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LOVB Salt Lake defeats LOVB Austin in five-set thriller to take Game 1 in title series
TL;DR
LOVB Salt Lake won Game 1 of the 2026 championship series against LOVB Austin in a five-set match, securing a 22-25, 25-21, 22-25, 27-25, 16-14 victory. They are now one win away from their first championship title.
Key points
- LOVB Salt Lake defeated LOVB Austin in Game 1
- Match score was 22-25, 25-21, 22-25, 27-25, 16-14
- LOVB Salt Lake is one win away from their first championship
- Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday
- LOVB Austin must win Game 2 to stay in the title race
Mentioned in this story
Long Beach, California
LOVB Salt LakeLOVB Austin2026 LOVB championship series
LOVB Salt Lake is one win away from its first championship.
LOVB Salt Lake defeated LOVB Austin 22-25, 25-21, 22-25, 27-25, 16-14 in Game 1 of the 2026 LOVB championship series on Thursday in Long Beach, California. LOVB Austin now must win Game 2 on Saturday to force a decisive golden set to keep its back-to-back title hopes alive, otherwise LOVB Salt Lake will hoist its first Tiffany championship trophy.
LOVB Austin and LOVB Salt Lake entered the championship series on equal footing. Both teams finished tied for third place in the regular season with identical 10-10 records. Both clubs split their four meetings during the regular season and each club survived a fifth, golden set in the semifinals to advance to the championships.
Like both semifinal rounds, Game 1 of the championship series also came down to a golden set. The decisive fifth set featured nine ties between both clubs. LOVB Austin had a 13-11 lead, but LOVB Salt Lake closed the match on a 6-1 run to win and deliver a blow to the defending champions.
League One Volleyball (LOVB) Austin opposite hitter Madisen Skinner (Courtesy of League One Volleyball)
LOVB Salt Lake outside hitter Alexa Gray said her squad had to get "a little bit of jitters out," but praised the team's resilience in coming back to force a fifth set and ultimately win the game.
"I don't think it was our best volleyball," said Gray, who finished with a game-high 28 points, 24 kills and seven blocks. "But I thought we stuck together as a group and did what we could do even through the weird, but just really proud of how we stayed in it and fought."
LOVB Salt Lake racked up 32 errors in the win, compared to 22 for LOVB Austin. LOVB Austin had an advantage in blocks (19-14) and Aces (7-1), but LOVB Salt Lake was able to piece together a run when it mattered most.
The evening started with a special guest. Zhuri James, the daughter of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and Savannah James, delivered the honorary first serve ahead of Game 1 of the LOVB championship on Thursday.
Q&A
What was the final score of Game 1 between LOVB Salt Lake and LOVB Austin?
The final score was 22-25, 25-21, 22-25, 27-25, 16-14 in favor of LOVB Salt Lake.
When is Game 2 of the LOVB championship series scheduled?
Game 2 of the LOVB championship series is scheduled for Saturday.
What does LOVB Austin need to do to keep their title hopes alive?
LOVB Austin must win Game 2 to force a decisive golden set and keep their back-to-back title hopes alive.
