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Major League Volleyball (2026)

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Major League Volleyball
Most recent season or competition:
2026 Major League Volleyball season
A simple depiction of a volleyball, with the letters "mlv" in lowercase printed above it.
SportVolleyball
No. of teams11 (+1 on hiatus)
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion
Dallas Pulse
(2026)
BroadcasterVarious
Websiteprovolleyball.com

Major League Volleyball (MLV) is a professional women's indoor volleyball league in the United States. It is the continuation of the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), which commenced play in the 2024 season, and is one of three professional volleyball leagues for women in the United States alongside the AU Pro Volleyball Championship and LOVB Pro.

The current incarnation of the league originates from the attempted secession of the Omaha Supernovas from the PVF during the 2025 season, amid a dispute over the league's ownership. The team planned to establish a rival league that was to be called Major League Volleyball, with $100 million in funding from investors. At the end of the season, a peace deal was struck which prevented the secession, welcomed the investors into the league, and rebranded it as Major League Volleyball.

MLV currently consists of eight independently owned franchises that annually compete in a regular season for spots in a playoff tournament that determines the league's champion. Three more franchises are planned to join in the future. Salaries ranging from $60,000 to $175,000 are offered to players, along with additional benefits and revenue sharing agreements. The league's matches are broadcast on the CBS Sports Network, Vice TV, The Roku Channel, ion, YouTube, and Victory+. As of its 2026 season, the current champions are the Dallas Pulse.

History

[edit]
A depiction of a volleyball, surrounded by the words "Pro Volleyball Federation" on a yellow and black circular badge.
The logo of the Pro Volleyball Federation, the preceding incarnation of Major League Volleyball.

Major League Volleyball's (MLV) first incarnation, the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), was one of three professional women's volleyball leagues in the United States that commenced play in the 2020s, alongside the AU Pro Volleyball Championship and LOVB Pro.[1][2][3] Its inaugural 2024 season was dominated by the success of the Omaha Supernovas, who earned the highest average attendance for a professional volleyball team in the world,[4] broke the United States attendance record for a volleyball game thrice,[5] and won the PVF Championship in straight sets against the Grand Rapids Rise.[6][7] Off the court, the PVF came into conflict with the Supernovas over their attempted acquisition of the Vegas Thrill in August 2023, which was blocked by the league.[8] By December, an attempt at a hostile takeover of the PVF itself by the Supernovas' owners was alleged to have started,[9] inspiring PVF co-founders Dan Whinham and Stephen Evans to "resist" the takeover by selling $1 million in shares of the league to Rise owner Dan DeVos in February 2024.[9][10]

Refer to caption
Refer to caption
Jason Derulo (left) and Kerri Walsh Jennings (right) helped lead an attempt to establish a league rivalling the PVF.

Amid the escalating dispute, Supernovas co-owners Jason Derulo and Danny White, along with Benjamin Priest, Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé, and three-time Olympic beach volleyball champion Kerri Walsh Jennings, began planning for a rival league with the Supernovas as a charter member, raising $100 million from investors.[11][12] The group announced both the Supernovas' exit from the PVF, and the establishment of what was to be called Major League Volleyball, days into the 2025 season.[13][14] Play was to commence in the 2026 season with at least ten independently owned franchises.[15] Ranadivé was granted ownership of a franchise based in Sacramento.[11][12] The states of California, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin were also considered as potential franchise bases.[16][17]

The Supernovas played what was to be their final season in the PVF,[14] falling short of a back-to-back championship with a playoff semifinal loss to the Indy Ignite.[18][19] In August, the PVF and MLV struck a deal that saw the return of the Supernovas to a league rebranded as Major League Volleyball, and the admission of the Sacramento team as an expansion franchise, alongside the establishment of a new franchise based in Washington, D.C.[20][21]

Teams

[edit]
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
900km
559miles
LA
NorCal
Forge
D.C.
Vegas Thrill
Vegas Thrill
Orlando Valkyries
Orlando Valkyries
Omaha Supernovas
Omaha Supernovas
Indy Ignite
Indy Ignite
Grand Rapids Rise
Grand Rapids Rise
Dallas Pulse
Dallas Pulse
Columbus Fury
Columbus Fury
Atlanta Vibe
Atlanta Vibe
Current
Teams on hiatus

As of its 2027 season, Major League Volleyball consists of twelve independently owned franchises. Six competed in the inaugural 2024 PVF season as charter franchises: the Atlanta Vibe, Columbus Fury, Grand Rapids Rise, Omaha Supernovas, Orlando Valkyries, and Vegas Thrill.[a][2][3] The Indy Ignite, Dallas Pulse, MLV D.C., MLV Los Angeles, Minnesota Forge, and MLV Northern California entered as expansion teams over the following three seasons.[22][23] The salary range for players in MLV is $60,000 to $175,000,[24][25][26] with "benefits" worth $10,000, and an undisclosed amount of revenue sharing with their respective teams.[27][28] Two players on each team are also paid an additional $40,000 to serve as the team's ambassadors.[29]

List of teams

[edit]
List of current MLV teams
Team Location Venue Cap. First
Atlanta Vibe Duluth, GeorgiaGas South Arena12,7502024
Columbus Fury Columbus, OhioNationwide Arena19,5002024
Dallas Pulse Frisco, TexasComerica Center4,5002026
Grand Rapids Rise Grand Rapids, MichiganVan Andel Arena11,5002024
Indy Ignite Fishers, IndianaFishers Event Center6,5002025
MLV D.C. Washington, D.C.TBDTBD2027
MLV Los Angeles Los Angeles, CaliforniaTBDTBD2027
Minnesota Forge St. Paul, MinnesotaGrand Casino Arena17,9542027
MLV Northern California Northern CaliforniaTBDTBD2027
Omaha Supernovas Omaha, NebraskaCHI Health Center18,3202024
Orlando Valkyries Orlando, Florida[b]Addition Financial Arena9,4322024
Vegas Thrill[a] Henderson, NevadaLee's Family Forum6,0192024
List of former MLV teams
Team Location Venue Cap. First Last
San Diego Mojo San Diego, CaliforniaViejas Arena12,41420242026
  1. 1 2 The Vegas Thrill is currently on hiatus.
  2. ↑ The arena has an Orlando mailing address, but is in unincorporated Orange County.

Seasons

[edit]
List of PVF/MLV seasons
Year T Pl 1st place, gold medalist(s) Champion Runners-up
2026 828Dallas PulseOmaha Supernovas

Broadcasting

[edit]

The CBS Sports Network and Roku Sports Channel have broadcast the league since its inaugural season. For the 2026 season, Roku aired 21 matches, primarily on Thursday nights, the CBS Sports Network aired fifteen matches, the Scripps Sports Network aired twelve matches, Vice TV aired ten Sunday matches, Ion Television aired the playoffs, and CBS aired the All-Star Match. Matches not broadcast on national television were aired by local broadcasters and the league's YouTube channel.[30][31] Dallas Pulse matches were exempt from this arrangement, with their non-nationally aired home games being broadcast on Victory+.[32]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Kenney, Madeline (January 28, 2025). "Inside the volleyball popularity explosion that's spreading into the mainstream". New York Post. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Peal, Jolie (May 18, 2024). "Omaha Supernovas crowned first Pro Volleyball Federation champions". Nebraska Public Media. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Olson, Eric (January 26, 2024). "US women's professional volleyball void is filled, and possibly overflowing, with 3 upstart leagues". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ Parsons, McKenzy (June 4, 2024). "Omaha Supernovas have highest average of fans at games across professional volleyball teams in the world". KETV 7. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Supernovas set professional volleyball U.S. attendance record for third time". KSNB Local4. March 18, 2024. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  6. ↑ Boyles, Grace (May 18, 2024). "CHAMPIONS: Supernovas sweep the Rise to win first-ever Pro Volleyball Federation title". First Alert 6. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  7. ↑ Tyler, Kuehl (May 18, 2024). "Rise lose PVF Championship Match to Omaha in straight sets". MLive. Archived from the original on January 12, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  8. ↑ Sanchez, Mark (September 19, 2024). "Pro volleyball league founders sue DeVos-backed company amid takeover bid". Crain's Grand Rapids Business. Retrieved January 17, 2025. Around August 2023 [...] a group that owned the Omaha franchise tried to buy the Las Vegas team, which violated league policy.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. 1 2 Sanchez 2024, "By December 2023 [...] the White Group was in the process of executing a leveraged corporate takeover of PVF. [Whinham and Evans] believed that such a development would be bad for PVF and its fledgling league, (they) tried to resist Mr. White’s takeover."
  10. ↑ Sanchez 2024, "[...] the founders of the Pro Volleyball Federation inked a $1 million deal on Feb. 12 to sell to DeVos' PVF Ventures. The founders say the sale was motivated by their desire to preserve the new league and avoid a "leveraged corporate takeover" by another franchise owner based in Omaha, Neb."
  11. 1 2 Ramos, Richard (January 16, 2025). "Major League Volleyball debuts in January 2026, Sacramento among first 10 teams". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Dotson, Nijzel (January 16, 2025). "Sacramento expected to have a team in new women's pro volleyball league". KCRA 3. Retrieved January 17, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ↑ Sim, Josh (January 17, 2025). "New US$100m women's volleyball league to launch in 2026". SportsPro. Archived from the original on January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Koperski, Scott (January 16, 2025). "Omaha Supernovas leaving Pro Volleyball Federation". Nebraska Public Media. Archived from the original on January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  15. ↑ Crawford, Kristen; Lukas, Joan (January 16, 2025). "Major League Volleyball Women's Pro League to Launch in January 2026". USA Volleyball. Archived from the original on January 16, 2025. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  16. ↑ Hettesheimer, Cassidy (January 17, 2025). "Major League Volleyball is coming to Minnesota". The Minnesota Star Tribune. Archived from the original on January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  17. ↑ Hartle, Sam (January 16, 2025). "Kansas 1 of 11 states to be part of new Major League Volleyball venture". KSHB 41 Kansas City. Archived from the original on January 16, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  18. ↑ Schinzel, Gene (May 9, 2025). "Omaha Supernovas' bid for PVF title repeat falls short in five-set semifinal loss to Indy Ignite". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved August 20, 2025. There will be no repeat for the Omaha Supernovas as the Indy Ignite earned a victory in the PVF tournament semifinal Friday night.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  19. ↑ Sergio, Arianna (May 10, 2025). "Indy Ignite beats top seed Omaha Supernovas in 5 sets, moves onto finals of PVF Championship". 13 WTHR. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  20. ↑ Badenhausen, Kurt; Novy-Williams, Eben; Soshnick, Scott (August 4, 2025). "Pro volleyball merger values leagues at $325M". Sportico. Retrieved August 4, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ↑ Axon, Rachel (August 4, 2025). "Pro Volleyball Federation, Major League Volleyball to merge, expand". Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal. Retrieved August 4, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  22. ↑ Beas, Mike (July 8, 2024). "Indy Ignite pro volleyball team set to debut in January". Daily Journal. Retrieved August 20, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  23. ↑ Livengood, Paul (August 6, 2025). "Professional volleyball is coming to Dallas in 2026". WFAA. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  24. ↑ Harrison, Shane (April 9, 2025). "Pro women's vollyball [sic] team Atlanta Vibe serves up excitement in Duluth". Atlanta. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  25. ↑ Sanderson, Wes (February 17, 2025). "Reaching New Heights". Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal. Retrieved August 20, 2025. Last year, the league announced that top players on each team would earn a base salary of up to $175,000 and each player to earn a roster spot making at least $60,000 for the season.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  26. ↑ Haque, Jennah; Perdomo, Vanessa (February 14, 2025). "As Billions of Dollars Pour Into Women's Sports, Players Seek a Bigger Cut". Bloomberg News. Retrieved August 20, 2025. PVF and LOVB [...] have pledged to pay a minimum salary of $60,000,{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  27. ↑ "Player compensation increases announced for 2025". Pro Volleyball Federation. March 18, 2024. Archived from the original on December 17, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  28. ↑ Hunter, Xavier (January 22, 2024). "Pro Volleyball Federation set for debut". Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024. Spicher noted that the league is also sharing its revenue with the players, through an undisclosed split, from day one.
  29. ↑ Olson, Eric (January 26, 2024). "US women's professional volleyball void is filled, and possibly overflowing, with 3 upstart leagues". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  30. ↑ "MLV Announces Extensive 2026 Broadcast Schedule". Major League Volleyball. December 11, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  31. ↑ "MLV Featured In Launch Of Scripps Sports Network". MLV. March 23, 2026. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Dallas PULSE games to air on Victory+ platform during 2026 season". WFAA. January 13, 2026. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
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