AUSTIN, Texas - January 7, 2026 - In a rematch of the 2025 LOVB Finals Championship, the defending champions claimed victory in a high-powered offensive bout as LOVB Austin defeated LOVB Nebraska, 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 15-9) Wednesday night at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Nebraska was led by opposite hitter Kimberly Drewniok and middle blocker Emily Thater. Kimberly paced everyone on the court with 26 points and 25 kills, both of which are LOVB career highs for the German. Emily also set LOVB career highs in points and kills with 21 and 16 respectively. She also led the entire match with five blocks.
“To watch them fight like crazy and not get the outcomes they want, it’s disappointing,” said Nebraska head coach, Suzie Fritz. “To open up with those guys [Austin] is tough… They're an incredibly talented group of people and volleyball players and they’re going to be hard to beat, but so are we for that matter.”
Setter Laura Dijkema was the catalyst to Nebraska’s offense, recording 56 assists on the night, good enough for tied fourth-most in a LOVB match and just six off of her league-leading 62 assists in a single match set back in season one. Lexi Rodriguez, who made her first-ever professional club start at libero, provided 12 digs and eight assists on the night. Outside hitter Jaali Winters rounded out a positive night with a 13-dig, 12-kill double-double.
With both teams hitting over .300 on the night, Austin found more timely attacks to help propel them to the finish line. Outside hitter Logan Eggleston led the home team with 22 points and 18 kills, backed up by a 20-point, 17-kill performance from opposite hitter Madi Skinner and 17-point, 16-kill performance from outside hitter and former LOVB Nebraska member Madi Banks.
“[Tonight was] a lot of fun,” said Austin head coach Erik Sullivan. “It’s a great way to open the season, not just for us, but for League One. I thought the environment was great, and the fact that it was on linear TV is great for the league.”
LOVB Nebraska returns to the court for the team’s home opener on Sunday, January 11, against LOVB Houston. The match will be played at Baxter Arena with a 3:00 PM start time. Tickets for the match are now available for purchase, or fans can tune in by watching on ESPN+.
