The American women’s quest to repeat as Olympic champions begins with Game 1 of the Volleyball Nations League.
After spending a short time at a gym in Anaheim, the U.S. squad headed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they played four games. First up is the match against Thailand on Wednesday.
A VNL roster can contain up to 14 players. For the Paris Olympics, teams can have 12 athletes and one official alternate. The US team differs in each of his first three VNL segments.
USA Volleyball has not yet announced the roster, but unofficially the setters are reportedly Jordyn Poulter and Lauren Carlini. Liberos are Justin Wong-Orantes and Zoe Fleck. On the outside are Jordan Larson, Sarah Parsons, sisters Avery and Maddie Skinner, and Ali Franti. In the middle are Kayla Hanelin, Brion Butler, Anna Hall, and Chiaka Ogbogu. And the only opponent is Daniel Cuttino.
Poulter, Wong-Orantes, Larson and Ogbogu were on the team that won gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Other U.S. Gym Olympians not on this roster include setter Micah Hancock, middle Hailey Washington, outsider Kelsey Cook, and opposites Annie Drews and Jordan. Thompson.
What to watch: Poulter will be competing for the first time since undergoing complete knee reconstruction. Larson, Tokyo’s most prominent player, did not play this season, alternating between his role as an assistant coach at Nebraska and training in Anaheim. Fleck and Maddie Skinner were teammates on the Texas team that won the 2022 NCAA title. And the Skinners will represent the sisters on a U.S. team at this level for the first time in a while.
The tournament begins on Tuesday with four matches: Bulgaria vs. Netherlands, Italy vs. Poland in Turkiye, Antalya, China vs. South Korea and Brazil vs. Canada in Rio. This is the USA VNL schedule in Eastern time zone. All matches will be available on Volleyball World TV.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Wednesday, May 15: vs. Thailand, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 16th vs. China, 4:30 p.m.
Friday, May 17: vs. Brazil, 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 19: vs. Dominican Republic, 1 p.m.
Arlington, Texas
Wednesday, May 28: vs. Canada, 8:30 p.m.
Friday, May 31: vs. Bulgaria, 9 p.m.
Saturday, June 1: vs. Poland, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 2: vs. Turkiye, 4 p.m.
Fukuoka Prefecture
Monday, June 10: vs. France, Tuesday 2:30 a.m.
Wednesday, June 12: vs. Netherlands, 11 p.m.
Friday June 14th: vs. Italy, Wednesday 2:30am
Sunday, June 16th vs. Japan, 5:45am
The final round will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from June 20th to 23rd.
Here’s America’s first-round opponents and additional analysis of the rest of the field.
Thailand
Thailand enters 2024 after a lackluster 2023, in which they finished fifth in the Olympic qualifying pool and 14th in the VNL. As hosts of the final, Thailand will be hoping to rediscover the magic that came so close to defeating the United States at the 2022 World Championship.
Thailand’s main attacking weapons, Chathuong Mokthri and Pimpichaya Kokram, have spent the past year in Japan. LOVB signee Piyanat Panoy should be the starting libero.
China
China will be boosted by key returning players, including outside hitters Zhu Ting and Zhang Changning, Tokyo Olympians and Rio gold medalists. Li Yingying is one of the best outside hitters in the world and has been a key part of China’s attack for the past two seasons.
China reached the VNL final for the first time last year, but lost to Turkiye.
China’s attacking line-up will likely be overseen by setter Diao Lingyu, but Rio gold medalist Ding Xia will also be in the conversation. Yuan Xingyue and Wang Yuanyuan are strong middle players. China has defeated the United States in three of its past five matches, including five sets in last year’s VNL.
Brazil
Brazil and the United States form one of the best rivalries in volleyball, determining three of the last four Olympic champions.
Brazil is led by Gabi, one of the best outsiders in the world. Ana Cristina will be looking to make his mark at national team level after missing last season due to injury. Ana Cristina helped his club, his team Fenerbahce, win the last two Turkish leagues. Former Georgia Tech great Julia Bergman will also be competing for a spot. Brazil’s deepest position is middle blocker, with the legendary Taysa returning to the national team last summer and preparing for her final Olympic appearance. She will be paired with Carroll, one of the best blockers in the world, or youngsters Julia Koudies and Diana. There will be competition for the opposite and libero positions.
dominican republic
The Dominican Republic defeated the USA to win the NORCECA Championship last summer, finishing as one of the best teams in the world, then advanced to the Olympic Qualifiers, defeating both Serbia and China to qualify for the Olympics. did. At their best, Queens of the Caribbean can compete with any team in the world.
Outside hitter Braelyn Martinez, middle blocker Gineily Martinez and libero Brenda Castillo are among the best players in the world at their respective positions. Opposite Guyla Gonzalez and middle blocker Geraldine Gonzalez were great. Niverka Marte has been leading the Dominican attack for many years. Setter Ariana Rodriguez, who plays for Miami, will redshirt this NCAA season and participate in the Olympic qualifiers, looking to make her mark.
VNL title candidates
Turkiye won his first VNL title last summer and is the favorite to win the title. The only loss in the 2023 VNL was to America.
Opposite Cuban-born and naturalized Melissa Vargas is a superstar, but Turkiye is a question mark as a setter, and Cansu Ozbay and Elif Şahin have underperformed club seasons. Middle players Zehra Gunes and Eda Erdem were injured during the club season.
Italy will be returning after a year of turmoil. Paola Egonu and Monica De Gennaro have been removed from the VNL squad. As a result, manager Davide Mazzanti was fired and replaced by Julio Velasco. Italy aims to qualify for the Olympics, with Egonu and De Gennaro returning. Ekaterina Antropova will be De Gennaro’s main opponent to Conegliano in the Italian league final and will aim to leave her mark or start in Egonu’s place.
Poland won its first VNL medal last summer, defeating the United States in the bronze medal match. Joanna Worosh is one of the best setters in the world. Opposite Magdalena Stysiak and middle Agnieszka Kornerk are among the best players. On the outside, Olivia Rozanski, Martina Łukasik and Martina Cyrniańska have had ups and downs at the club.
I still want to enroll
Japan needs to qualify for the Olympics in the VNL. Outside, Sarina Koga has been Japan’s best athlete since missing most of the Tokyo Olympics due to injury. Complementing her on the outside is Shinsuke Ishikawa, who spent the past club season in Italy to adjust his game, especially against the big blocks. Manami Kojima, who signed with LOVB, has not previously been Coach Manabe’s preferred option, but she will aim to establish herself as a libero. Airi Miyabe from Minnesota has shifted to the middle position. Setter Nanami Seki will be given a spot test by Tamaki Matsui, a LOVB subscriber.
The Netherlands, Canada and Germany are all close in the FIVB rankings and will be competing for the remaining Olympic spots. Although the Netherlands have the most points, they have not had much success in the VNL. The middle group has formed the strongest group led by Eline Timmermann, Indy Vigens, and Juliette Louis. LOVB signee Laura Digema will be competing for the setting spot with Sarah Van Aalen and Britt Bongaerts.
Canada is trying to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 1996, but will likely need a come-from-behind victory along the way. Canada narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Olympics and advancing to the VNL finals last summer. Outside Alexa Gray (played at BYU) and opposite Keira Van Rik will be Canada’s main offensive weapons. Hawaii’s Emily Maglio and Michigan State’s Jazz White are middles. Bree O’Reilly will be the setter for Canada. Andrea Mitrovic (Arizona State) will compete with Hilary Howe-Johnson for the second outside hitter position, Canada’s most volatile position. Shannon Windsor returns as head coach and remains the only female head coach in the VNL.
Germany, which lost coach Vital Heinen this spring, will need to pull off an upset and find stability. He was replaced by Alexander Weibull, a long-time German league manager. The German national team will be without Hanna Ortmann, who is recovering from an injury. The outside hitting duo of Lina Alsmeyer and Lena Stiegrot will need to step up. LOVB subscriber Anna Pogany will be the starting libero, supported by fellow LOVB subscriber Annie Caesar.
