The Stars Align: LOVB Completes Record 2026-27 Signing Class
Published on July 9, 2026 under League One Volleyball (LOVB) News Release
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - League One Volleyball (LOVB), the nation's first professional volleyball league built from the club up, today announced the completion of its 2026-27 player signing class, closing a six-week window that introduced 66 new athletes to the league ahead of Season Three. The 2026-27 signing class features 10 Olympians, 31 international players, and 17 individuals who have earned All-American honors, spanning 21 countries and reinforcing LOVB's position as the premier destination for the world's best volleyball talent.
Daily player reveals rolled out across LOVB social media channels beginning June 1, with all eyes on LOVB as the league assembled the deepest and most globally represented roster class in its history. Five new head coaches were also announced during the window, adding decorated international pedigrees to their respective benches.
"The athletes joining LOVB for the 2026-27 season are the best in the world, and this signing class proves it," said Sandra Idehen, Commissioner of LOVB Pro "Olympians, national team veterans, top NCAA talent. They're all choosing LOVB. We can't wait for our fans to meet them,"
Notable players signed for the 2026-27 season include Kathryn (Plummer) Boden, who led the U.S. National Team to a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics and won three Italian Serie A1 titles, a CEV Champions League title, and a Club World Championship with Prosecco Doc Imoco Volley Conegliano; Mina Popovic, a two-time Olympian and 2022 FIVB World Champion with Serbia who has won five European Championship medals across 18 years as a professional; Meliha Diken, a two-time Turkish Olympian and 14-year professional who has won five league titles and six Turkish Cups in the Sultanlar Ligi; and Wang Mengjie, a two-time Chinese Olympian who won FIVB World Cup gold in 2015 and 2019 and earned Best Libero honors at the 2019 World Cup.
The full signing class can be found here. Full rosters for all 10 LOVB teams will be announced beginning Monday, July 13.
Five new head coaches are joining LOVB Pro ahead of season three. César Hernández González takes the helm at LOVB Minnesota after guiding the French National Team to a quarterfinal at the 2025 FIVB World Championship. Paulo Coco moves from LOVB Atlanta to lead expansion team LOVB Miami, bringing a 2025 Coach of the Year award and Olympic gold medals as an assistant with the Brazilian National Team. Giannis Athanasopoulos arrives at LOVB Nebraska with five consecutive Hungarian Extraliga titles and an ongoing role as head coach of the Czechia National Team. Carlo Parisi joins LOVB Atlanta with three decades of coaching experience highlighted by an Italian Serie A1 title and two CEV Cup championships. Fernando Morales will take over at LOVB Madison after leading the Puerto Rican Women's National Team to multiple podium finishes at international events.
Season Three will mark LOVB's first with 10 teams, adding LOVB Los Angeles, LOVB Minnesota, San Francisco Signal, and LOVB Miami to the existing six franchises in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison, Nebraska, and Salt Lake. The expanded league will also introduce an Eastern and Western Conference format, creating new regional rivalries and a more defined championship structure for fans and athletes.
Full roster information for all 10 teams will be available at lovb.com following the completion of the team-led roster release window, concluding July 21.
For more information about League One Volleyball, please visit www.lovb.com.
League One Volleyball Stories from July 9, 2026
- The Stars Align: LOVB Completes Record 2026-27 Signing Class - LOVB
- LOVB Los Angeles Announces Founding Advisory Board - LOVB Los Angeles
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
