Houston Takes Center Stage with Back-to-Back Wins in LOVB Week 10
League One Volleyball Week 10 featured a Weekend with LOVB at Houston, where the home team took center stage in one of two five-set matches that highlighted the action. The first was a battle between the league’s top two teams—Houston and Atlanta.
Houston’s Madi Kingdon Rishel is no stranger to dominant defensive showings, and Week 10 was no different. The two-time Defensive Player of the Week led Houston in digs for the weekend, posting a team-high 17 digs against Atlanta, and helping set up a successful two-game stretch.
Houston took the first two sets of Friday’s match, but Atlanta responded with a commanding 25-15 win in the third set and a 25-19 victory in the fourth.
Still, Houston refused to accept a reverse sweep and controlled the decisive fifth frame, closing the match with a 15-8 win. Kingdon Rishel was also a key offensive contributor, supporting Jordan Thompson and Jess Mruzik’s 13 and 15-kill performances while adding 11 kills of her own.
Houston went on to face Austin on Saturday in the fourth installment of the Texas rivalry, which featured standout performances on both sides of the net.
Austin’s Molly McCage dominated at the net with a season-high seven blocks and seven kills. The middle blocker is currently fourth in the league in total blocks with 29.
For Houston, Kingdon Rishel’s defensive prowess was on display once again. She finished with 13 digs, eight kills, and one block in a 3-1 (27-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-22) match win for the home team.
Atlanta’s Marathon Weekend
Following its five-set loss to Houston, Atlanta endured another marathon match, this time against Salt Lake.
Top-ranked Atlanta cruised to a 25-17 win in the first set, and the teams then traded sets in a back-and-forth contest that made for impressive numbers on the stat sheet.
Setter Madi Bugg, coming off a season-high Week 9 performance, raised the bar once again. She tallied 49 assists on Saturday, while three of her hitters reached double figures in kills. Bugg also contributed defensively with 10 digs.
On the other side of the net, the AU Pro Volleyball athletes of LOVB Salt Lake delivered strong performances.
Dani Drews recorded 10 kills, seven digs, and one block, while libero Manami Kojima had her second-best defensive outing of the season with 23 digs.
Despite dropping the fourth set, Atlanta rallied in the fifth to secure a 3-2 (25-17, 23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-11) victory and finish the weekend with a 1-1 record.
Madison Flips the Script
The only Week 10 match played outside of Houston featured the league’s two lowest-ranked teams, Omaha and Madison. But with razor-thin margins in the standings, the contest had the potential to shake up the leaderboard.
Madison stormed out to a 2-0 lead on its home court. After a narrow 28-26 third-set loss, the team bounced back with a 25-16 fourth-set win to secure the match victory and jump from last place to third in the standings.
LOVB League Standings After Week 10
- Atlanta (10-3)
- Houston (8-5)
- Madison (5-7)
- Salt Lake (5-7)
- Austin (4-7)
- Omaha (4-7)
Next Up in LOVB
Madison will start the week on the road against Salt Lake, with a chance to extend the league’s longest active winning streak.
Meanwhile, Omaha will host a four-team meeting over the weekend. The home team is set to face Austin and Houston on Friday and Sunday, while Austin will take on Atlanta on Saturday.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
