It was a far cry from the emphatic debut it was supposed to be. After an incredible NCAA career, Texas Longhorns’ celebrity outside hitter Madisen Skinner was expected to make a ripple on her professional debut with the LOVB Austin squad. However, that hope fell flat on its face, and the 2023 AVCA First Team All-American honoree was left exasperated.

On January 9, the LOVB Austin team was handed its first defeat of the inaugural LOVB season by LOVB Houston. The hosts won the match 3-2, trampling over Skinner & Co. at the Fort Bend County Epicenter. However, the former Kentucky athlete refused to let the fumble bog her down and took to Instagram soon after to express her feelings after the loss.

“Proud of this team,” Madisen Skinner wrote in her Instagram story, highlighting that the grind will commence again the next day. Houston took the game 27-25 26-24 22-25 25-27 14-16, making the first match one to remember. However, Madisen still managed to show her elite skills despite her team’s loss. Along with 22 kills (37.2% kill percentage), Skinner also got her team 27 crucial points and ensured LOVB Austin didn’t concede the match without a fight. Moreover, she also got in 8 digs, giving the squad several opportunities to stay in the game.

As a 2020 National champion with Kentucky and numerous more laurels in Texas, Madisen knows well that setbacks and unprecedented situations can often hinder plans. And yet, pushing on is the only way to recover from the snag, the 2023 First-Team All-Big 12 honoree believes. On her social media, Skinner shared several clips from tonight’s match showing LOVB Houston didn’t get a hall pass from its opponents.

Skinner & Co. will clash against LOVB Madison tomorrow, and she has already set her gaze on the task at hand. After tomorrow’s match, Austin and the other teams will continue their League One Volleyball journey for the next 14 weeks in a breakneck race to become the tournament’s maiden victors. With the new phase of her life, Madisen is however having to cope with more changes than just the volleyball aspect in her life.

Madisen Skinner is adapting to change

Skinner was drafted by LOVB Austin in December. Just days before that, the Texas Longhorns exited the 2024 NCAA D1 Volleyball Championship. The defending national champs were handed an unexpected loss by Creighton in the third round of the tournament, starting the latter’s three-peat hopes. Understandably, that was a significant blow to the guts for the Texas fans, and Madisen was also left heartbroken. She also noted her sadness about having to leave the campus after three years. “It’s been a special past three years,” she said and also thanked the Longhorns’ head coach, Jerritt Elliott, for his contributions to her life.

“Learning how to advocate for myself, taking a risk transferring, and choosing to trust Jarrett, the staff, and the girls in the program,” she said about how her colleagues helped her grow as a person. And yet, the thought of going back to Austin without having a college to go to was a unique feeling, Skinner said. “The thought of going back to Austin as like a professional now and not going back for school is really weird,” the OH noted. Hopefully, her new venture will be enough to fill the void that’s been left in her heart.

Where do you see LOVB Austin and Madisen Skinner stand at the end of their first professional campaign? Tell us below.