AUSTIN, Texas – January 11, 2026 –Tonight, Austin resumed its season-opening homestand and battled to a five-set victory over Atlanta at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. After a back-and-forth contest, Austin delivered when it mattered most in the fifth set, pulling away late to secure a 21–25, 25–17, 25–17, 17–25, 15–11 win and improve to 2–0 on the season.
Atlanta opened the match by winning the first 21-25. Outside hitter Logan Eggleston and opposite hitter Madisen Skinner each scored four points in the frame, but Atlanta built separation late in the set and took the early match lead. “We were doing a nice job serving but we have got to get into the seams and make their players move a little bit” Austin head coach Erik Sullivan said regarding changes made after the first set.
Despite Atlanta holding the lead into the middle stages of the second set, kills from Skinner and middle blocker Molly McCage evened the score at 14–14. From there, setter Brie O’Reilly sparked Austin to five more quick points and a 19-16 set lead. The home team ended the frame on another 6-1 run.
Austin came out strong in the third set, scoring first and building an early lead Strong defensive effort fueled long rallies, and libero Kotoe Inoue anchored the back row as Austin maintained control throughout the set. Continued pressure from Skinner and outside hitter Madi Banks allowed Austin to pull away late and claim the third set 25-17.
The fourth set opened with a strong block from middle blocker Bella Bergmark, setting the tone for a tightly contested frame as Austin and Atlanta traded points throughout. Despite timely blocks from middle Asjia O’Neal to knot it at 16–16, late errors on Austin’s side allowed Atlanta to pull away and claim the fourth set, 17-25.
Austin delivered in the decisive fifth set, opening with a block from Bergmark before Atlanta briefly grabbed the lead. Madisen Skinner answered with timely kills to even the score, and Austin capitalized on Atlanta errors to pull ahead 7–5. O’Reilly fueled the momentum with back-to-back blocks, while Banks and Eggleston added key kills down the stretch. Austin sealed the match on an Atlanta service error to secure the fifth set, 15–11.
“It was not easy…but we had each other,” said Inoue on pulling off the five-set win. She was named Player of the Match after making 23 digs – tied for fifth-most in LOVB history – on an 85.2 dig percentage. She also passed at a .667 clip on 24 attempts.
Austin closed the night with a balanced offensive effort, totaling 67 points on 48 kills while spreading production across multiple attackers. Skinner led the team with 17 points, finishing with 16 kills from both the front and back row. Banks added 13 points on 12 kills and an ace, while Eggleston contributed 11 points, including seven kills, two aces, and 10 digs in a strong all-around performance.
The home team continued to score on defense, outblocking Atlanta 15-13. Both O’Neal and O’Reilly made five blocks apiece, O’Neal pairing those with six kills for 11 total points and O’Reilly providing 35 assists and 23 digs.
With the five-set victory, LOVB Austin moves to 2–0 on the season and will play against Atlanta again on Wednesday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m. CT at OTE Arena. That match will be broadcast nationwide on USA Network.
