There will be another familiar face donning a LOVB Madison jersey in its inaugural season.
The club announced Wednesday that former University of Wisconsin volleyball outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara is joining the team. Thomas-Ailara began her collegiate career at Northwestern before transferring to use her final season of eligibility with the Badgers.
But it won't be the first professional experience for Thomas-Ailara. She played 90 sets for the San Diego Mojo in the Pro Volleyball Federation's inaugural season. She had 330 kills and hit .364 with 2.76 digs per set, 0.31 blocks per set and 12 service aces.
She was able to share in the experience with former Badgers outside hitter Grace Loberg, which Thomas-Ailara said, "It's really nice to be a part of that Wisconsin community." She'll have that again with Lauren Carlini who, along with Dana Rettke, will be the first Badgers to represent the United States at the Olympics.
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Playing professionally in the U.S. was a perfect opportunity for Thomas-Ailara as she finishes her master's degree in applied biotechnology from Wisconsin. And she emerged as a star for the Mojo, who finished 13-12.
Temi Thomas-Ailara, who spent her final season of college eligibility at Wisconsin, will play for LOVB Madison in its inaugural season.
“I wanted to play pro volleyball, but I wasn't so sure I'd like it because it’s so different from college,” Thomas-Ailara previously told BadgerExtra. “If I play overseas and I don’t like it over there, then I’m stuck, a 10-hour flight from home. That’s another reason I wanted to stay in the States. And the chance to be in San Diego is something that’s hard to pass up.”
Thomas-Ailara averaged 2.33 kills per set and hit .237 in her lone season at Wisconsin. She added 0.29 blocks per set to contribute to the best blocking team in the country and also had 0.73 digs per set.
Thomas-Ailara was a second team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Volleyball Mag in 2022, her final of four seasons at Northwestern. She was also a three-time all-Big Ten first team pick and on the league's all-freshman team in 2019.
She was an Under Armour All-American her senior season at Chicago Heights Marian Catholic in Illinois and a MaxPreps All-American in 2016. She graduated from Northwestern with a degree in biomedical engineering.
