On a hot October night Karla Martinez continued her streak of dominance by winning 12 service points against Wings academy. She helped carry the Women volleyball team to victory over two sets where Fannie Lou won 25-18 and 25-10. This is the 9th consecutive win of this year and it’s going into the 4th year of an undefeated season. That night Fannie Lou bleachers were full like never before and The hype of women’s volleyball has spread across the school because of how dominant the Lady Panthers have become.
Yancy Sanes, the current girls and boys volleyball head Coach, believes that women’s volleyball has grown so much because of how popular and better the teams are getting over the years. Yancy says his team has succeeded because of the bond his team has is the key to their success.
Yancy said, “Volleyball has grown a lot and is taken as seriously as other sports now. We have grown over the last 4 years to be undefeated. We have gone 10-4 before leading the bleachers to be empty but we never let that affect us because not only are we playing a sport we love but the little people that are watching are helping us build a community.”
This is a trend in nationwide sports where Women players and teams are finally getting the respect that they deserve. For example, WNBA players Caitlyn Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese, and Nika Muhl are shining light on the WNBA by showing off their talent giving the nation an idea of what they will be getting if they keep investing in Women sports. This is reflected in the ratings of women basketball which has grown 41% since 2023 increasing crowd attendance and broadcast ratings.
Still, Enrique Rivas, a current boys volleyball player with a strong passion, believes that women’s sports has grown so much over the years but they have yet to reach the recognition that they deserve. He believes that it’s common with women’s sports to get the low recognition that they get even if they are developing so much.
Enrique said, “ I think it has grown over the years but they don’t get as much recognition as they deserve. Women’s sports are about fundamentals compared to men’s sports. Women’s sports are fun to watch because they do so well with breaking down the sport. Women volleyball for sure deserves more popularity.”
Andy Brosoff, a science teacher, agrees with Enrique Rivas and states his idea that women’s sports are fun to watch and they are very engaging. He speaks more on the laws that were passed before time explaining why and how women’s sports has grown so much over the years.
Andy said, “I do believe that women’s sports has grown over the years. Title 9 helped women get the recognition they deserved with sports.”
Andy’s observation connects directly to the purpose of Title 9, a law created to ensure equal opportunities for all genders in education and athletics. This is a federal law passed in 1972 that forbids discrimination based on sex and education. What does this mean with Sports? This means that Schools or teams must provide equal Athletic opportunities for both male and female. Such as scholar ships numbers or available teams.
After such a great regular season the Lady Panthers beat Young Women’s Leadership during their first round of playoffs with 2 sets. This streak continued in the second round when they faced Energy Tech high school again two sets. But unfortunately the Lady Panthers lost in the third round of playoffs against Boerum Hill school playing 3 sets losing the last set 25-14. While their playoff run may have come to an end, the Lady Panthers’ journey represents just the beginning of something much bigger after such a great regular season.
As they end their playoff journey it is necessary to say that Fannie Lou women’s sports has grown past this narrative that they aren’t as popular as men’s sports. Fannie Lou women sports will continue growing by season giving the lady panthers a bright future in sports. The lady panthers will continue to grow not only in popularity but also in skill.