LOS ANGELES – December 23, 2024 – League One Volleyball (LOVB) – the largest brand in youth volleyball with its professional volleyball league launching LOVB First Serve on January 8, 2025 – today announced the signing of the LOVB 6: the six top collegiate rookies who will go onto play for each of LOVB’s pro teams in January. Following a much-lauded NCAA season, these collegiate superstars – Sophie Fischer (University of Georgia, joining LOVB Salt Lake), Sarah Franklin (University of Wisconsin, joining LOVB Madison), Onye Ofoegbu (University of Oregon, joining LOVB Atlanta), Lexi Rodriguez (University of Nebraska, joining LOVB Omaha), Madisen Skinner (University of Texas, joining LOVB Austin), and Jess Mruzik (Penn State, joining LOVB Houston) – will be beginning their pro careers in the United States thanks to LOVB.
The LOVB 6 – many of whom have already begun their national team journeys by earning invites to Collegiate National Teams, Open National Team Tryouts and the 2024 NORCEA Final Six – boast incredible talent and will further complement the elite level of play in the league today as one in five of LOVB’s pro players are past NCAA champions and 80% have earned All-American honors.
“At LOVB, it’s been our mission from the beginning to provide the world’s very best players with the opportunity to play at home, and not have to go overseas to make their living as a pro athlete, so we’re incredibly excited to welcome Sophie, Sarah, Jess, Lexi, Onye and Madi to LOVB as they finish up their incredible NCAA careers and begin their journey as professional players,” said Rosie Spaulding, President of LOVB Pro. “We are excited for their communities of friends, family and fans to have the opportunity to continue to support these women in the next phases of their careers. The LOVB 6 are another defining moment in the future that we are all building together.”
Deemed the highest upcoming wave of talent to enter the National Team pipeline at the conclusion of their NCAA career, a snapshot of LOVB 6’s accomplishments include:
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National Champions in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
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MVP of the 2024 Championship Tournament
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MVP of the 2023 Championship Tournament
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National Runner-ups in 2021 and 2023
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All six prospects have received All-American Honors
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All six prospects were on the AVCA National Player of the Year Watchlist for 2024
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Two prospects were AVCA National Player of the Year Finalists in 2024
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National Player of the Year recognitions include: AVCA National Player of the Year honoree, Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year honoree, AVCA National Freshman of the Year honoree, ESPY Female Athlete of the year nominee
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Conference Player of the Year honorees including: B1G Player of the year, B1G freshman of the year, B1G defensive player of the year honorees, SEC Player of the Year honoree
In particular, Fischer, Franklin, Mruzik and Rodriguez were all members of the NORCEA Final Six, losing only in the finals to the Dominican Republic national team that competed in the Paris Olympics in 2024, while Skinner was named Senior National Team Member in Summer 2024. In 2024, Franklin also made Wisconsin history as she was named Big Ten player of the year for the second consecutive season. Fischer and Skinner won national competitions in 2020, with Skinner helping her team take the title in 2022 and 2023. While Rodriguez lost in 2021 and 2023 to the other LOVB 6 members, she was also named AVCA National Freshman of the Year Honoree in 2021. In 2023, Franklin earned the honor of being named ESPY Female Athlete of the Year Nominee, and in 2024 when her team won the NCAA Championship, Mruzik was named tournament MVP.
Sarah Franklin said, “Joining LOVB means being a part of something bigger than myself. Having the opportunity to play alongside some incredible athletes who will continue to elevate the game is a dream come true. I am so excited to contribute to the growth of volleyball with LOVB.”
Lexi Rodriguez shared, “Getting to be a part of the first LOVB season is truly such an honor. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to play professional volleyball in the US and even more thankful to stay in the state of Nebraska! There’s no other place I would want to start my professional career. I can’t wait to see how much the sport of volleyball continues to grow and I know LOVB is going to play a huge part in that!”
Sophie Fischer furthered, “Joining LOVB is just an indescribable feeling, it’s really a dream come true. I’m so blessed and grateful to be joining the start of something new and so incredible. It just means so much to be able to play at an extremely high level in the United states where us athletes can still be close to friends and family. This league is growing the sport of volleyball so much and it is amazing to be a part of something that I wish I had growing up.”
Onye Ofoegbu said, “I am so excited to be playing in LOVB for the inaugural season! I'm grateful to be in a league that values community and uplift young athletes all across the nation. Cant wait to make history!”
Madisen Skinner shared, “To have the opportunity to compete in the inaugural LOVB season with some of my old teammates and in a city that holds so many memories for me is a dream come true! I am honored to have been chosen to be one of 6 collegiate athletes to join such a special league that is full of so much talent. I cannot wait to see the impact that LOVB is going to have in the states and in the world of professional volleyball as a whole!”
Jess Mruzik said, “ I’m SO honored to be a part of LOVB. The amount that this league has done for the sport of volleyball and women’s sports is truly amazing. I can’t wait to learn from and be surrounded by the best of the best every single day!”
Capitalizing on the visibility of women’s volleyball and its growth throughout their NCAA careers, the collective following of the LOVB 6 prospects has boomed, generating 371k fans on Instagram and 386k fans on TikTok. In addition, two of these athletes benefited from the full LOVB youth-to-pro ecostem, with Onye Ofoegbu who played for LOVB Club Mizuno Long Beach and Madi Skinner who grew up playing for LOVB Club Houston Skyline.
For more information about the LOVB 6 and the kickoff of LOVB’s first serve on January 8, 2025, please visit: www.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 is launching the preseason of its pro league in January 2025, which will feature some of the very best players in the world including Olympic medalists, NCAA champions and international superstars. For more information on LOVB, 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.