McCage, Thater Shine as Austin and Omaha Advance in LOVB Finals
The inaugural League One Volleyball (LOVB) Finals kicked off last night, and the first round belonged to two dark horse teams who managed to pull off exhilarating upsets in Louisville—largely thanks to dominant performances from AU Pro Volleyball middle blockers Molly McCage and Emily Thater.
Fifth-seeded Austin opened the night with a reverse sweep win over Salt Lake, while sixth-seeded Omaha followed by stunning third-seeded Madison.
#5 Austin vs. #4 Salt Lake
The fight was on from the first whistle, but Austin beat Salt Lake to the punch early in the opening set, building a seven-point lead. Still, Salt Lake managed to close the gap down the stretch and narrowly claimed a 26-24 first-set win.
The second set produced the same result—another 26-24 win for Salt Lake—but the scales finally tipped in Austin’s favor in the third. The Texas team created a small early lead, and although Salt Lake again closed the gap late, Austin held on for a 27-25 win.
Austin captured the fourth set 25-23 in similar fashion before coming from behind in the final frame to seal its spot in the semifinals.
Defense was an undeniable highlight of the match, with Austin posting 22 total blocks—tying the LOVB record for blocks in a single match—just ahead of Salt Lake’s 21. Six of those blocks belonged to McCage.
In addition to her formidable net defense, McCage supported Madisen Skinner’s team-leading 21 kills with a season-high 13 kills of her own, along with four digs and an ace. Her six blocks left her just one shy of her season high in that category.
McCage’s well-rounded performance earned her Game MVP honors.
On the other side of the net, seven of the match’s 43 total blocks came from another AU Pro Volleyball middle blocker. Tori Dixon set a new season high in the category while adding five kills. AU Pro teammate Claire Hoffman added four rejections at the net along with 12 digs in the loss.
#6 Omaha vs. #3 Madison
Omaha came out strong in the second quarterfinal matchup with a 25-17 first-set win. Madison responded in the second with a 25-18 win, but the setback didn’t shake the Omaha squad.
In the third set, Omaha built an early five-point lead that only grew as the set progressed, allowing the group to win it 25-18. The pressure continued in the fourth, where Omaha closed out the match with a 25-21 win, bringing Madison’s season to an end.
Thater posted her fourth double-digit kill performance of the season with 10 kills, hitting .412 and adding five digs and a block.
AU Pro Volleyball’s inaugural champion Jordan Larson was named Player of the Game for her team-leading performance, which included 14 kills, nine digs, and three assists.
Semifinals Stage Set
The two underdog teams will be back in action for the second night in a row when they take on the league’s top two teams.
Austin will face top-seeded Atlanta in the first match of the semifinal doubleheader. Atlanta defeated Austin three times in the regular season, each in four sets. Omaha will then take on No. 2 Houston, a team the Nebraska squad went 1-2 against during the regular season.
First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center, with the second matchup to follow at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
