LOVB: LOVB Postseason Begins This Weekend in Louisville

LOVB Postseason Begins This Weekend in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – April 9, 2026 – It’s time for playoff volleyball as the 2026 League One Volleyball postseason begins this weekend in Louisville, Kentucky.

Four teams will compete during the postseason’s semifinal round, held April 10-12. New this year, each round will consist of a two-match series. Known as the LOVB Playoffs, the semifinals pit regular season champion LOVB Houston against No. 4 LOVB Salt Lake and No. 2 LOVB Atlanta versus No. 3 LOVB Austin. The winners of each series will meet next weekend at the LOVB Championship in Long Beach, California.

Should a series finish 1-1, a golden set to 15 points will immediately follow the second match to determine the series winner.

The LOVB Playoffs will be held at Louisville’s Freedom Hall on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, alongside the youth tournament, JVA World Challenge.

#2 LOVB Atlanta (11-9) vs. #3 LOVB Austin (10-10)

Season Series

January 11: at Austin 3,Atlanta 2
January 14: at Atlanta 3, Austin 1
February 4: At Austin 3, Atlanta 2
February 22: At Atlanta 3, Austin 1

The first semifinal of 2026 will be a grudge match from last year’s semifinal round where a fifth-seeded Austin pulled off a reverse sweep to upset top-ranked Atlanta at the 2025 LOVB Finals. Since then, Atlanta’s been out for payback.

The 2026 edition of this rivalry has been mostly even, with each team winning their home matches. Atlanta only needed four sets to dispatch Austin, whereas both Texas-based matches went the distance.

These teams also haven’t played against each other in over six weeks.Atlanta went 5-4 over that time to clinch the No. 2 seed in Louisville, getting strong play from outside hitter McKenzie Adams. The longtime pro has scored double-digit points in five of Atlanta’s final six matches, including an astounding 19-point night March 28 against Madison where she hit .667 (15 kills, 1 blocked attack, 21 swings). Opposite Ivonee Montaño topped the team with 216 kills and 243 total points. Middle blocker Magdalena Jehlárová led the entire league with 51 blocks, and libero Piyanut Pannoy shined in the back row while leading the league in good pass percentage and pass efficiency. Setter Rachel Fairbanks orchestrated an offense where nine different athletes scored at least 50 points.

Austin, meanwhile, has gone 4-4 since last facing Atlanta and needed to win its final three matches in order to clinch a playoff berth. They’re in the tournament, though, and looking to mimic last season’s run to the inaugural LOVB championship. Opposite hitter Madisen Skinner leads the Austin offense, having racked up 332 points (297 kills, 24 blocks, 11 aces). She’s second in LOVB in both points and kills and joined in the top six by outside hitter Logan Eggleston (283 points, 232 kills). Asjia O’Neal leads all middle blockers with 219 points scored, and both Madi Banks and Molly McCage have eclipsed the 100-point mark as well. Brie O’Reilly and Carli Lloyd have each seen time at setter, and Lloyd was at the helm during Austin’s win streak to reach the playoffs, while libero Kotoe Inoue has settled into the starting role nicely and leads the league with 3.57 digs per set.

#1 LOVB Houston (13-7) vs. #4 LOVB Salt Lake (10-10)

Season Series

January 8: Salt Lake 3, at Houston 0
January 22: at Salt Lake 3, Houston 0
February 21: Houston 3, at Salt Lake 1
March 25: at Houston 3, Salt Lake 0

Salt Lake can say something that only one other team can say about top-ranked Houston: they held the head-to-head tiebreaker. Both teams won twice this season, but Salt Lake swept Houston twice in January and then took a set off Houston on February 21, claiming the season series via set win percentage.

Now, that tiebreaker only would have taken effect were the teams tied, and that is not the case. Houston (13-7) is the regular season champion, even after losing their first three matches of the year. A six-match win streak from late January to mid February changed their fortunes, and they clinched the regular season title in the final match, dispatching Atlanta in five sets.

Opposite Jordan Thompson has put together the most dominant season in the league’s short history, finishing the year 123 points and 126 kills clear of second place in those categories. It’s not all Thompson, however. After being thrust into the starting setter role, Kaisa Alanko has led Houston to become the league’s most efficient offense. Rookie libero Lauren Briseño has also contributed greatly as she’s adjusted to the pro level, and a supporting cast that includes Amber Igiede, Jess Mruzik, Madi Rishel and more has performed admirably both offensively and defensively.

Salt Lake, meanwhile, was just as dominant to begin the season, but injuries changed the team’s fortune halfway through. After an 8-1 start, Salt Lake went 2-9 to close the year and needed a win over Madison in the season finale to punch their postseason ticket.

Despite the injury, setter Jordyn Poulter led the league with 11.4 assists per set and tallied a .293 setting efficiency. Outside hitter Alexa Gray gave the team the terminator they needed, finishing third in LOVB with 4.36 points and 3.85 kills per frame, and fellow opposite Claire Hoffman had a breakout season with 231 points while playing a pivotal role in serve receive, leading the league’s non-liberos with a .600 good pass percentage. They’re all backed by Manami Kojima, who once again led the league with 256 digs and was the consistent force Salt Lake needed in the back row.