Madison, Wis. - March 21, 2026 - LOVB Madison fans showed up in full force for Saturday’s match against LOVB Houston at the Alliant Energy Center, and their team sent them home happy as Madison went wire-to-wire (25-23, 25-22, 25-16) in their penultimate home game of the season.
“Wow,” started head coach Matt Fuerbringer. “I was just really impressed by what our team did. You know, Houston's the number one team in the league right now and we swept them at home.It’s a big statement win for us. We just had an amazing crowd tonight, and we talked about getting off to a quick start to use the crowd. Once we got that, it just kind of took a weight off our shoulders and let us go and realize we can compete with them.”
The first set was neck-and-neck. but Madison managed to pull away with the win at 25-23. Opposite Temi Thomas-Ailara put up nine kills in the first set to help LOVB Madison’s efforts. The team carried that momentum into the second set, notching a 25-22 win. To round out the night, Madison brought out the brooms in the third and final set, winning 25-16 to sweep Houston. Thomas-Ailara led in scoring once again with seven kills in the frame.
Earning MVP honors, Thomas-Ailara scored 20 points on the night, leading all players in scoring and kills for the game.
Madison out-paced Houston 49-42 in kills and 9-5 in blocks. Houston was led by Madi Rishel who put up 14 points with 13 blocks and an ace. Jess Mruzik also contributed double-digits for Houston with 10 kills and an ace.
“It's honestly like we have nothing to lose,” said Temi Thomas-Ailara. “Every win we get is a chance to be in the top four or keep someone out of the top four. So it's just pushing ourselves and trying to play our best volleyball.”
Next up, LOVB Madison hits the road to face LOVB Austin at H-E-B Center. The game is set for Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m. Central. Tickets are available for purchase and fans can stream the game on Victory+.
