By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
CEDAR PARK – Professional volleyball arrived in Austin on Wednesday, and it was a rousing success despite the home team falling to Atlanta in four sets: 18-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-21.
LOVB Austin, the city’s newest professional sports franchise, played its first home match of the League One Volleyball season in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,406 at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park.
It was a homecoming for nine former Texas Longhorn players on LOVB Austin’s roster, including Madisen Skinner, Logan Eggleston, Juliann Faucette, Asija O’Neal, Khat Bell, Zoe Jarvis, Chika Ogbogu, Molly McCage, and Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres.
See more photos from the match.
“It’s a dream come true,” Ogbogu said. “My experience at Texas was one of the most special experiences I’ve had in my career, and I hold it near and dear to my heart. To know the same community that supported us throughout our college careers is now supporting us in our pro careers means the world. I think we saw Wednesday night that Longhorn fans love to show out for their girls, and they definitely did today.”
All nine former Longhorns saw playing time for LOVB Austin after Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott opened the night with a ceremonial first serve.
Skinner and Ogbogu had seven kills each, with Skinner adding three blocks and seven digs, and Ogbogu contributing an ace, a block, and four digs. Eggleston recorded six kills with just one error in 21 swings.
“Austin is a special place for volleyball, and the city loves sports, so I knew this would be a perfect place for a team,” O’Neal said. “The city quickly jumped on board and has rallied behind us.”
It was truly a special night as thousands of young players from volleyball clubs around Austin were treated to a clinic by former All-Americans and Olympians, including Atlanta’s Kelsey Cook, who was named player of the match after recording 15 kills, 10 digs, two assists, and two aces in Atlanta’s victory.
“I love playing in front of sold-out crowds; it’s the dream environment. Having that in Atlanta last week and here tonight, I feel like it’s just the beginning,” Cook said. “The young players in the stands, I think, are why a lot of us took the chance to come here. To be a part of something that the next generation of players can be a part of is pretty cool.”
League One Volleyball (LOVB) is in its first season of play. Games are televised on ESPN+, ESPNU and LOVB Live.
There are six teams in the league located in Omaha, Nebraska; Salt Lake City, Utah; Atlanta; Austin; Houston; and Madison, Wisconsin.
LOVB Austin travels to Omaha on Saturday, Jan. 25, and then to Salt Lake on Feb. 1. The team returns to the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park on Wednesday, Feb. 5, to host LOVB Houston.
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