LOVB AUSTIN Season 2: Is it only up from here? Into the culture of Austin’s first professional women's volleyball team
Image from LOVB
March 26th (Austin,TX)- LOVB Austin guarantees a show for the Austin, season-round. The team’s latest four-set winning match against LOVB Madison, 25-2, 25-19, 15-25, 25-20, was no exception to the rule. While the team delivers persistent aggression and heart, despite game outcomes, the LOVB Austin fans also show up just as loyally. Together, LOVB Austin and fans create an unforgettable culture and atmosphere worthy of rallying behind.
“Our fanbase has grown a lot,” said middle blocker Asija O’Neal to La Fille de Fleur. "A lot more people are aware of our team and actively come to it.”
The culture could be a trickle down effect from the community-oriented landscape of LOVB. The LOVB organization is home to professionals as well as youth clubs, which along with city fans, are defining the story of what the team represents. The culture is growing, and it’s loud.
The H-E-B Center, decked out in the deep violet team colors, was reminiscent of a deserving women’s team home. As season two of LOVB nears its end, the Austin fans have built a strong dedication to their team, cheering relentlessly with signs in hands and donning purple shirts and glasses. Olympian Gabby Thomas also showed support with a ceremonial first-serve to start the match.
LOVB Austin’s culture wasn’t built overnight. The team hosts a stacked roster of former championship winning Longhorns, Madisen Skinner, Asjia O'Neal, Logan Eggleston and more; the college years proving to have been a perfect storm in the making.
“In the offseason, I’ve had so many people that couldn’t wait for the season to start," said O’Neal. “So, the fact that we have that buzz, people are interested in it and really just energized about just having this team is just really really special.”
While introducing new ways fans can show their support, through A-T-X chants and merch, the LOVB Austin team unleashed a round of ace point celebrations. Libero Zoe Jarvis and opposite hitter, Julian Faucette led endline celebrations to entertain the crowd, amping up the arena energy.
Currently, the Austin team is ranked fifth in the league and is fighting for a fourth playoff spot to seal a chance at another championship trophy. The story looks similar to LOVB Austin’s inaugural season where they beat out LOVB Salt Lake city for a fourth playoff spot, ultimately leading to a historic championship win. They’re underdogs, through and through.
“It doesn’t matter how you start; it’s how you finish,” Madisen Skinner told reporters, last year after the LOVB 2025 championship.
Fans are eager to see the team make a comeback once more. While a LOVB Austin season start or finish doesn’t affect championship trophies, the team’s fanbase also shows they will return every time.
“I think we will continue to grow [LOVB Austin], especially going into year three,” O’Neal told La Fille de Fleu
