LOVB continues momentum with signings US National & French National Team players

On the heels of announcing Kimberly Drewniok, Dani Barton Drews, Logan Eggleston, Zoe Fleck and Madi Kubik, LOVB today revealed it is bolstering its Pro roster once again with the signings of three more world renowned athletes - US National team outside hitters Sarah Wilhite Parsons and Roni Jones-Perry, and French national team middle blocker Christina Bauer. As the league gears up for its pre-season following the 2024 Paris Olympics, each of these athletes bring another level of play to LOVB Pro, with team assignments to be announced later this year.

“Today’s player announcement further cements LOVB Pro’s unique ability to attract national team players,” said Tom Hogan, director of sport for LOVB Pro.“Sarah, Roni and Christina bring a collective firepower to our league, and set the bar for the level of play fans can and will expect on game day.”

Currently, all three athletes are playing overseas.

A member of the US Women’s National team, Jones-Perry has competed in two Pan Am Cups, being named Best Spiker in 2021.She currently plays professionally in Brazil for Sesc-RJ/Flamengo, and previously for Italian Series A1 team Volley Millenium Brescia, and Polish teams Radomka Radom, Budowlani Łódź and ŁKS Commercecon Łódź. While at Brigham Young University, Jones Perry was named All-American, West Coast Conference Player of the Year, and Utah’s 2019 Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year by the Utah Sports Commission.

“I am beyond excited to be coming back home to play!” said Jones-Perry. “It feels like a dream to be able to continue this pursuit on the court while being closer to family and my life at home. I have a lot of belief in this league and feel lucky to have the opportunity to be a part of it!”

Wilhite Parsons, the 2011 and 2012 Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year, is an outside hitter on Kuzeyboru in Aksary, Turkey. For both the 21/22  and 22/23 season, she played for Japan’s professional club NEC Red Rockets. Prior to being named as part of the US National Team in 2017, Wilhite Parsons played collegiate volleyball for the University of Minnesota, where she was the first Minnesota player to be named AVCA and ESPNW’s National Player of the Year.  In 2017, she was named Minnesota's Female Athlete of the Year and Breakthrough Athlete of the Year in 2017. In addition to Japan, she has also played professionally in Germany, Italy and Brazil.

A member of the French National Team, Bauer has played for a number of European clubs. In 2022/23, she was named best middle-blocker by French Ligue A, a title she also earned in the 2018/19 season. Prior to joining the French league, Bauer represented the France national team at the 2007 Women’s European Volleyball Championship, and helped her club, Fenerbahçe Grundig Istanbul win the 2014-15 Championship title in the Turkish Women’s Volleyball league, as well as the Turkish Cup.

“Coming home!!! I am so excited for the opportunity to play for LOVB and to play in the States in front of family and friends, said Sarah Wilhite Parsons. “Volleyball is taking off in the United States, and I can’t wait to be a part of the continued growth.”

LOVB Pro will kick off following the 2024 Paris Olympics in six volleyball-obsessed markets of Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison, Omaha, and Salt Lake to start. Pre-season will start in November 2024, with first serve in January 2025 and the LOVB Pro Championships in April 2025.