The professional volleyball contest, League One Volleyball (LOVB) is in full swing now. In its debut season, the league has gathered gazes from the big names. A few days ago, Billy Jean King shared a message while welcoming the league. Also, LOVB boasts of having big names in the house competing as players. Madisen Skinner is surely one of them. The three-time national volleyball champion and Texas Longhorns alum is now in LOVB Austin. On Thursday, she made her professional debut in the contest. And there was a surprise waiting for her. 

It was all Texas on Skinner’s pro debut as LOVB Austin locked horns with LOVB Houston. And guess who was in the audience chair? Erik Sullivan. The newly appointed US women’s volleyball head coach showed up to enjoy the classy volleyball battle on the court. The two-time Olympian and the former libero took responsibility in January’s first week. He succeeded Karch Kiraly, the chief architect behind Team USA’s three Olympic medals and the World Championship title. So Sullivan will have to fill in the big shoes. And it seems he’s been taking his job very seriously since the very first week. 

As per the schedule, Erik Sullivan will have his first assignment in the upcoming international schedule. Having experience working with the National Team Development Program Scouting Network for indoor girls’ games, he knows where to find talents to build up squads for the upcoming international games. Perhaps that reason brought him to the LOVB game. On Thursday, both teams had some faces who had turned up big in their college career. In the game, they had the chance to make a statement in front of the national coach. And boy, what a match he witnessed! 

Before moving to the Thursday night game, Skinner expressed her feelings on her lineup. On Instagram, the former Longhorn wrote, “Proud of this team.” Surely, the strength and the bonding impressed Skinner. But the match turned out to be a bitter-sweet experience for her. 

Madisen Skinner’s LOVB Austin couldn’t defeat Houston in the five-set game. Skinner couldn’t outpace her fate of facing defeat in high-valued games. Four weeks ago, her Texas Longhorns had to say goodbye to the NCAA Championship. Thursday, Skinner experienced another heartbreak. But this time, things remained slightly different. 

In the five-set game, LOVB Austin had the upper hand in the first two sets. However, in the next three sets, Houston took over the charge and handed Austin disappointment. Jess Mruzik’s squad proved to be ahead of Austin in keeping a hold over the clutch moments in the game. But again, Madi Skinner shone brightly in the game and tried every approach to beat the in-state rival. The evening didn’t result as she wanted, but it gave her fans hope. 

Madisen Skinner makes a place for a chance 

On Thursday night, Madisen Skinner amassed 28 points against LOVB Houston. In every set, she made sure that the rival couldn’t take a sigh of relief. Houston surely took the victory. But the difference had never been big in each set. Skinner’s 22 kills and 5 blocks kept the in-state rival on its toe. Did Erik Sullivan notice that? He surely did. 

The Team USA women’s volleyball coach appeared in the box, wishing to watch an intense volleyball game, and he was not disappointed. He got to see how Madi shook up her memory of facing a knockdown four weeks ago and matched up with the fast pace of professional volleyball. Would it help her to claim a place in the national squad? After all, the national coach now has a first-hand idea of her fireworks while playing among the best. If that happens, Madi’s sister will be the happiest person. How? In an interview, Avery, Madi’s elder sister, claimed, “We haven’t played together in a couple years. The last time was my senior year at Kentucky, so it would be really cool to get to play together again.” The Olympian wants to play along with her sister in the LA Olympics. But that will need Madisen to take place in the national lineup. After Thursday’s game, has she advanced to that route? What do you think?