This week, Split Zone Duo celebrates a major milestone: welcoming Six Zone Duo. This episode explains what we’re doing. Find it here:
Apple Podcasts (Listen and leave a review!)
Spotify (Listen and leave a star rating)
Here’s more from Richard:
How did we get here? The quick backstory.
Alex and I had wondered for a while what a second show might look like—ideally, one that would be part of our broader universe without being hosted by us. We considered all kinds of ideas: the NFL, non-sports topics, and something centered on women’s sports. But women’s sports aren’t a monolith. Would it be a generalist show? Would it cover softball, soccer, or basketball?
As we brainstormed, we kept coming back to volleyball. We began looking more closely at a sport whose viewership was exploding, and it was easy to understand why. One night last December, I couldn’t sleep and turned on highlights from the NCAA tournament. The matches were fast-paced, and the athleticism of the women on the court was remarkable.
We also started learning about the emerging professional leagues, LOVB and MLV. Pretty much everyone we spoke with in the sports business world and college athletics agreed that volleyball has all the ingredients for a boom. But one point kept coming up: Beyond the matches themselves, the sport isn’t covered in very many places. And there’s no good reason for that.
So we decided to find someone who could build a show and help fill the void. But who?
Friends of Split Zone Duo recommended Erin Sorensen, whom subscribers may remember from her appearance on the feed for a Nebraska Dead Letters episode. In February, I called our mutual friend Amie Just to get Erin’s contact information. When I explained what we were considering, Amie said, “Well, I’d be interested in that too.”
That is the origin story of the show we are proud to debut this week
Amie, a true ball knower, came up with the name. “Six Zone Duo” refers to the six positions on the volleyball court. It connects naturally to Split Zone Duo while giving the new show a visual identity all its own. We could not be more excited to support Amie and Erin as they begin this journey.
They’ll be on-site for some of the biggest matches in the professional and college games, and they’ll cover the sport nationally through a new, free weekly show. Expect analysis, interviews, and coverage that makes you a smarter volleyball fan.
Volleyball deserves to be covered in depth. We trust Amie and Erin to do exactly that from Nebraska, the epicenter of the college game.
As they get started, I have a few people to thank.
Thank you to Erin and Amie for throwing themselves wholeheartedly into this project and already bringing so much passion, commentary, chemistry, and knowledge to it.
Thank you to Alex for his continued partnership, for navigating the better part of eight months unlike anything we’ve experienced together before, and for trusting that we could make this happen even when the vision wasn’t yet clear.
Thank you to our presenting partners at Homefield for believing in us years ago, sticking with us throughout, and enthusiastically supporting this new project.
Thank you to Hector, Tyson, Anthony, Warren, Austin, and the many others throughout the Split Zone Duo ecosystem who helped us get Six Zone Duo off the ground. Your creativity and counsel made this possible.
And thank you to volleyball fans everywhere. We know you’re out there, and we know you care. This is for you.
Does this change anything for Split Zone Duo?
We get to have fun as executive producers working with Erin and Amie. But otherwise, nope! We have big plans for this college football season and will share them [checks watch] next week, which is Week 1.
