Skinner Soars as LOVB Austin Downs Houston in Coaching Debut

Madisen Skinner delivered a dominant performance, leading LOVB Austin to a hard-fought 25-20, 19-25, 25-18, 26-24 victory over Houston on Wednesday. Skinner hammered down an impressive 23 kills, adding an ace, two blocks, 13 digs, and an assist in the win.

The match marked the debut of interim head coach Chris McGown, who stepped in at the last minute for Marco Bonitta. Bonitta, who guided Austin to a third-place finish at the LOVB Classic in Kansas City, departed for personal reasons. McGown joined the team just hours before the match.

“I was really, really pleased,” McGown said. “It’s almost been a surreal experience for me. I showed up and the first time we met each other was an hour before the match and I threw together a quick game plan. The biggest message was go play really hard, lean on each other and bring great energy and compete as hard as you can.”

Logan Eggleston also had a strong outing for Austin, contributing 16 kills, an ace, two blocks, five digs, and two assists. Anna Haak added six kills and 12 digs. “This is definitely a confidence builder for us,” Eggleston noted.

Setter Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres orchestrated the offense with 48 assists, while libero Zoe Jarvis anchored the defense with 14 digs. Austin improved their regular-season record to 3-4 with the win.

Despite the loss, Houston coach Barbolini praised his team’s effort, noting he intentionally gave more playing time to reserves after their demanding schedule in Kansas City. Amber Igiede and Grace Frohling each tallied 10 kills for Houston.

“We showed that we have two teams, because we have players who sometimes don’t play that much but tonight they did a good job,” Barbolini said.

This victory snaps Houston’s two-game winning streak against Austin, providing a significant boost for the home team under their new interim leadership.