LOS ANGELES, Calif. – April 6, 2026 – After record-setting individual performances to power their teams into the postseason, opposite hitter Madisen Skinner and libero Manami Kojima have been named League One Volleyball’s Players of the Week.
Offensive Player of the Week: Madisen Skinner, Opposite Hitter, LOVB Austin
Once again, Madisen Skinner elevated her game when it mattered most, averaging 6.13 points per set while leading LOVB Austin to two wins and a LOVB Playoffs berth. The second-year opposite scored 49 points, including 43 kills on a .341 attack efficiency. A majority of those points came during the regular season finale, a win-and-in five-set showdown at LOVB Nebraska. Skinner broke the league record with 34 points in the victory, including 28 kills, four blocks and two aces.
A native of Katy, Texas, Skinner concluded her sophomore season ranking second in the league with 332 points and 297 kills. She scored at least 20 points in nine matches.
This is Skinner’s first Offensive Player of the Week award, but she did earn LOVB Finals MVP honors while leading Austin to the inaugural League One Volleyball title last year.
Defensive Player of the Week; Manami Kojima, Libero, LOVB Salt Lake
Like she has been all year, Manami Kojima was a rock for LOVB Salt Lake last week. She tallied 31 digs, 4.43 per set, and passed at a 70.8% clip while leading Salt Lake to a postseason berth. In that clinching win against LOVB Madison, Kojima led all players with 23 digs, one shy of her season best.
The only Salt Lake athlete to play every set this season, Kojima finished the season with a league-record 256 digs. She also ranked second in good pass percentage (.631), pass efficiency (2.73) and digs per set (3.46).
This is the Miyagi, Japan, native’s second Defensive Player of the Week award of the year and fourth in her career. She’s also LOVB’s reigning Libero of the Year.
With the regular season now complete, Skinner, Kojima and their teams now turn their focus to this weekend’s LOVB Playoffs. Skinner’s third-seeded Austin squad begins play in the two-match semifinal round against No. 2 LOVB Atlanta on Friday, April 10, at 4 p.m. Eastern in Louisville, Kentucky. Kojima and No. 4 Salt Lake take on the regular season champions LOVB Houston at 6:30 p.m. the same day.
The winners of the two semifinal series will meet one week later at the LOVB Championship in Long Beach, California.
Previous Player of the Week Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Week
- March 30: Anne Buijs, Outside Hitter, LOVB Nebraska
- March 23: McKenzie Adams, Outside Hitter, LOVB Atlanta
- March 16: Claire Hoffman, Outside Hitter, LOVB Salt Lake
- March 9: Jordan Thompson, Opposite Hitter, LOVB Houston
- March 2: Anne Buijs, Outside Hitter, LOVB Nebraska
- February 25: Jordan Thompson, Opposite Hitter, LOVB Houston
- February 16: Onye Ofoegbu, Middle Blocker, LOVB Atlanta
- February 9: Serena Gray, Middle Blocker, LOVB Salt Lake
- February 2: Jordan Thompson, Opposite Hitter, LOVB Houston
- January 26: Jordyn Poulter, Setter, LOVB Salt Lake
- January 19: Callie Schwarzenbach, Middle Blocker, LOVB Madison
- January 12: Serena Gray, Middle Blocker, LOVB Salt Lake
Defensive Player of the Week
- March 30: Kotoe Inoue, Libero, LOVB Austin
- March 23: Magdalena Jehlárová, Middle Blocker, LOVB Atlanta
- March 16: Gong Xiangyu, Opposite Hitter, LOVB Madison
- March 9: Lauren Carlini, Setter, LOVB Madison
- March 2: Piyanut Pannoy, Libero, LOVB Atlanta
- February 25: Lauren Carlini, Setter, LOVB Madison
- February 16: Lauren Briseño, Libero, LOVB Houston
- February 9: Manami Kojima, LIbero, LOVB Salt Lake
- February 2: Ana Carolina da Silva, Middle Blocker, LOVB Nebraska
- January 26: Jordyn Poulter, Setter, LOVB Salt Lake
- January 19: Gong Xiangyu, Opposite Hitter, LOVB Madison
- January 12: Kotoe Inoue, Libero, LOVB Austin
