# Connections Sports Edition #719: volleyball was the wall

> Arizona teams, Big Ten towns, and a Manning roll call stood between you and a clean board on September 12.
- Title: Connections Sports Edition #719: volleyball was the wall
- Summary: Arizona teams, Big Ten towns, and a Manning roll call stood between you and a clean board on September 12. The purple group was Major League Volleyball…
- Keywords: connections, nyt games, word games, sports trivia, puzzles, technology, culture, Sports, Edition, 719, volleyball, wall
- Source: Mashable — https://mashable.com/entertainment/nyt-connections-sports-edition-hint-answer-today-september-12-2026
- Author: Mashable Team
- Published: 2026-09-12T14:15:53+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: connections, nyt games, word games, sports trivia, puzzles, technology, culture
## Volleyball fans had it easy
Today's board tilted toward one niche. If you follow pro volleyball, the hardest group was the one you spotted first.

> Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier for people who watch volleyball.
## A sports spin on Connections
The New York Times built this edition with The Athletic, its sports arm. Same format as the original, aimed at people who know rosters and cities.

> finding the "common threads between words"
## Sixteen words, four mistakes
You group 16 words into four sets of four. Miss four times and the game ends, so shuffle the board before you guess on a hunch.
## Colors tell you the order
Yellow is the gentlest group, then green, blue, and purple. Clearing the easy colors first shrinks the board and exposes the trick category.
## Hints without the answers
The soft clues: Arizona sports, Midwest cities, a football dynasty, and pro volleyball. Enough to nudge you, not enough to solve it.
## The full #719 solution
Arizona Pro Teams: Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Mercury, Suns. Big Ten School Locations: Champaign, Columbus, Lincoln, Piscataway. Mannings: Arch, Archie, Eli, Peyton. MLV: Pulse, Supernovas, Valkyries, Vibe.
## Key takeaway

The purple group was Major League Volleyball teams: Pulse, Supernovas, Valkyries, and Vibe.