LOVB: Racing to Louisville: LOVB Playoffs Update

With three weeks left in the 2026 League One Volleyball regular season, the postseason picture is starting to take shape. Let’s examine where the six LOVB Pro squads sit at the beginning of Week 11:

LOVB Houston

At 11-5, Houston leads the league by 1.5 games. There are three ways for Houston to clinch their LOVB Playoffs spot this week: 1) A win, 2) an Austin loss, or 3) two Nebraska losses. Nebraska plays twice this week, including a match against Austin, and both of those contests come before Houston plays Madison on Saturday, March 21.

While Houston is currently in pole position for the regular season title, they may need to finish one game ahead of Salt Lake or Atlanta in order to clinch the crown. Salt Lake will hold the tiebreaker over Houston regardless of what happens in their final regular season matchup on March 25 due to two sweeps earlier this year. If Atlanta sweeps Houston on April 4, that tiebreaker would come down to total point win percentage.

“Of course we want to finish number one in the regular season, but the ultimate goal is to win a championship,” Houston head coach Sanja Tomašević said after a match last week. “Our goal [in the final weeks] is to keep improving, keep getting better, and keep talking about things [we’re not as good at].”

LOVB Salt Lake

Salt Lake (9-6) is currently in second place with 1.5 games separating them from both No. 1 and No. 3. Saturday’s five-set win over Nebraska helped solidify the team’s chances at a Playoff spot come mid-April. The most direct way Salt Lake can clinch their postseason berth is a trio of wins, three Austin losses, or a combination of the two.

Their lone week 11 match, a showdown at LOVB Atlanta on Saturday, March 21, will determine the tiebreak between the two teams, which can impact seeding. A win will give Salt Lake the tiebreak over Atlanta via set win percentage in matches between the two teams – Atlanta has beaten Salt Lake twice, but Salt Lake won three sets across those two losses. Salt Lake’s lone win came via a sweep. The Utah squad has already clinched the tiebreak against Houston. Salt Lake is firmly in control of its own destiny if they want to cross the regular season finish line in first place.

LOVB Atlanta

At 7-7 and third place in the league, Atlanta is on a solid path towards the postseason but must finish the job. They’re two losses ahead of Austin for fourth place and have six matches left to play. The matches in hand can be helpful, but they and Nebraska will be the only teams playing twice a week for the rest of the season thanks to a postponement in January.

Atlanta is also in position to control their most relevant tiebreakers. They’ve clinched the advantage over Austin. That season series is complete at 2-2, but Atlanta’s wins came in four sets and Austin’s in five. With two matches remaining against Nebraska, the tiebreaker for that head-to-head matchup is still up in the air, as are the ones between Atlanta/Salt Lake and Atlanta/Madison.

LOVB Austin and LOVB Nebraska

While Austin currently sits in fourth place due to win percentage, these teams are effectively tied at two games below .500. They both can clinch a berth, they both can fall short, but both have control over their postseason plans. They’ll meet twice in the coming weeks – Friday, March 20 and Saturday, April 4 – and it’s possible that the regular season finale could determine who goes to Louisville and who goes home.

Austin currently leads the season series 2-0, but with three set victories against the reigning champions, Nebraska can still claim the tiebreaker with two dominant wins.

Nebraska has two matches in hand but also must play twice in three consecutive weeks. Austin only will play twice during the final week. This one’s going to be close.

“We’re all a match or two away from each other,” said Austin head coach Erik Sullivan, ”and that’s what’s hard about this league. You get someone on the wrong night, it’s real hard … There’s no piece [of our game] that we have to change or redo, we just have to tighten some stuff up and compete.”

“We’ve been intentional about not being focused on the outcome and trying to be the best version of us that we can be,” Nebraska head coach Suzie Fritz said after last weekend’s match at Salt Lake. “Man, I think we’re playing great. I think we’re playing with a ton of confidence.”

LOVB Madison

Madison’s track to a LOVB Playoffs berth must include a lot of wins down the stretch plus a potential tiebreak. But, with the team having won two of the last three and showing plenty of grittiness and defense lately, they can do it. Rookie libero Gillian Grimes has settled into the pro game, and pin hitters Temi Thomas-Ailara, Gong Xiangyu and Andrea Mitrovic have been heating up over the second half of the season. Reigning LOVB Setter of the Year Lauren Carlini is there to orchestrate it all as Madison looks to embark on another incredible rally at the end of the season.

Madison also has the possibility to clinch a few tiebreakers. A match win against Austin on March 26 gives Madison the nod in a potential tie, and the season series against Atlanta is up for grabs, too. Nebraska, however, holds the advantage over Madison due to a higher set win percentage in their head-to-head contests.

Three weeks. Fifteen matches. Four spots at the LOVB Playoffs in Louisville. In a league where anything can happen, we’re primed for a thrilling run down the homestretch.