LOVB Nebraska Announces 2026-27 Schedule

22-match slate features home matches in Omaha, Grand Island and Lincoln, plus first meetings with four expansion teams

OMAHA, Neb. – LOVB Nebraska announced its 2026-27 schedule, featuring 22 regular-season matches and an 11-match home schedule spanning Omaha, Grand Island and Lincoln.

The team will play eight home matches at Baxter Arena, two at BigIron Events Center in Grand Island and one at Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. LOVB Nebraska will face all nine opponents in LOVB Pro's expanded 10-team league, including first meetings with LOVB Miami, LOVB Minnesota, Los Angeles Orbit and San Francisco Signal.

The expansion introduces conference play for the first time. LOVB Nebraska joins Atlanta, Madison, Miami and Minnesota in the Eastern Conference. Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, Salt Lake and San Francisco will form LOVB's Western Conference.

Each team will play its four conference opponents three times and its five nonconference opponents twice. The league's 110-match regular season spans 17 weeks from December through April.

LOVB Nebraska begins its first season under head coach Giannis Athanasopoulos against two-time defending champion LOVB Austin (Dec. 16) in LOVB's First Serve at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Athanasopoulos is joined by assistant coaches Karmen "Kiki" Kočar and Dennis Del Valle Villalobos. The match takes place one day before the NCAA Division I women's volleyball national semifinals begin at the Alamodome.

"There is so much to look forward to this season, beginning with the opportunity to open the season in San Antonio during one of volleyball's biggest weeks," said Kirsten Bernthal Booth, President of Business Operations for LOVB Nebraska.

A road match against LOVB Madison (Dec. 21) follows before LOVB Nebraska opens its home schedule against San Francisco (Dec. 23) at Baxter Arena. Former Husker and three-time Olympic medalist Kelsey Cook visits Omaha with the expansion team.

The first match of 2027 sends LOVB Nebraska to Los Angeles (Jan. 6) for its first meeting with the Orbit at Intuit Dome, home of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. A visit to Miami (Jan. 12) follows, matching the team against former LOVB Nebraska middle blocker and Argentine Olympian Candelaria Herrera.

Three consecutive home matches begin when Madison visits Baxter Arena (Jan. 17). Former LOVB Nebraska assistant coach Fernando Morales returns as Madison's head coach, while Rebekah Allick faces her former team. Madison's roster also includes former Husker and inaugural LOVB Nebraska middle blocker Callie Schwarzenbach and Olympic setter Lauren Carlini.

LOVB Nebraska hosts Atlanta at BigIron Events Center (Jan. 23) in a match presented by First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO). Outside hitter Julia Sangiacomo gets her first matchup against her former team as LOVB Nebraska returns to Grand Island after drawing a sold-out crowd of more than 5,000 for its March 7, 2026, sweep of Salt Lake.

The January home stretch concludes against Salt Lake (Jan. 27) at Baxter Arena. LOVB Nebraska then travels to Madison (Jan. 31) to complete their three-match regular-season series.

February opens with the team's first meeting against Minnesota (Feb. 6) at Maturi Pavilion. Julia Hanson, Lexi Hart, Emily Thater and assistant coach Remi Pourrat join the expansion team after spending last season with LOVB Nebraska.

A visit from Los Angeles (Feb. 9) brings Brazilian twin sisters Keyt Alves of LOVB Nebraska and Key Alves of the Orbit to opposite sides of the net at Baxter Arena. Los Angeles' inaugural roster also includes Olympic medalists Haleigh Washington, Annie Drews Schumacher, Kathryn Boden and Carli Lloyd.

"Nebraska will see Olympic champions, national team standouts and some of the most accomplished players in the world competing on the same court," Booth said. "We believe this will be LOVB's best season yet and will raise the standard for professional volleyball in this country."

After a second trip to Miami (Feb. 16), LOVB Nebraska closes February with consecutive home matches against Houston and Austin.

Reigning league MVP Jordan Thompson visits Baxter Arena with Houston (Feb. 26). Houston also returns Middle Blocker of the Year Amber Igiede and former Husker, inaugural LOVB Nebraska player and two-time Olympic medalist Justine Wong-Orantes.

Austin follows two days later (Feb. 28) with two-time championship MVP Madisen Skinner and outside hitters Madi Banks and Brooke Nuneviller. Banks played for both the Huskers and LOVB Nebraska, while Nuneviller joins Austin from the Omaha Supernovas.

March begins with a road match at Atlanta (March 5) before LOVB Nebraska hosts Minnesota at BigIron Events Center (March 13). Consecutive road matches at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (March 19) and Houston's Berry Center (March 21) follow.

Three of the team's final four regular-season matches will be played at home against Eastern Conference opponents.

LOVB Nebraska faces Miami at Bob Devaney Sports Center (March 27), with Union Bank & Trust Company (UBT) serving as title match sponsor. Former Huskers Jordan Larson, Lexi Rodriguez, Rebekah Allick and Lindsay Krause-Wildeman return to their collegiate home court as professional teammates.

"For Jordan, Lexi, Rebekah and Lindsay, playing at Devaney will be a chance to compete together in a place that means so much to them," Booth said. "We want people across Nebraska to have that connection to this team, whether they join us in Omaha, Grand Island or Lincoln."

Following the Lincoln match, Minnesota visits Baxter Arena (March 31) before LOVB Nebraska travels to Salt Lake (April 3). The regular season concludes against Atlanta at Baxter Arena (April 8), with postseason play to follow.

The league's national broadcast schedule includes 15 USA Network windows on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Central, with every league team featured at least once. Additional television and streaming partners will be announced later.

Presale tickets for the two Grand Island matches will be available Monday, Nov. 9, with tickets going on sale to the public Tuesday, Nov. 10. Presale for the Lincoln match begins Wednesday, Nov. 18, with public sales opening later that day. Single-match tickets for all home matches at Baxter Arena will also go on sale to the public on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. CT.

Become a LOVB Nebraska season ticket holder to guarantee tickets to all home matches, including Grand Island and Lincoln, and secure the best available seats. For tickets and information about the 2026-27 season, visit lovbneb.com.

About LOVB Nebraska

LOVB Nebraska is a professional women’s volleyball team based in Omaha and representing the entire State of Volleyball. The team, which began play in 2025, is an inaugural member of LOVB Pro – the professional league of League One Volleyball (LOVB, pronounced “love”) and the nation’s first professional volleyball league built from the club level up. Through LOVB’s connected youth, club and professional model, LOVB Nebraska brings world-class athletes and elite competition to one of the country’s deepest volleyball cultures while growing the game, inspiring the next generation and giving Nebraskans a professional team that reflects who they are. For team news, tickets and information about the 2026-27 season, visit lovbneb.com.

About League One Volleyball

League One Volleyball (LOVB, pronounced “love”) brings Olympic medalists, NCAA champions and All-Americans to professional courts across the United States through its 10-team women’s league, LOVB Pro. Launched in 2025, LOVB Pro features 23 Olympians, including 13 medalists with a combined 25 Olympic medals, alongside athletes whose collegiate careers produced 121 All-American honors and 29 NCAA championships. Built from the club level up, LOVB connects professional competition with a nationwide grassroots network of more than 27,500 athletes, 3,800 coaches, 2,800 teams and 111 locations. Through its connected youth, club and professional model, LOVB invests in player and coach development, strengthens local volleyball communities and expands opportunities to pursue the sport from the first club team to the professional stage. For more information, visit LOVB.com.