If you haven’t tuned in to women’s volleyball, you should start now. In 2023, a record-breaking 92,003 fans attended a Nebraska vs. Omaha match, setting a world record for women’s sports attendance. The match was held at Memorial Stadium, and the packed stands rivaled the turnout for a football game.
Volleyball is gaining popularity in Texas, too. In December, Texas A&M defeated Kentucky to claim its first national championship title. High school girls’ volleyball teams are also seeing surges in participation. Volleyball is having a moment, and North Texas is joining in on the action.
Today, Dallas Pulse, the region’s first professional women’s volleyball team, will don their electric blue uniforms and take the court for its season-opening match in the Comerica Center in Frisco.
The team is one of eight in the newly formed league, a collaboration between Pro Volleyball Federation and Major League Volleyball to create a single league that elevates professional women’s volleyball. This is the league’s first season.
Opinion
Why should people care about volleyball? It’s a sport many already understand, even if they’ve never played competitively. Volleyball is familiar — memories of dodging spikes from classmates across the net in high school gym class or learning to serve on a sandy court at summer camp. Volleyball is a sport many people grew up playing and are already familiar with, making it easier for new fans to get interested.
President and CEO Grady Raskin said the team is defined by its skills and competitiveness, and that the team’s name draws on this energy. “Pulse” is a nod to being “deep in the heart of Texas,” Raskin said, and to the heartbeat of the city.
Although the Pulse won’t be playing in Dallas proper, the team adds to North Texas’ sports identity.
The Pulse will host 14 home matches at Comerica Center, further strengthening Frisco’s growing reputation as a premier sports destination. Already home to FC Dallas, the Frisco RoughRiders and of course the Dallas Cowboys headquarters and practice facility, the city continues to expand its sports portfolio — now with professional women’s volleyball added to the mix.
As the team takes the court for the first time, the pulse of women’s volleyball in North Texas grows stronger.