Twelve Girls U19 Players Headed to 2023 World Champs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 28, 2023) – USA Volleyball has selected 12 athletes to compete at the FIVB Girls U19 World Championship on August 1-11 in Osijek, Croatia, and Szeged, Hungary.

The team has been training at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs since July 22 and will leave for Europe on Saturday.

Four players return from the 2023 Girls U19 Team that won the Pan American Cup earlier this year in Puerto Rico: outside hitters Teraya Sigler and Abby Vander Wal, middle blocker Jaela Auguste and libero Ava Falduto. Falduto was named Best Receiver at the Pan Am Cup.

Setter Charlie Fuerbringer and opposite Abigail Mullen return from the team that won the 2022 Girls U19 Pan American Cup and qualified for the World Championship. Fuerbringer was named to that team but did not compete due to illness.

Middle blocker Ayden Ames, libero Olivia Mauch and outside hitter Emerson Sellman were alternates for the 2022 team.

Newcomers to the U19 National Team roster are middle blocker Favor Anyanwu, setter Campbell Flynn and outside hitter Becca Kelley.

Jamie Morrison, who coached the 2022 team to the Pan American Cup win, will serve as the team’s head coach. He will be assisted by Michelle Chatman Smith and Maggie Eppright.

“In my three years, this is probably the most physical version of this team that we have had,” Morrison said. “I think that’s one of the strengths. I think it shows up in the block and defense quite a bit.

“This group has done an amazing job of becoming a team in a short amount of time.”

The U.S. Girls U18 Team (coached by Morrison) took bronze at the last World Championship in 2021 (the FIVB raised the age to U19 the following year), beating Serbia in the third-place match. U.S. teams won gold at the 2019 World Championship and silver in 2015.

There are 24 teams from around the world competing at the World Championship. The U.S. Girls U19 Team will open the World Championship with a match against Korea in Osijek, Croatia. They will go on to play Japan, Mexico, Poland and Serbia.

“I always look forward to these young women getting to play against different national teams and the different styles and personalities,” Morrison said. “This unit is 26 people committed to a goal… This was the hardest roster decision I think we’ve made. We’re thinking about the other seven people as much as the 12 who are traveling.”

U.S. Girls U19 Roster for the 2023 FIVB World Championship

Name (Position, Height, Birth Year, Hometown, School, USAV Region)
2 Jaela Auguste (MB, 6-2, 2006, Spring, Texas, Grand Oaks HS, Lone Star)
3 Charlie Fuerbringer (S, 5-11, 2006, Hermosa Beach, Calif., Mira Costa HS, Southern California)
4 Ayden Ames (MB, 6-4, 2006, Prosper, Texas, Prosper HS, North Texas)
5 Favor Anyanwu (MB, 6-2, 2006, Rowlett, Texas, Sachse HS, North Texas)
6 Campbell Flynn (S, 6-3, 2006, Rochester Hills, Mich., Mercy HS, Lakeshore)
9 Ava Falduto (L, 5-7, 2006, Elmhurst, Ill., IC Catholic Prep, Great Lakes)
11 Becca Kelley (OH, 6-3, 2005, Rockwall, Texas, University of Oregon, North Texas)
12 Olivia Mauch (L, 5-6, 2005, Bennington, Neb., Bennington HS, Great Plains)
13C Emerson Sellman (OH, 6-4, 2005, Burtonsville, Md., The Academy of the Holy Cross, Chesapeake)
15 Abigail Mullen (Opp, 6-3, 2006, Kansas City, Mo., Liberty HS, Heart of America)
17 Teraya Sigler (OH, 6-2, 2006, Horizon HS, Scottsdale, Ariz., Arizona)
19 Abby Vander Wal (OH, 6-3, 2006, Elmhurst, Ill., Timothy Christian HS, Great Lakes)

Head Coach: Jamie Morrison
Assistant Coach: Michelle Chatman Smith
Assistant Coach: Maggie Eppright
Performance Analyst: Kyle Thompson
ATC: Chris Cornell
Team Lead: Jon Wong

Alternates
1 Lizzy Andrew (MB, 6-5, 2005, Ridgefield, Wash., Ridgefield HS, Columbia Empire)

7 Carly Gilk (OPP, 6-2, 2006, Brooklyn Park, Minn., Champlin Park HS, North Country)
8 Kaci Demaria (OH, 6-4, 2007, San Pedro, Calif., Palos Verdes HS, Southern California)
10 Noemie Glover (Opp, 6-2, 2005, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., University of Oregon, Southern California)
14 Skyler Pierce (OH, 6-2, 2005, Lenexa, Kan., Olathe Northwest HS, Heart of America)
16 Cari Spears (OH, 6-3, 2007, Dallas, Texas, Prestonwood Christian Academy, North Texas)
18 Izzy Starck (S, 6-1, 2006, Melbourne, Fla., Viera HS, Rocky Mountain)

U.S. Schedule for the 2023 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship
Matches will be shown on the Volleyball World YouTube channel
All times PDT
Aug. 1: at 6 a.m. USA vs Korea
Aug. 2: at 6 a.m. USA vs Japan
Aug. 3: at 6 a.m. USA vs Mexico
Aug. 5: at 12 p.m. USA vs Poland
Aug. 6: at 8 a.m. USA vs Serbia
Aug. 7: Round of 16 and classification matches
Aug. 9: Quarterfinals and classification matches
Aug. 10: Semifinals and classification matches
Aug. 11: Finals