NASHVILLE, Tenn. — From the moment he arrived in Nashville, Vanderbilt volleyball head coach Anders Nelson made clear that he wanted his program to hit the ground running when it took the court in 2025. It’s why he surrounded himself with people who have succeeded at the sport’s highest levels. They won conference championships, coached with national teams, mentored Olympians and even, like him, celebrated NCAA championships. He and his staff have done just about everything there is to do in the sport.
Except what they’re doing now. Starting from scratch. Giving a young team reason to believe that a brand new program can compete against more experienced peers.
That particular experience is hard to come by. It has been more than 30 years since a first-year program took the court in the SEC. So, Vanderbilt got creative. By being flexible with assistant coach Azhani Tealer’s schedule, the Commodores not only allowed her to grow but gained first-hand experience of what it takes for a new team to shatter its ceilings.
When the young Commodores gather in a huddle before their first match in August, Tealer will know exactly what they’re feeling—and precisely what is possible. As a student-athlete, she was an All-SEC standout on a national champion at SEC blueblood Kentucky. But this past spring, while pulling double duty with Vanderbilt, she played for the Pro Volleyball Federation’s Indy Ignite. The first-year expansion team featured one of the youngest rosters in the league. They built a passionate following, grew together, upset the regular season champions in the playoffs and made it all the way to the championship match in Las Vegas.
And in the process, very nearly left Las Vegas with a $1 million bonus at least as impressive—and far more on the up and up—than anything in the Ocean’s franchise.
Dare to Be First
Unlike women’s basketball, where the WNBA is approaching its 30th anniversary, and increasingly soccer, where the NWSL is in its second decade, volleyball has struggled to build a viable domestic professional league. Elite Americans, Vanderbilt assistant coach Lauren Plum among then, have long trekked around the globe for pro opportunities. Launched in 2022 ahead of its on-court debut in 2024, the Pro Volleyball Federation already has national television exposure and expansion plans ahead of the 2026 season.
After completing her standout collegiate career at Kentucky, Tealer was selected 19th overall by the…