Unwavering resilience: That’s the best way to describe LOVB Austin’s resolve en route to winning the first-ever League One Volleyball (aka LOVB Pro) championship last spring. Seeded fifth out of six teams, Austin scored back-to-back reverse sweeps before pulling off a sweep of its own in the finals. Madisen Skinner, a three-time NCAA national champion (twice with Texas), delivered a sensational postseason performance that earned her the league’s first-ever Finals MVP award. LOVB Austin, led by new head coach Erik Sullivan, kicks off the league’s second season on January 7 with a championship rematch against LOVB Nebraska. It’ll also mark the league’s debut broadcast on USA Network.
Most of the team’s roster returns, with new additions such as middle blockers Bella Bergmark and Magdalena Jurczyk hoping to maintain Austin’s league-leading blocking numbers. Bergmark is one of Skinner’s four 2022 national championship-winning teammates on the squad. 2012 champions Khat Bell and Molly McCage bring the number of national championship-winning UT alums on the LOVB Austin roster to seven. That type of depth has Skinner amped for the upcoming campaign. “Last year we had some good depth, but this season I feel like we have even more depth than we did last year,” the Katy native says. “We have three to four girls in each position that are equally as deserving as having that starting spot and are just pushing one another, trying to make each other better. The competition and the level in the gym is what I’m most excited about.”
Skinner soars – her vertical jump was last regularly measured at 40 inches during her freshman year in college – to spike a ball with thrilling command. Yet it’s equally enjoyable to see the young star speak so candidly about her journey in recent years. She hopes sharing some of the relatable challenges she’s had to work through makes girls feel like their dreams are attainable, too. “I don’t ever want to be this person [who] appears that they have all their stuff together and they’re living this perfect life: traveling, speaking, and doing all these trips,” she says. “I want [girls] to see that, yes, because it’s something to work toward, but also I want them to know that there’s space to kind of not be okay, to have help, and have people that are there to support you and work through [struggles]. It’s a balance and it’s hard to navigate at times, but I want people to feel like they can see both in me.”
Last season saw Skinner move to opposite hitter from outside hitter; fellow 2022 NCAA national champion Logan Eggleston operates as Austin’s primary outside hitter. Skinner finished her debut pro season with 227 points, which was the league’s fourth highest total. Having experienced both outcomes of an attempted championship defense, she says the main goal for 2026 is to just focus on improving daily. From there, a chance to repeat will hopefully present itself come the postseason. “We definitely have a target on our back, but I don’t think we’re trying more to defend,” she says. “We’re just trying to achieve more, especially throughout the regular season, than we did last year.”
After splitting time last year between Cedar Park and San Marcos, each of this season’s home games, save for a special January 24 trip to San Antonio, will emanate from the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. All home games will have a theme night, with the season opener serving as a championship celebration. The first 1000 fans in attendance for Wednesday’s first serve will receive a T-shirt commemorating the team’s 2025 title.
LOVB Austin vs. LOVB Nebraska:
First Serve/Championship Celebration
Wednesday 7, H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
lovb.com/2026/schedule
This article appears in January 2 • 2026.
