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From the World with LOVB: Summer Successes Fuel 2026-27 LOVB Preseason

LOVB Staff • Thursday, November 12, 2026

As League One Volleyball’s professional athletes gather to prepare for the 2026-27 season, several enter the year with plenty of winning momentum. Thirty-five athletes and three coaches earned medals during this past summer’s international season.

“The national team season is an incredibly intense three months filled with travel, training and competition,” said Canadian libero Kacey Jost, who joins LOVB Madison for the 2026-27 season. “When you’re playing against some of the best teams and players in the world, the margin for error becomes so much smaller. You have to compete and train at the highest level, often under significant stress and fatigue, and find ways to win.”

Jost and her Canadian teammates found plenty of ways to win, reaching the final phase of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) for the first time and then winning the country’s first-ever NORCECA Championship. Jost was named Championship MVP after making 43 digs throughout the tournament.

Days later, Canada qualified for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the country’s first Olympic appearance since 1996.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget the feeling of hugging Alexa [Gray] after she put away the final ball in our Olympic qualifying match,” Jost remembered. “Celebrating with the team and seeing everyone’s emotions, knowing just how much each person gives to our team, was incredibly special. There is so much sacrifice and hard work that goes into moments like that.”

The St. Albert, Alberta, native isn’t the only LOVB athlete who donned a maple leaf this summer. The aforementioned Alexa Gray plays for LOVB Salt Lake, as does Jazmine White and Nyadholi Thokbuom, while Brie Fransen is on the LOVB Austin roster.

Several other LOVB athletes and coaches locked up berths for LA 2028. Chompoo Guedpard (San Francisco Signal), Pimpichaya Kokram (LOVB Atlanta), Sasipaporn Janthawisut (LOVB Salt Lake) and Piyanut Pannoy (LOVB Atlanta) each helped Thailand clinch their nation’s first-ever Olympic berth, and Helena Wenk (LOVB Miami) led Brazil to qualification under the guidance of coaches Ze Roberto (Los Angeles Orbit) and Paulo Coco (LOVB Miami).

"I am truly grateful to have been one of the people who helped bring success to the Thai people," Guedpard said about captaining the team to an Olympic berth. "The Olympics represent everything to me. It served as a gateway, a door that opened, allowing me to push myself to the absolute limit. Every small detail along the way has been a testament to the effort, discipline, and dedication I poured into this experience."

With two-thirds of the league having played on their country’s senior national team, those who competed over the summer will be tested just as hard during the upcoming LOVB season. The experience of grinding out wins for Canada will only be a boon during league play, according to Jost.

“Playing with and against such high-level players is challenging in the best way,” she said. “It forces you to push yourself, and I love that environment. I hope to carry that into the LOVB season, continue improving as a player, and contribute to a successful season for Madison.”

Like Jost, Guedpard is also eager to compete with and against “such highly experienced athletes.” She also sees an opportunity to serve as an ambassador of sorts for Thailand and Thai volleyball.

“I also want to share my passion, experience, and skills — along with the distinct style of Thai volleyball — with my teammates and all the fans who will be following along.”

Bigger than ever with 10 teams and 110 regular season matches, the 2026-27 League One Volleyball season begins December 16, 2026, when two-time defending champions LOVB Austin host LOVB Nebraska at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The match precedes a weekend-long volleyball festival coinciding with the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship held in the nearby Alamodome.

“Beyond the quality of players the league is attracting and the competitive environment,” Jost said, “it’s really exciting to see the sport growing the way it is in North America. I’m still a little ways from home, but it’s incredible to see the impact of a league like LOVB.”