O’Neal goes first in Pro Volleyball Federation draft; LOVB, USAV partner
Asjia O’Neal hits against Thailand during Volleyball Nations League last summer/Volleyball World photo
The Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) and League One Volleyball (LOVB) enjoyed a newsworthy Monday, highlighted by a draft, the announcement of involvement by USA Volleyball in the domestic pro game and the disclosure of a new franchise.
O’Neal taken first in PVF draft
Texas All-American middle blocker Asjia O’Neal earned the distinction of being the nascent Pro Volleyball Federation’s first college draft pick, chosen on Monday by the Columbus Fury.
O’Neal, 24, has played in the Longhorns program since 2018, redshirting her freshman year and competing for Coach Jerritt Elliott’s team during the 2019, ‘20, 21, ‘22 and ‘23 seasons. Daughter of six-time NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal, Asjia joined the USA women’s national team’s gym in 2023 and performed in Volleyball Nations League last summer.
The Longhorns were NCAA champions in 2022 and return to the national semifinals in Tampa, Florida, with an opportunity to earn back-to-back titles. Considered by many the top college player in the country, the 6-foot-3 O’Neal is Texas’ all-time leader in blocks with 594 and has registered 909 kills with a career hitting percentage of .403.
The inaugural PVF college draft, held in Atlanta, saw 35 players chosen by the league’s seven teams over five rounds, including four stars who will play in the upcoming NCAA final four: O’Neal, middle hitter Chiamaka Nwokolo (by the Atlanta Vibe, first round, sixth overall) and setter Emma Monks (by the Fury, fifth round, 29th overall) of Pittsburgh, and opposite Temi Thomas-Allara (by the San Diego Mojo, second round, 11th overall) of Wisconsin.
Being selected by a PVF team in no way affects a collegian’s eligibility, since players are not required to declare for the draft. Players also are free to sign with overseas teams. All the PVF draft does is bind a player to the team that selects her, if she desires to play in the league. How long a PVF franchise retains its rights to drafted players seems to be fuzzy, and Volleyball Magazine has requested a clarification from the league.
The PVF regular season will start on January 24, 2024, with the Omaha Supernovas hosting the Vibe, and will continue through mid-May, with each team playing 24 matches. Training camps will kick off in early January. Franchises will have 14 roster players and two “practice player” spots reserved for rookies out of college.
Picked after O’Neal in the first round were middle hitter Magda Jehlarova of Washington State by the Mojo, Oregon setter Hannah Pukis by the Vegas Thrill, opposite Morgahn Fingall of Tennessee by the Rise, outside hitter Paige Briggs of Western Kentucky by the Orlando Valkyries, Nwokolo, and Hawaii middle Amber Igiede by the Supernovas, who also owned the first pick in the second round under the draft’s “snake” format and chose 5-foot-7 outside Jill Gillen of Arkansas.
It didn’t take long for the teams to swing trades, which made sense since some of them that were later coming into the fold have not signed a full complement of 14 veterans.
The Supernovas sent the rights to Gillen and UCF setter Abby Hansen (taken 21st overall) to the Valkyries for Briggs’ rights and the No. 24 selection (middle Sophie Davis of James Madison).
The Oregon Ducks, ousted in the Round of 8 by Wisconsin, led all schools with six draftees: Pukis, libero Georgia Murphy (Valkyries, 10th overall), (12) OH Gabby Gonzales (Thrill, 12th), opposite Morgan Lewis (Mojo, 16th), MB Kara McGhee (Vibe, 23rd) and MB Karson Bacon (Mojo, 27th). No other program had more than two. Eleven of the 35 women selected were from the disbanding Pac-12 Conference, followed by the the Big 12 (7), Southeastern (6) and Big Ten (4).
The draft’s full five rounds can be found at the end of the story.
USA Volleyball partners with LOVB
USA Volleyball and League One Volleyball have entered into a partnership that will throw the weight of our national governing body behind the pro group that will launch in November of 2024.
A release from USAV on Monday said that the collaboration “will focus on growing volleyball’s fan base and participation in the sport across the country.”
“Most of the top U.S. players compete in leagues overseas for up to seven months a year, away from their families, friends and the American audience,“ USA Volleyball President and CEO Jamie Davis said in the release.
“We look forward to watching U.S. players compete with LOVB on their home turf and seeing the impact that this league will have on volleyball’s popularity. LOVB will be a platform where American volleyball fans can see their idols play live and in-person.”
In a reflection of the sport’s burgeoning popularity at all levels, the release noted that USA Volleyball membership increased by 9.6% to 408,000, the largest percentage of growth since 1998.
Our national governing body has not entered into any agreement with the Pro Volleyball Federation, but in a statement to VolleyballMag.com, Davis said: “USAV is open to partnering with all of the pro leagues in the United States as we’d love to see them all succeed. Professional volleyball being played on our home soil is great for the sport in America.”
Carli Lloyd goes high for Busto Arsizio last season/LVF photo
LOVB adds Austin
Austin, Texas, was announced on Monday as League One Volleyball’s sixth and final location for its debut season. The team was dubbed “LOVB Austin Volleyball” and USA national team veteran Carli Lloyd was named its “founding athlete.”
A release from LOVB pointed to the passion of the volleyball community in the Lone Star State capital city, as seen by the consistent fan support shown for the highly successful Texas collegiate program. Additionally, LOVB clubs in the region – Roots and Silver Beach – have more than 450 junior athletes and over 150 adult players.
“From our incredibly talented players to our passionate fanbase, Austin is one of the best cities in the world for volleyball, and it’s time to show that off on a professional stage,” said the Longhorns’ Elliott said in the release. “With LOVB Austin Volleyball launching, we will for the first time be able to empower the great players coming out of our junior club and college programs to have successful and fruitful careers right here in the United States.”
The team will feature a violet-and-dark-blue color scheme on its stylized logo.
Lloyd, 34, was a long-time setter for the USA national team and was part of our 2016 squad that earned a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her tenure with Team USA followed a highly decorated college career for California, where she was honored as AVCA national player of the year in 2010. Lloyd also played overseas with great success in Italian and Brazilian pro leagues.
Later this week, LOVB will disclose the team names and logos for the franchises in Houston and Atlanta.
PVF goes goodwill hunting
In another PVF happening, the league will put on a free concert on Saturday for fans in Tampa as part of the NCAA Tournament festivities.
The PVF, Franklin Sports, REN Athletics and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission team up to present the event at the Tampa Bay Convention Circle Plaza from 7-10 p.m. Eastern.
Headlining will be the award-winning dance-music group C+C Music Factory, featuring Freedom Williams, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1990 with “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” and boasts two other top-five hits. Also on the bill are The Vindys, an alt-rock band who will perform the League’s anthem to open each PVF national broadcast in 2024, and neo-funk performers MojoFlo.
Pro Volleyball Federaton draft
First round
1 (1) Asjia O’Neal, Columbus Fury, MB Texas
2 (2) Magda Jehlarova, San Diego Mojo, MB Washington State
*(Jehlarova traded to Atlanta after selection)
3 (3) Hannah Pukis, Vegas Thrill, S Oregon
4 (4) Morgahn Fingall, Grand Rapids Rise, OPP Tennessee
5 (5) Paige Briggs, Orlando Valkyries, OH Western Kentucky
*(Briggs later traded to Omaha)
6 (6) Chiamaka Nwokolo, Atlanta Vibe, MB Pittsburgh
7 (7) Amber Igiede, Omaha Supernovas, MB Hawai’i
Second round
1 (8) Jill Gillen, Omaha Supernovas, OH Arkansas
*(Gillen later traded to Orlando)
2 (9) Whitney Bower, Atlanta Vibe, S BYU
3 (10) Georgia Murphy, Orlando Valkyries, L Oregon
4 (11) Sydney Bolding, Grand Rapids Rise, MB Kansas State
5 (12) Gabby Gonzales, Vegas Thrill, OH Oregon
6 (13) Temi Thomas-Ailara, San Diego Mojo, OH Wisconsin
7 (14) Reagan Cooper, Columbus Fury, OPP/OH Kansas
Third round
1 (15) Kendall Kipp, Columbus Fury, OPP Stanford
2 (16) Morgan Lewis, San Diego Mojo, OPP Oregon
3 (17) Kylie Murr, Vegas Thrill, L Minnesota
4 (18) Kenna Sauer, Grand Rapids Rise, OH Houston
5 (19) Azhani Tealer, Orlando Valkyries, MB Kentucky
6 (20) Kamaile Hiapo, Atlanta Vibe, L BYU
7 (21) Abby Hansen, Omaha Supernovas, MB UCF
*(Hansen traded to Orlando after selection)
Fourth round
1 (22) Maggie Cartwright, Omaha Supernovas, OPP Arkansas
2 (23) Kara McGhee, Atlanta Vibe, MB Oregon
3 (24) Sophie Davis, Omaha Supernovas, MB James Madison
*(Pick acquired from Orlando prior to selection)
4 (25) Emma Clothier, Grand Rapids Rise, MB SMU
5 (26) Hannah Maddux, Vegas Thrill, OH South Alabama
6 (27) Karson Bacon, San Diego Mojo, MB Oregon
7 (28) Jenaisya Moore, Columbus Fury, OH Tennessee
Fifth round
1 (29) Emma Monks, Columbus Fury, MB Pittsburgh
2 (30) Zoe Weatherington, San Diego Mojo, OPP Penn State
3 (31) Maddie Schermerhorn, Vegas Thrill, L Purdue
4 (32) Karly Basham, Grand Rapids Rise, L Washington State
5 (33) Kalyah Williams, Orlando Valkyries, OPP USC
6 (34) May Pertofsky, Atlanta Vibe, OPP Washington
7 (35) Kyla Swanson, Omaha Supernovas, MB Auburn
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