LONG BEACH, California – April 18, 2026 – They Brought It Back.
LOVB Austin Volleyball claimed its second consecutive League One Volleyball title Saturday, defeating LOVB Salt Lake in a thrilling five-set match (25-20, 21-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11) before clinching the title with a dominant golden set (15-8) in front of a sold-out crowd at LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
“We are creating a legacy, we are really showing what Austin volleyball is … it is really cool in a new league that is this competitive to come out on top [two years in a row],” said LOVB Austin outside hitter Logan Eggleston “We are setting the tone for years to come.”
After LOVB Salt Lake took Thursday’s match one to gain the upper hand in the LOVB Championship, Austin responded with a championship-caliber battle. The first four sets of the match were defined by spurts of great play on both sides of the net. Austin came out strong early with key contributions from Asjia O’Neal at the net while Logan Eggleston provided steady offense on the outside and Madisen Skinner delivered in the key moments. Salt Lake answered behind strong play from Alexis Gray and disciplined defense, keeping the match tight and forcing a decisive fifth set.
With their season on the brink, Austin delivered in the fifth set. Eggleston set the tone early with a kill. From there, both teams traded points. At 6-5, O’Neal ripped a big swing to keep Austin narrowly in front. As the set tightened late, Skinner once again stepped up. A perfectly placed tip extended Austin’s lead to 12-9. Salt Lake wasn’t done and strung together a few points to force an Austin timeout at 13-11. Out of the timeout, Austin stayed composed and closed the door, finishing the set 15-11 and forcing a winner-takes-all golden set to fifteen points to determine the title.
“We knew going into that fifth set that we had every opportunity to go out and win that game” said Eggleston.
Salt Lake struck first in the golden set, but it didn’t last long. Austin quickly flipped the switch with a five-point run to take a 7-3 lead. Austin kept applying pressure, maintaining a four-point lead throughout the rest of the frame. At 14-8, Eggleston put away a championship-clinching kill off an out-of-system set from Molly McCage to secure the title.
Skinner earned LOVB Championship MVP for the second year in a row after scoring 21 points during match two, hitting .342 and adding nine digs in the five-set match followed by two crucial points in the golden to secure the championship for Austin. Eggleston added 15 kills, 14 digs and three blocks during the match (three points during the golden set), while McCage, O'Neal and Madi Banks each also added double-digit points during the match.
“I think a lot of us are also chasing more than championships, we’re chasing connection and personal growth. We want to win, but with this group, that wasn’t the end goal. It was about how much we can grow as individuals and how much we can push ourselves to be the best versions of ourselves,” said Skinner.
