LOVB Announces Massimo Barbolini and Tama Miyashiro as First Coaches to Join its Pro League

Famed coaches join LOVB Pro’s inaugural season staff as the League rolls out its teams’ brands, logos and first athletes.

League One Volleyball (LOVB, pronounced “love”), the #1 volleyball business in the United States, today introduced the first two coaches to join the staff of its professional league - internationally renowned coaches Massimo Barbolini and Tama Miyashiro. The signings of Barbolini and Miyashiro reflect LOVB’s commitment to developing a world-class league on American soil that matches the high level of play found currently overseas. Their team assignments will be announced later in 2024.  

“With their wealth of championship-caliber experience at the highest levels of international play, we could not be more excited to welcome Massimo and Tama as our first LOVB Pro coaches,” said Tom Hogan, director of sport for LOVB Pro. “Volleyball is the fastest growing sport in the United States, and we believe American fans will be blown away by the level of play that is possible when you bring elite players together with world-class coaches.”

Massimo Barbolini

Known for his ability to build high-performing teams, Massimo Barbolini brings a proven track record of success to LOVB Pro. One of the winningest coaches in international volleyball, his illustrious career includes two World Cup and two European Championship titles from his time leading the Italian National team, to four European Champions League and 20 individual club competition titles from his time leading top club teams, including Parmalat Matera, Sirio Perugia, Pomi Casalmaggiore, Savino del Bene Scandicci, Igor Novara, Gierre Roma and Eczacibasi Istanbul. 

Tama Miyashiro

With the experience as both a world-class player and a championship-winning coach, Tama Miyashiro’s unique background and expertise has made her a sought-after coach at both the international and national levels. She found success as an assistant coach for Allianz Stuttgart in German Bundesliga, where they won the first-ever Bundesliga title, and as assistant coach for the US Women’s National team, where they won three FIVB VNL titles and the Olympic Gold Medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Prior to coaching, Miyashiro made her mark as a player, starting at the University of Washington where she was a three-time All-American and twice named the Defensive Player of the Year. She was part of the 2012 US Women’s National Team who brought home an Olympic Silver Medal, and played professionally overseas in Austria, Poland, Azerbaijan and Germany.

LOVB’s first coach signings mark another exciting period for LOVB as it prepares for its inaugural season, with pre-season starting in November 2024, and first serve in January 2025, followed by the LOVB Pro Finals in April 2025. After raising $35 million in its Series B Funding this fall in a round led by Left Lane Capital and from an investor pool that was more than 50% women including Olympic skiing gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, Fenway Sports Group partner Linda Henry, comedian Amy Schumer and two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker and her daughter Lailaa, LOVB Pro has introduced three of its team names and logos, including LOVB Madison, LOVB Salt Lake and LOVB Omaha, with the final three including its sixth city to be revealed next week. In addition, LOVB Clubs now number 48 locations across 22 states, with more than 1,200 teams.
For more information on LOVB and the way the league is reimagining the future of women’s volleyball, please visit www.lovb.com.