Olympians sign on for women's pro volleyball league set for 2024 launch in Atlanta and Houston

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Olympic gold medalists Justine Wong-Orantes and Kelsey Robinson will join League One Volleyball as it prepares to launch its preseason following the Paris Olympics in 2024. ​​​​​​​

Credit: LOVB / Twitter

League One Volleyball announced the addition of superstar athlete Haleigh Washington to its pro league roster featuring Olympic Gold medalists Kelsey Robinson and Justine Wong-Orantes. Washington joins LOVB as it prepares to launch its pre-season following the Paris Olympics in 2024.

The league announced Atlanta, Ga., and Houston, Texas, as the locations for its first pro team markets. At launch, LOVB’s professional league will feature six teams, in six different cities across the country. To determine its first two pro team locations, LOVB looked at the level of women’s volleyball fandom in the market, current volleyball spectatorship, ease of travel and proximity to airports, availability of arenas and more. 

The inaugural season will begin with a preseason in November 2024, and then will move onto the main season starting in January and concluding in April 2025.

Founded in 2020, LOVB’s mission is to reimagine the future of volleyball. The league has attracted the attention of notable women investors. Volleyball reaches an audience of 38 million former and current players in the U.S. and continues its trajectory of being the most-played youth sport for girls.

“LOVB is bringing the right energy and rigor to the sport and is taking the right steps to ensure that the structure, benefits and opportunities it offers both on and off the court are equitable and enticing to players around the globe,” Washington said in a press release. “I’m thrilled to be joining LOVB’s pro league at such an important inflection point in volleyball’s trajectory and believe this is only the start of something big."

For more information on LOVB, its athlete council and its professional league, please visit www.lovb.com