Manns, Tupac Reflect on AU Pro Volleyball Season

04.23.2021 | Volleyball

In February and March, two Iowa State legends took part in a historic effort to help elevate indoor volleyball in the United States. Kaylee Manns and Kristen (Hahn) Tupac were two of 45 players to take part in the first season of the Athletes Unlimited (AU) inside “The Shield” in Dallas.

For Manns, who in her 12 years since wearing the Cardinal and Gold has played in eight different countries, it was an opportunity she was not going to miss out on.

“I honestly didn’t realize the impact it could have on the volleyball world until I was in Dallas, it was incredible,” Manns observed. “Especially being an older player, it was so meaningful to be able to finally come home to play. The league was incredibly competitive, and I have heard from multiple fans how entertaining and exciting the matches were to watch.”

“One of the main reasons I decided to retire in 2019 was because I felt that, at the time, I wasn't getting everything I wanted out of my volleyball experience,” Tupac stated. “Just playing volleyball wasn't enough for me. I had started my recruiting business (Imperium Recruiting) while playing overseas that year and previously I had been coaching club and high school while training with the U.S. National Team so I was super involved in other aspects of volleyball and that was missing for me. Athletes Unlimited and the Player Executive Committee really appealed to me because it was about involving the players in the decision-making process and creating a league for the players, and by the players.”

Not only was this a fresh foray into professional indoor volleyball In the United States, it was a chance to reimagine how professional volleyball is watched and presented. Some things were the same, the regular rules of indoor volleyball applied and sets were still played to 25, must win by two. However, all matches were best-of-three and the match-winning team would be determined by team points scored across the match, so if you won two of three sets, you might not win the match. If a match’s “total points” was tied after three sets, a “Golden Set” to five (must win by two) was played to break the deadlock.

Kristen Tupac celebrates a point for her team.

These were not the only points involved, as AU Pro Volleyball introduced an individual point scoring system (“whitepaper”) to rank the players throughout the season. Individual points were accumulated for team set and team match wins, points accumulated throughout the matches and top-3 “MVP” finishes within a match. The top-4 each week became the team captains for the next week of competition and draft.

It was Tupac, while consulting her husband and former ISU Graduate Assistant Jesse Tupac, who helped come up with the individual scoring system. As a member of the Players Executive Committee before the season, she helped create a system with three goals in mind: simplicity, accuracy and parity of opportunity.

“The scoring system was one of the most challenging aspects of Athletes Unlimited,” Tupac noted. “Our goal was creating something that had never been done before, and doing our best to make sure that it was simple and allowed each player the possibility of being at the top of the leaderboard. I really love the scoring system, we are working on some tweaks to make it better for next season but I thought it generally showed us who was playing great volleyball and helping their team win. I think a lot of volleyball fans were unsure about the scoring system at first, but the feedback I received from family and friends was very positive. It really made things interesting and they followed the leaderboard a lot closer than they originally thought they would.”

One of the unique features of the league was that teams were not designated for the entirety of the season. After an initial draft by the league organizers to establish the teams for the first weekend of the season, the top four individual point scorers each week were designated the “team captains” for the next weekend and would draft their “new” teams for the upcoming weekend’s three matches. For Manns, that was a challenge she embraced, though it was not easy for her as a setter.

Kaylee Manns (right) celebrates a point with MB Cori Crocker

“It was stressful,” Manns said. “Even until the end of the league, there were still hitters I never played with or set. It was challenging to have only a few days for connection and timing with new hitters, but I enjoyed the format, it made every week interesting and exciting.”

For Tupac and the liberos, being among the last selections was a common occurrence, but she was sure to note the importance of not letting where you were ‘drafted’ affect how you perform or what you brought to the court.

“I was drafted last three times out of the five weeks,” Tupac said. “I did not take offense to being selected last, you learned that your draft order was not always tied to your fate. You choose how you show up each week and you can help your team be the best they can be that week. Helping my teammates perform at their best is one of my number one goals as a libero. So I quickly learned that early and clear communication, making decisions about what balls you were or were not comfortable taking and being consistent in those were going to help me and my teammates be successful.”

Through Athletes Unlimited, each players was able to help give to a cause that is close to their hearts. The Athletes Causes program, powered by Give Lively, provided funding to charities of each of the players’ choosing equal to 50 percent of their season bonus, while players each also had buttons on their bio pages where fans and supporters could donate to.

Manns played for 4MOM, which unites professional athletes, coaches, patients, caregivers and the community in the fight for the world’s first survivor of Alzheimer’s by advancing awareness, supporting caregivers and funding research.

You choose how you show up each week and you can help your team be the best they can be that week. Helping my teammates perform at their best is one of my number one goals as a libero. So I quickly learned that early and clear communication, making decisions about what balls you were or were not comfortable taking and being consistent in those were going to help me and my teammates be successful.

Kristen (Hahn) Tupac

“My grandfather passed away from Alzheimer’s recently, and I have seen several family and friends affected by this disease,” Manns commented. “I want to support caregivers, and help fund research to find a first survivor of the disease. Two professional baseball players started the charity, and it is a smaller and more intimate group which I was able to connect with.”

Tupac played for The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people.

Kaylee Manns' "Athlete Cause" charity was 4MOM

“It took me a long time to select my Athlete Cause because I really wanted to do something that was impactful in my life, but also the lives of my friends and families,” Tupac said. “I value authenticity, connection and belonging, and being an ally is really important to me. My best friends and I talked about organizations that can help LGBTQ youth. Three of my best friends came out to me in high school and college, and I knew how hard it was for them to feel like they were safe and had someone who understood them and accepted them for who they are, no matter what.”

On the court, both players were successful, with Tupac finishing as the highest-scoring libero and 10th in the overall points standings, while Manns was 17th. The success of the players was reflected in the attention the competition was able to garner, with many of the league’s matches being televised on broadcast partners CBS Sports Network and Fox Sports in the United States and simulcast to over 100 other countries’ broadcast providers around the world. In addition, matches were streamed on a variety of social channels, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Dailymotion and Twitch. In addition, the draft was streamed every week on the league’s Facebook page.

Athletes Unlimited has already announced that the league will be returning in 2022, this time with fans being able to be in the building. Plans are being made on where the competition will take place, as the initial plans had the competition in Nashville before COVID-19 caused a re-think and eventual move to Dallas.

Manns is the owner of Midwest Performance Volleyball, which helps run volleyball camps and clinics around the country. Will we see her on the court again in 2022?

“Oh man, that is always a question mark!” Manns said. “I loved playing with the other athletes, and I thoroughly enjoyed the league. I think it will be even more meaningful when fans and family can come to matches and interact with players and I hope to continue.”

Tupac runs Imperium Recruiting, which helps high school and club volleyball prospects and recruits with the recruiting process and how to connect with college coaches. While Tupac will keep plenty busy between now and then, she is sure she will keep herself involved in some capacity no matter what.

“For now, I am back to my volleyball recruiting business, helping athletes accomplish their dreams of playing volleyball at the next level and coaching youth programs in Albuquerque (her husband, Jesse, is an assistant coach at New Mexico),” Tupac concluded. “They have officially announced a 2022 Season for Athletes Unlimited Volleyball, and I'm hoping to be back on the court for the 2022 season. As a group, we are very much looking forward to putting together another fun and exciting experience for the 2022 season.”