A Friday night at Comerica Center in Frisco saw fans locked in on playoff-worthy sports action, a hype DJ and appearances by Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer Donald Driver.
It wasn’t the RoughRiders, the AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers, nor was it FC Dallas, the professional soccer team that plays in Frisco.
It was the Dallas Pulse, the first Major League Volleyball franchise in the state of Texas.
The Pulse are wrapping up the regular season and preparing to vie for the $1 million prize that comes with winning the MLV Championship, which will be hosted May 7-9 in Frisco.
However, the real win is what the growth of women’s volleyball has brought to the community.
“With how big the North Texas volleyball scene is, all these little girls wanting to come and see are going to have the opportunity for the first time to do that,” said Kaylee Cox, an outside hitter for the Pulse and Flower Mound High School graduate. “And a lot of young girls look up to us as professional athletes and try to learn the path we’ve taken to get where we are now.”
The recently-opened Children’s Health StarCenter Multisport in Northlake offers another resource for southern Denton County athletes striving for a collegiate or MLV roster spot. It has a plethora of volleyball courts and was officially named the home of Texas Advantage Volleyball’s elite team: TAV Alliance.
According to TAV, the team will feature top-tier coaching, advanced training methods and a highly competitive team experience designed for athletes seeking the highest level of development and performance.
“The demand for high-level volleyball opportunities for the athletes in this market is unprecedented,” said TAV Volleyball Executive Director Jason Nicholson. “With the addition of the new StarCenter Multisport facility in April, we are fortunate to have the ability to expand into the Northlake market in what will be the best facility in the entire area.”
Geli Cyr, another Flower Mound grad rostered as an outside hitter for the Pulse, helped run a volleyball clinic at the grand opening of the StarCenter.
She and Cox played together when the Lady Jags won a UIL State Volleyball Championship in 2019.
“We would have killed for a facility like this,” she said. “And, it gives more kids in different areas the ability to go to a club, so it’s very cool to see.”
Between Flower Mound’s state championships and Byron Nelson’s run of dominance, including a court at the StarCenter named after a former player and a current junior earning Gatorade’s top honor, southern Denton County has proved to be a hotbed for volleyball talent.
It’s the case for most of North Texas, as well.
Malaya Jones, an opposite hitter for the Pulse, grew up in Orange County, California, but played volleyball collegiately at Southern Methodist University in Dallas before signing to play professionally.
She couldn’t believe how big volleyball was in Texas until she saw for herself.
Now, playing for the Pulse, she is excited to be a representative for young ladies that aspire to play collegiate and professional volleyball.
“It’s all about giving back because I remember going to clinics that made me want to play seriously,” said Jones. “It means everything, so I hope I can be a small part of that.”
With TAV Alliance at the helm and the Dallas Pulse playing down the road, southern Denton County is poised for a boom in volleyball talent production.
“With our proven track record of recruiting, retaining and winning with the best coaches and players in the state, we are confident this new extension of TAV will soon become the top option for elite coaches and athletes in the northwest corridor of DFW,” said Nicholson.
Jones said the facility really makes Northlake stand out for volleyball talent.
“They’re going to thrive here,” she said. “To be able to have the privilege of such a nice facility to practice at, it’s really great.”
The Pulse will compete in the 2026 MLV Championship in the franchise’s inaugural season, happening May 7-9 at Comerica Center in Frisco.
It will feature four teams, including the Pulse, Indy Ignite, San Diego Mojo and Omaha Supernovas.
