LOS ANGELES, CA – June 17, 2025 – League One Volleyball (LOVB) – the largest brand in youth volleyball with its professional volleyball league embarking on its second season – today announced G9 Ventures, Bolt Ventures and Spurs Sports & Entertainment as the ownership group of its professional team in Austin, LOVB Austin Volleyball.
“To build a sustainable and successful professional volleyball league for the long-term, you need visionary team owners who not only subscribe to your mission, but believe strongly in the tremendous opportunity ahead,” said Rosie Spaulding, President of LOVB Pro. “David Blitzer, Amy Griffin and Peter J. Holt are passionate champions of LOVB’s unique youth-to-pro model, the potential for volleyball to be the next major sports league in the U.S. and the community of Austin as a true hotbed for the sport. We are thrilled to partner with these three extraordinary organizations in growing LOVB Austin, League One Volleyball and the game itself.”
LOVB’s approach to ownership groups has focused on bringing together the right owners for the right markets. LOVB ownership groups will become both team owners and equity holders in the league, creating a commitment to not only the growth of individual teams, but also the overall league. LOVB will work side-by-side with this ownership group to double down on the growth of Austin as home to some of the best volleyball in the country, while the league continues to set the pace for professional volleyball played at the highest levels.
“As a former volleyball player from Texas, investing in a women’s sports franchise in Austin feels like an opportunity to help grow a sport that has taught me so many lessons," said Amy Griffin, Founder and Managing Partner, G9 Ventures. "G9 deeply believes in the transformative nature of sport, and we are proud to have partnered with LOVB for the past two years to build community and empower young women. LOVB’s strong foundation, starting first with youth clubs across the country, has been essential in the formation of an emerging professional women’s volleyball league. We’re thrilled to further deepen the relationship with our investment in LOVB Austin and work alongside two incredible partners, Spurs Sports & Entertainment and Bolt Ventures.”
The historic winners of the first LOVB Finals, LOVB Austin’s inaugural season roster was firmly rooted in its community, with 9 of the 15 players having played at the University of Texas. This first season, the team featured the incredible talent of Olympic Medalists Carli Lloyd and Chiaka Ogbogu, 2022 AVCA player of the year and NCAA Tournament MVP Logan Eggleston, and NCAA Champions Madisen Skinner and Asjia O’Neal, who led their team to NCAA championship titles in 2022 and 2023. With a combined social following of 1.16 million followers, these athletes have ties to the community, with fans lining up to get their autographs and take photos after every match. For the 2026 season, Olympian and U.S. National team coach Erik Sullivan is joining LOVB Austin as head coach.
“LOVB Austin Volleyball’s community-first and athlete-centered model is in complete alignment with our organizational values and standards at Spurs Sports & Entertainment,” said Peter J. Holt, Chairman and Managing Partner of Spurs Sports & Entertainment. “It’s so important for us to invest in our San Antonio-Austin region, and LOVB offers the perfect opportunity to do so while elevating women’s sports in a positive and unifying way. With the opportunity to host LOVB games throughout the entire Austin to Monterrey corridor, we can’t wait to see these elite athletes compete throughout our market.”
From the launch of its First Serve in January of 2025, LOVB Pro has experienced tremendous growth. Matches across markets sold out and were even oversubscribed and merchandise surpassed $1 million in sales, with LOVB’s “Volleyball is the Next Major League” collection selling out 3 times. As the country’s only youth-to-pro league, LOVB Pro also focused on engaging fans digitally, amassing fans around the world. This season, league and team social accounts reached 29.3+ million followers with over 191 million impressions and 38.9+ million views of match play content across LOVB platforms, and closed the season reaching 1.1+ million viewers during the LOVB Finals.
Furthered David Blitzer, “LOVB Austin Volleyball is the perfect investment for us at Bolt Ventures. We are fortunate to have collaborated with James Patterson before, and so Bolt is excited to have him on board as part of this new dream partnership with the Spurs and G9 Ventures. Continuing to invest in women’s sports alongside dedicated partners, and strengthening communities by developing grassroots infrastructure, is central to what we do; with this championship level team, we believe there are no limits to what we can accomplish.”
LOVB Chief Growth Officer Stephanie Alger, with assistance from leading international law firm Proskauer, led the ownership agreement negotiations with G9 Ventures, Bolt Ventures and Spurs Sports & Entertainment.
With 46 million volleyball fans in the U.S. today, LOVB has attracted some of the biggest investment firms, and investors across sports, entertainment and business who all believe in the deliberate and methodical way LOVB Pro has approached its build. Rather than launching in a traditional top-down model, LOVB started first with community. In just four years, the league built the number one youth business in volleyball, with more than 20,000 junior athletes and 3,600 coaches in 27 states. With a strong junior club foundation in place, LOVB launched its Pro league, anchored by championship caliber players, coaches and world-class staff.
For more information about LOVB Pro and its current season, please visit LOVB.com
About LOVB
Founded in 2020, LOVB’s mission is to reimagine the future of volleyball. With a unique community up approach, LOVB is one holistic ecosystem - from club to pro. The largest community of youth clubs in the country, LOVB launched the first serve of its pro league in January 2025, featuring some of the very best players in the world including American silver medalists and players from the last Olympics. For more information on LOVB as it embarks on its second season, its clubs, and its professional teams in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison, Omaha, and Salt Lake, please visit www.lovb.com or on social channels like Instagram.
About G9 Ventures
G9 Ventures is a private fund focused on investing in generation-defining brands that empower consumers to live, look, and feel better. A core aspect of our strategy is to partner with founders who are solving the problems of a modern consumer, ones that have often been overlooked or ignored. More than 70% of portfolio companies have a female founder or CEO. G9 has over 60 portfolio companies, including Bumble (BMBL), On Running (ONON), Athletic Greens, Kitsch, Oura, Saie, and Spanx. At G9, we invest in thoughtful people and products.
About David Blitzer & Bolt Ventures
Bolt Ventures is the family office of David Blitzer. Blitzer is the co-founder and managing partner of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), and he recently became the first person to hold team equity in all major sports leagues of North America: the NBA (Philadelphia 76ers), NHL (NJ Devils), NFL (Washington Commanders), MLS (Real Salt Lake), NWSL (Utah Royals), and MLB (Cleveland Guardians). Blitzer also owns stakes in several international soccer properties. Bolt Ventures manages a diverse and innovative portfolio focused on other sports, media, and technology assets.
About Spurs Sports & Entertainment
Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) is a value-based and community-centric sports and entertainment company that provides premier live and global digital experiences for fans across a portfolio of three teams and several first-class venues in South Texas – all supported by a staff of more than 1,000 full and part-time employees. SS&E owns and operates the San Antonio Spurs (NBA), Austin Spurs (NBA G League), and San Antonio FC (USL), as well as manages the day-to-day operations of the Frost Bank Center, The Rock at La Cantera, Toyota Field and Ricos STAR Soccer Complex. The SS&E investor group is led by Managing Partner Peter J. Holt.
