LONG BEACH, California — April 16, 2026 — LOVB Salt Lake opened the LOVB Championship series with a five-set win over LOVB Austin on Thursday night, rallying for a 22-25, 25-21, 22-25, 27-25, 16-14 victory.
Austin took the opening set and regained the lead in the third, but Salt Lake responded both times. Facing elimination in the fourth, Salt Lake held off multiple set points before closing out a 27-25 win to force a deciding fifth.
“This was a gritty win for us,” Salt Lake head coach Tama Miyashiro said. “There were stretches of really good volleyball and some that weren’t as clean, but we stayed the course. Down the stretch, we stuck to our game plan and stayed disciplined, and that made the difference.”
The fifth set remained within a two-point margin throughout. Salt Lake trailed 10-9 before closing on a 7-4 run, forcing key Austin errors late to secure the 16-14 victory.
Alexa Gray led all players with 24 kills on 58 swings, accounting for more than one-third of Salt Lake’s 65 total kills. Heidy Casanova added 18 kills, while Serena Gray contributed 10 kills on a .476 hitting percentage. Claire Hoffman finished with 10 kills, and Jordyn Poulter directed the offense while adding four blocks. Libero Manami Kojima anchored the back row with 19 digs and steady serve receive.
“We didn’t play our cleanest volleyball, but we stayed connected and found ways to respond,” Gray said. “Now we have a lot of information from this match, and we can use that going into Saturday.”
The result mirrored how little separates the two teams. Salt Lake and Austin split the regular-season series 2-2, with Austin holding slight edges in sets (8-7) and total points (329-326).
With the win, LOVB Salt Lake takes a 1-0 lead in the championship series. Austin will need a win on Saturday, April 18 to force a golden set, while Salt Lake can secure their first LOVB title with another victory.
“We’re approaching the next match the same way,” setter Jordyn Poulter said. “It’s still do-or-die.”
