Professional Girls
December 11, 2023
The Professional Volleyball Federation (PVF) and League One Volleyball (LOVB) loved a newsworthy Monday, highlighted by a draft, the announcement of involvement by USA Volleyball within the home professional sport and the disclosure of a brand new franchise.
O’Neal taken first in PVF draft
Texas All-American center blocker Asjia O’Neal earned the excellence of being the nascent Professional Volleyball Federation’s first faculty draft choose, chosen on Monday by the Columbus Fury.
O’Neal, 24, has performed within the Longhorns program since 2018, redshirting her freshman yr and competing for Coach Jerritt Elliott’s workforce throughout the 2019, ‘20, 21, ‘22 and ‘23 seasons. Daughter of six-time NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal, Asjia joined the USA girls’s nationwide workforce’s fitness center in 2023 and carried out in Volleyball Nations League final summer time.
The Longhorns had been NCAA champions in 2022 and return to the nationwide semifinals in Tampa, Florida, with a chance to earn back-to-back titles. Thought of by many the highest faculty participant within the nation, the 6-foot-3 O’Neal is Texas’ all-time chief in blocks with 594 and has registered 909 kills with a profession hitting proportion of .403.
The inaugural PVF faculty draft, held in Atlanta, noticed 35 gamers chosen by the league’s seven groups over 5 rounds, together with 4 stars who will play within the upcoming NCAA closing 4: O’Neal, center hitter Chiamaka Nwokolo (by the Atlanta Vibe, first spherical, sixth general) and setter Emma Monks (by the Fury, fifth spherical, twenty ninth general) of Pittsburgh, and reverse Temi Thomas-Allara (by the San Diego Mojo, second spherical, eleventh general) of Wisconsin.
Being chosen by a PVF workforce under no circumstances impacts a collegian’s eligibility, since gamers aren’t required to declare for the draft. Gamers are also free to signal with abroad groups. All of the PVF draft does is bind a participant to the workforce that selects her, if she needs to play within the league. How lengthy a PVF franchise retains its rights to drafted gamers appears to be fuzzy, and Volleyball Journal has requested a clarification from the league.
The PVF common season will begin on January 24, 2024, with the Omaha Supernovas internet hosting the Vibe, and can proceed by means of mid-Could, with every workforce taking part in 24 matches. Coaching camps will kick off in early January. Franchises could have 14 roster gamers and two “observe participant” spots reserved for rookies out of faculty.
Picked after O’Neal within the first spherical had been center hitter Magda Jehlarova of Washington State by the Mojo, Oregon setter Hannah Pukis by the Vegas Thrill, reverse Morgahn Fingall of Tennessee by the Rise, outdoors hitter Paige Briggs of Western Kentucky by the Orlando Valkyries, Nwokolo, and Hawaii center Amber Igiede by the Supernovas, who additionally owned the primary choose within the second spherical beneath the draft’s “snake” format and selected 5-foot-7 outdoors Jill Gillen of Arkansas.
It didn’t take lengthy for the groups to swing trades, which made sense since a few of them that had been later coming into the fold haven’t signed a full complement of 14 veterans.
The rights to the 6-foot-3 Jehlarova, a Czech nationwide who was the 2019 nationwide freshman of the yr, had been shipped by the Mojo to the Vibe for roster professionals Ali Bastianelli (who lately completed fifth amongst middles on Athletes Limitless’s leaderboard) and Kendra Dahlke (an OH with professional expertise within the Philippines, Italy, Greece, Puerto Rico and France). The Vibe posted a graphic on the X social-media website (previously Twitter) that stated Jehlarova had been signed.
The Supernovas despatched the rights to Gillen and UCF setter Abby Hansen (taken twenty first general) to the Valkyries for Briggs’ rights and the No. 24 choice (center Sophie Davis of James Madison).
The Oregon Geese, ousted within the Spherical of 8 by Wisconsin, led all colleges with six draftees: Pukis, libero Georgia Murphy (Valkyries, tenth general), (12) OH Gabby Gonzales (Thrill, twelfth), reverse Morgan Lewis (Mojo, sixteenth), MB Kara McGhee (Vibe, twenty third) and MB Karson Bacon (Mojo, twenty seventh). No different program had greater than two. Eleven of the 35 girls chosen had been from the disbanding Pac-12 Convention, adopted by the the Massive 12 (7), Southeastern (6) and Massive Ten (4).
The draft’s full 5 rounds might be discovered on the finish of the story.
USA Volleyball companions with LOVB
USA Volleyball and League One Volleyball have entered right into a partnership that may throw the load of our nationwide governing physique behind the professional group that may launch in November of 2024.
A launch from USAV on Monday stated that the collaboration “will give attention to rising volleyball’s fan base and participation within the sport throughout the nation.”
“A lot of the prime U.S. gamers compete in leagues abroad for as much as seven months a yr, away from their households, pals and the American viewers,“ USA Volleyball President and CEO Jamie Davis stated within the launch.
“We look ahead to watching U.S. gamers compete with LOVB on their house turf and seeing the impression that this league could have on volleyball’s recognition. LOVB might be a platform the place American volleyball followers can see their idols play dwell and in-person.”
In a mirrored image of the game’s burgeoning recognition in any respect ranges, the discharge famous that USA Volleyball membership elevated by 9.6% to 408,000, the biggest proportion of progress since 1998.
Our nationwide governing physique has not entered into any settlement with the Professional Volleyball Federation, however in an announcement to VolleyballMag.com, Davis stated: “USAV is open to partnering with all the professional leagues in the US as we’d like to see all of them succeed. Skilled volleyball being performed on our house soil is nice for the game in America.”
LOVB provides Austin
Austin, Texas, was introduced on Monday as League One Volleyball’s sixth and closing location for its debut season. The workforce was dubbed “LOVB Austin Volleyball” and USA nationwide workforce veteran Carli Lloyd was named its “founding athlete.”
A launch from LOVB pointed to the eagerness of the volleyball group within the Lone Star State capital metropolis, as seen by the constant fan help proven for the extremely profitable Texas collegiate program. Moreover, LOVB golf equipment within the area – Roots and Silver Seashore – have greater than 450 junior athletes and over 150 grownup gamers.
“From our extremely gifted gamers to our passionate fanbase, Austin is likely one of the finest cities on the planet for volleyball, and it’s time to point out that off on knowledgeable stage,” stated the Longhorns’ Elliott stated within the launch. “With LOVB Austin Volleyball launching, we are going to for the primary time have the ability to empower the good gamers popping out of our junior membership and faculty packages to have profitable and fruitful careers proper right here in the US.”
The workforce will characteristic a violet-and-dark-blue shade scheme on its stylized brand.
Lloyd, 34, was a long-time setter for the USA nationwide workforce and was a part of our 2016 squad that earned a bronze medal within the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her tenure with Group USA adopted a extremely adorned faculty profession for California, the place she was honored as AVCA nationwide participant of the yr in 2010. Lloyd additionally performed abroad with nice success in Italian and Brazilian professional leagues.
Later this week, LOVB will disclose the workforce names and logos for the franchises in Houston and Atlanta.
PVF goes goodwill looking
In one other PVF taking place, the league will placed on a free live performance on Saturday for followers in Tampa as a part of the NCAA Event festivities.
The PVF, Franklin Sports activities, REN Athletics and the Tampa Bay Sports activities Fee workforce as much as current the occasion on the Tampa Bay Conference Circle Plaza from 7-10 p.m. Japanese.
Headlining would be the award-winning dance-music group C+C Music Manufacturing facility, that includes Freedom Williams, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Prime 100 in 1990 with “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everyone Dance Now)” and boasts two different top-five hits. Additionally on the invoice are The Vindys, an alt-rock band who will carry out the League’s anthem to open every PVF nationwide broadcast in 2024, and neo-funk performers MojoFlo.