Sports

San Antonio will become a gathering place for volleyball fans from across Texas this December, with professional and collegiate competition sharing the spotlight during one of the biggest weeks of the year for the sport.

League One Volleyball will open its 2026-27 professional season at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday, Dec. 16, when two-time defending champion LOVB Austin faces LOVB Nebraska in the league’s First Serve match. The event comes one day before the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship semifinals begin at the Alamodome, followed by the national championship match on Dec. 20.

For families involved in youth volleyball, longtime college volleyball followers and fans who have watched the professional women’s game grow in recent years, the timing creates an unusual opportunity. Within a span of several days, San Antonio will host elite players at two different stages of their careers, from college athletes competing for a national title to Olympians and former NCAA stars now playing professionally.

LOVB Austin Brings a Championship Pedigree to San Antonio

LOVB Austin is still a relatively young professional franchise, but its short history has already been eventful.

Austin was announced in December 2023 as the sixth and final market selected for League One Volleyball’s inaugural professional season. LOVB itself was founded in 2020 with a model designed to connect youth volleyball, clubs and the professional game. The pro league officially began competition in January 2025.

Austin quickly built a roster with strong Texas ties. Nine of the 15 players on its inaugural roster had played at the University of Texas, including familiar names such as Logan Eggleston, Madisen Skinner and Asjia O’Neal.

That first season ended with a championship.

Austin won the inaugural LOVB Finals in 2025, with Skinner named Finals MVP after scoring 73 points over three postseason matches. She recorded 63 kills, six blocks and four aces during the title run.

The team followed that performance with another championship in 2026, although its path through the season was hardly simple. Austin finished the regular season 10-10 and tied for third, winning its final three matches to secure a playoff spot before defeating Atlanta in a semifinal golden set and Salt Lake in another golden set for the championship.

Austin also finished the 2026 season with league-leading totals in several statistical categories, including 1,379 points and 1,106 kills, while recording 194 blocks.

Now, the club heads into San Antonio trying to become the first team to win three consecutive LOVB championships.

Madisen Skinner Returns to Lead Austin’s Title Chase

Much of the attention will again be on Madisen Skinner, whose volleyball career already has deep ties to Texas.

Skinner won NCAA championships with Kentucky in 2020 and Texas in 2022 and 2023 before joining LOVB Austin. She became the league’s inaugural Finals MVP as a rookie in 2025 and enters the new season as a two-time LOVB Finals MVP.

A third straight LOVB championship would also continue an unusual run of team success for Skinner, who will be chasing her sixth championship in seven years across her collegiate and professional career, according to LOVB.

For Central and South Texas fans who followed Skinner and other former Longhorns during their college careers, the San Antonio opener offers another chance to see some of those familiar players compete without traveling far from home.

Austin and Nebraska Renew a Growing LOVB Rivalry

The Dec. 16 matchup also carries some recent history.

Austin eliminated Nebraska from playoff contention during the final week of the 2026 regular season, winning a five-set match that helped Austin secure its own postseason berth. Earlier in the season, Austin also defeated Nebraska in four sets on the road.

Nebraska will bring several recognizable names of its own to San Antonio.

Former University of Nebraska players Rebekah Allick and Lexi Rodriguez are part of a roster that gives Cornhusker fans a chance to follow former college standouts into the professional ranks.

The match will also mark the professional return of Jordan Larson, who is coming out of retirement to join LOVB Nebraska. Larson is a four-time Olympic medalist and former Nebraska standout whose career has spanned some of the highest levels of international volleyball.

That mix of former Texas and Nebraska college stars gives the match an added connection to two fan bases with long histories in NCAA volleyball.

San Antonio Gets a Full Week of Elite Volleyball

The location and timing are a significant part of what makes First Serve different this season.

LOVB Austin and LOVB Nebraska will play at Frost Bank Center on Dec. 16. The following day, NCAA championship competition begins at the Alamodome, where the Division I national semifinals are scheduled for Dec. 17 and the national championship for Dec. 20. 

That places the professional opener alongside a national college championship that is expected to draw volleyball fans, coaches, athletes and families to San Antonio from around the country.

“San Antonio will be at the center of the volleyball world in December, and we’re excited to bring LOVB Pro to the city to open our new season,” LOVB Pro Commissioner Sandra Idehen said. “First Serve brings together everything that makes this moment in volleyball so exciting – the stars fans grew up watching, the players they have followed through college and the next generation preparing to take the stage. With the NCAA champions crowned just days after LOVB’s First Serve, we have an incredible opportunity to celebrate the full spectrum of the sport to give fans an unforgettable week of volleyball.”

For young players in particular, that full spectrum will be unusually visible. Athletes who may be watching the NCAA semifinals with hopes of someday playing college volleyball can also watch former collegiate stars who have continued into professional careers.

That connection fits into LOVB’s broader structure. Founded in 2020, League One Volleyball operates as a club-to-pro volleyball organization and has built a national youth club network alongside its professional league. The 2026-27 season will be the third for LOVB Pro and includes teams in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, Madison, Miami, Minnesota, Nebraska, Salt Lake City and San Francisco.

What Volleyball Fans Need to Know

LOVB Austin will face LOVB Nebraska on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2026, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. The match will serve as First Serve for the 2026-27 LOVB Pro season.

Tickets are currently on sale through Ticketmaster.

For San Antonio and Texas volleyball fans, the matchup adds another major event to a week already centered on the sport. It also gives families and young athletes a rare opportunity to see the path from college volleyball to the professional level playing out in the same city over just a few days.

Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more San Antonio events, family activities, sports news and community updates as December approaches.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.

Local business spotlight

Grow your business
where trust already lives.

Let’s introduce your business to the neighbors nearby.

Spotlight My Business →

Have a local favorite? Recommend a business