Giannis Athanasopoulos Takes the Helm at LOVB Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. (Thursday, June 18, 2026) – League One Volleyball (LOVB) has announced that Giannis Athanasopoulos will join LOVB Nebraska Volleyball as head coach for the 2026-27 season. 

"We couldn't be more excited to welcome Giannis to Nebraska," said LOVB Nebraska President of Business Operations Kirsten Bernthal Booth. "He's earned respect around the volleyball world for what he's built in Germany, Hungary, and with the Czechia women's national team. The standards he's known for – humility, hard work, and a relentless pursuit of excellence – are exactly who we are and what we strive to build on. Nebraska is the most passionate volleyball state in the country, and our fans and athletes will be getting a coach to match this high standard. We can't wait to welcome him to the State of Volleyball."

Well-versed in both the club and international game, Athanasopoulos, 47, has been the head coach of the Czechia National Team since 2019. He’s led the Czechs to two FIVB Challenger Cup medals, three European Golden League medals and two Volleyball Nations League berths, including this year’s contest. The squad even entered week two of the 2026 VNL in fourth place with a 3-1 record. 

Athanasopoulos will remain as Czechia’s head coach during LOVB Nebraska’s offseason.

In club play, Athanasopoulos’ teams have seen even more success. Most recently, he led Vasas Óbuda (Hungary) from 2021 to 2026. Under his tutelage, Vasas Óbuda won five consecutive Extraliga titles and four Hungarian Cups. The club also took third in the 2024-25 CEV Cup. 

Prior to his time in Hungary, Athanasopoulos coached Allianz MTV Stuttgart of Germany from 2017 to 2021, winning the Bundesliga in 2018-19 and adding two second-place finishes. He also served as assistant coach at Stuttgart, VK Agel Prostějov (Czechia) and Olympiakós (Greece). 

An Athens, Greece, native, Athanasopoulos played professionally at two Greek clubs: GS Kerateas (1999-2003) and Paniónios GS (2008-11).

More information regarding the 2026-27 LOVB Nebraska season will be announced later this year. Follow LOVB Nebraska on social media and check lovbneb.com for the latest news and information.