The pro volleyball scene just keeps blowing up! This year kicked off the second season of the Pro Volleyball Federation, plus the debut of LOVB—another pro league. But wait, just when we thought that was it, here comes another one! On January 16th, MLV Holdings, a fresh new investment group, dropped the bombshell—announcing the launch of Major League Volleyball (MLV), a women’s pro volleyball league with over $100 million in funding.

Major League Volleyball is planning to make its grand debut in January 2026, and it’s bringing 10 teams to the table. we’re talking franchises spread across Wisconsin, California, Minnesota, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Kansas, Ohio, and Washington. And here’s the kicker: these teams will be independently owned and operated, but don’t worry—MLV’s got it all under control. They’re laying down ownership standards and handing out operational playbooks to make sure every squad is hitting those major league vibes. But wait, there’s a twist! A US volleyball legend couldn’t help but throw some shade at the league’s new owners—classic move, right?

Haleigh Washington, middle blocker for LOVB Salt Lake, dropped a hilarious post on Instagram just yesterday, throwing some playful shade at all these new pro volleyball leagues popping up. She captioned it, “Since everyone and their Great Aunt Shirley wants to make a New Pro Volleyball League here’s your chance to join in on the fun! Let the world know when YOUR VERY OWN Pro League will be launching! Comment ‘key investor’ and I’ll DM you the MadLib to fill out and post. Then either tag me in your post or send them straight to my DM’s and I’ll share it on my insta stories! Have fun, you blossoming entrepreneurs! Let’s grow the game! Thank you to my anonymous contributors for your participation in my MadLib. Also this is a JOKEEEE. Please take it easy in the comments yall 🙄”

Haleigh even gave a few funny examples, and they were gold! One read, “This just in! Coming in 3-5 business days! A brand new Professional Women’s Volleyball League! The Enterprise Worldwide Boss Man Volleyball League! With key investors like Mr. Beast, Timothee Chalamet, and 4x Olympian and current Men’s National team coach Karch Kiraly!!! Launching in cities like Chicago and ‘The Biggest Little City’!!! Why support when you can compete!? More quantity over quality coming soon! Sponsored by RPDWS™️ (rich people disenfranchising women’s sports) Look out WNBA. You’re next.”

Where is this coming from? Well, from what it seems like, she is thinking about whether volleyball can support more than one premier league. Other sports only have one main and possibly two or three developmental leagues, so how they sustain themselves is very much in question here. And Haleigh might know exactly how it can affect the sport. You may ask why. Well, born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Haleigh is a two-time Olympic medalist and was part of the first-ever Olympic gold for the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2021 and earned Olympic silver in 2024. The middle blocker has also triumphed in two gold medals in the Volleyball Nations League and currently plays for LOVB Salt Lake. Thus, it seems safe to say she knows sports inside-out is the right agency to talk too! But with this third league coming up, it’s not just Haleigh who isn’t excited, and fans have shown disdain as well.

Another Pro Volleyball League stirs up drama!

Presenter Emily Ehman spilled the tea on X on January 16, announcing that Major League Volleyball (MLV) is launching a brand-new pro league. And guess what? Big names like pop star Jason Derulo and Sacramento Kings’ owner Vivek Ranadivé are jumping in as private franchise owners. But not everyone’s hyped! One fan didn’t hold back, saying,

Indeed, the fan touched on some of the major issues—why are the Supernovas making the jump to MLV? Well, Danny White, their founder, is also a big name in MLV as one of its founding partners. The MLV press release even gave a shout-out to his team as one of the original franchises. On top of that, MLV has some big plans up its sleeve, like building a grassroots program to help young volleyball stars shine. But here’s the twist—this means MLV is going head-to-head with LOVB at all levels, bringing some serious competition to the game.

Speaking of the Supernovas, they’re already a big deal! These volleyball rockstars set records on January 10 at their season opener with a record attendance of 13,486 fans in the CHI Health Center arena. Given such a passionate fan base and such a head of steam, the notion of them bolting for MLV has created quite a bit of buzz. Will this change stir things up in the volleyball world in a good way—or create more confusion? Only time will tell! But for now, we want to know: are you team PVF, or team LOVB, or are you prepared for the MLV hype train? Drop your thoughts in the comments because it’s just getting started!