Team Meske defeated Team Launiere 2-1 in the 2026 MLV All-Star Match on Saturday at Addition Financial Arena. After losing the first set and trailing set three by six points early, Team Meske completed the comeback to win the match.
“We were only together for 18 hours, but I thought that the whole team was really doing their part and wanted everybody to succeed,” coach Dan Meske said. “It was pretty cool; pretty much played everybody in that third set.”
2025 No. 1 pick Mimi Colyer led the match with 13 points and 10 kills, while inaugural MLV MVP Leah Edmond and Valkyries outside hitter Charitie Luper had 10 points for Team Meske. All six Valkyries representatives contributed to their teams, combining for 19 points, 13 assists, 16 digs, and three blocks.
“That was pretty fun,” Dallas Pulse outside hitter Sofia Maldonado Diaz said. “[It was] also [fun] playing against each other. I never get to play against Mimi, for example, and it’s just fun seeing it from the other perspective.”
The first set was back-and-forth, with many uncontested runs swinging the momentum of the game. Team Meske led after the first timeout, but a strong performance out of the stoppage gave Team Launiere the lead into the second timeout.
Team Meske trailed by three late into the set and rallied to take the lead 22-21 and the two squads were tied at 24 after the next three points. Since the MLV All-Star Match features a one-point margin of victory, Aiko Jones’ kill gave Team Launiere the set.
“I thought it was great volleyball, honestly,” coach Beth Launiere said. “I don’t think you could have had a better match for TV, and for these guys to just have a great experience.”
The Dallas Pulse players showed out in set one, as Colyer and Maldonado Diaz led their teams and the set with seven points.
Momentum shifted in the second set, with Team Meske leading for all but three points in the set. They led into the first and second media timeouts, eventually claiming a 25-19 game victory.
Team Launiere was limited to a .162 efficiency percentage, while Team Meske hit a match-high .382. Edmond, Luper, and former Valkyrie Azhani Tealer all had five kills for their squads.
“It’s cool to have a familiarity when you walk into a gym,” Tealer said. “There’s some really big places where you walk in and you don’t feel like yourself a little bit. But here, I have lots of really good memories here, and to see the fans kind of crowded for an event, it’s really cool. I’m proud to have played here, for sure.”
Knotted up at 1-1 going into the third and final set, the banked points cancelled out and the game started at 0-0. Early on, Team Launiere were dominating, holding a 15-9 advantage. However, unforced errors allowed Team Meske to get back into the game.
“I think when you’re playing with that high level, both sides, anything can switch on a dime,” Tealer said. “It was a lot of fun, and really, any team could have won that and I wouldn’t have been shocked.”
Four unanswered points from Luper and Edmond tied the set at 17, but Kaz Brown’s kill gave Team Launiere the lead. The lead would not last long, as Team Meske mounted another 4-0 run to put them out in front.
The teams would trade blows, tying at 22 late into the set. Team Meske finished the match on a 3-0 run, including an emphatic block from Valkyries rookie Bre Kelley. Edmond served an ace to end the match, giving the Louisville head coach and his squad the victory.
“It’s cool because [Luper and Maldonado Diaz] have gone from playing for our program to now kind of teaching our program,” Meske said. “The level of play was fantastic today. It was such good volleyball, obviously, it is the best volleyball being played in the United States today. It was super cool for me. That’s the thing that makes me, as a coach, why I keep doing it is watching them continue to improve, because they’re better than when they left, and they continue to improve. It was a really, really cool moment.”
5,380 fans were in attendance for Orlando’s first All-Star game since the 2019 MLS All-Star Game. Youth volleyball players from across Orange and Seminole County were in attendance, cheering for the best volleyball athletes in the U.S.
“[The crowd energy] was super high,” Luper said. “It honestly hasn’t been like that for a while, so I was super glad that it was like that. The younger girls, the cheerleaders who were down at the bottom of the front, were so cute. The sport’s growing, and it’s amazing to see the people that we have beside us.”
“A huge thank you to all the players and all the people that had this come together,” Meske said. “This was a fantastic event and something that’s really important for the sport in our country. It’s a really big deal; it’s a really big day.”
Next up
The Valkyries have a week off before traveling to Atlanta to face Edmond and the Vibe. Atlanta has won both matchups against Orlando in the 2026 season, including a sweep in Gas South Arena last Thursday.
“I think [winning the championship] is my goal, because this is the reason I came here,” Valkyries libero Teodara Pušić said. “They won the title last year, but I came here to make sure that this title stays here.”
First serve is set for 6 p.m on April 4.