Volleyball On SI

League One Volleyball Unveils Miami’s Inaugural Roster

LOVB Miami is gearing up for its inaugural season and has announced a star-studded roster.

Nicole Reitz

Jess Robinson is moving from LOVB Atlanta to LOVB Miami.
Jess Robinson is moving from LOVB Atlanta to LOVB Miami. / LOVB Atlanta

League One Volleyball (LOVB) Miami is gearing up for its inaugural season and has announced a star-studded roster, featuring an array of players with extreme international experience, plus former collegiate standouts. 

Miami now marks the league’s most international team, as eight countries are represented on the lineup, striving to highlight the city's Latina, Brazilian and Caribbean culture. 

LOVB Miami Roster 

  • Khat Bell, Opposite Hitter, Texas 
  • Argentina Ung, Setter, Washington State and Arizona State
  • Michelle Ohwobete, Outside Hitter, Oregon and UCSB
  • Britte Stuut, Middle Blocker 
  • Annayka Legros, Middle Blocker, Coastal Carolina 
  • Tara Taubner, Opposite Hitter
  • Miiku Iwasawa, Libero, Shimokitazawa Seitoku High School
  • McKenzie Adams, Outside Hitter, University of Texas at San Antonio 
  • Helena Wenk, Outside Hitter, Flamengo 
  • Candelaria Herrera, Middle Blocker, Florida A&M and Iowa State 
  • Jess Robinson, Middle Blocker, Michigan and Duke 
  • Uxue Guereca, Outside Hitter, New Mexico 
  • Raquel Lázaro Castellanos, Setter, Louisville and USC

Nine of these athletes have senior national team experience, including both setters, Raquel Lázaro Castellanos and Argentina Ung. Lázaro Castellanos has been on the Spanish National Team since 2018 and led the program to bronze in the 2021 European Golden League, while Ung is a star for the Mexican National Team. 

Additionally, Miiku Iwasawa has been part of Japan’s national team since 2023 and won bronze at the 2023 Asian Championships. 

As LOVB expands, several players already in the league have moved over to Miami. McKenzie Adams, a U.S. National Team Member, is coming off an incredible season with LOVB Atlanta, where she was named LOVB’s Outside Hitter of the Year. Annayka Legros comes from Madison, Jessica Robinson comes from Atlanta, and Candelaria Herrera comes from Nebraska. 

Paulo Coco’s Move from Atlanta to Miami 

After spending two successful seasons coaching LOVB Atlanta and posting the league’s best regular-season record to earn 2025 Coach of the Year honors, Paulo Coco is taking the reins in Miami. The longtime assistant coach of the Brazilian National Team won gold at the Beijing and London Olympics, and silver at the Tokyo Games. 

Why LOVB Expanded to Miami 

The city of Miami hasn’t seen a professional team in almost 30 years, and volleyball was the perfect sport to change that. With strong college programs from the University of Miami, FIU, Barry University, and Miami Dade, the city is a leader in both indoor and beach volleyball. 

LOVB’s youth club Club 305 Volleyball in the Miami-Doral area has continuously produced numerous Miami-Dade Players of the Year, while LOVB’s Game Point Volleyball has set top collegiate athletes up for success post-graduation. 

“Expanding to Miami marks an exciting next chapter for the league as we continue building a truly national platform for professional volleyball," Sandra Idehen, Commissioner of LOVB Pro said in a press release. "Miami’s passion for sports, global influence and deeply rooted volleyball community make it an ideal home for our newest team."

LOVB Miami will join three other expansion teams, Los Angeles, Minnesota and San Francisco. These teams join the already built teams (Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison, Nebraska and Salt Lake), in an effort for the league to introduce an Eastern and Western Conference format. 

While a schedule is in the works, fans can get ahead with a 2026/27 LOVB Miami Season Membership.

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Nicole Reitz
NICOLE REITZ

Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018. Her work has been published in various publications like Softball On SI, Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.

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