Debut by star-studded League One Volleyball looked more like an exhibition than a competition.
Pro
Larry Hamel
January 10, 2025
The new League One Volleyball debuted on Wednesday night and here was my unfiltered first impression (to channel my inner Elvis): A little less love, a little more action, please.
I get it that the players were oh-so overjoyed to be a part of a landmark event and that a lot of the women are friends (or at least friendly) because they train in the USA national team’s gym.
But all of the sweetness and light and happy, smiling faces made the match between visiting LOVB Salt Lake and LOVB Atlanta come off as more of a scrimmage — or even an open gym — than a serious tussle that counted in the standings. Even the postmatch celebration by the Salt Lake team after its four-set victory had an understated “another day at the office” vibe.
Salt Lake Coach Tama Miyashio said, “It wasn’t just another volleyball match,” but from an intensity standpoint, it sure looked like “just another volleyball match” to me.
Fire might be too much to expect in a first match (although, was it, really, when the league won’t get a second chance to make the vital first impression?) but I didn’t even see a lot of spark. The crowd of 3,239 at intimate Gateway Center Arena in the Atlanta suburbs might have sensed it, too, because. for the most part, the spectators sat on their hands.
The organizers of startup LOVB did an admirable job of assembling talent for its six teams, snagging the lion’s share of the players from our Olympic team that earned the silver medal and Paris, some of whom were golden in the 2021 Tokyo Games. But all of the players draw their paychecks from one source, LOVB, and the league assigned them to their teams. Perhaps that has added to the all-for-one-and-one-for-all bonhomie I saw on the court during the supposedly historic “First Serve” match.
As the schedule proceeds and the standings become relevant, I hope to see the players exhibit a more appropriate “game face.” An ideal time to start would be the match on Thursday night between host Austin and Houston, which will be streamed on the subscription ESPN+ platform at 7 p.m. Central.
Now for a few words on the TV presentation I watched last night on ESPN+. It was pretty good. I saw a lot of squawking on social media about the telecast’s frequent use of low-angle courtside shots and wider-angle views from the baseline, but in my estimation, they added to my viewing experience.
Was it different? Yes. But it brought the viewer closer to the action and these shots were a breath of fresh air from the typical reliance on the sideline “high hard camera” that is seen on matches with lesser production values. Even the high sideline camera’s view was tighter than normal, a welcome change.
On Opening Night, I would have enjoyed seeing all of the players introduced on TV, which would have given everybody tuning in more context. But, regrettably, player introductions are as rare as hen’s teeth on contemporary sports television. At the very least, a more comprehensive graphic with first and last names and pictures of each player should have been prepared for the teams’ starting lineups.
As would be expected from elite-level athletes with international experience, the quality of the volleyball was darned good, even if it lacked much sense of urgency. LOVB commissioned experienced announcers Anne Marie Anderson and Kevin Wong for the ESPN+ stream and they did a professional job calling the match with an emphasis on mainstream sports fans.
The live stats on LOVB’s website stayed on zeros until midway through the third set, a minor inconvenience, but one that should be addressed.
If LOVB wants to be taken seriously as big-league sports by casual fans, its growing pains can’t last for long.
Salt Lake’s Roni Jones-Perry elevates to rip a spike around the block of Atlanta’s Daniella Cuttino (20) and Kayla Haneline. All three train in the USA national team’s gym. Photo courtesy of LOVB
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