Reverse sweeps reign supreme at LOVB Finals as No. 6 Omaha advances to championship match
Mere hours after No. 5 LOVB Austin completed a reverse sweep to reach the LOVB Finals championship match, sixth-seeded LOVB Omaha did the same, downing No. 2 LOVB Houston 15-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-23, 15-12 Friday night at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Omaha and Austin will play for the inaugural League One Volleyball title Sunday, April 13, at 4 p.m. Eastern. The match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and available for streaming on ESPN+ and Disney+.
So far in League One Volleyball’s season-ending LOVB Finals, the lower seed has won each match. Three matches were five-set reverse sweeps, a feat that happened four times during the 52-match regular season, and 13 of 19 sets played have been decided by five points or fewer.
Omaha saw balanced scoring Friday night with five athletes scoring more than 10 points. Opposite Kimberley Drewniok led with 17 points – all kills – while middle blocker Sami Francis paired nine kills with six blocks and an ace for 16 points, equaling a career high. Fellow middle Emily Thater added 14 points, 10 in the final three sets, Jordan Larson 13, and Lauren Stivrins 12.
Outside Jaali Winters, who hadn’t played in Thursday’s four-set win against No. 3 LOVB Madison, made a significant contribution with a match-high 22 digs and seven kills. Libero Justine Wong-Orantes made 19 digs.
Jordan Thompson, LOVB’s Opposite Hitter of the Year, led Houston with 24 kills and 26 total points. Madi Kingdon Rishel scored 19 points, and middle blocker Raphaela Folie made a season-high eight blocks while landing seven kills on a .467 attack percentage.
Four Houston athletes made double-digit digs, led by Jess Mruzik’s 18.
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