Volleyball On SI

'Six Rotations': The 2026 College Volleyball Season Starts Here

Daniel Gillman and Mick Haley preview the AVCA First Serve and dive into rule changes and the preseason Top 25 poll.

Daniel Gillman

Six Rotations is a Youtube show hosted by Daniel Gillman and Mick Haley covering Women's College Volleyball
Six Rotations is a Youtube show hosted by Daniel Gillman and Mick Haley covering Women's College Volleyball / Daniel Gillman

Hey there volleyball fans, my name is Daniel Gillman. I'm a play-by-play broadcaster in my second season on the ESPN linear team covering this incredible sport.

In 2021, I started a YouTube show with the legendary three-time national champion coach Mick Haley, with episodes every week of the season recapping the top scores & stories and previewing the upcoming slate.

Here's our 2026 Preseason Preview episode:

This adventure sparked from a conversation in 2021 with the former AVCA Executive Director and Title IX pioneer Kathy DeBoer. She wanted to find a way to help grow the sport and combine younger energy (me) with experienced wisdom (Mick). One hundred episodes and over 100,000 views later, and we have a blast every episode!

The Recipe to an Episode

Every week, we come up with our "Six Rotations Team of the Week". It's comprised of two outside hitters, two middles, one opposite, a setter, and a libero.

Our audience emails sixrotations@gmail.com on Sunday nights with their team of the week and whoever has the most in common with Mick and me receives "Six Rotations" apparel provided by REN Athletics.

Each episode usually starts with the AVCA/Taraflex Coaches Top 25 Poll, as we break down the new Top 10 and biggest matches of the previous weekend. In today's episode, the top debate was about whether Stanford or Texas A&M start the season underranked.

The upcoming week in prime matches is a focal point of every episode.

This upcoming week is loaded, with eight of the top 12 teams in the preseason poll playing in Milwaukee Friday through Sunday in the AVCA First Serve. There are two more matches on Monday featuring Pitt and Texas, but there will be another episode of Six Rotations before then.

Friday 8/21 [6 PM ET]: #7 Louisville vs #8 Texas A&M (ESPN2)... [9 PM ET]: #3 Kentucky vs #6 Wisconsin (ESPN)

Saturday 8/22 [4 PM ET]: #6 Wisconsin vs #7 Louisville (FOX)... [6 PM ET]: #2 Texas vs #12 Arizona St (FS1)

Sunday 8/23 [1 PM ET]: #8 Texas A&M vs #11 SMU (ESPN2)... [4 PM ET]: #3 Kentucky vs #4 Pitt (ESPN)

Lastly, news and notes are discussed... like the Big Ten Volleyball Tournament being held in Fishers, Ind., or Nebraska selling out its ticket lottery.

We spent some time on the latest rule changes regarding when the teams switch sides and being able to save balls on the opponent's side of the court. Coaches no longer have to find the green card to challenge, and simply need to put up a letter C.

Next episode will be Monday, August 24

You can find all archived "Six Rotations" episodes HERE

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Daniel Gillman
DANIEL GILLMAN

Daniel Gillman is a play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN covering NCAA Women's Volleyball & Gymnastics, and host of the show "Six Rotations". Since 2021, he has been one of the top voices in the college women's volleyball realm... from unveiling the weekly AVCA Coaches Poll & Player of the Year Watch List & Finalists, to hosting the "On Location" Fan Experience at the Final Four. Daniel is a voter for the "900 Square Feet Top 16 Media Poll" and a graduate of the University of Florida.

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