The Major League Volleyball (MLV) season is right around the corner, full of new league branding, fresh faces, and a new franchise. With the first match of the season taking place in just two days, I’ve put together my predictions for each team’s starting lineup. While I feel fairly confident about some of these choices, mainly in the case of teams like Orlando who return a good chunk of their starting lineup, most of these are simply educated guesses.

Atlanta Vibe

Setter: Averi Carlson
Opposite: Aiko Jones
OH: Leah Edmond
OH: Ava Martin
MB: Khori Louis
MB: Raven Colvin
Libero: Britt Rampelberg

Without Marlie Monserez and Morgan Hentz, this Atlanta Vibe team is going to look a whole lot different this year, which makes predicting the lineup more challenging than I expected. At setter, despite the fact that Shannon Shields has a couple years of pro experience under her belt, I’m predicting that Carlson gets the setting spot. She’s a bit taller than Shields and also just has that “future star” energy that makes it hard to see her riding the bench.

Opposite is a toss-up. Both Anna Dixon and Aiko Jones were on the Vibe’s squad last year, but they split time with Merritt Beason (who has moved onto the Omaha Supernovas), and neither were particularly consistent in their appearances. I’m giving Jones the start here due to her strong serving and blocking, but this may well be a spot that the two share all season.

At outside, Leah Edmond is the face of the team and an obvious choice to start. Alongside her, returners Pia Timmer or Taylor Head are both viable options, but I’m both predicting and hoping that Ava Martin gets a shot in the starting lineup. Like Edmond, she brings solid ball control as well as powerful attacking.

In the middle, the duo of Khori Louis and Raven Colvin feels like a lock, although rookie Jackie Moore will hopefully get some looks as well. But for the time being, Louis and Colvin make for the league’s best middle blocking duo. Finally, at libero, Rampelberg brings international experience and, in my opinion, you don’t use one of your few international roster spots on a foreign libero unless you plan to play her.

Columbus Fury

Setter: Ashley Evans
Opposite: Flormarie Heredia Colon
OH: Raina Terry
OH: Megan Courtney Lush
MB: Abby Walker
MB: Regan Pittman
Libero: Aleksandra Jegdic

I’m going a bit rogue with this one. While the Fury has two opposites listed, I’m predicting that they are going to give Heredia Colon a try on the right side. Head coach Perez has shown he has no problem slotting outsides on that right pin (he did so with Terry last year in at least one outing), and what Heredia Colon lacks in ball control, she more than makes up for with terminal attacking. This also allows for Courtney Lush’s top-tier passing to stay on the court alongside Terry, who brings strong serving and blocking along with her hitting. Even if this ends up being wrong and Heredia Colon stays on the left side, I cannot imagine her not getting a starting look. She’s simply too good.

At setter, Ashley Evans feels like the obvious pick, given her years of experience internationally and with Team USA. In the middle, returning blocker Walker has shown a lot of promise, and Pittman has shown the ability to absolutely dominate in the MLV, so I think she gets the other starting spot. And at libero, world champion Jegdic is the obvious choice.

Dallas Pulse

Setter: Natalia Valentin-Anderson
Opposite: Kelsie Payne
OH: Mimi Colyer
OH: Geli Cyr
MB: Kaitlyn Hord
MB: Tristin Savage
Libero: Kendall White

This lineup was a bit trickier to guess. Valentin-Anderson, with all her experience, feels like a lock at starting setter, and Kelsie Payne also brings experience as well as height to that opposite role. Sofia Maldonado Diaz and Malaya Jones are very solid players of their own, however, so I can see this spot being up for grabs.

For the outsides, I think Colyer, as the #1 overall draft pick, is a lock to start, but that means the other outside will need to bring some stability to the passing lineup. Unless either Kaylee Cox or Isabel Martin have seriously upped their passing game, I don’t see either of them fitting that role. From what I recall, Geli Cyr was a solid passer at Arizona State, so I’m slotting her into that other spot. 

For the middles, Hord has proven herself in the MLV as one of the top blockers, so I see her getting a starting spot. While Van Buskirk and Bacon are both good options as well, I see the second middle being Savage, as she brings not only a good amount of international pro experience but also, at around 6’7”, some serious height.

Assuming she’s recuperated from the injury that had her sidelined last season, Kendall White is the natural choice at libero given her pro and international experience.

Grand Rapids Rise

Setter: Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres
Opposite: Elizabet Inneh
OH: Carli Synder
OH: Alexis Shelton
MB: Alyssa Jensen
MB: Rhamat Alhassan
Libero: Camila Gomez

From LOVB and the national team comes Ka’aha’aina-Torres, whose performance in the later weeks of the 2025 VNL really impressed me and makes me think she’s a no-brainer at starting setter. On the right pin, Inneh has experience playing in France, Turkey, South Korea, and more, so I think her experience puts her in a favorable position to win the starting spot.

Returning outside hitter Snyder is a safe bet as a starter, considering she was one last year; thanks to her ball control being solid as well, I could see rookie Shelton getting the chance to start as well. That said, it’s a bit tough to predict, as fellow rookie Candela Alonso-Corcelles and returning hitter Paige Briggs-Romine could both be solid options.

In the middle, Jensen was one of the league’s best blockers last year, so I see her returning as a starter alongside Alhassan, who returns to volleyball after a few years away but has several years of experience playing in Italy’s top league. Then at libero, while I think Elena Oglivie is excellent in her own right, Gomez is simply too good not to start.

Indy Ignite

Setter: Anise Havili
Opposite: Azhani Tealer
OH: Leketor Member-Meneh
OH: Anna DeBeer
MB: Lydia Martyn
MB: Alexandra Botezat
Libero: Elena Scott

The Ignite have a lot of returning faces on its lineup, which makes predicting the starters a bit easier. Let’s begin with the obvious starters: Scott at libero is a no-brainer, and Member-Meneh—assuming that she’s fully recovered from the injuries she sustained last year—is absolutely phenomenal on the left pin. Tealer is almost certainly a lock as well, given how well she performed last year. 

From there, I’m predicting DeBeer earns the second outside position. Her competition primarily consists of rookies or players who haven’t regularly started during their pro careers, so she’s got a good shot at starting. In the middle, Botezat stands at 6’6” and has extensive experience playing in Italy, while returning blocker Martyn was one of the most efficient middles in the league last year.

The most unpredictable part of this lineup is at setter. At 5’10” and 5’9” respectively, both Anise Havili and Mia Tuaniga are undersized, and neither of them saw consistent playing time last season. 

Omaha Supernovas

Setter: Sydney Hilley
Opposite: Merritt Beason
OH: Brooke Nuneviller
OH: Reagan Cooper
MB: Janice Leao
MB: Elise Goetzinger
Libero: Morgan Hentz

Just off the bat, I know it’s probably wrong not to have Sarah Wilhite-Parsons somewhere on the starting lineup, but Nuneviller’s definitely a starter, and I just can’t see them benching an arm as good as Cooper’s has been in this league. Maybe they move Cooper to opposite so that she doesn’t have to pass, and that opens up a spot for Wilhite-Parsons. I do think even Cooper playing out of position could likely be a more consistent option than Beason or Emily Londot, as both are quite streaky in terms of their offensive production.

There are a lot of good (if inexperienced) middles on this roster, so I could see any combination of them starting. That said, Janice Leao really started to come alive for the Fury toward the end of last season, so I’m hoping to see her get a starting look. 

Finally, if anyone besides Hilley and Hentz start at setter and libero respectively, I’ll eat my hat. What hat? I don’t know. But I’ll eat it.

Orlando Valkyries

Setter: Pornpun Guedpard
Opposite: Brittany Abercrombie
OH: Courtney Schwan
OH: Charitie Luper
MB: Natalie Foster
MB: Kaz Brown
Libero: Teodora Pusic

The reigning champs have returned a lot of their winning lineup from last year, including key players at setter, opposite, and middle. I’m predicting they keep the same starters as last year with regard to those positions: Guedpard at setter, Abercrombie at opposite, and Foster and Brown in the middle.

For the outsides, I predict Schwan will be on the floor for her ball control, while Luper brings decent ball control herself as well as some high-flying hitting. And at libero, Pusic is another world champion who just makes sense to have on the floor. 

San Diego Mojo

Setter: Marlie Monserez
Opposite: Jovana Brakočević
OH: Kendra Dahlke
OH: Maya Tabron
MB: Taylor Sandbothe
MB: Kayla Caffey
Libero: Shara Venegas

Predicting the Mojo’s roster is especially difficult because they still have (at the time of writing this) 19 players signed, but will need to cut three of those players to meet the required cap of 16. Still, I’ve done my best here. The starters I think are most likely are Monserez at setter and Venegas at libero.

At opposite, Brakočević is obviously a huge name and by far the most experienced player on the team (and in the league, if I’m not mistaken), but she’s also 37. It will be interesting to see how close to her ceiling she can still play. The only other opposite still signed to the Mojo is Morgan Lewis, who has yet to see truly consistent playing time in this league.

In the middle, Sandbothe and Caffey strike me as the most likely starters, though Marin Grote has seen plenty of success in the league during her time with the Rise. Then at outside, Tabron and Dahlke are both returners who played well for the team last year, though they’ll have some fresh faces to compete with in the form of promising rookies Hayden Kubik and Allison Jacobs.