was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player. She capped off the tournament with a .304 attack percentage, 10 kills, six digs, two service aces and one block in the triumph over Kentucky. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Logan Lednicky and Ava Underwood joined Stowers on the All-Tournament Team.

 

Texas A&M claimed the first set despite not leading until 25-24. The Wildcats pounced on the Aggies in the first set for a 9-3 advantage. Kentucky led by six on eight more occasions, before the Maroon & White clawed back into the contest. An 8-2 run, featuring two kills each by Cos-Okpalla and Lednicky, tied the contest at 20-20. With the set seesawing, the Wildcats had its first set point at 24-23, but Stowers sandwiched two kills around a block assist by Cos-Okpalla and Maddie Waak for the smash and grab.

 

The second set was tied twice early before the Aggies broke away. Back-to-back kills by Lednicky and a service ace by Cos-Okpalla allowed Texas A&M to open a 5-2 lead. The Maroon & White suffocated the Wildcats with a 13-3 run to open its biggest lead of the set at 19-8. Kentucky would draw no closer than seven the remainder of the set.

 

After Kentucky opened the third set with a service error, Cos-Okpalla put aways two kills to start a 6-1 surge out of the gate. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 10-8, but 9-3 charge by Texas A&M widened the lead to 19-11. Big Blue was closed the gap to four at 24-20, but it was too little, too late as Cos-Okpalla uncorked a booming kill for the final point.

 

STAT LEADERS

Kills – Logan Lednicky – 11

Hitting Percentage (Min. 10 kills) – Kyndal Stowers – .304

Assists – Maddie Waak – 29

Aces – Ifenna Cos-Okpalla; Maddie Waak – 2 

Digs – Ava Underwood – 10

Blocks – Ifenna Cos-Okpalla – 4

 

GAME NOTES

  • Logan Lednicky recorded her 23nd-consecutive game with 10 or more kills.
  • Ifenna Cos-Okpalla set the Texas A&M career record for blocks, wrapping up with 566. She also inflated her single-season school record to 199.
  • Jamie Morrison joined John Dunning (first year) and Michael Sealy (second year) as one of three coaches two win an NCAA Division I Volleyball tournament in their first three years as a head coach.
  • The Aggies beat all four of the No. 1 seeds of the NCAA Championship, beating Texas (3-2) in the regular season and Nebraska (3-2), Pitt (3-0) and Kentucky (3-0).

 

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 by following @AggieVolleyball.





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Alumni Spotlight: Aviana “Avi” Goode ’20

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December 22, 2025

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Aviana K. Goode ’20
Track and Field

Aviana, also known as Avi, is no stranger to success on the track. Before turning 18, Avi had already won three state championships and earned multiple bronze medals, along with a silver, while competing for her high school track team — and even added a school record in the process. Her winning nature carried over to Syracuse where she balanced being a student and an athlete, studying Communication and Rhetorical Studies at VPA and Sports Revenue Management & Operations at Falk College. This balance paid off as she earned top-six finishes at the 2019 ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the high jump. She continued to add to her long list of track achievements during her graduate transfer year when she competed for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) where she previously held the indoor program record for 60m hurdles and the outdoor record for the 100m hurdles and heptathlon. Although she no longer competes on the track, she has found a new way to stay involved with the sport she loves.

It was always Aviana’s dream to earn a trip to TrackTown USA in Eugene, Oregon. For those who may not know, TrackTown is a world-class track and field facility organizing events such as the 2015, 2022, 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships and the 2016, 2020, and 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Aviana’s dream to make it to TrackTown USA, also known as Hayward Field, came true when she was selected as one of four photographers to cover the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials as park of the Black Women Photographers and TrackTown USA creative team.

Noah Lyles coming out of the blocks at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks
Noah Lyles coming out of the blocks at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks

“It was surreal,” Aviana said. “My goal in life, in track and field specifically, was always to make it to Hayward Field. It was supposed to be as an athlete, but I guess God had different plans for me. I ended up there with a whole new lens, literally and figuratively.”

Aviana spent over a week at TrackTown shooting world-class athletes like Olympic champion and eight-time World Champion, Noah Lyles, Olympic long jump champion, Tara Davis-Woodhall, and even Olympian and World Record breaker, Sydney McLaughlin.


 

Tara Davis-Woodhall competing in long jump at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks
Tara Davis-Woodhall competing in long jump at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks

The unique part about the entire situation is that Aviana was just a newbie in the sports photography world at this point. She had started sports photography just two years prior to shooting on this world-class stage and had only shot one outdoor track meet before. Despite the lack of experience, Polly Irungu, founder of Black Women Photographers, loved her photos and style.

The opportunity to shoot the Olympic Trials allowed Aviana to grow tremendously as a person but also as a photographer. While covering the Olympic Trials, she noticed that not many women of color were working as creatives although the sport is predominately black. There were only five other creatives that were black women that she saw capturing the events at TrackTown. This realization inspired Avi to be a role model and a representation for young black women and women of color who want to step into the creative world. As a freelance photographer based in NYC, she continues to refine her craft, working with athletes, brands, and events to create high-impact imagery that resonates.

“Being a photographer allows me to go out there and still feel like an athlete. I can feel the emotion. I’m capturing everything to remember the moment and to show the love and passion for the sport that I think is the hardest sport in the world, Aviana said.

 

Stay connected with Aviana on Linkedin: Aviana Goode | LinkedIn & Instagram: @goode.flicks

Raven Saunders with her medal at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks
Raven Saunders with her medal at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks



 
 



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Kentucky volleyball results, recap vs Texas A&M in championship match

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December 22, 2025

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Updated Dec. 21, 2025, 5:16 p.m. ET

The Kentucky Wildcats volleyball team needed one more win to bring home a national championship, but the Texas A&M Aggies were the better team on Sunday afternoon, and it’s they who took home the trophy after winning the match 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-20).

It looked like the Wildcats were going to take control early. They jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set, and led big as play progressed. However, some good Texas A&M serves, and some bad Kentucky passing led to an Aggies comeback.

After that first set, it seemed as if the life drained out of the Wildcats. The Aggies dominated the second set. They blocked nearly every Kentucky kill attempt, and dug out the rest. The Cats had no answers, and they fell behind 2-0.



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