Pro Volleyball Spotlight: Snyder Fuels Grand Rapids Surge
Skinner secures title for LOVB Austin
The League One Volleyball season concluded with a champion crowned, while Major League Volleyball continues to push toward the postseason with teams still battling for position. Week 15 reflected both stages of those season timelines, from title-defining performances to late-season runs that are reshaping the standings.
Here’s a look at the performances that defined the fifteenth week of play.
Carli Snyder Boosts Grand Rapids as MLV Playoffs Approach
Carli Snyder put together one of her most complete weekends of the season as Grand Rapids continued their late push.
She totaled 32 kills on a .270 hitting percentage across two matches, adding 22 digs and an ace while helping the Rise stack two four-set wins over the Indy Ignite and Columbus Fury. Both performances resulted in double-doubles, starting with 17 kills on .359 hitting and 11 digs versus Indy, followed by 15 kills and 11 digs in Columbus, where she led the team offensively.
Snyder has now reached double-digit kills in 15 matches this season, including each of her last four, and has recorded 11 double-doubles overall. She earned MLV Player of the Week, which is the second of her career after previously earning a nod in 2025. She becomes the third Grand Rapids player to be recognized this season, alongside Morgan Hentz and Paige Briggs-Romine.
The run has matched a franchise-best four-match win streak and pushed the Rise into fifth place in the standings after beginning the year 3-9. With three matches remaining, Snyder is helping Grand Rapids remain firmly in the postseason conversation.
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Madisen Skinner Earns Back-to-Back LOVB Finals MVP Honors
Madisen Skinner delivered when it mattered most, earning LOVB Finals MVP honors for the second consecutive season following Austin’s second straight league title.
In Match 2 of the championship series, she totaled 21 points while hitting .342 and added nine digs in the five-set win. She followed that with two timely kills in the deciding golden set to help secure the title for Austin.
She finished with a championship series total of 39 kills, bolstered by a statline that included 17 kills, one ace, three blocks, 11 digs, and three assists in Match 1. In the second match of the final series she added one block, one assist, and nine digs.
For the season, Skinner finished second in the league in total points (332) and kills (297), trailing only Jordan Thompson in both categories.
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Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
