Last week, both Major League Volleyball (MLV) and League One Volleyball (LOVB) began their annual seasons. With the pro season having officially kicked off, here is my first Lineup of the Week, which I’ll be putting together each week based on performances from players across the two leagues.

Setter

Brie O’Reilly, LOVB Austin

Team Canada’s starting setter has been outstanding in her first two matches with LOVB Austin. Despite being new to the team, O’Reilly’s connection with her hitters has been excellent and has helped the team win both of its matches. With an average of 8.7 assists per set, she set Austin to a .236 efficiency last week, helping three different hitters to 2.5 or more kills per set. She also contributed points of her own with four kills, one ace, and five blocks, and is second on the team for total digs with 33.

Middles

Ana Carolina “Carol” da Silva, LOVB Nebraska

The Brazilian superstar sat out the first match of the season due to a small injury, but was huge for her team against Houston. She scored six blocks, several of which came during critical points in a back-and-forth second set which ended 37-35 in Nebraska’s favor. She also contributed 11 kills on a .333 hitting efficiency as well as one ace.

Serena Gray, LOVB Salt Lake

Back for her second year with Salt Lake, Gray has made a statement for herself in the team’s first two matches. She currently leads her team in total points and is averaging 4.7 per set thanks to 21 kills and six blocks for the week. Notably, she hit a staggering .824 against Houston.

Outsides

Sarah Parsons, Omaha Supernovas

After taking a break from volleyball to have her first child, Parsons has joined the Supernovas and has been making a huge impact already. In both of the Supernovas’ matches last week, she led the team in points, totaling 45 so far for an average of 6.43 per set. 

Charitie Luper, Orlando Valkyries

The second-year pro comes to Orlando after starting her career in Vegas. In the Valkyries’ opener against Grand Rapids, she had 22 kills on a .293 efficiency, while adding two blocks and one ace for a total of 25 points. Beyond her points-scoring, she added 25 digs and passed 57% positive on 26 receptions.

Opposite

Kimberly Drewniok, LOVB Nebraska

Drewniok is back for year two with Nebraska and once again coming up big for the team. She had a match-high 26 points in Nebraska’s five-set opener against Austin, in which she hit .500. She contributed an additional 15 points in the five-set match against Houston while adding an additional 13 digs.

Libero

Kotoe Inoue, LOVB Austin

Inoue and Zoe Jarvis alternated at libero last year, but based on how Inoue has performed so far this season, that jersey may just stay hers. She recorded 34 digs in Austin’s first two matches, averaging 4.4 per set. She also was steady in the passing lineup, especially against Atlanta, where she passed 68% positive or perfect on 25 attempts.