LOVB Pro Week Thirteen: Match Previews

April 2, 2025 - League One Volleyball (LOVB) News Release

LOVB Atlanta - LOVB Omaha

Tune in Thursday, April 3 on LOVB Live/Youtube/DAZN at 8:00 PM (ET)

The thirteenth week of League One Volleyball's inaugural pro season kicks off with a battle between LOVB Atlanta and LOVB Omaha. This is the final week of regular season play before all six teams compete for the first-ever LOVB Finals championship next week in Louisville, KY. The first Quarterfinal matchup starts on April 10 at 4:30 PM ET on ESPN+ - you won't want to miss us out!

Before the Finals start, we still have a big week of volleyball action with seeding implications on the line. With their win last week against LOVB Houston, Atlanta secured the #1 seed at LOVB Finals. LOVB Omaha went 1-1 on the week, winning in five sets against LOVB Austin before losing in five sets to LOVB Salt Lake.

Atlanta has won both contests so far this year, prevailing in four sets February 1 and in five on March 1.

Players to watch:

LOVB Atlanta's McKenzie Adams powered her team to the #1 seed in the LOVB Finals by posting 18 points on a .462 hitting percentage against LOVB Houston.

LOVB Omaha's Laura Dijkema had one of her best performances of the season, setting her team with a league-record 62 assists and 14 digs in the win against LOVB Austin.

LOVB Madison - LOVB Salt Lake

Tune in Friday, April 4 on ESPNU/ESPN+/LOVB Live at 10:00 PM (ET)

The second match of the week features a battle between the reigning Players of the Week: LOVB Madison & Offensive POW Annie Drews Schumacher vs LOVB Salt Lake & Defensive POW Manami Kojima.

Last week, both teams won in dramatic five-set matches: LOVB Madison defeated LOVB Austin while LOVB Salt Lake defeated LOVB Omaha.

LOVB Madison narrowly won both of the year's matches between the two, but Salt Lake did beat Madison in four during the LOVB Classic.

Although it's the last week of in-season play, there is a lot on the line as these two teams are only a game away from each other in the regular standings and need a win to potentially climb in the rankings.

Players to watch:

LOVB Madison's Annie Drews Schumacher won back-to-back Offensive Player of the Week accolades with her performance in Week 12, scoring 30 points for Madison in their win against LOVB Austin. She has won the award three times this season, more than any other player in league history so far this season.

LOVB Salt Lake's Manmi Kojima won the Defensive Player of the Week honors with a stellar performance of 21 digs in the win against LOVB Omaha. She saved 84% of the Omaha attacks hit to her zone, and she became the second LOVB athlete to record 200 digs this season.

LOVB Houston - LOVB Madison

Tune in Saturday, April 5 on Youtube/LOVB Live at 6:30 PM (ET)

In the third match of the week, LOVB Houston will face LOVB Madison in the battle of the blue. These two teams currently sit in second and third place in LOVB regular season standings, respectively. Depending on the outcomes that occur this week, the winner of this match could claim the second seed at the LOVB Finals and the quarterfinal bye that comes with it.

The current series is tied 1-1 with LOVB Houston taking their first matchup in a sweep on January 29 and LOVB Madison the most recent match 3-1 on March 8.

Last week, LOVB Houston lost 3-1 to LOVB Atlanta, and will look for a win against Madison to secure that pivotal #2 seed in the LOVB Finals.

Who will prevail?

Players to watch:

LOVB Houston's Micha Hancock hit .667% on five kills in the match against LOVB Atlanta last week, while also providing a double-double with 40 assists and 13 digs.

LOVB Madison's Lauren Carlini posted a double-double with 56 assists and 10 digs in their win against LOVB Austin.

LOVB Austin - LOVB Salt Lake

Tune in Saturday, April 5 on Youtube/LOVB Live at 9:00 PM (ET)

In the final regular season match of LOVB's inaugural pro season, LOVB Austin will take on LOVB Salt Lake at Salt Lake City's Bruin Arena.

In Week 12, these two teams experienced opposite five-set outcomes: LOVB Austin lost to Omaha and Madison while LOVB Salt Lake defeated Omaha.

The current series is tied 1-1 with the last match coming almost two months ago. The first match on February 1 went to Salt Lake in five sets while Austin took the second match on February 20 3-1.

Players to watch:

LOVB Austin's Madisen Skinner scored 23 points while hitting .309 and had 17 digs against LOVB Omaha in Week 12.

LOVB Salt Lake's Roni Jones-Perry scored 28 points and had 14 digs to lead her team to a win against LOVB Omaha.

League One Volleyball Stories from April 2, 2025

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