LOVB: LOVB Houston to Rest, Lock in for “Tough Week” Ahead

After a LOVB Classic weekend filled with youth athletes, clips and a bit of volleyball, LOVB Pro begins the unofficial second half of the 2026 season this week. And for LOVB Houston, it’ll be a doozy.

“This will be a tough week for us,” said Houston outside hitter Madi Rishel.

“Yeah, we’re gonna recover,” head coach Sanja Tomašević chimed in.

“We’re going to recover,” confirmed Rishel, “and then lock in.”

Houston’s week begins Thursday, February 19 with a home match against LOVB Atlanta, who has won two in a row and is seemingly rediscovering some form from last year’s 13-3 squad. Already one of the most competitive rivalries in the league, Atlanta and Houston matches have always gone at least four sets and featured fiery play on both sides. The matches have been meaningful, too: Houston beat Atlanta to win the 2025 LOVB Classic and then won consecutive five-setters. It wasn’t until the penultimate week of the 2025 season that Atlanta finally beat Houston.

“There’s no easy night for us ever, and that’s a testament to the league and the players that they’ve brought,” Rishel said. “We have to fight no matter the circumstances. That’s the way we approach it.”

Two days later, Houston travels to Salt Lake City in a matchup between the league’s top two teams. At 8-1, LOVB Salt Lake is riding a seven-match win streak and will have had eight days off since their last match, a sweep of third-place LOVB Austin in Kansas City.

Salt Lake and Houston have played twice already in 2026, both matches being three-set sweeps for Salt Lake. That doesn’t give head coach Tama Miyashiro much comfort as Houston’s win streak began immediately after their last matchup.

“We have to study [Houston] a little more,” Miyashiro said,” “they seem to be playing better. We have a couple more days of rest that we’re thankful for, but we still have to get back into the gym and work on a few things.”

Miyashiro highlighted the play of Houston setter Kaisa Alanko, who has filled in admirably for the injured Micha Hancock.

“It’s fun to see people step up and the league have some pretty competitive matches,” Miyashiro continued.

Regardless of who’s across the net, Houston opposite and Founding Athlete Jordan Thompson knows what her team must do to have success.

“When we have a sense of urgency and go out there and … throw the first punch, that’s when we’re most successful and have the most fun playing together,” she said. “I’ve been proud to see the response that we’ve all had. Even in the face of adversity: difficult schedules, tough teams, injuries and stuff like that, it’s been really cool to see everyone step up and rise to the challenge.”