LOVB adds Eggleston, Fleck, Drews, Kubik as it prepares for 2025 season
League One Volleyball continues to assemble a noteworthy cast of players and coaches.
Over the last week, startup LOVB has announced the signings of American former NCAA stars Logan Eggleston, Zoe Fleck, Dani Drews and Madi Kubik, and international standout Kimberly Drewniok of Germany.
Coaches Matt Fuehrbringer and Suzie Fritz also were signed by the new league that will begin its regular season in January of 2025 with franchises in Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Houston, Omaha (Nebraska), Austin (Texas) and Madison (Wisconsin).
New LOVB players
The 2021 and 2022 VolleyballMag.com national player of the year during her sensational career for the Texas Longhorns, Eggleston has been assigned to LOVB Austin, joining Carli Lloyd as a founding athlete. After leading the Longhorns to the 2022 NCAA title as the tournament Most Outstanding Player, Logan has competed in the Turkish pro league for the Galatasaray club in Istanbul.
The high-flying 6-foot-2 outside hitter also has been in the gym with Coach Karch Kiraly’s USA women’s national team and recently received the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year award, acknowledging her contributions on and off of the volleyball court.
“With her storied record, including winning five straight Big 12 championships, being named the 2022 AVCA Player of the year, and scoring a record-setting 208 aces, Logan is an elite level player and team leader,” LOVB director of sport Tom Hogan said in a release.
Fleck, a 5-foot-6 libero, also in the gym with the USA national team, was Eggleston’s teammate on Texas’ 2022 NCAA champions. She, too, was a 2022 Volleyballmag.com first-team All-American after previously playing at UC Santa Barbara and UCLA. Fleck has gained international experience playing for USC Münster in the German Bundesliga.
Drews enjoyed an All-American career at Utah and has spent time in the USA gym. The 6-foot lefty outside hitter finished No. 3 on the leaderboard during the 2022 Athletes Unlimited season and was voted one of the league’s two best OHs. Drews has played overseas in the Polish league, the Italian Series A1 and for her present club in Japan, the NEC Red Rockets in Kawasaki.
Kubik, a 6-foot-3 outside hitter, was an All-American for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and VolleyballMag.com’s national freshman of the year in 2019. Kubik played for the Cangrejeras de Santurce club in San Juan and this season is with the Italian club Cune.
Drewniok, 26, is a 6-2 opposite who competed for the German national team that finished 14th in the 2022 FIVB World Championships. Her present club is Sariyer Belediyesi of Istanbul in the Turkish League. Drewniok is the second international player signed by LOVB, joining Brazilian Fabiana Claudino.
“I am very much looking forward to exploring the roots of America’s exciting sport and connecting with the great athletes and individuals who have made it what it is today,” Drewniok said in a release.
New LOVB coaches
Fuerbringer, 49, enjoyed a distinguished playing career on the hardcourt and the sand. He was a four-time indoor All-American at Stanford and a key member of the university’s 1997 NCAA championship team. Fuerbringer ranked among the best beach players of his generation, winning eight times on the AVP circuit, including a first-place finish in the 2013 Manhattan Beach Open (the Wimbledon of beach volleyball) with longtime partner Casey Jennings.
Fuerbringer twice has worked as an assistant coach on the USA men’s indoor national team under John Speraw, including serving on the staff of the bronze-medal squad in the 2016 Rio Olympics. He also was associate head coach for the women’s indoor program at Long Beach State.
The veteran Fritz is best known for a highly successful coaching tenure at Kansas State from 2001 through 2022, guiding the Wildcats to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and a 393-263 record. She was the associate head coach at Arkansas last season and also has worked with USA Volleyball.
Team assignments for the coaches will be announced later, the league said.
