Austin, Texas - February 20, 2026 - Looking to bounce back, LOVB Madison gave it their all in a thrilling five-setter Friday evening, just barely falling to LOVB Austin (25-19, 14-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-13.)
“I mean, that's the best our offense has been in a long time. The energy on the court was great, I think we showed ourselves we can be winning some more games. This is the first game in a while where we had chances to win. So that felt nice. We just have to take that next step, which is never easy, but it will be really sweet when we do it," said head coach Matt Fuerbringer.
The first-set win by Austin took the wind out of Madison’s sails as they looked for a statement start after the LOVB Classic. However, the second and third sets showed a different Madison team than fans have seen recently, sparked by an unlikely hero.
Andrea Mitrovic delivered an outstanding performance against Austin, tallying 21 kills while hitting .543. Alongside her, Temi Thomas-Ailara matched that total with 21 kills of her own, adding two blocks and two aces. Combining to score more than half of Madison’s points on the night, the two outsides stepped up in a big way.
Middle blockers Callie Schwarzenbach and Rebekah Allick contributed offensively as well, recording 11 and nine kills respectively, while sharing two blocks apiece. Even with an incredibly productive offense for two sets, Madison fell short again, hindered by untimely errors and a few tough serve-receive stretches.
LOVB Madison stays on the road and heads to Omaha, Nebraska to face LOVB Nebraska at the Baxter Arena on Sunday, February 22. First serve is at 5:00 p.m. Central. Tickets are available for purchase and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
