The collegiate volleyball scene is stuck in a see-saw situation. On one hand, teams are neck deep into battle mode as the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championships have entered the Sweet 16. But amidst that, the organization shook things up unexpectedly by opening the transfer portal for the 2025 season. Thus, the air of enthusiasm and cut-throat competition got muddied with the fumes of controversy quickly.

And well, the influx of opinions hasn’t stopped ever since. Some called it an unwanted move, as rumors of women’s volleyball players shifting will just eat up unnecessary brain space when players and coaches need to focus on the tournament at hand. However, another opinion has now surfaced, and it is from a rather experienced coach. She’s blamed neither the NCAA’s untimely announcement nor the athletes for wanting to shift. But, the coaches are allegedly playing it dirty.

Orlando Valkyries’ volleyball head coach unfurls harsh reality

Taking to X, Amy Pauly, the Vice President of Volleyball Operations and each of the Valkyries fired her take. She revealed the insider picture stating: “I’ve had a lot of friends get blindsided or screwed over in the last 48 hours so I won’t apologize for my take on the transfer portal.” Pauly sided with the honest ones and said, “There’s a lot of good coaches out there doing it the right way.”

So then, who are the ones who aren’t? Well, Pauly doesn’t give any names. But she hints towards a few women’s volleyball coaches allegedly trying to pull athletes over to their sides by unwanted interactions. In another tweet, she lashes out at the wrongdoers with a warning, “For any coaches that are tampering & reaching out to athletes during the semester just keep in mind you are effecting another coaches career & life. The impact is greater than you realize.”

Amy Pauly unmasks the difference between having interactions with student-athletes in August/September versus the few weeks after their season ends. Coach Pauly also reveals the antics commonly used. Whether it is under the garb of talking to parents or an indirect hit by having one athlete reach out to the other to ask if they are happy, or even asking a club coach to reach out to a player- “it’s definitely happening.”

And no matter how internally frustrating it must be, the women’s volleyball coach chose to look at the good side for now. She remarked, “And I’m going to choose to believe what we witnessed the last few days is a reflection of 1% of interactions happening in programs. I’m going to choose to celebrate the amazing coaches I know for pouring into their athletes bc I know they outnumber the bad guys.”

Well, it’s sad to see how little has changed in the NCAA sphere when it comes to this. Just last December, a similar incident led a coach to break his silence.

Orlando after Creighton, is women’s volleyball facing a serious issue?

Creighton Bluejays Women’s Volleyball head coach, Kirsten Booth trashed NCAA Volleyball last December for the means by which players were recruited. She had similarly taken to X and made an outlandish claim, suggesting, “Div I Women’s VB is one of the worst sports for “tampering” in recruiting.” Why so?

Well, Coach Booth had given examples of how certain other coaches were resorting to unfair means. And by what we’ve seen Coach Pauly state now, the 2023 version was far more severe. Apparently, videos would be sent boasting of one’s community, in an attempt to lure other athletes in. Also, program videos and NIL amounts would come to light, which was unfair.

In fact, these violations of NCAA rules led Coach Booth to pose a pertinent question. She asked, “Do we want to follow in the steps of some other high-profile sports that have this reputation? Is cheating the rules to win what we want to role model?” Well, if we look at what is happening today, it’s unfortunate to know that there’s very little progress in women’s volleyball, for as per Coach Pauly’s bold claims, tampering (although maybe less intense) is still a prevalent concern.

What do you have to say about this harsh reality? Let us know your opinions below!