Houston Bests Top-Ranked Atlanta to Claim First Ever LOVB Classic Title
Week 6 of League One Volleyball brought a change of pace ahead of the midseason mark as all six teams met in Kansas City, Missouri for the inaugural LOVB Classic.
Top-ranked Atlanta was the team to beat entering the in-season tournament after securing a sixth straight victory to cap Week 5. The group picked up even more momentum entering the finals after its semifinal victory over Austin made it seven consecutive wins.
But the fiery LOVB Houston squad was up for the challenge, earning its way to the finals with wins over Madison and Omaha.
In the championship match, Houston took the first set 25-23, before Atlanta balanced the scales with a 27-25 win in the second set. Houston’s Madi Kingdon Rishel, the reigning Defensive Player of the Week, was Atlanta’s primary serving target, recording a 62% passing efficiency on 37 attempts. The outside hitter also tallied 12 digs, and one block, and contributed 10 kills in her team’s balanced offensive effort.
Houston managed to play a cleaner match overall, with 9 fewer errors than Atlanta. The squad outscored Atlanta 25-20 and 29-27 in the final two sets to claim the first-ever LOVB Classic title.
Midseason Stat Leaders
With Week 7 of 14 underway, now is the perfect time to check in on the league’s stat leaders.
Austin’s Kingdon Rishel held the top spot in digs per set with 3.91 when she touched down in Kansas City. She also slots in at second for total digs this season with 90, but the top spot in that category is reserved for her fellow Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball athlete, Manami Kojima, who racked up 91 digs in the first half of the season.
Next Up in LOVB
Houston will begin a two-match week with another round of the Texas teams’ series. After traveling to Austin on Wednesday, Houston will face Omaha on Thursday, while Austin meets Salt Lake.
Atlanta will look to start a new winning streak at home versus Madison.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
