LOVB Los Angeles Inaugural Roster Features Olympic Medalists, International Stars

The roster features six players with U.S. National Team experience, as well as international athletes from Japan, Canada, Brazil, and Serbia.

Haleigh Washington is joining LOVB Los Angeles in 2027. / USA Volleyball

Prior to debuting in January 2027, League One Volleyball (LOVB) Los Angeles has announced its inaugural roster. 

The 13-person lineup features six players with U.S. National Team experience, including four Olympic medalists, as well as international athletes from Japan, Canada, Brazil, Serbia, and Southern California natives who are proud to play in their home state. 

LOVB Los Angeles Roster 

• Kathryn Boden, Outside Hitter, Stanford 
• Cali Loyd, Setter, Cal Berkeley 
• Mychael Vernon, Outside Hitter, Missouri and Oregon State 
• Hannah Duchesneau, Outside Hitter, Queen’s University 
• Madi Kingdon Rishel, Outside Hitter, Arizona 
• Kotoe Inoue, Libero 
• Annie Drews Schumacher, Opposite Hitter, Purdue 
• Ana Malešević, Middle Blocker 
• Onye Ofoegbu, Middle Blocker, Oregon and UC Irvine 
• Haleigh Washington, Middle Blocker, Penn State 
• Rachel Fairbanks, Setter, Pitt 
• Samantha Francis, Middle Blocker, Stanford 
• Key Alves, Libero 

Say hello to your team, LA 🧡

Olympians. Champions. International stars. Rising talents.

Introducing the athletes who will represent LOVB Los Angeles in our inaugural season. pic.twitter.com/6gcez6Hpuk

— LOVB Los Angeles (@lovblosangeles) July 17, 2026

Though no coaching staff has been announced yet, a founding advisory board was revealed on July 6. Olympic legends Misty May-Treanor, April Ross, Paula Weishoff and Debbie Green, plus several Southern California standouts like UCLA national champion Jenny Johnson Jordan, Long Beach State hall of famer Joy Fuerbringer, and Pepperdine’s head coach Nina Mattias are featured on the board. 

"Southern California has been the heart of volleyball for generations,” Ana Mendy, President of LOVB Los Angeles, said in a press release. “This advisory board represents the people who built that legacy, and we're honored they're helping us build what's next. Their perspective will shape everything from how we engage the community to how we create the premier professional volleyball club in Los Angeles." 

The one and only, April Ross! 👏

April will provide invaluable insight to the community and what it takes to succeed at the highest level. Let's do this! 🧡 pic.twitter.com/8jPw8hpNIV

— LOVB Los Angeles (@lovblosangeles) June 26, 2026

Why LOVB Expanded to Los Angeles

Building upon Southern California’s rich volleyball heritage, LOVB Los Angeles becoming the league’s seventh professional team was a no-brainer for Alexis Ohanian and Seven Seven Six when they made agreements to lead the ownership group. 

At the youth level for both girls and boys, volleyball participation in California is up year after year, while UCLA, Stanford, USC, UC Irvine, and Pepperdine have elevated the state as one of the world’s premier talent hubs. 

“Los Angeles holds an incredible amount of volleyball currency,” Stephanie Alger, Chief Growth Officer at LOVB, said in a press release. “From top youth clubs to high schools and universities, the region is a hotbed of talent and fandom. As we determined locations for our next professional team, Southern California was an easy choice – Los Angeles lives and breathes volleyball, and we could not be more excited to work with Alexis and the Seven Seven Six team to introduce LOVB Los Angeles in 2027.”  

LOVB makes its way to the city in perfect time, as Anaheim will serve as one of the sites for the 2027 FIVB Volleyball World Cup and for the Summer Olympic Games in 2028. 

LOVB Los Angeles will join three other expansion teams, Miami, 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. 

More information on the coaching staff and schedule will be released at a later date. Fans can get ahead with a 2026/27 LOVB Los Angeles Season Membership.