Photos by Tar Macias / Hola Nebraska
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By Hola Nebraska
Returning stars, hometown standouts and championship experience headline third-season squad
Omaha, NE – LOVB Nebraska unveiled its 2026-27 roster on Monday, assembling a 13-player squad featuring four Olympians, two Olympic medalists, four former Nebraska Cornhuskers, four Nebraska natives and championship experience from around the world as the team prepares for its third season.
The roster returns five key contributors from last season’s team: outside hitters Jordan Larson, Anne Buijs and Vicky Savard, middle blocker Ana Carolina da Silva and libero Lexi Rodriguez. Larson’s return for the 2026-27 season was announced last Friday.
LOVB Nebraska also welcomes eight newcomers, including three Nebraska natives in Rebekah Allick (Lincoln), Lindsay Krause (Papillion) and Sabrina Starks (Springfield), joining Hooper native Larson to give the club four homegrown players on this year’s roster.
“This roster represents everything we want LOVB Nebraska to be,” said Kirsten Bernthal Booth, President of Business Operations for LOVB Nebraska. “We have world-class talent, proven champions, players with deep ties to Nebraska and incredible people who will represent our community the right way. Any time you can bring Nebraska athletes home to play professionally in front of the fans who watched them grow, it’s special. We can’t wait for our fans to embrace this team and continue building the best professional volleyball atmosphere in the country.”
Photos by Tar Macias / Hola Nebraska
Returning Core
One of the inaugural LOVB Icons, Larson finished the 2026 season sixth in LOVB Pro with 267 points and fifth with 234 kills while also recording 15 aces, tied for fourth in the league and the most on LOVB Nebraska. She was named the 2026 LOVB Best Outside Hitter and selected to the 2026 LOVB Icons First Team after earning second-team honors in 2025.
A two-time Olympian and captain of the Netherlands National Team, Buijs ranked among LOVB’s most consistent outside hitters during her first season in Nebraska. She finished with 245 points, 220 kills and 143 digs while providing championship experience and veteran leadership on and off the court.
With eight years of professional experience across six countries, Savard begins her third season with LOVB Nebraska. A member of the Canadian National Team since 2021, Savard has won two NORCECA Championship bronze medals appearing on multiple Volleyball Nations League rosters. She has also captured five domestic championships, including a Spanish triple in 2019, when she earned Liga Iberdrola Best Outside Hitter honors.
Brazilian standout da Silva made an immediate impact during her first season with LOVB Nebraska. Despite appearing in just 15 matches, the two-time Olympic medalist totaled 99 points and 41 blocks, ranking among the league leaders in both blocks and block percentage while providing a dominant presence at the net.
Entering her third professional season, Rodriguez continues to establish herself as one of the game’s premier liberos after tying for fourth in LOVB with 204 digs during the 2026 season. The Nebraska all-time digs leader also ranked among the league leaders in digs percentage and create percentage while earning regular opportunities with the U.S. Women’s National Team. A four-time AVCA All-American, Rodriguez returned to the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2025, competing in Volleyball Nations League (VNL) and at the FIVB Women’s World Championship, and is currently competing with Team USA during the 2026 VNL.
Homegrown Talent
Allick headlines the incoming class after a successful rookie professional season with LOVB Madison. The Lincoln native totaled 134 points while averaging 1.52 kills and 0.69 blocks per set with a .356 hitting percentage. At Nebraska, Allick earned AVCA Second Team All-America and First Team All-Big Ten honors as a senior while helping the Huskers reach two NCAA Final Fours and the 2023 NCAA Championship match. She also represented the United States on the U18 and U21 National Teams, winning gold at the 2022 NORCECA U21 Pan American Cup and bronze at the 2021 FIVB U18 World Championship.
After beginning her professional career with Omaha before competing for Pinkin de Corozal in Puerto Rico, Papillion native Krause returns to Nebraska. A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year and Premier Nebraska Volleyball alumna, Krause helped the Huskers reach three NCAA Final Fours, including national runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2023.
A standout at Pittsburgh before launching a successful professional career in Europe, Starks brings her talents back to her home state. The Springfield native helped the Panthers win three ACC championships and reach the first two NCAA Final Fours in program history before playing for CSO Voluntari during a 2025-26 season that included the Romanian League championship, Romanian SuperCup and bronze-medal finishes in the Romanian Cup and CEV Cup.
Championship Experience
Setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson joins LOVB Nebraska with championship experience across multiple leagues, including the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation title with Omaha in 2024 and the inaugural Major League Volleyball championship with Dallas Pulse in 2026. The former Puerto Rican National Team captain led MLV with 1,221 assists and 11.85 assists per set while ranking fifth in the league with 357 digs last season. She was also named the 2022 Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Dream Team Best Setter.
Jaelyn Keene brings eight years of professional experience across Europe and the U.S. to LOVB Nebraska. Following the completion of her club season in Italy, Keene joined the Indy Ignite for the final weeks of the 2026 Major League Volleyball season, averaging 3.44 points and 2.89 kills per set while recording a 54.2% kill percentage in four appearances.
LOVB Nebraska also adds two accomplished opposite hitters in Sherridan Atkinson and Reagan Rutherford. Atkinson, a two-time AVCA All-American at Purdue, has won league championships in France and Greece and was named the 2024 Greek League MVP. Rutherford helped Kentucky capture the 2020 NCAA championship before earning AVCA Third Team All-America honors at Texas in 2022. She most recently helped Volley Mulhouse Alsace win the 2025-26 French Saforelle Power 6 championship.
Julia Sangiacomo rounds out the roster after a decorated collegiate career at Santa Clara and Northwestern. A five-time all-conference selection and three-time AVCA All-Region honoree, Sangiacomo finished third on Santa Clara’s all-time kills list before beginning her professional career. She helped Gresik Petrokimia win the 2025 Livoli Divisi Utama title and earned Best Outside Hitter honors in the 2025 Indonesian Proliga before finishing the 2026 season with LOVB Atlanta.
First-year head coach Giannis Athanasopoulos said the roster reflects the identity he wants LOVB Nebraska to embody.
“I promise that we are going to work hard and play the best volleyball that we can and volleyball that is attractive to the LOVB Nebraska fans,” Athanasopoulos said. “We want to bring more kids and families to our volleyball matches, which will be our big goal. We would like to win, but when we step onto the court, my personal goal is that we say ‘this is our team’ and no matter if we win or lose, we care about each other.”
Athanasopoulos will be joined by assistant coach Karmen “Kiki” Kočar, who also begins her first season with LOVB Nebraska.
LOVB Nebraska opens its third professional season this December.
Season Membership deposits for the upcoming season are available now for $100. Fans who place a deposit will receive priority access to secure Season Memberships before the general public. To place a deposit, go to lovbneb.com.
The full schedule, ticket options and venue information will be announced in the coming months. Fans can also follow @lovbneb on social media for the latest team news and season updates.
2026-27 LOVB Nebraska Roster
| Name | Position | Hometown | Previous Team |
| Rebekah Allick | MB | Lincoln, Neb. | LOVB Madison |
| Sherridan Atkinson | OPP | Long Beach, Calif. | Leonas de Ponce LVSF |
| Anne Buijs | OH | Oostzaan, Netherlands | LOVB Nebraska |
| Ana Carolina Da Silva | MB | Belo Horizonte, Brazil | LOVB Nebraska |
| Jaelyn Keene | MB | Jacksonville, Ill. | Indy Ignite (MLV) |
| Lindsay Krause | OH | Papillion, Neb. | Pinkin de Corozal |
| Jordan Larson | OH | Hooper, Neb. | LOVB Nebraska |
| Lexi Rodriguez | L | Sterling, Ill. | LOVB Nebraska |
| Reagan Rutherford | OPP | Missouri City, Texas | Volley Mulhouse Alsace |
| Julia Sangiacomo | OH | Sonoma, Calif. | LOVB Atlanta |
| Vicky Savard | OH | Jonquière, Québec | LOVB Nebraska |
| Sabrina Starks | MB | Springfield, Neb. | CSO Voluntari 2005 |
| Natalia Valentin-Anderson | S | Caguas, Puerto Rico | Dallas Pulse (MLV) |
About LOVB Nebraska
LOVB Nebraska is one of League One Volleyball’s (LOVB, pronounced “love”) founding professional clubs and competes in the nation’s premier professional volleyball league. Built on the mission of connecting youth, club and professional volleyball, LOVB Nebraska brings world-class athletes and elite competition to the State of Volleyball.
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