League One Volleyball (LOVB) today announced its 2025 season award winners, highlighting positional honors for six athletes and one coach whose strong on-court contributions stood out among their peers in LOVB’s inaugural pro season.
adidas is sponsor of both the 2025 LOVB Season MVP award and the 2025 LOVB Finals MVP, which will be announced after the LOVB Finals, extending its partnership and commitment to elevating player’s performance on and off the court.
Below is the final list of 2025 LOVB season award winners:
- 2025 Most Valuable Player, presented by adidas: Kelsey Cook, LOVB Atlanta
- 2025 Middle Blocker of the Year: Chiaka Ogbogu, LOVB Austin
- 2025 Libero of the Year: Manami Kojima, LOVB Salt Lake
- 2025 Opposite Hitter of the Year: Jordan Thompson, LOVB Houston
- 2025 Outside Hitter of the Year: McKenzie Adams, LOVB Atlanta
- 2025 Setter of the Year: Lauren Carlini, LOVB Madison
- 2025 Coach of the Year: Paulo Coco, LOVB Atlanta
Kelsey Cook was the on-court leader for league-leading LOVB Atlanta. A supreme passer, Kelsey led the league in pass efficiency and finished second in digs and good pass percentage. She was a scoring threat from both the left side and the service line, and finished second on the team in kills and second in LOVB for aces.
All season, Chiaka Ogbogu was a force at the net for LOVB Austin, the best blocking team in the league. She led LOVB with 53 blocks and averaged nearly a block every set. In Austin’s season opener, she made nine blocks, setting the record for the most individual blocks in a single match—a feat she repeated twice this season. Just as dominant on offense, Chiaka ranked fourth in kills by a middle blocker, landing 103 on a .327 attack efficiency.
Manami Kojima was a commanding presence in LOVB Salt Lake’s backcourt all season. The Miyagi, Japan, native led LOVB with 224 digs, finished second with 3.67 per set and fourth with a 2.45 pass efficiency rating. She made a league-high 28 digs on January 28, three more than any other player in a single match this year.
After what she deemed a “slow start,” Jordan Thompson found her scoring touch with aplomb a few weeks into the season. The LOVB Houston Founding Athlete was the league’s leading scorer with 256 points and 224 kills on the year. She landed 20 or more kills in four regular season matches and reached the double-digit mark in 13 of 14 matches played.
McKenzie Adams served as a steady force for league-leading LOVB Atlanta. Never missing a match, the Schertz, Texas, native finished third on her team with 193 points, 163 kills and 146 digs. Often the opponent’s favored service target, McKenzie passed at a 51.0% clip, sixth-best in the league.
Lauren Carlini was LOVB Madison’s constant in the lineup as the lone athlete to play all 64 sets. She led the league with 695 assists and tallied a .257 setting percentage. Not just great at running her offense, Lauren was a high-impact defender, too, making 176 digs, more than any other setter and seventh-most in the league.
In a league where anything could happen, Paulo Coco’s LOVB Atlanta proved to be the most consistent. Under his tutelage, Atlanta finished the regular season 13-3, three matches clear of second place LOVB Houston. The top-ranked squad finished among the top two in every team statistical category tracked on LOVB.com.
The LOVB Finals begin on April 10 with the quarterfinals in Louisville, KY at the KFC Yum! Center, to be followed by the semifinals on April 11 and the inaugural LOVB Finals on April 13 where teams will compete for the LOVB Championship Trophy presented by Tiffany & Co. Matches will be carried on ESPN+, ESPN2 and Disney+. The LOVB Finals MVP presented by adidas will be announced following the conclusion of the league’s first-ever championship match on Sunday, April 13 at 4 p.m. EST on ESPN+, ESPN2 and Disney+. Please visit lovb.com/schedule for match and air times.
About LOVB
Founded in 2020, LOVB’s mission is to reimagine the future of volleyball. With a unique community up approach, LOVB is one holistic ecosystem - from club to pro. The largest community of youth clubs in the country, LOVB launched its pro league in January 2025 featuring some of the best players in the world, including the American silver medalists from this year’s Olympics. For more information on LOVB, its clubs, and its professional teams in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison, Omaha, and Salt Lake, please visit www.lovb.com, or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
