The Atlanta Vibe players celebrate with a cheer and throwing their hands in the air with Colleen Durham Craig on the court after winning a game.

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By Melissa Newcomb

Volleyball is one of the most popular sports for female athletes—but for decades, it had no professional women’s league in the U.S. So when former Big Red player Colleen Durham Craig ’92 learned in the early 2020s that one was in the planning stages, she jumped at the opportunity to help lead it.

Now, Craig is the owner of Georgia’s Atlanta Vibe, part of the eight-team Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) that launched in January 2024.

A team picture of the 1989 women's volleyball team including Coleen Durham Craig wearing jersey number 14.
Cornell Athletics
Craig (second row, third from left) wears #14 on the 1989 Big Red volleyball team.

“It’s an authentic sport; the athletes play because they love it,” Craig says of volleyball, which has grown to involve nearly half a million girls at the high school level annually. “They love the team spirit and the fun of going out there to bang a ball.”

As of late April 2025, the Vibe—whose head coach is an Olympic bronze medalist—was ranked second in the league, with a 17-8 record.

It’s an authentic sport; the athletes play because they love it. They love the team spirit and the fun of going out there to bang a ball.

Its competition: the Columbus (Ohio) Fury, Grand Rapids (Michigan) Rise, Indianapolis (Indiana) Ignite, Omaha (Nebraska) Supernovas, Orlando (Florida) Valkyries, Las Vegas (Nevada) Thrill, and San Diego (California) Mojo.

As Atlanta magazine observed of the third home match of the team’s sophomore season, when it beat the Las Vegas Thrill: “It really is a vibe. … The team took to the court surrounded by fans and a remarkable hype machine that was hard to resist.”

Colleen Durham Craig
Craig's Big Red volunteer work includes serving on the Athletics Alumni Advisory Committee.

An agricultural economics major in CALS, Craig pledged Pi Beta Phi sorority and was a walk-on dual sport athlete (in volleyball and track and field)—a rare feat at the Division I level.

“All the clichés about what you learn from sports are accurate,” says Craig, who recalls studying on bus rides to competitions.

“You learn how to multitask and to manage what’s important to you in a way that still lets you be a top performer.”

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After graduation, Craig earned an MBA from Harvard—she distinctly recalls missing part of Slope Day to take the GMAT—and went on to work in finance, including starting her own hedge fund.

She’s also a longtime entrepreneur, launching such ventures as Rally Volleyball, which runs beach and indoor tournaments, camps, trainings, and other events.

Since the PVF debuted, opportunities for women players have only expanded, with a second league launched and a third in the works.

The Atlanta Vibe team celebrates on the court after winning a point during a match in the Gas South Arena.
The Vibe plays the San Diego Mojo.

And on top of the PVF’s matches being streamed on YouTube, dozens are being broadcast nationally on CBS, Fox Sports, and other networks during the 2025 season.

“I always found it fascinating that volleyball was as large as it is, but didn’t have a pro element—there was a gap at the top of the pyramid,” Craig observes.

“You give volleyball your life; you practice every day, you play in college—then you graduate, and that’s just it? I wanted to use my background to do what I could to change that.”

Top: Craig and her players celebrate a win. (All photos provided, unless otherwise indicated.)

Published April 23, 2025

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