Atlanta, Ga. - March 7, 2026 - In need of a spark, LOVB Madison took LOVB Atlanta down in four sets (25-22, 25-17, 18-25, 25-19) Saturday.
“I'm just really proud of the women tonight, how they fought,” stated head coach Matt Fuerbringer. "We played excellent in every part of the game that we wanted to play at, and we had some dips and we responded to them, and that's something that we haven't been doing as well this year.”
Madison entered the evening looking to play fearlessly and shake off its midweek loss to LOVB Houston. The team did exactly that in the opening set, battling through a tight contest before Andrea Mitrovic sealed the set with a tool off the block. Madison carried that momentum into the second set, playing with confidence and urgency and built separation early. They maintained a six-point lead multiple times throughout the set before closing it out with an eight-point advantage. Atlanta responded in the third, jumping out to a strong lead. Madison managed to trim the deficit briefly, but Atlanta refused to let the match slip away and held on to take the set.
Madison regrouped in the fourth, coming out with renewed energy and building another solid lead. Atlanta began clawing back midway through the set to keep the match alive, but setter Lauren Carlini remained steady down the stretch, guiding the offense and helping Madison maintain control to close out the match.
Carlini delivered a masterclass in setting, recording a double-double with 36 assists and 21 digs. She also contributed offensively with six kills and an ace, rounding out an all-around performance that earned her Player of the Match honors.
Madison was once again led by Temi Thomas-Ailara, who finished with 13 kills, three blocks, and strong serving that held opponents to 33.3% in-system. Close behind were outside hitter Andrea Mitrovic and opposite Gong Xiangyu, who each recorded 10 kills. Mitrovic added two aces and two blocks, while Gong contributed three aces and 10 digs. Madison also saw valuable production from its middles, an area the squad has been looking to strengthen. Rebekah Allick recorded five kills, while Callie Schwarzenbach added five of her own.
When asked how they will stay locked in the remainder of the season, “If you're at the bottom looking up and you're not locked in and ready to go, then probably in the wrong profession,” laughed setter Lauren Carlini. “I think for us we have so little time left together, how can we really optimize? And every single day make it count and make it worth it,” Carlini continued.
LOVB Madison returns home to face LOVB Nebraska at the Alliant Energy Center on Thursday, March 12. Tickets are available for purchase and fans can stream the 7 p.m. Central match on ESPN+.
