Inaugural LOVB Champions: Austin, Texas

Courtesy of LOVB

For the first time, League One Volleyball (LOVB) crowned a champion. After sweeping Omaha, Neb. in the championship game on April 13, Austin, Texas became the inaugural LOVB champions.

LOVB is one of many professional volleyball leagues for women in the United States. The 2025 season is the first of many for LOVB. Featuring teams in Atlanta, Ga., Austin, Houston, Texas, Madison, Wisconsin Omaha, Neb, and Salt Lake City, Utah, LOVB is made up of some of the best professional players in the world – including 17 Olympians from the recent 2024 Summer Olympics in France. The league’s first six teams brought an unprecedented level of play to the U.S.

Announced in Nov. 2024, there will be $100 million in committed new funding, led by Atwater Capital—a women-founded private equity firm. Some other well-known investors include Kevin Durant, two-time NBA champion, Candace Parker, WNBA champion and two-time MVP. As well as, prominent sports-dedicated investment funds, like David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures and Verance Capital.

“The initial idea behind LOVB was to introduce a youth-to-pro ecosystem approach from the onset, but what we’ve been able to achieve with LOVB is the opportunity to champion athletes throughout their entire volleyball journey,” said Katlyn Gao, co-founder and CEO.

Courtesy of LOVB

Once the 2025 LOVB Finals tournament began, Austin turned their game faces on. In the quarterfinal and semifinal games, Austin registered reverse sweeps against Salt Lake City, the fourth overall team, and Atlanta, the first overall team. 

Madisen Skinner, voted the 2025 LOVB Finals Tournament Most Valuable Player, recorded 25 kills against Atlanta and 21 kills against Salt Lake City, taking her team to the championship game. “It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish,” Skinner said after the championship game.

In their victorious championship game, Skinner and Eggleston both had 20 attacks each, taking over the game. However, before their professional league dominance, they were a force in college at the University of Texas together.

Courtesy of LOVB

Austin’s team has nine players this season who all are University of Texas alums. Their connection on the court is undeniable.

Seven of the nine UT alums won NCAA championships, including Khat Bell and Molly McCage in 2012; Logan Eggleston, Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres, and Zoe (Fleck) Jarvis in 2022; as well as Madisen Skinner and Asjia O'Neal, who were both on the 2022 and 2023 Texas title teams.

​​"We have to pay tribute to Texas," said Eggleston in Dec. 2024 with LOVB. "There's great athletic talents from elsewhere, but to have a bunch of Texas alumni on this same team…Can you imagine a Texas super team? It's actually happening, on the pro level, here in Austin. It's really a privilege," she said. 

Courtesy of LOVB

The road for this year’s champion was not easy.

Austin’s team finished the season fifth out of the six teams, with Omaha in last place. Austin had five wins and 11 losses. Wins were not easy to come by for Austin in this new, competitive league.

On Feb. 18, their head coach, Marco Bonitta, stepped down for personal reasons, forcing Austin to overcome another obstacle. “This was an extremely difficult decision, but after careful reflection, I have decided to step away to address personal matters that require my full attention,” Bonitta said. 

NCAA veteran coach and a past AVCA Coach of the Year, Chris McGown stepped up and fulfilled the role as interim coach for the remainder of the season. Will McGown fill the head coach position after winning the championship?

"We were prepared for this moment," Carli Lloyd, the setter for Austin, said. "All the adversity we faced, we just had to trust the work we put in. We were a solid team and that was a solid team win."

Edited by Reese Dlabach