Madison, Wis. - March 15, 2026 - LOVB Madison (25-23, 25-12, 16-25, 25-18) responded with a big win at home against LOVB Austin Sunday, getting their first win of the season over the reigning League One Volleyball champions.
“We talked a lot about just going out there and playing fearless,” stated head coach Matt Fuerbringer. “My analogy is like boxing. You take a couple punches, then you're never at your best. I wanted us to come out throwing and see if we could land a couple punches, and we did.”
MVP performances from Gong Xiangyu, Temi Thomas-Ailara and Andrea Mitrovic highlighted Madison’s push in the mad dash for fourth place. With both teams looking to claim the spot for themselves, the match opened with fitting energy. The two sides stayed within two points of each other for most of the first set. At 21–21, Madison pulled ahead and edged out the set, with the final point decided by a challenge.
Set two started as a block party for Madison, with Rebekah Allick setting the tone early. The rookie middle blocker tallied two blocks and four positive touches in the frame as Madison Austin to just 12 points. Austin responded in the third set with a dominant performance of their own, limiting Madison to only 16 points. Madison’s hitters pressed reset and came out with renewed firepower in the fourth set, closing out the match with a 25–18 victory.
Gong Xiangyu earned Player of the Match honors with 14 kills on a .481 hitting percentage, three blocks, one ace, and a perfect 22-for-22 on dig opportunities. Temi Thomas-Ailara led the team in points with 19 kills, one ace and two blocks. Allick was a key part of the win as well with her two blocks and an 86.7% positive touch to build a wall at the net.
“The fans, they really wanted that win tonight, and you could just feel it,” said rookie middle blocker Rebekah Allick. “I think that's how they've been all season. They've always been rooting for us, but they feel the losses just as much as we do. Being able to close out the rest of the season winning at home would be a great gift back to them.”
Next up, LOVB Madison’s penultimate home match against LOVB Houston comes Saturday, March 21 at 6 p.m. Central. Tickets are available for purchase, and fans can stream the match free on Victory+.
