In this episode, Stephen is solo coming to you LIVE(ish) from the Philippines at the 2025 FIVB Men's World Championship. He welcomes U.S. Men’s National Team middle blocker Merrick McHenry to the show (1:16 - 44:52). Merrick talks about the season and competing with the men's team at Worlds, his time at UCLA being coached by John Speraw, how he was first introduced to volleyball, growing up in Texas and so much more! Text us!

"First Tempo Podcast" is the podcast of "Volleyball Explained". In the podcast our amazing guests share their insight about some of the greatest and interesting stories in the world of volleyball. "Volleyball Explained Podcast" is the podcast where we comment on the most interesting events in the Italian and the Polish volleyball leagues.

Discussing the news, scores, events, personalities and happenings in the volleyball world with an emphasis on NCAA indoor/beach, USA Volleyball, FIVB/AVP/Pro indoor/beach or the hot-volley topic of the day!

Long Beach State secures another national championship with a commanding sweep over UCLA, showcasing their unparalleled team culture and championship mentality. Their "blue collar" approach and ride-or-die brotherhood has created a volleyball program where bench energy is so intense it earned yellow cards during their championship celebration. • Long Beach's first set domination, hitting nearly .800 against UCLA • Moni Nikolov's clutch serving, delivering two consecutive aces when UCLA led 2...