U.S. Women Use Strong Middle Play to Defeat Argentina at 2025 World Championship

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (August 24, 2025) – The U.S. Women’s National Team clinched a spot in the knockout round of the 2025 FIVB World Championship with a 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-12, 25-17) win over Argentina on Sunday in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

The U.S. (2-0) will conclude pool play competition against Czechia (1-1) on Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. PT.

The U.S. finished with advantages in kills (52-46) and aces (4-3), but it was the block that made the biggest difference as the U.S. totaled 15 blocks to six for Argentina. The U.S. made only 14 errors in the match compared to 27 for Argentina.

“I’m real happy with how we competed,” head coach Erik Sullivan said. “We talked about coming out and getting off on the right foot. In previous matches, especially this summer, we kind of go out and feel it out for a little bit, and let other teams get going. [Tonight] we put some pressure on them right away. It was some of the best volleyball for the longest periods of time that we’ve played.”

Middle blocker Dana Rettke shared the team lead with 15 points on 11 kills, three blocks and an ace. She hit .786 for the match with her 11 kills and no errors on 14 attacks. Middle Chiaka Ogbogu led all players with five blocks, adding eight points and an ace for 14 points. She hit .539 for the match with just one error.

Outside hitter Sarah Franklin led the U.S. with 13 kills, finishing with 15 points with a block and an ace. She also shared the team lead with libero Morgan Hentz with 14 digs.

Hentz, who made multiple spectacular plays, led the squad with eight successful receptions, and Franklin added six.

Outside Avery Skinner totaled 13 points on 11 kills and two blocks. She also reached double digits in digs with 10 and finished with six successful receptions.

Playing for the majority of the match, setter Jordyn Poulter contributed a kill, block and ace while leading the offense to a .360 hitting efficiency percentage. Opposite Madi Skinner scored seven points on five kills and two blocks. Fellow opposite Stephanie Samedy added four points on three kills and a block, one of seven U.S. players to record a block.

Three early kills by Rettke combined with a block and kill each by Ogbogu and Avery Skinner staked the U.S. to a 12-9 lead in the first set. Rettke scored again on a slide to give the U.S. a 20-12 lead. An Avery Skinner kill pushed the advantage to double digits, 23-13. Rettke finished the set with five kills on five attacks. The U.S. hit .500 in the set with 15 kills and only one error in 28 total attacks.

Strong serving and a block sparked a 6-2 Argentina run to begin the second set. The U.S. responded with an 8-3 run to take the lead. Avery Skinner tied the set on a back row attack and Rettke scored on an overpass for an 11-10 lead. Rettke scored back-to-back points on a kill and an ace for the first two-point lead of the set for the U.S., 13-11.

Argentina used an ace and block on consecutive points to even the set at 16. With the set tied at 19, Argentina used a 3-1 mini-run to take the lead for good as the teams exchanged points the rest of the set. Rettke scored five points on four more kills and an ace. Through two sets, Rettke totaled nine kills on nine attacks.

“I didn’t think we lost the second set necessarily because we did a bunch of poor things,” Sullivan said. “I thought Argentina played really well; they hit their way out of some tough situations, took some nice high, flat swings. I thought we made a great adjustment, especially with their opposite (Bianca Cugno) of kind of getting low and over on her; not getting so reach-y, and she hit a couple of balls over us and out.”

Consecutive blocks by Ogbogu staked the U.S. to a 9-4 advantage early in the third set. An Argentina timeout was unable to stem the momentum as the U.S. scored the next seven points, including a Poulter ace off the tape, an Avery Skinner block, and a Madi Skinner kill that raised the lead to 10 points. After another Argentina timeout, Ogbogu recorded a block and kill on the next two points for a 16-4 lead.

A Rettke block ended a rally that featured Hentz setting from a seated position to give the U.S. a 20-9 lead. Ogbogu scored seven points in the set on four blocks and three kills.

Franklin scored twice to give the U.S. a 4-1 lead to open the third set. Poulter registered the team’s 13th block of the match for a 6-3 advantage, and a hitting error gave the U.S. a four-point lead. The U.S. doubled up Argentina, 10-5, on a Madi Skinner kill. After an Ogbogu kill made it 14-9, Argentina scored the next three points to close the gap to two points.

A big swing from Franklin pushed the lead back to five points, 18-13. Another great dig by Hentz led to an Avery Skinner kill for match point. The double block of Samedy and Ogbogu ended the match with the team’s 15th block.

U.S. Women’s VNL Finals Roster

No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
2 Jordyn Poulter (S, 6-2, Aurora, Colo., Illinois, Rocky Mountain)
3 Avery Skinner (OH, 6-1, Katy, Texas, Kentucky, Lone Star)
5 Ali Frantti (OH, 6-1, Spring Grove, Ill., Penn State, Great Lakes)
6 Morgan Hentz (L, 5-9, Lakeside Park, Ky., Stanford Univ., Pioneer)
7 Lexi Rodriguez (L, 5-5, Sterling, Ill., Univ. of Nebraska Great Lakes)
9 Madisen Skinner (OPP, 6-2, Katy, Texas, Univ. of Kentucky and Univ. of Texas, Lone Star)
13 Amber Igiede (MB, 6-3, Baton Rouge, La., Univ. of Hawaii, Delta)
16 Dana Rettke (MB, 6-8, Riverside, Ill., Univ. of Wisconsin, Great Lakes)
22 Sarah Franklin (OH, 6-4, Lake Worth, Fla., Univ. of Wisconsin, Florida)
24 Chiaka Ogbogu (MB, 6-2, Coppell, Texas, Univ. of Texas, North Texas)
25 Tia Jimerson (MB, 6-3, Sugar Hill, Ga., Univ. of Ohio, Southern)
32 Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres (S, Honolulu, Hawaii, Univ. of Texas, Aloha)
33 Logan Eggleston (OH, 6-2, Brentwood, Tenn., Univ. of Texas, Southern)
34 Stephanie Samedy (OPP, 6-2, Clermont, Fla., Minnesota, Florida)

Coaches
Head Coach: Erik Sullivan
Assistant Coach: Mike Wall
Second Assistant Coach: Brandon Taliaferro
Second Assistant Coach: Tayyiba Haneef-Park
Second Assistant Coach: Joe Trinsey
Team Manager: Rob Browning
Team Doctors: William Briner, James Suchy, Chris Lee, Andrew Gregory
Physiotherapist: Kara Kessans
Dietitian: Shawn Hueglin
Physical Trainer: Shannon Boone
Mental Performance Coach: Katy Stanfill
Performance Analyst: Virginia Pham
Technical Coordinator: Blake Omaritan
Team Leader: Shannon Slatter

U.S. Schedule

Pool Play-All times Pacific
Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
Aug. 22: USA def. Slovenia, 3-1 (25-23, 17-25, 25-22, 25-14)
Aug. 24: USA def. Argentina, 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-12, 25-17)
Aug. 26: USA vs. Czechia, 5:30 a.m.

Playoffs
Bangkok, Thailand
Round of 16, Aug. 29-Sept. 1, TBA