Professional volleyball is back in action this week, with both League One Volleyball (LOVB) and Major League Volleyball (MLV) kicking off their 2026 seasons as the sport's pro landscape continues to grow.
Featuring an Olympian-heavy player pool, LOVB is returning with its six inaugural teams as reigning champion Austin looks to run the title back this season before the second-year league adds three new clubs in 2027.
Meanwhile, following a blockbuster merger with the two-season-old Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), MLV will start serving with eight teams as 2025 PVF champs Orlando Valkyries embarks on their own title defense, all while the new conglomerate eyes more future expansion.
As NCAA volleyball continues to dominate the fall calendar, multiple pro leagues — each armed with top talent and broadcast deals — are forming in response to demand from both players and fans.
How to watch the 2026 season starts of LOVB and MLV
LOVB hits the 2026 court first with a rematch of the league's 2025 championship, with defending title-winners Austin facing runners-up Nebraska at 6 PM ET on Wednesday, airing on USA Network.
Then on Thursday, MLV enters the fray as the Atlanta Vibe hosts the Columbus Fury at 7 PM ET before the San Diego Mojo visits the Omaha Supernovas at 8 PM ET. Both MLV matches will stream live on YouTube.
LOVB volleyball is coming back to cable, as the pro volleyball league announced a Wednesday night primetime partnership with USA Network for its 2026 season.
From January through April, USA Network will air a "Match of the Week" nearly every Wednesday evening, starting with a 2025 championship rematch between runners-up LOVB Nebraska and title-winners LOVB Austin on January 7th, 2026.
USA Network will also broadcast a portion of LOVB's 2026 postseason, including one semifinal and both games in the league's new two-match championship series.
Gearing up for its second season, LOVB features a talented player pool amid an increasingly crowded pro volleyball market.
One in every five LOVB athletes are Olympians, with 90% of the league's international players and 75% of its US players boasting national team experience.
Even more, growing demand for the sport has expansion on the horizon for the six-team league, with LOVB preparing to launch its seventh franchise in Los Angeles — backed by Angel City and Chelsea FC investor Alexis Ohanian — in 2027.
How to watch the 2026 LOVB season on USA Network
The second season of LOVB opens when inaugural champions Austin take on runners-up Nebraska at 6 PM ET on January 7th, 2026.
Live coverage will air on USA Network.
Professional women's volleyball is officially landing in Los Angeles, with LOVB announcing Wednesday that the league plans to launch an LA expansion team funded by Angel City investor — and Serena Williams's husband — Alexis Ohanian.
Ohanian's Seven Seven Six venture capital firm is behind the new club, adding to a portfolio that also includes track and field competition Athlos and NWSL-focused docuseries The Offseason, as well as the men's Los Angeles Golf Club.
"We're excited to make LOVB the third jewel in Seven Seven Six's LA sports family," Ohanian said in the league's expansion announcement. "Volleyball is such a natural addition for Southern California, which has already proven how warmly it embraces new pro sports teams."
LOVB wrapped its inaugural six-team season in April 2025, with the league's second season set to kick off in January 2026 before LOVB LA becomes the pro venture's seventh squad in 2027.
"We're thrilled to partner with Alexis and the Seven Seven Six team, true women's sports champions," said LOVB Pro president Rosie Spaulding, further acknowledging the impact of Ohanian's sports portfolio and investment acumen. "Their commitment strengthens the entire volleyball ecosystem, and marks an exciting new chapter for LOVB and the sport as a whole."
"We can't wait to work with them to bring professional women's volleyball to Southern California as we continue to grow the sport across the US."
Volleyball made headlines this week, with Sportico reporting on Monday that a merger will see the two-season-old Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) join with the incoming Major League Volleyball (MLV) for a joint 2026 launch.
Though originally separate ventures, the eight-team PVF will now adopt MLV branding, setting up a unified league valued at over $325 million.
Investors include owners from the NBA and MLS, as well as three-time US Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings.
With an anticipated 10 teams set to hit courts for the inaugural 2026 season, MLV already expects to add franchises in Washington, DC, and Northern California in 2027, with further expansion to 16 total teams planned by 2028.
Likely spurred in part by the previously planned MLV defection of the PVF's marquee team, the Omaha Supernovas, the volleyball merger keeps both the 2024 champions and the 2025 title-winning Orlando Valkyries in the same league.
Other established PVF teams in Atlanta, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, and San Diego will reportedly join Omaha and Orlando in continuing play under the new MLV banner, as will 2026 PVF expansion side Dallas.
Besides keeping top talent in-house, the consolidation of the two leagues also partially addresses the increasingly crowded women's volleyball landscape — one in which four different leagues aimed to compete in the upcoming year.
As for the remaining pro leagues — Athletes Unlimited Volleyball and 2025 debutant League One Volleyball (LOVB) — they'll continue to stand alone.
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+.