Photo taken by Morgan Sweeney
After nearly half a century of silence, the Vanderbilt Volleyball team is back in action at Memorial Gymnasium. The program’s restart wasn’t just about recruiting new top athletes – it’s about selling a vision, building a brand, and marketing the team’s success.
For its rebuilding, the university brought in former University of Kentucky coach Anders Nelson, who spent 11 seasons with the Wildcats, including seven as the assistant head coach. Now, with Nelson as a dedicated Commodore, Vanderbilt Volleyball has seen an unparalleled surge compared to other SEC teams in community support, strategy, and, most importantly, belief.
Nelson was tasked with not only building a roster, but a brand. The program opened its doors to recruitment in 2023, beginning the training of their players soon after, with players like freshman middle blocker Kayla Dunlap being among the first to sign on. Dunlap, a 6-foot-4-inch, Division-I level recruit certainly had options when looking to play at the collegiate level – well established programs with proven winning cultures – but instead chose the excitement of the unknown. I sat down with Dunlap to learn about Vanderbilt Volleyball’s rise and her personal experience. When asked what drew here to Vanderbilt Volleyball she said, “I’d rather be first than someone else’s next,” and that “They weren’t just pitching volleyball to me – they pitched who I could be as a person.” It was clear Dunlap’s personal ambitions were mirrored in Vanderbilt’s broader athletic vision. Before every home game, a video plays on the jumbotron center court at Memorial Gymnasium featuring Athletic Director Candace Storey Lee, declaring, “This is the place where Commodores have always dared to grow.”
College athletes typically have five years to complete their four years of playing eligibility. Many coaches make strategic decisions to redshirt their players in year one, keeping the athlete out of college competition while the player develops their skill to maintain the ability to play for the next four years. Behind the scenes of his training, Nelson and his staff strategically redshirted 10 of their recruits in attempts to preserve their playing eligibility. The decision, in line with the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) redshirt guidelines, was a deliberate part of the team’s “build-up” of athletic talent before their debut.
Their historic home opener took place on Wyatt lawn against Belmont University, with Vanderbilt securing a favorable 3-1 outcome for their first win. The university’s outdoor setup was both unconventional and symbolic, but also a strategic launchpad for the program. With food trucks from local vendors, promotional t-shirts, and performances from Vanderbilt alum and country music star Julia Cole, the event marked the return of Vanderbilt Volleyball and signaled the start of its marketing experiment.
The team’s marketing campaign extended beyond just their first match. Vanderbilt Athletics leaned in heavily to the community engagement and spirit of their volleyball team, instituting promotions like one dollar ticket prices in their match against Arkansas, the Pink Cowboy Hat Giveaway for their Dig Pink match to honor those affected by breast cancer, or in-game contests like “Dollar from Ders” where one student receives $100 for staying through the entire match. Dunlap noted the results showed high attendance numbers despite the program’s infancy. She affirms that these tactics have been very effective in keeping the crowd engaged and showing “how much people care,” giving her and her teammates “so much more to celebrate.”
Players like Dunlap find that marketing isn’t just the university’s job. She sees it as part of her own role in being a student-athlete, claiming that at times, “I feel like merchandise.” By extension of the program, “Everything I do, everything I post, is attached to volleyball in some way. It’s my responsibility to market myself.”
This opportunistic mindset has become increasingly shared across college athletes who are concerning themselves with Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities. The NCAA outlines how many student athletes endorse products, star in commercials or monetize their social media pages, just to name a few of the benefits offered to them through NIL deals. Vanderbilt athletes are no different. The volleyball team has partnered with Vktry performance insoles. Dunlap herself is in the early stages of brand partnerships, recently doing one with Nashville’s local fried chicken chain, Hattie Bs.
For Dunlap and her teammates, brand deals and NIL opportunities offered by volleyball operate on a principle of shared gain rather than individual profit. The visibility of one player achieved through these deals reflects visibility for the entire team and program. “Everyone in this program is so selfless and I’m grateful to have so many people who care about our success,” Dunlap said, adding that “whatever we give, we most certainly get back in return. It may not exactly be through money, but in effort. We don’t ever feel as though we don’t compound on investment.” The deals attract more fans, other future recruits, and open the door to even more branding opportunities. The momentum of each success compounds as it strengthens the team’s collective presence.
This energy is reciprocated by Vanderbilt’s student body when recognizing members of the volleyball team. Dunlap shared with me that some have recognized her and said things like “oh my gosh, I saw you have your first match,” reminding her that the Vanderbilt spirit is embodied all throughout campus. She also shared that it’s this kind of support that means everything to her and to Vanderbilt Volleyball’s broader vision of being recognized beyond just a sports team.
Nelson and his team’s focus on building this team from the ground up has been a cornerstone in shaping a successful and competitive return as well as a strong business model. Despite what appears to be a sports story comeback on the outside, the heart of Vanderbilt’s volleyball team is a story about entrepreneurship. It’s about a young team learning how to market itself to the city of Nashville with its athletes, like Dunlap, learning to “shatter their ceilings in every aspect of their life” by leading this change.
