Major Moves Set the Stage for a Wide-Open AVP Season
The 2026 AVP season begins with real disruption at the top of both the men’s and women’s fields. The breakup of the 2024 U.S. Olympic pairing of Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, Taylor Crabb aligning with Benesh, and Kelly Cheng partnering with Megan Kraft represent some of the most consequential partnership changes going into the 2026 AVP League season.
These moves aren’t cosmetic. They reflect elite players reassessing fit, roles, and competitive direction after a revealing 2025 season. While every team will still need to qualify (except a few) to earn a spot in the 2026 AVP League, the significance of these new pairings is already reshaping expectations heading into qualification.
Men’s Partnerships
Taylor Crabb & Andy Benesh
This partnership immediately becomes one of the central storylines of the 2026 season.
Taylor Crabb, a five-time AVP Defensive Player of the Year, teams up with 2024 Olympian Andy Benesh following the end of Benesh’s Olympic partnership with Miles Partain. Crabb has been one of the league’s most consistent defenders over the past decade, while Benesh is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best, big men in the United States.
The importance of this pairing lies in the timing and intent. Two established veterans coming off major partnership changes have aligned with clear purpose. If they qualify, this team instantly alters the men’s competitive landscape of the AVP League.
Miles Partain & Paul Lotman
Miles Partain and Paul Lotman reunite after multiple stints playing together between 2018 and 2022, highlighted by an AVP title at the Atlanta Open in 2022. During those seasons, the partnership was an early example of a jump-setting offense later refined by Partain and Andy Benesh at the international level.
Partain enters 2026 coming off a 2025 season where he ranked 3rd in hitting percentage (.513) and led all men in digs per set (3.33). Lotman, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist in indoor volleyball, returns to the AVP qualification circuit after competing with the Austin Aces in 2024 and failing to qualify for the league in 2025.
In addition to their playing history, Lotman has also served as a coach to both Partain and Andy Benesh in recent years, reinforcing the tactical familiarity within this partnership as they work to qualify into the 2026 AVP League.
Ryan Wilcox & Troy Field
Troy Field returns in a new role and a new partnership. Field played for LA Launch in 2024 alongside Tim Bomgren, where the pair split blocking and defensive responsibilities. In 2025, Field partnered with Theo Brunner and narrowly missed league qualification despite being viewed as a strong contender.
In 2026, Field transitions back to a full-time blocking role, something he hasn’t done since 2023. Paired with Ryan Wilcox, this partnership reflects both a reset and a strategic adjustment as Field looks to reestablish himself in the league.
Additional Partnerships
Following the split of the 2025 Austin Aces men’s partnership, both Wyatt Harrison and Avery Drost enter 2026 with new teammates. Harrison now partners with Cody Caldwell, who competed for the Brooklyn Blaze in 2024. Drost, meanwhile, teams up with Tim Bomgren, who played for LA Launch in 2024 alongside Troy Field.
Women’s Partnerships
Kelly Cheng & Megan Kraft
Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft form one of the most significant new partnerships entering 2026. For Cheng, this marks her third partnership in three seasons, following stints with Sara Hughes in 2024 and Molly Shaw in 2025.
Kraft arrives after departing a long-standing partnership with Terese Cannon that began in September 2023. During the 2025 season, Kraft earned Best Server honors, led all women in aces per set, and ranked second in digs per set. Paired with Cheng’s offensive efficiency, this partnership applies immediate pressure from the service line while remaining balanced in sideout and transition.
Geena Urango & Megan J. Rice
Geena Urango enters 2026 as the reigning 2025 AVP MVP, a season defined by consistent offensive efficiency across multiple partnerships. In 2025, Urango was part of the third-highest team hitting percentage partnership with Toni Rodriguez and later the fifth-highest team hitting percentage pairing with Devon Newberry—clear evidence of her ability to elevate her partners and drive offensive efficiency.
Megan J. Rice joins Urango after departing the New York Nitro, where she previously partnered with Corinne Quiggle. The pair finished the 2025 season together, with a 5th-place finish at MBO 2025 and a NORCECA victory in the Dominican Republic. Rice brings high-level athleticism, with the ability to hang and block at the net and terminate aggressively on offense, complementing Urango’s efficiency and range.
Molly Shaw & Toni Rodriguez
Toni Rodriguez competed in just three matches in 2025 after suffering a dislocated shoulder, yet still posted one of the highest hitting efficiencies in the league. When healthy, her offensive production remains among the best on tour.
Molly Shaw brings defensive consistency and the ability to side out at a high level despite her shorter stature. Her ball control and reliability in serve receive give this partnership a stable foundation heading into 2026 AVP League qualification.
Kylie Deberg & Betsi Flint
Kylie Deberg finished the 2025 season ranked third in blocks per set and fourth in aces per set, establishing herself as a consistent presence at the net and from the service line. She now partners with Betsi Flint, who returns after taking time away following the birth of her second child.
Flint is a 2023 Manhattan Beach Open champion and a three-time AVP Best Server. Combined with Deberg’s blocking and serving output, this pairing projects as one of the most aggressive serving teams in the women’s field.
Additional Women’s Partnerships
Devon Newberry and Savvy Simo enter the season with Newberry coming off a strong 2025 campaign, ranking second in blocks per set and contributing to a top-five team hitting percentage after stepping in midseason. Hailey Harward and Xolani Hodel bring defensive stability, with Harward ranking third in digs per set last year. Corinne Quiggle and Chloe Loreen round out the field, with Quiggle finishing top five in digs per set and continuing to anchor the backcourt as the partnership looks to qualify into a deep women’s field.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 season begins not with certainty, but with opportunity. None of these partnerships are guaranteed entry into the AVP League, yet the level of experience, performance, and intent behind these moves underscores how competitive qualification will be on both sides.
As Olympic pairings dissolve, MVPs commit to new directions, and returning veterans reenter the field, the path to the 2026 AVP League promises to be as compelling as the season itself.