Volleyball Leagues and Associations: From the FIVB to LOVB and the AVP

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A December night in a sold-out arena, a college crowd on its feet for a fifth set. A June convention center in Orlando with courts as far as you can see and a hundred club teams in matching warm-ups. A Sunday on the sand at the Manhattan Beach Open. Volleyball has a lot of organizations, and the pro scene in the US has changed fast. This guide explains the volleyball leagues and associations that matter, from the FIVB and USA Volleyball to college, high school, club and the new pro leagues, with facts as of the 2026 season.

Back to our volleyball hub for the overview, or see the rules each level plays by.

The governing bodies: FIVB, USA Volleyball and the AVCA

FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) is the world governing body for indoor and beach volleyball. Fourteen countries founded it in Paris on April 20, 1947, and it now has 222 national federations. It writes the official indoor and beach rules and runs the world championships and international tours.

USA Volleyball is the national governing body in the United States, recognized by the FIVB and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. It covers indoor, beach, sitting and snow volleyball and paravolley, picks the national teams, and supports forty regional volleyball associations, which run most junior club volleyball in their areas. It also publishes the US indoor rules, including the net heights by age on our youth volleyball page.

The AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) is the professional association for volleyball coaches, with more than 10,000 members across college, high school, club and beach. It runs the AVCA coaches polls that rank college teams, the All-America awards and an annual convention.

College volleyball

NCAA women’s volleyball

Women’s volleyball is a fall sport and one of the biggest in the NCAA: 1,055 teams were projected for 2025-26 (348 in Division I, 288 in Division II and 419 in Division III). The Division I tournament has a 64-team bracket: in 2025, 31 conferences earned automatic bids and 33 teams were picked at large. The 2026 finals are on December 17 and 20 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Divisions II and III hold their own championships. Divisions I and II can offer athletic scholarships; Division III can’t.

NCAA men’s volleyball

Men’s volleyball is a spring sport with 206 projected NCAA teams in 2025-26: 31 in Division I, 43 in Division II and 132 in Division III. Division I and II teams play for one National Collegiate championship, which expanded to a 12-team field in 2026; Division III has its own. Men’s college volleyball plays USA Volleyball rules with NCAA modifications.

Beach volleyball in college

NCAA women’s beach volleyball is a spring sport with 90 projected teams (67 in Division I and 23 in Division II). Its 16-team championship has been played in Gulf Shores, Alabama, since 2016. The NAIA has made women’s beach volleyball its 31st championship sport, with the first national championship set for April 22-24, 2027, in Mesa, Arizona.

NAIA and NJCAA

The NAIA brings 24 women’s teams to the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, for its national championship (December 2-8, 2026), and held its 2026 men’s championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from April 28 to May 2. The NJCAA (two-year colleges) crowns women’s champions in Divisions I, II and III; its Division I women’s championship is in Hutchinson, Kansas, in 2026. NJCAA men’s volleyball became a full national championship in 2026, played at the College of DuPage in Illinois.

High school: the NFHS and state associations

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) writes the high school rules, and each state association runs its own season and playoffs. In 2024-25, 492,799 girls played high school volleyball, the second most of any girls’ sport after track and field, and boys’ volleyball jumped 12.6% to 95,972 players.

Club and junior volleyball: USA Volleyball, AAU and LOVB

Most competitive young players also play club volleyball, which runs most of the school year and into summer. Clubs register with a USA Volleyball region, the AAU or both, and play in age groups such as 12U, 14U and 16U. The season builds to national championships: the AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championships fill the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando from mid-June into July (June 15 to July 10 in 2026, in waves for 10U to 18U), and USA Volleyball’s Girls Junior National Championships were split in 2026, with 11-13s in Minneapolis and 14-17s in Indianapolis. LOVB, founded in 2020, also runs a large network of junior clubs alongside its pro league. Our youth volleyball guide compares club and school.

Pro volleyball in the US

• LOVB Pro (League One Volleyball): a women’s indoor league that launched in 2025 with six teams and has 10 for 2026-27: Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, Madison, Miami, Minnesota, Nebraska, Salt Lake and San Francisco. The season opens December 16, 2026, with Austin vs Nebraska in San Antonio. Each pro team is tied to local junior clubs.
• Major League Volleyball (MLV): the Pro Volleyball Federation, which began play in 2024, merged with a planned rival league in August 2025 and took the MLV name. It played its 2026 season with eight women’s teams, and MLV says it grows to 12 teams for 2027, including the Minnesota Forge, which starts play in January 2027.
• Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball: paused its 2026 season, the league announced on July 31, 2026, to rethink its format.
• AVP (beach): the main US pro beach tour. In 2026 it ran three heritage opens (Huntington Beach in May, Manhattan Beach in August and Laguna Beach in September) and the AVP League, where eight city teams each field a men’s and a women’s pair over eight league weeks from May 30 to August 8, with the league championship in Chicago on September 5-6.

The Olympics

Indoor volleyball joined the Olympics at Tokyo 1964, and beach volleyball at Atlanta 1996, where 24 men’s and 18 women’s teams played in front of sold-out crowds. Los Angeles 2028 brings the Games home for US players: indoor volleyball at an arena in Anaheim, beach volleyball at Alamitos Beach in Long Beach, within a competition window of July 14-30, 2028. USA Volleyball selects the US teams.

Health care changes with the level

One thing parents should ask about at every level: who looks after injuries? College and pro teams have athletic trainers and team doctors. Many high schools have an athletic trainer too, licensed or regulated health care professionals in all 50 states, but club tournaments and rec leagues often don’t. Know who’s in charge of concussions and ankle sprains before the first serve, and see our volleyball injuries page. Players moving up a level usually jump more and play more matches, which is where our volleyball training and recovery pages come in.

Gear for every level: the Mikasa V200W indoor ball (about $67 in October 2026), which the maker says exceeds FIVB standards; the Molten FLISTATEC, listed as the official ball of the NCAA men’s championships (about $55); the Wilson AVP OPTX, the official AVP game ball (about $100); and Mizuno LR6 knee pads (about $30). More on our volleyball gear page.

Volleyball leagues FAQs

What is the difference between LOVB and MLV?

Both are US women’s pro indoor leagues. LOVB Pro has 10 teams for 2026-27 and is linked to a network of junior clubs. Major League Volleyball grew out of the Pro Volleyball Federation, played 2026 with eight teams and plans 12 for 2027.

How many colleges have volleyball teams?

The NCAA projected 1,055 women’s teams, 206 men’s teams and 90 women’s beach teams for 2025-26, and the NAIA and NJCAA add many more.

What is USA Volleyball?

The national governing body for volleyball in the US, recognized by the FIVB and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. It picks national teams, publishes US rules and, through 40 regional associations, runs much of junior club volleyball.

Is there men’s pro volleyball in the US?

On the beach, yes: AVP events and the AVP League include men’s pairs. The big new indoor leagues, LOVB Pro and MLV, are women’s leagues; men’s indoor volleyball in the US is played mainly in college and USA Volleyball events.

When did volleyball become an Olympic sport?

Indoor volleyball at Tokyo 1964 and beach volleyball at Atlanta 1996. Both are on the program for Los Angeles 2028.