Month-by-month recap: April
Austin’s season ends in glory after a superb showing in Louisville
Published
28 MAY 2025
Est. reading time
3 min
Austin’s campaign reached a crescendo in April, as they took the league by surprise in the LOVB Finals.
There was little sign of what was to come in the Texans’ last regular season game, though, when Chris McGown’s team lost 3-2 to Salt Lake after twice leading in the match.
Madi scored a commendable 22 points on that occasion, but it was to no avail — defeat at the Bruin Arena ensured that Austin finished the year in fifth place, making them underdogs for the post-season play-offs.
That position in the standings meant they faced a tough route to the LOVB Finals’ Championship Match.
First up was a quarter-final clash with Salt Lake — who Austin had just lost to, of course — with the winner meeting top-seeds Atlanta in the semi-finals.
But the team from Texas surpassed all expectations at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, and in thrilling fashion, too.
A sensational comeback in the first eliminator saw Austin lose both the first two sets by 24:26, before triumphing in three consecutive sets (27:25, 25:23, 18:16) to secure an improbable 3-2 win against Salt Lake.
Madi was a key figure in the victory, with a team-leading 21 kills, as well as an ace, a block and 10 digs.
Head coach McGown was full of praise for the whole team, however, saying:
“I love the fight our team showed the entire match. We were down 0-2 and I'm in the huddle and I'm looking at 'em and I could see it in their eyes.
“They weren't done yet and they were not giving up and they believed they could come back. And here we are.”
That result was remarkable enough, but Austin then went on to claim another reverse sweep against favorites Atlanta in the semi-finals.
It was a near identical story, as the Georgian side raced into a two-set lead (21:25, 15:25), only for Austin to win the following three sets in succession (25:22, 25:10, 16:14).
There should perhaps be no surprise that Madi was central to the turnaround, as she came up clutch once again in the post-season and was named Player of the Game — registering a season-high 25 kills, hitting .364 and posting three aces, a block, seven digs and two assists.
“Really, the momentum began to pick up in the fourth," she said after the match.
“I felt like they [Atlanta] were on their heels a little bit and it was an opportunity to attack and dominate and I think we took advantage of that moment and rode the wave the rest of the way.”
After two topsy-turvy clashes, the Championship Match was somewhat straightforward by comparison.
Austin romped to a 3-0 victory against fellow surprise package Omaha in the end-of-season showpiece (25:19, 25:22, 25:23) to win the first-ever LOVB Championship Trophy, as Madi put a further 21 points on the board.
“I thrive under pressure — I don't like feeling the pressure all the time but that brings out the best in me,” the 23-year-old laughed.
“I'm glad that I don't crack. For the most part I'm battle-tested and I'm surrounded by incredible people who are with me every day and they give me the confidence to go out there and swing.”
As Madi lifted the trophy, she could look back on a successful campaign — both personally and for the team as a whole.
After all, she was named 2025 LOVB Finals MVP and secured the first silverware of her professional career.
Let’s hope there’s more to come on that front in 2026 and beyond!
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