photo by: Omaha Supernovas

Toyosi Onabanjo (21) of the Omaha Supernovas high-fives teammates during a Pro Volleyball Federation match against the Orlando Valkyries held at CHI Health Center Omaha, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026 in Omaha, Neb.

After making a deal to merge with the previously existing Pro Volleyball Federation, a new (but very similar) American professional league called Major League Volleyball is two weeks into its 2026 season, and former Kansas volleyball players and coaches are well represented.

This is nothing new for the former PVF, whose inaugural champion in 2024 featured Jayhawks on the roster and the coaching staff.

Laura “Bird” Kuhn is now working as an assistant coach and general manager for the Atlanta Vibe after previously serving as the head coach of the Omaha Supernovas over their first two seasons. The Supernovas won that first championship in 2024 under her guidance and then won the regular-season title in 2025 but lost in the semifinals.

Kuhn spent seven years as an assistant on Ray Bechard’s staff at KU and was the associate head coach on some of the Jayhawks’ most successful teams in 2015 and 2016. She later worked for five seasons as the head coach at Texas A&M.

The Grand Rapids Rise features a pair of former Jayhawks at different stages of their professional careers. Outside hitter Allison Mayfield, who still holds the KU record for career attacks and was responsible for some of the Jayhawks’ best offensive seasons of the modern era, has been playing professionally at various points since 2012 in countries like France, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Peru and Switzerland.

She worked as an assistant coach for several schools, including under Kuhn at A&M, and has continued her playing career in recent years with the Supernovas and the Vegas Thrill. Last season for the Thrill (which is now on hiatus for the 2026 season), she averaged 1.51 kills and 1.49 digs per set.

Setter Camryn Turner, a former Big 12 setter of the year for the Jayhawks and third-round pick of the Rise in the 2024 draft, is in her second season with the team. She posted 7.90 assists per set in 22 matches during her rookie year. She has also worked as an assistant coach for the Washburn volleyball team.

Another distinguished former Jayhawk setter, Ainise Havili, is back for her third overall season playing domestically. Havili, who had her KU jersey retired in 2022 along with former teammate Kelsie Payne, is in her second year with the Indy Ignite. She recorded 76 assists in 31 sets in 2025. During the fall collegiate season, she serves on staff at Butler.

Payne, a seven-year pro, is active elsewhere in MLV. The Texas native, KU’s all-time leader in kills and hitting percentage, has joined the expansion Dallas Pulse after previously playing for the Supernovas and in Athletes Unlimited. She averaged 2.22 kills per set in 2025.

Two recent former Jayhawks, contemporaries on the 2023 team, are still in Omaha. Those would be outside hitter Reagan Cooper, a former PVF rookie of the year with the Columbus Fury in 2024, and middle blocker Toyosi Onabanjo. Both were transfers into KU who had started their careers elsewhere, Cooper at Washington State and Texas Tech and Onabanjo at Iowa.

Cooper had a distinguished 2025 season in Omaha in which she averaged 3.49 kills and 2.17 digs per set. She also represented the United States at the NORCECA Final Six and earned a gold medal and MVP honors last fall, and finished second place in the overall standings at Athletes Unlimited.

Onabanjo, as a rookie in 2025, came on strong late in the year and had a career-high 11 kills and two blocks in the Supernovas’ five-set semifinal loss to Indy. In the fall, she took on a role as a graduate assistant for Kansas City in the Summit League.

The Supernovas’ president and newly minted co-owner, Diane Mendenhall, is also a KU volleyball alumna.

photo by: Atlanta Vibe

Atlanta Vibe assistant coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn helps out in warmups prior to the team’s match against the Omaha Supernovas on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Omaha, Neb.

photo by: Nicolas Carrillo/Grand Rapids Rise

Grand Rapids Rise outside hitter Allison Mayfield takes part in warmups prior to a match against Columbus on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Mich.

photo by: Nicolas Carrillo/Grand Rapids Rise

Grand Rapids Rise setter Camryn Turner sets the ball during a match against Omaha on Friday, May 2, 2025, in Grand Rapids, Mich.

photo by: Indy Ignite

Indy Ignite setter Ainise Havili serves against the Dallas Pulse on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Dallas.

photo by: Dallas Pulse

Dallas Pulse opposite hitter Kelsie Payne exclaims during an open scrimmage on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Dallas.

photo by: Omaha Supernovas

Reagan Cooper of the Omaha Supernovas serves the ball against the Orlando Valkyries during a Pro Volleyball Federation match held at CHI Health Center Omaha, Feb. 27, 2025 in Omaha, Neb.