FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – 2024 was the NCAA Division I volleyball season of the reverse sweep. Never was it more evident than in the national semifinals when eventual-champion Pen State and its fearless leader, Jess Mruzik, came back from being down two sets to none to beat Nebraska in five.
Fast forward three weeks to Thursday and the second League One Volleyball pro match of the inaugural season. LOVB Houston was down 0-2 to visiting LOVB Austin.
"I was like, please just push to five, push to five, we'll be fine," Mruzik said with a laugh after her team did just that and came away with a 25-27, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 16-14 victory in the Fort Bend Epicenter.
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Jess, one of the LOVB Six – college players added to LOVB rosters after the NCAA season last month – sparkled in her pro debut with 13 kills, an ace, five blocks and 13 digs. For that matter, she ended the match with a solo block on the star of the 2023 NCAA championship team, Madisen Skinner. Madi, who was one of those six players, was equally spectacular for LOVB Austin, leading with 22 kills, an ace, four blocks and eight digs.
But on the last play of the match, Madi was stuffed by Jess.
"That's the only thing I remember. (Coach) Massimo (Barbolini) did say in set two to just start taking note of who they are setting when they need kills and in crucial moments. I had a feeling that the set was going to go to Madi, but honestly I kind of blacked out on the last play, minus the last touch."
There also was a rally within the rally. LOVB Houston trailed 4-10 in the fifth set before getting back in it, buoyed by the magnificent serving and defense of setter Micha Hancock. The left-hander had a vicious attack for a point that pulled her team to 6-11 and then served an ace, relying on the high-playing jump serve we hadn't seen from her in a long time.
After a Madi Kingdon Rishel kill, Micha got another ace to make it 11-9 and then took LOVB Austin out of system on the next serve, a point that Houston won with a Jordan Thompson block.
"You know what was crazy was that Micha hasn't been top-spinning in practice that much," Jordan said.
"She never serves like that in practice," coach Massimo echoed.
"And she came into the game and was just whipping these things and I was like, 'First of all, ma'am!' But it was so cool because Micha is just such a gamer and a baller," Jordan said of her two-time Olympic teammate. "She obviously knows that she has that in her toolkit, an amazing and strong serve, but to come out and take over the game."
Hancock, who had that one kill, had four aces and kept LOVB Austin out of system repeatedly. She also had a block and 12 digs to go with 35 assists.
Jordan led Houston with 16 kills and had two blocks and eight digs. Rishel had 11 kills and a team-high 15 digs.
Back to the fifth set. The 6-0 run ended on Anna Haak's kill for Austin, but service errors by both teams left Austin ahead 13-11. LOVB Houston tied it at 14 on a net violation and a kill by Amber Igiede and closed it out with Mruzik's block.
"Micha asked after the match, 'What is it with you and reverse sweeps?' " Jess said with a laugh. "But I'll take it."
Igiede had nine kills and hit .500 and had two aces and four blocks.
LOVB Austin libero Zoe Jarvis had 24 digs and six assists.
"This was a very surreal moment," Zoe said. "I signed with LOVB probably about a year ago, so it's been a year of anticipation for me. And I know I'm on the early side of that spectrum. There are girls who have been playing overseas for 10 years. But to get to play back home is really cool and really, really fun."
Alessia Gennari added 13 kills for LOVB Austin alongside three aces, four blocks and 12 digs. Haak had 10 kills, an ace and 13 digs. Middle Chiaka Ogbogu had six kills, nine blocks and three digs.
"I am not happy about the result, because we had a lot of opportunities to win," LOVB Austin coach Marco Bonitta said. "Especially at the end of the fourth set (up 25-24) and in the tiebreak. But this is the life, this is volleyball life, sport life, and in the tough moments they served so good. But we played to the end of the match and better to lose now than in April. This was a big lesson for me, especially, and for the team."
Both teams are in action again Friday. At 4:30 p.m. Central, LOVB Austin tries to bounce back against LOVB Madison, which will open its season. Then LOVB Omaha makes its debut when it plays Houston. Both matches can be seen on ESPN+.
