This is a huge week in League One Volleyball.
It starts Thursday with LOVB Madison, the hottest team in the league, going to LOVB Salt Lake in a battle of teams tied for third in the six-team standings. It's a 7 p.m. Mountain start on LOVB Live, DAZN and the LOVB YouTube channel.
Friday, the action moves to Omaha where LOVB Omaha and LOVB Austin, also tied and a game back of Madison and Salt Lake, have a 7 p.m. Central first serve on ESPN+.
And Saturday's doubleheader is also in Omaha when first-place LOVB Atlanta plays Austin at 4:30 p.m. Central, followed by second-place LOVB Houston vs. Omaha at 7 p.m. Both matches can be seen on LOVB Live, the Women's Sports Network via Samsung TV Plus, and YouTube.
All six teams are gearing up for the LOVB Finals next month in Louisville.
Atlanta has already clinched one of the first-round byes that gains the first- and second-place teams spots in the semifinals. It can claim the top seed in Louisville with a win and a Houston loss on Saturday; any combination of two Atlanta wins and Houston losses clinch the regular season title for Atlanta. LOVB Houston has a shot at the regular season title – should it end the regular season tied with Atlanta, Houston owns the tiebreaker of head-to-head record – and the other four clubs have their eyes on Houston since all four could still finish second under the right circumstances.
"Every match is pretty important for us at this point of the season," said outside hitter Roni Jones-Perry, who leads Salt Lake in kills. "Obviously the standings are getting pretty tight, so this one's going to matter a lot."
With that in mind, here is how they stand going into Week 11. Each team plays 16 matches in the regular season, so Atlanta and Houston have three remaining, Madison and Salt Lake four each, and Austin and Omaha five apiece:
1. LOVB Atlanta (10-3)
2. LOVB Houston (8-5)
T-3. LOVB Salt Lake (5-7), LOVB Madison (5-7)
T-5. LOVB Austin (4-7), LOVB Omaha (4-7)
LOVB Salt Lake has gone 3-3 in its last six matches. After victories over Houston and Omaha, the team is coming off a tough five-set loss last Saturday to Atlanta. It's been a stretch that has caused a team consisting mostly of veterans to sometimes develop a new mindset.
"I think our team has been figuring out what our identity is," said Roni, "and within that, you have a team trying to play cohesively well and then you have a bunch of individual players who want to play well.
"We've had some individuals have some ups and some downs and that obviously leads to the collective of what does our team look like on any given day. We have a lot of talent with a pretty deep bench with a lot of people who can contribute. I think we've been working through all that looking at our roles and how to play our best volleyball."
Indeed, because while Roni has found her stride of late – she had 44 kills in Salt Lake's last three matches – other outsides have contributed. Left-hander Dani Drews, once a bitter rival when she played for Utah, is often the other starter at outside, but Claire Hoffman and Maddie Haynes have had stretches of brilliance but also have been up and down.
"It kind of depends on match-ups, too, because there are girls whose skill sets do better against different teams. Being flexible and being able to stay the course and be ready when it's our opportunity to play."
But when those other outsides have gotten playing time, it's sometimes meant that Roni is coming off the bench at times for the first time in a pro career that included stints in Italy, Poland, Puerto Rico and, for the past two seasons, Brazil.
"We have a really deep bench and if someone is doing really well, how can I then contribute to this team? Maybe it's not a performance contribution, how can I help whoever's on the court and also be engaged and ready to go out there. It's something that every person on this roster is adjusting to because most of us are used to being on the court. Across the board, all of us are trying to figure out our roles and what that role is on any given day."
Accordingly, it's all hands on deck heading into these last four matches.
"It may be a cliche, but I think something that's been working these past few matches has been just really being present," said Roni, sixth in the league with 137 kills. "And not worrying too much about what we've done in the past, not worrying too much about what we have coming next, just really being engaged in the moment.
"So for us right now, it's how good we can be at practice, how good we can be in our prep going into Thursday, and on Thursday just one ball at a time.
"We have a talented, deep group and the better we can be at being present and being big in every moment the better our outcomes are going to be."
Roni has embraced the nickname RJP as she gets to play professionally in her hometown. For that matter, the product of West Jordan, Utah, practices at the same club, Club V, for which she played before her All-American career at BYU.
One of her teammates at BYU was All-American libero Mary Lake, whose comeback this season has been remarkable after not playing for nearly five years and having a child. She's become a valuable DS and serving specialist.
"She's done such a great job and I'm not surprised in the least. Mary is that player who is going to bring energy and is going to bring fire and be on the sidelines telling every player regardless if they play her position or not what she's seeing and what they can do better and what's working. She's awesome."
And playing with, instead of against Dani, who is also from the area, just south of Salt Lake in Sandy? She also played for Club V.
"It's been so fun. Dani is truly one of one in her energy and brings it to the gym every day," RJP said. "She's goofy but also super competitive. It's been a lot of fun to be in the gym and on the court with her."
Salt Lake (Jordyn Poulter) and Madison (Lauren Carlini) have played twice this season in battles of the 2024 U.S. Olympic setters. Madison won a five-setter on January 17 in Madison and Salt Lake won in four at the LOVB Classic on February 16. They play again in Salt Lake on April 4.
