Momentum or moment? How Austin is a growing hub for women's sports

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres tackled her teammates in the dogpile as Texas Volleyball celebrated a national championship.

The setter for the team became a part of burnt orange history in 2022. The Texas Longhorns volleyball team had just defeated the Louisville Cardinals in straight sets to secure the title for the first time in 10 years.

But winning conference titles and national championships wasn't always on the radar for a member of Austin's newest professional sports team.

Ka'aha'aina-Torres, a setter for League One Volleyball Pro (LOVB Austin), a professional indoor women’s volleyball league, was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. In her early years, she was a stranger to the sport.

"My dad played football at Arizona State, and my mom played high school basketball, and neither of them had played volleyball," Ka'aha'aina-Torres said.

Everything changed when she was 12.

Ka'aha'aina-Torres' parents mentioned she should try volleyball for fun, foreshadowing a professional career in France and Puerto Rico, before returning to her alma mater city to join LOVB Austin.

Historically, international locations have been the destination for prospective professional volleyball players. However, the trends are shifting.

LOVB Austin aims to give its players a bridge from club to pro play, without having to leave the cities they call home. Other host cities are Atlanta, Houston, Madison, Omaha and Salt Lake City.

"I think one of the biggest things LOVB Austin emphasizes is that professional athletes don't always have to leave to compete at the highest level, which I think is so nice, because when we were younger, we never saw that," Ka'aha'aina-Torres said.

She said inspiring younger players to bring their dreams to fruition is important, and LOVB Austin helps facilitate that through events with young players.

"It's really cute for these little kids to see that they could play with us or do drills with us. And it's stuff that we do in our own practice gym," Ka'aha'aina-Torres said. "And we also send a professional player from our team to club practice, and they go and give tips and talk to the girls and tell them what they can work on, like Q&A stuff."

Austin is not a stranger to startups and entrepreneurship, with numerous companies like Whole Foods and Dell calling Central Texas home. That's why it's no surprise that Austin was chosen as the newest host city for LOVB Pro. Other professional and semi-professional teams here are Austin Rise FC, a semi-professional women's soccer league, Austin Outlaws, a women's football team, and the Austin Women's Basketball League.

Stacy Sykora, LOVB Austin's assistant coach, brings her professional experience onto the court when coaching the players, saying that it is all about how she translates as a coach. She also said that women are showing they can do the same things as men.

"[Women] show how good we can be, too," Sykora said. "The women can also make three-pointers and lead teams to championships. They're actually just as athletic."

Sykora's professional career lasted from 2000 to 2013, playing for clubs in Italy, Spain, Russia and Brazil. She also joined the U.S. Women's National Team as their first-ever libero and led the team to three Olympic Games.

Austin's growth feeds the fire

As cities like Austin are opening their eyes to the appeal of women's sports, is this momentum projected to continue?

"People are starting to realize that women can do things just as good as men, and women are just as entertaining to watch as men," Ka'aha'aina-Torres said. "We're still athletes, we're strong, we're independent. We have emotions. We have the fire and the grit that people are entertained by and who wouldn't want to watch that."

Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, brought women's basketball to the conversation by shattering numerous records. She was selected by the Indiana Fever. Clark has opened eyes to the success that women can bring to the world of sports.

Locally, however, while Austin has sports fans and interest, it wasn't historically the place investors chose for professional sports teams to be located, as there is no NBA, NFL, or MLB team here.

The University of Texas at Austin has always played that role for sports fans, with many considering it the city's team.

Texas Athletics' Chief of Staff Chris Plonsky says when she arrived in Austin in the 80s, the women's athletics department was brand new.

"We had eight sports with about 89 women," Plonsky said. "The city of Austin, by the way, was small. It was 325,000 people, and the university was such a dominant part of the fabric and still is, so during those days, you know, we had to fight a little bit for publicity."

How proximity aids in the expansion

As the attraction grows, local places are grabbing a front-row seat.

1972, a women's sports bar and pub, plans to exclusively show women's sports on their TVs, with gems like an autograph wall and memorabilia hung around the establishment.

It is nestled where Guadalupe Street meets Dean Keeton Street, situated along the edge of UT's campus.

The pub is named after the year Title IX was signed into law. The law prohibited sex-based discrimination, leading to a boom in women's sports around the nation.

Co-founder Debra Hallum said Austin has the population and women's sports fans to make this bar a success.

"1972 will be a place to celebrate women, build a community that supports women, female athletes, and women's sports," Hallum said. "We need everybody for that. So everyone is welcome, leave everything else out the doors and come in and be a community and celebrate that."

1972 opened its doors just in time for March Madness as Texas women's basketball was ranked No. 1 in the polls for the first time in 21 years at the end of regular season play.

A driving factor in today's discussion

The sudden rise in coverage and popularity of women's sports in Austin raises questions about what has changed.

A common response from experts — streaming.

Sports lovers no longer have to stick with the biggest game on one of the main channels. They can now turn to streaming platforms to quench their thirst for any sport they desire to watch.

"Now you can kind of purchase your experience a la carte, instead of being tethered to these national broadcasts. So the effect is not just in women's sports, it's in niche sports as well," said Dr. Ali Forbes, professor of practice at UT's Moody College of Communication. "If folks are interested in track and field, now they can access it. And so I think women's sports is sort of riding a similar wave in the sense that the landscape is changing, and as a result, there's been this positive change in how we offer women's sports. And I think it's becoming a more regular part of the discussion."

Another possible reason for what has changed — social media. As the general public becomes more in tune with female athletes, Stacy Sykora credits social media as a key driver. 

"The word I want to use is exposure," Sykora said. "Now, there's a lot of exposure, with social media and with everything. It's making the sport grow, and women's sports grow, with social media giving access to videos and access to get to know [players] virtually as well."

However, the fight for female recognition in the world of sports is not nearly over, says Hallum. Looking ahead, shattering the historical stereotypes that surround women's sports is vital for continuing the heightening momentum we are seeing.

Sarah Spain, host of the iHeart Radio "Good Game with Sarah Spain" podcast, says access provides the connective tissue to viewers to allow them to become familiar with female athletes and their teams.

"I think it's stupid to have artificial barriers on who gets to be great or popular or successful," Spain said. "I think if someone is a compelling athlete of any race or gender, then let's watch them, right? And the idea that there would need to be this invisible barrier between men's and women's sports is sort of stupid, especially when you talk to real sports fans, they probably like watching all of it."

Ka'aha'aina-Torres prides her team on their ability to follow the upward trend in the popularity of their sport.

"Austin is very dynamic. There's a lot of growth here, and there's a lot of kids here who enjoy the sport," Ka'aha'aina-Torres said. "And I think it's really important, especially for LOVB, to keep spreading what it is that they're trying to do, to be based in a city where volleyball is prominent and where it's enjoyed and appreciated for what it is. And I think Austin is a great place for that."