USA Volleyball and LOVB Announce Partnership in Support of American Professional Volleyball
Today, USA Volleyball announced a partnership with League One Volleyball (LOVB) to support LOVB’s American professional league, which launches after the Paris Olympic Games in November 2024.
The collaborative partnership will focus on growing volleyball’s fan base and participation in the sport across the country.
“USA Volleyball is proud to be a partner with LOVB,” said USA Volleyball President and CEO Jamie Davis. “Currently, most of the top U.S. players compete in leagues overseas for up to seven months a year; away from their families, friends and the American audience. We look forward to watching U.S. players compete with LOVB on their home turf and seeing the impact that this league will have on volleyball’s popularity. LOVB will be a platform where American volleyball fans can see their idols play live and in-person. LOVB is attracting not only U.S. National Team players, but some of the top talent from around the world as well.”
Volleyball’s popularity is already on the rise as it is the most popular team sport for high school and college girls while boys’ high school numbers have increased by 40 percent since 2017. In the 2022-23 season, USA Volleyball membership increased by 9.6 percent to 408,000 (the largest percentage growth since 1998), and the growth was reflected at all levels of play, genders and age groups.
“At LOVB, we’re on the path to making volleyball the next major league sport in the United States, so we are excited to partner with USA Volleyball to help turn this vision into a reality,” said Rosie Spaulding, COO of LOVB’s professional league. “The world’s best professional players deserve the opportunity to play at home in front of the same communities that supported them throughout their youth and college years. We’re excited to work with USA Volleyball to change this paradigm, and be at the forefront of an exciting new movement in American sports.”
Leading into AVCA, LOVB revealed the team names and logos for its professional teams including LOVB Madison Volleyball, LOVB Omaha Volleyball, LOVB Salt Lake Volleyball. Today, it introduced its sixth and final city for its inaugural 2024-2025 season, LOVB Austin Volleyball. The final team name and logos for the cities of Houston and Atlanta will be revealed on December 12 and December 13, respectively.
LOVB’s partnership with USA Volleyball will focus on helping and promoting the league’s professional teams, which has several present and former members of the U.S. Women’s National Team already affiliated. Women’s National Team players who have signed with LOVB include setters Lauren Carlini, Micha Hancock, Carli Lloyd and Jordyn Poulter, libero Justine Wong-Orantes, outside hitter Kelsey (Robinson) Cook, opposite Jordan Thompson and middle blocker Haleigh Washington.
LOVB also recently announced that U.S. WNT Assistant Coach Tama Miyashiro will coach in the league as well.
