Volleyball

Everything you need to know about LOVB and MLV

It’s officially pro women’s volleyball season. Two leagues — League One Volleyball (LOVB) and Major League Volleyball (MLV) — will begin their second and third seasons, respectively, this week, so we’re serving up a deep dive on the surging sport.

January 07, 2026

LOVB announces San Francisco franchise with ownership group led by Rebel Girls CEO Jes Wolfe

🏐

oday, LOVB announced the launch of a new franchise in San Francisco set to hit the court in January 2027. Rebel Girls CEO Jes Wolfe — a prominent LOVB media partner — co-led the ownership group with growth strategist Chantell Preston as they assembled a team of all-women investors, including Olympian and LOVB founding athlete Kelsey Robinson Cook.

December 18, 2025

NCAA volleyball semifinals steal the spotlight on ESPN

🏐

The NCAA women’s volleyball national semifinals are set for tomorrow on ESPN in the U.S. and TSN+ in Canada, and they couldn’t come at a better time: Volleyball is having a moment from youth leagues to the pros, but the college game is doing especially well with, ahem, spiking viewership and attendance. Sunday’s quarter-final round was truly bananas, so you’ll want to buckle up ahead of tomorrow’s semis — here’s what to expect.

December 17, 2025

Business developments for LOVB clubs in Texas underscores opportunities in state

🏐

Yesterday, League One Volleyball (LOVB) shared a flurry of announcements about new ownership and sponsors getting more involved with its current team in Austin and its forthcoming franchise in Houston.

November 07, 2025

Everything you need to know about the 2025 AU Pro Volleyball Championship

🏐

Women’s volleyball is having a moment at the youth, collegiate, and pro levels. Perfectly poised to harness that momentum? The Athletes Unlimited (AU) Pro Volleyball Championship, which begins its fifth season tomorrow.

October 02, 2025

Pro Volleyball Federation announces historic merger with Major League Volleyball

🏐

According to reports, the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) is merging with Major League Volleyball (MLV), a separate professional women’s volleyball league that planned to launch in 2026. Through the merger, the combined leagues will rebrand as MLV, but will consider its forthcoming season as PVF’s third consecutive season.

August 06, 2025

Athletes Unlimited revamps volleyball offering with plans to play in sport’s biggest hubs

🏐

Yesterday, Athletes Unlimited (AU) Pro Volleyball revamped its volleyball championship with an exclusive, invite-only tournament featuring 44 of the world’s top players. For the first time ever, AU is splitting up its season across two cities known for their love of the game: Omaha, Nebraska and Madison, Wisconsin.

May 02, 2025

LOVB Austin defeats Omaha to clinch league’s inaugural championship

Sports News

LOVB Austin defeats Omaha to clinch league’s inaugural championship

🏐

April 14, 2025

Crown them: No. 5 seed Austin is your inaugural League One Volleyball (LOVB) champion after sweeping No. 6 Omaha in three sets during yesterday’s title match. But Austin’s dominant win only tells half the story — here’s how the underdogs rose to the top in a playoff weekend filled with twists.

Read Full Story

The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #520

Banned for accepting tuition money: Diving into the complicated NCAA sports landscape

January 06, 2026

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Banned for accepting tuition money: Diving into the complicated NCAA sports landscape

The college sports landscape is a wonky place.

And that’s an understatement. Between NIL rules, the transfer portal, and constantly changing eligibility requirements, it’s tough to keep up with what is and isn’t allowed.

That’s why we’re taking today’s episode of The GIST of It to directly compare two college athletes: Baylor men’s basketball center James Nnaji and Augsburg University runner Mohammed Bati. Nnaji was drafted to the NBA in 2023 but is now competing as a college athlete, while Bati has been banned from competing after accepting $6K in donations to pay his tuition. Make it make sense.