Friday I'm in LOVB #2
LOVB Austin has an up-and-down second week
Welcome friends back to Friday I’m in LOVB. This week on Point Texas was a double feature as Josh delivered our first article of the new year on the Texas Volleyball squad - worth a read if you’re wondering where that team’s roster stands after the finish of the 2025 season and the close of the first transfer portal window. Now, because it is the second Friday of the LOVB season, we are ready to dive into the results of the last seven days of action in League One Volleyball.
The past week saw Austin in a home-and-away against Atlanta. As we previewed in the last issue, Atlanta was last season’s most dominant team, posting a 13-3 record for the regular season including a 3-0 record against Austin. Of course, in the Finals tournament, Austin took down Atlanta 3-2, with their second reverse sweep in as many games. Austin would keep a hot hand into the Championship match, sweeping Nebraska to take the league’s inaugural crown.
That result probably didn’t sit well with Atlanta players, coaches, and fans considering Austin’s 5-11 regular season record. Atlanta was coming into this week looking for revenge, Austin looking for redemption and results that would buoy the legitimacy of their Finals championship. It turns out that both teams would get mixed results, with the home squad prevailing in each match.
Match Two: Atlanta 2 - 3 Austin (Sunday, January 11th)
Similar to their opener against Nebraska days before, Austin found themselves in a thriller at home. Austin was in another early hole as Atlanta grabbed a first set win, scoring 25 to Austin’s 21. Atlanta’s attack came primarily from the middle and right side with a strong showing from opposite Tessa Grubs, who landed seven kills. Austin seemed to have difficulty finding its block early, a key defensive aspect to their win a few days earlier.
But Austin would respond in the next set, elevated by a defensive clinic put on by libero Kotoe Inoue. The Kyoto, Japan native notched 24 digs in total in Sunday’s match, with an impressive 68% in-system (where a serve receive or dig is accurate and well-placed, allowing the setter full control and all attacking options [left, right, middle quick sets]). Austin’s primary libero to start the season, Inoue’s emergence in the second set was leveraged into a dynamic offensive performance that tied the match at one set each as Austin ran away to a 25-17 win.
That defense-creating-offense mastery would continue for Austin into the third, with the home squad notching another 25-17 set win. The crowd was boisterous as it looked like Austin was on their way to close out the match in four sets.
But Atlanta is not a team that quits, and the visitors fought back to take the match the distance. Tied at 16 each in the fourth set, Atlanta flipped a switch and managed a 7-0 run, creating a lead that was insurmountable for Austin. The mood in the H-E-B Center shifted as Atlanta grabbed all the momentum while forcing a deciding fifth set.
Thankfully, that momentum didn’t carry. Austin came out swinging hard in the fifth, jumping to a commanding 12-5 lead. While Atlanta managed to close the gap substantially with a five-point rally, Austin was attacking well enough to close out their second defense of their home court in this early season. Austin ultimately won the fifth 15-11 and the match overall three sets to two to start the season with back-to-back wins.
Kotoe Inoue took home LOVB Defensive Player of the Week, boosted majorly by her play on Sunday. Her 24 digs in a single match is tied for third all-time in the young league, and she did it on an impressive 88.9 dig percentage (successful digs where the ball is playable vs. dig attempts, or [successful digs/(successful digs + dig errors)]. Madisen Skinner found her groove offensively, leading the team with 16 kills. The other half of #TeamMadi, Madi Banks, posted 12 kills of her own. Brie O’Reilly continued to quarterback the offense with 35 assists in the match.
Match Three: Austin 1 - 3 Atlanta (Wednesday, January 14th)
You win some, you lose some. Sometimes an opposing team is able to adjust in just the right ways between matches. That’s exactly what Atlanta was able to do on Wednesday.
OH Tessa Grubbs put up an ungodly performance in Atlanta’s home opener, hitting .313 and notching 21 kills against an Austin defense that wasn’t able to recapture their dominance from Sunday. Meanwhile, Atlanta found their blocking game to the dismay of Austin’s attackers.
After grabbing an early lead in the first set, Austin seemed to struggle managing to stay in system, especially in the serve receive game. Atlanta managed to take the lead, and Austin couldn’t quite catch up as the home team’s defense at the net seemed to find a rhythm. A stuff-block captured a first set win for Atlanta by a score of 25-22.
Austin managed to keep things close throughout the second, but Atlanta’s defense kept finding answers to whatever Austin threw at it offensively. OH Leah Hardeman saw her first action of the season and managed to find some success with four kills as Coach Sullivan adjusted rotations to try to overcome Atlanta’s block. Still, it wasn’t enough as Atlanta pulled away en route to a 25-19 win, and Austin quickly slid into a two-set hole.
The third set would turn favorable for Austin, as Asjia O’Neal became one of the primary scorers from the middle. With the threat from the center of the net causing Atlanta’s defense to crash inward, the court opened up for the visitors, leading to opportunities for Logan Eggleston and Madisen Skinner from their respective pins. Austin managed to keep up with Atlanta through a 20-20 tie and finally benefitted from errors on the home side, nabbing a 25-22 set three win.
The fourth set played out similarly, with O’Neal continuing to wreak havoc from the middle for Austin. Both teams traded points late and found themselves in another 20-20 tie. Sadly, in a reversal from the prior set, it was Atlanta that found themselves the beneficiaries of late clutch play. Atlanta was able to close out the set and the match 25-23.
Despite the loss and uneven play, Austin fans may find solace in O’Neal’s impressive 12 kills on .579 hitting. Madisen Skinner and Logan Eggleston added 11 and 10 kills respectively, and Austin saw critical contributions from Hardeman, Juliann Faucette, and Magdalena Jurczyk, important for Austin’s depth as the season continues.
Next Up for Austin
Austin is off this weekend before facing LOVB Madison at 5:00p Central on Wednesday, January 21st. The match will be broadcast on USA Network as LOVB’s Match of the Week from Alliant Energy Center in Madison, WI.
Other Results
After sweeping Houston in their first match, Salt Lake found themselves swept out of the building by Madison in a resounding 25-23, 25-15, 25-18 victory for the home squad from Wisconsin on Saturday, January 10th. Madison’s first match of the year was led by OH Gong Xiangyu, who posted 12 kills and two aces in the match.
Sunday also saw a match between Houston and Nebraska, with Nebraska able to defend their home court and hand Houston their second loss of the season, three sets to two. The match went the distance in many ways with both teams setting a LOVB record of most points in a set at 72. That high-scoring second set went in Nebraska’s favor, 37-35, setting the stage for Nebraska’s five-set win. Houston OHs Jordan Thompson and Jess Mruzik kept Houston in the match with 22 and 16 kills respectively, but Nebraska had more offensive options to spread the ball to, ultimately lending themselves to their victory.
Standings (as of Thursday, January 15th)
Madison - Record: 1-0, Sets: 3-0, Points: 75-56.
Austin - Record: 2-1, Sets: 7-7, Points: 301-291.
Atlanta - Record: 1-1, Sets: 5-4, Points: 190-192.
Nebraska - Record: 1-1, Sets: 5-5, Points: 221-223.
Salt Lake - Record: 1-1, Sets: 3-3, Points: 133-139.
Houston - Record: 0-2, Sets: 2-6, Points: 178-197.
Other League Upcoming Matches
Friday, January 16th: LOVB Nebraska at LOVB Madison - Alliant Energy Center, Madison - 7:00p Central (Stream on Victory+)
Sunday, January 18th: LOVB Atlanta at LOVB Nebraska - Baxter Arena, Omaha - 5:00p Central (Stream on ESPN+)
Thursday, January 22nd: LOVB Houston at LOVB Salt Lake - SLCC Bruin Arena, Salt Lake - 8:00p Central (Stream on ESPN+)
LOVB Austin Song of the Week
Here’s what I’m listening to in anticipation of the upcoming week!
Because Austin is on the road this week, we’re jamming to Airplane by Magdalena Bay. Check it out here:
and stay tuned as we build the 2026 LOVB Austin Playlist!