Looks like Erik Sullivan just walked straight into the volleyball hot seat—and fans are not letting this one slide. So, picture this: LOVB just wrapped its debut season with the kind of finale that belongs in the sports movie hall of fame. Austin, led by Texas Longhorn royalty Logan Eggleston and Madisen Skinner, absolutely steamrolled Omaha in straight sets—25-19, 25-22, 25-23—at the KFC Yum! Center like they were born for this moment. But as confetti rained down and history was being made, fans started asking the big ol’ elephant-in-the-room question—where was the newly crowned U.S. Women’s National Team head coach? Turns out, Erik Sullivan—yeah, the very guy who’s supposed to lead Team USA’s women—was chilling in LA, catching a UCLA men’s game instead of showing face at the most iconic women’s volleyball showdown in recent memory.
“the women’s national team head coach being in Los Angeles at a UCLA men’s game instead of the LOVB finals really sums up the state of this federation,” Avid Volley said on April 13, and the fans felt every word. Someone else jumped in with, “Not to mention doesn’t he have a ton of ex players that he coached playing???”—and they weren’t wrong. Madisen Skinner, Jordan Larson, Justine Wong-Orantes… all out there grinding on the biggest stage while their former coach? Nowhere in sight. Now the heat’s turning up—fans are rallying hard against Erik Sullivan’s LOVB gig just days after he ghosted the women’s squad.
Drama alert in the volleyball world! Avid Volley hit up X on April 24 with the big drop: “LOVB has announced Erik Sullivan has been named the new head coach of LOVB Austin.” But instead of hype and high-fives, fans came in hot with the side-eye. One user even hit back with, “with this, he will make the national team a texas 2.0 ”—and oof, the shade was real. It’s clear folks weren’t exactly jumping for joy over this move, especially given the not-so-distant tension still lingering around his national team no-show.
LOVB has announced Erik Sullivan has been named the new head coach of LOVB Austin
: https://t.co/HxuqS03n0f pic.twitter.com/iOcs23e5Mf
— Avid (@AvidVolley) April 24, 2025
Before stepping into the shoes as the new U.S. Women’s Volleyball head coach, Sullivan had been living deep in the heart of Texas—literally. The guy was basically glued to the Texas Volleyball squad. The 2024 season? Yeah, that was his 14th year riding shotgun on Head Coach Jerritt Elliott’s staff. He wasn’t just vibing either—he was putting in major work with the Longhorns’ liberos and middle blockers, dialing in the defense.
Over his 13-season journey on the Forty Acres, Sullivan helped stack up a wild resume: 348 total wins, 12 Conference Championships, eight NCAA Final Four showings, 12 Elite 8 runs, and a shiny trio of National Championships in 2012, 2022, and 2023. The guy’s got hardware and receipts—but with all that Texas DNA baked in, fans are now low-key worried he’s about to remix the national squad into a burnt-orange remix. And honestly? They’re not keeping quiet about it.
This story is developing…
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