The first-ever League One Volleyball (LOVB) postseason begins on Thursday, with all six teams competing though the weekend determine who will eventually lift the pro league’s inaugural trophy on Sunday.
Following years of success at the youth level, LOVB’s pro arm is capitalizing on volleyball’s surging popularity by stocking rosters with Olympians and NCAA champions.
Atlanta, Houston lead LOVB postseason favorites
This weekend's four-day postseason follows a classic tournament format, with single-elimination quarterfinals and semifinals preceding a winner-take-all championship match.
Play-in teams Austin, Salt Lake, Omaha, and Madison will battle on Thursday night for spots in Friday's semifinals, where No. 1-seed Atlanta and No. 2-seed Houston await.
As the clear frontrunner, Atlanta is captained by 2025 LOVB MVP and Olympic gold medalist Kelsey Cook. The team also features Outside Hitter of the Year McKenzie Adams on the court and Coach of the Year Paulo Coco on the sideline.
Cook’s USA teammate Jordan Thompson, who finished the LOVB regular season as the league’s overall points leader, leads fellow tournament favorite Houston.
How to watch the 2025 LOVB Finals
LOVB's first-ever postseason begins with Thursday's quarterfinals, with Austin taking on Salt Lake at 4:30 PM ET before Omaha faces Madison at 7 PM ET.
Friday's semifinals begins at 6:30 PM ET, with Sunday's championship match starting at 4 PM ET.
All coverage for the 2025 LOVB postseason will air live across ESPN platforms.
League One Volleyball Pro (LOVB) kicks off its inaugural season on Wednesday, as the largest brand in youth volleyball enters its professional era.
LOVB's debut season will feature six teams playing a collective total of 60 games over 14 weeks of play, with all squads taking aim at mid-April's league Finals.
Also on the inaugural schedule is a winner-take-all in-season tournament called the LOVB Classic, which will begin on Friday, February 14th, running through the Valentine's Day weekend.
Capitalizing on markets known for their rabid NCAA volleyball fanbases, LOVB has rooted its six teams in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison, Omaha, and Salt Lake City. Austin's roster, for example, includes eight former NCAA champions from the University of Texas, allowing Longhorns fans to easily follow recent college stars like Logan Eggleston and Madisen Skinner into their professional careers.
Similarly, Omaha's lineup will allow the Cornhusker faithful to see University of Nebraska legends Justine Wong-Orantes and Jordan Larson — the most decorated US indoor volleyball Olympian in history — back in action.
The LOVB youth league pipeline goes pro
With 54 junior clubs currently entrenched across the US, League One Volleyball already has an established pipeline for many NCAA stars interested in turning pro, including several members from Team USA's 2024 Olympic silver medal-winning squad.
That infrastructure aided LOVB in raising over $160 million in funding before its first serve, with sports icons like retired WNBA star Candace Parker and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn backing the league.
In another testament to the league's anticipated success, LOVB's inked a broadcast deal with ESPN in May 2024. The contract guarantees that 10 of this season's matches will air across the sports giant's networks this season, with 18 contests set to stream on ESPN+.
"As viewership numbers for the Olympic Games and marquee collegiate games have proven once again, there is a massive audience appetite for women's volleyball around the globe, and we can’t wait to bring an elite level of professional volleyball," said LOVB president Rosie Spaulding.
How to watch the first-ever LOVB pro volleyball match
LOVB is kicking off its professional league with an historic clash, as Atlanta's three-time Olympic medalist Kelsey Robinson Cook will face fellow Team USA stars Haleigh Washington and Jordyn Poulter of Salt Lake City for the first time on US soil on Wednesday.
Atlanta will host Salt Lake in the league's debut match, which will stream live at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN+.