OMAHA (KMTV) — Omaha will be home to another professional volleyball team starting in 2024 when League One Volleyball brings one of its five teams to the Metro.
The following is a press release from League One Volleyball:
League One Volleyball (LOVB), the first professional full season volleyball League in the U.S., today announced that Omaha, Nebraska will become home to its fifth professional team. With a stronghold already in the area from nationally ranked clubs including Premier Nebraska, LOVB’s new pro team will give the hundreds of thousands of volleyball fans in the region an all new way to dig into the sport that they love as it launches its pro season directly after the Olympics in 2024.
“From record breaking collegiate crowds, to housing some of the winningest junior clubs in the nation, Nebraska lives and breathes women’s volleyball.” said Katlyn Gao, co-founder and CEO of LOVB. “This market embodies our community-up approach in action and we are thrilled to be introducing a whole new level of competition to passionate fans in the region.”
As LOVB’s new pro league team takes the stage in Omaha, it will have close ties to one of LOVB’s youth clubs, Premier Nebraska. The league’s pro athletes will train alongside the club’s players, giving club athletes the opportunity to learn from, witness, and build even stronger ties with pro players they admire. Currently the highest ranked club with an all female leadership group, Premier Nebraska continues to make its mark on the sport as one of only three clubs in 2023 to qualify a team in the highest division of each age group for USAV Girls Junior Nationals.
LOVB’s announcement will also further the league’s ties to some of the greatest athletes in the region. LOVB’s robust pro roster includes Justine Wong-Orantes and Kelsey Robinson, who both hail from the University of Nebraska. The league also has a relationship with NIL athletes like Lindsay Krause, Lexi Rodriguez and Harper Murray. Lindsay, a Premier alum, is currently an outside hitter for the famed Husker program. Lexi is the 2021 AVCA National Freshman of the Year and two time AVCA All American, and Harper is a freshman outside hitter, and the Gatorade National Player of the Year. These athletes will connect with the local LOVB clubs, through in person clinics, and appearances as well as virtual connections.
“At Premier, we pride ourselves in our people, our product, and our relationships, and now as the anchor club for LOVB’s pro league in Nebraska, we are incredibly humbled to be bringing an all new path to pro volleyball to the city of Omaha,” said Shannon Smolinski at Premier. “As volleyball continues to grow at all levels, and at a rapid pace, LOVB’s community-first model is creating all new opportunities for our sport, our city and our state and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this momentous moment in Nebraska’s history.”
Nebraska’s deep history of volleyball fandom is exemplified in its record-breaking collegiate attendance records. In 2021, the NCAA championship game of Nebraska versus Wisconsin set the record for the highest attendance of any match at 18,755 people. In 2023, Nebraska plans to break attendance records again with its highly anticipated, “Volleyball Day in Nebraska,” a local doubleheader featuring exciting collegiate matches of Nebraska versus University of Nebraska-Omaha and University of Nebraska-Kearney versus Wayne State College. In only 48 hours, the games sold out Memorial Stadium, with approximately 82,900 tickets sold. With additional field-level seating and indoor club seating still available, the goal is to break attendance records for a women’s sporting event in the US.
“The announcement of this new pro team further solidifies Omaha’s place in the volleyball world and this city’s support of helping female athletes thrive from the ground up,” said Deborah Ward, Visit Omaha Executive Director.
The announcement of Omaha caps off a busy period for the league, having recently announced pro team locations in Madison, Salt Lake, Atlanta and Houston. The league also recently signed some of the most recognized and lauded athletes to its roster including Lauren Carlini and Olympians Jordan Thompson, Micha Hancock, Carli Lloyd and Jordyn Poulter. A number of these players have been instrumental members of LOVB’s Athlete’s Council since 2020, helping to ensure that the benefits and opportunities the league offers its athletes both on and off the court will not only provide advancement, but will support players in their post-playing careers. In addition to working with players, LOVB has embarked on a partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance. Leveraging the organization’s expertise in coaching, the partnership will help LOVB continue to foster a positive sports culture that nurtures talent at every stage.
For more information on LOVB and the way the league is reimagining the future of women’s volleyball, please visit www.lovb.com [lovb.com]
About LOVB
Founded in 2020, LOVB’s mission is to reimagine the future of volleyball. With a unique community up approach, the female first, single entity league has attracted the attention of notable investors from female founded companies who understand the opportunity the league will bring as it reaches 38 million former and current players in the US and continues its trajectory of being the most played youth sport for girls. LOVB’s inaugural pro season will launch in pre-season following the Paris Olympics in 2024, and will last from November 24 through April 2025. It will feature six teams in six cities, including Atlanta, Houston, Madison and Salt Lake. For more information on LOVB, its athlete council and its professional league, please visit www.lovb.com [lovb.com]
