More changes in pro volleyball: Newly named LOVB Nebraska hires former Creighton great, Larson becomes owner

Formerly called LOVB Omaha, the newly named LOVB Nebraska professional volleyball team revealed several updates Wednesday.

The League One Volleyball team hired former Creighton volleyball head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth as its president of business operations.

These are one of several ownership and branding updates in the professional volleyball world within the last two days.

The all-time wins leader for the Bluejays announced her resignation from the school in April.

Corporate sponsorships will be her immediate responsibility, while looking into fan experience and ticketing down the road, Bernthal Booth said.

She has the experience to transition from college head coach to professional executive, she said.

“I was that head coach that annoyed all the people in the department and said, ‘Let's go through our ticketing plan. I want to hear what our promotions are for every game,’” Bernthal Booth said.

One thing she learned from college is that leadership needs to try fun ideas to see what sticks.

“We're very confident the fan experience is going to continue to get better,” Bernthal Booth said. “I've told them, let's throw lots of things against the wall. Let's be creative.”

She wants to sustain LOVB Nebraska.

“We have the leadership. We have the funding and the runway, I think, to get pro volleyball off the ground and make it sustainable so my granddaughters can play,” Bernthal Booth said.

It’s a big win that opportunities are growing for women to compete in pro volleyball within the United States, Bernthal Booth said.

The brand new rebrand to LOVB Nebraska is designed to “capture the unique place that Nebraska occupies in the world of volleyball,” according to a news release from the organization.

There’s great volleyball across Nebraska, Bernthal Booth said, and LOVB Nebraska wants to “pull that in.”

“This should not just be an Omaha team, and it's not just a Lincoln team, but it's also Kearney, Scottsbluff, Grand Island, all these different communities,” she said.

LOVB Nebraska aims to host home matches outside Omaha, Bernthal Booth said, though the organization didn't have provide specific cities or towns in time for this story. Overall, the former Creighton coach hopes to build the league and make LOVB players recognizable.

Catch up on professional volleyball coverage from Nebraska Public Media News:

Former Nebraska coach Cook joining Omaha Supernovas as co-owner

Omaha Supernovas to compete under the new Major League Volleyball

In another change for League One, a notable player ascended to ownership status.

Former Husker volleyball great and LOVB Nebraska athlete Jordan Larson is now part owner of the team, according to a news release.

“I'm just thrilled to be working side by side [with Larson],” Bernthal Booth said. “I think Jordan has hit a point where she really wants to give back to the sport that's given her so much, and this is a step in doing that.”

While there are no controlling owners in League One, Larson is one of a small but growing group of women with stake in the professional sports world.

A controlling owner is typically the person responsible for making big decisions like voting on league rules. There are just 11 controlling female owners in the four major North American sports leagues.

League One Volleyball and competing Major League Volleyball are new and generally not considered among the major leagues. Those would be the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.

LOVB Omaha, now LOVB Nebraska, finished runner-up during the inaugural League One playoffs in April. The league will return for its second season starting in January.