CEDAR PARK, Texas (January 15, 2025) – After just the first five matches, we've learned that in League One Volleyball, every match is up for grabs and we shouldn't be surprised who stars when it matters.
Wednesday night in the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, LOVB Atlanta bounced back from its season-opening defeat by taking down the home team, LOVB Austin, 18-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-21.
Video Recap | Match Stats | LOVB Atlanta Roster | LOVB Austin Roster
And while three-time Olympian Kelsey Cook was named player of the match after getting 15 kills, two aces, 10 digs and two assists, opposite hitter Tessa Grubbs led Atlanta with 17 kills. They both hit .256 as Grubbs added an ace, a block and seven digs.
"Tonight we were able to find our personality," Tessa said.
Tessa — a fifth-year pro who's played in Slovenia, France and Switzerland — had just one kill in the season opener a week earlier when LOVB Atlanta lost the league's inaugural match in four sets to LOVB Salt Lake.
Kelsey said that the team showed more confidence than it did in the opener.
"In practice, we really focused on the things we had to change, and tonight, it was good to see. Honestly, Tessa led that," Kelsey said. "She came in and said, 'Hey, we play gritty,' and you could just see it. She was swinging on every single play and that energy seeped into the team and that energy felt more confident and were more aggressive."
But the biggest surprise might have been setter Rachel Fairbanks, who came in for Madi Bugg and had 43 assists, 11 digs, a kill and a block.
Rachel set Pittsburgh to four consecutive NCAA national semifinals and was a late addition to the Atlanta roster. She played sparingly in last week’s loss to LOVB Salt Lake.
"After the week of practice we've had, you can see she's got a great connection with the hitters ," said Kelsey.
McKenzie Adams had 12 kills, an ace, three blocks and 14 digs. Tia Jimerson had eight kills with no errors plus five blocks, two digs and an ace. Kayla Haneline also had eight kills in 15 swings and one block. Bugg had a dig and 10 assists, and libero Piyanut Pannoy made 17 digs and five assists.
"Tia played amazing in the middle. She's just a gamer," Kelsey said.
With the loss in their home-opening First Serve match, LOVB Austin dropped to 1-2 on the year. Anna Haak led with eight kills, an ace, three blocks and 10 digs. Madisen Skinner and Chiaka Ogbogu had seven kills each, Madisen added three blocks and seven digs while Chiaka hit .500 to go along with an ace, a block and four digs. Logan Eggleston had six kills and just one error in 21 swings, two aces, a dig and two assists.
All nine former University of Texas stars took the floor for the home team Wednesday night after longtime Texas volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott opened the night’s festivities by taking the honorary first serve.
LOVB Austin controlled the first set, leading by as many as eight. But Atlanta battled throughout the second, bouncing back from a 22-21 deficit. A service error tied it and Cook got a kill for the lead. After Juliann Faucette's kill for Austin turned aside one set point, Cook tied the match with a kill.
The third set was tied at 24-24. LOVB Atlanta took the lead on another Austin service error – Austin had four aces and nine errors on the night – and won the set on a tip by Adams. Cook had six of her kills in the third set, and Grubbs had five.
In the fourth set, LOVB Austin built a 13-8 lead, but Atlanta chipped away and tied it at 16 on a kill by Grubbs. The set was tied at 19 before Atlanta pulled away.
"We have time now to watch this game and discuss what we have to do," Austin coach Marco Bonitta said.
The win for Atlanta left LOVB Madison the only team without a victory. Madison gets its shot at the win column when it plays at 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central Friday against visiting LOVB Salt Lake in the Wisconsin Field House. That match will be televised on ESPNU and streamed on ESPN+.
