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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 13, 2026) – Six Olympians are on the 2026 U.S. Women’s National Team long-list roster for this year’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL), as the squad gears up for a big season just two years out from the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
The VNL brings together the world’s top 18 teams for three action-packed weeks of preliminary play, with each team competing in four matches per week. Only the top eight teams will earn a spot in the Final Round, where a VNL title will be on the line.
From the long list, U.S. coaches will select 14 athletes to compete at each of the three preliminary round stops: Quebec City, Quebec (June 3-6), Philippines (June 16-20), and Osaka, Japan (July 7-11).
“We’re excited about this roster and what it represents for our program as we build toward LA 2028,” head coach Erik Sullivan said. “We have six Olympians in this group, and they will bring invaluable experience and composure to every training session. At the same time, we’ve got a deep group of athletes who have proven themselves in past VNLs and NORCECA events, and that creates exactly the kind of competitive gym we want. VNL is a grind against the best teams in the world, and we’ll learn a lot about ourselves, but we believe this roster has the balance, depth and resilience to take another step forward this summer.”
Olympians Chiaka Ogbogu, Jordyn Poulter, Dana Rettke and Avery Skinner return from the 2025 season, and this year they are joined by Olympians Micha Hancock and Jordan Thompson, who both took the 2025 national team season off.
Besides the Olympians, 15 athletes on the roster have competed in previous VNLs: setters Rachel Fairbanks and Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres; liberos Morgan Hentz and Lexi Rodriguez; middles Anna Dodson, Anna Hall, Molly McCage and Asjia O’Neal; outside hitters Kara (Bajema) Hallock, Logan Eggleston, Sarah Franklin and Simone Lee-Wank; and opposites Olivia Babcock, Stephanie Samedy and Madi Skinner.
Several athletes have competed for the senior U.S. National Team in NORCECA events: liberos Elena Oglivie and Elena Scott; setter Kami Miner; middle Sami Francis; outside hitters Claire Hoffman and Madi Kubik-Banks; and opposite Kendall Kipp.
Outside hitters Caitie Baird and Torrey Stafford are making their debut on the senior national team roster.
Head coach Erik Sullivan, who is in his second year coaching the U.S. Women’s National Team, is assisted by Tayyiba Haneef-Park, Brandon Taliaferro and Rob Browning.
The U.S. Women finished 7-5 in 2025 VNL preliminary play and advanced to the VNL Finals, losing to Italy in the quarters. They have won the VNL three times (2018, ’19, ’21) since its inception in 2018. In 2024, they lost in the quarterfinals to eventual Olympic champion Italy.
Many of these athletes will participate in the Red-Blue Scrimmage on Wednesday, May 20, at 7 p.m., at Mira Costa HS in Manhattan Beach, California. Get your tickets now.
U.S. Women’s Preliminary Roster for 2026 VNL
No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
1 Micha Hancock (S, 5-11, Edmond, Okla., Penn State, Oklahoma)
2 Jordyn Poulter (S, 6-2, Aurora, Colo., Univ. of Illinois, Rocky Mountain)
3 Avery Skinner (OH, 6-1, Katy, Texas, Univ. of Kentucky, Lone Star)
5 Kendall Kipp (OPP, 6-5, Newport Beach, Calif., Stanford, Southern California Southern Nevada)
6 Morgan Hentz (L, 5-9, Lakeside Park, Ky., Stanford, Pioneer)
7 Asjia O’Neal (MB, 6-3, Southlake, Texas, Univ. of Texas, North Texas)
8 Lexi Rodriguez (L, 5-5, Sterling, Ill., Univ. of Nebraska Great Lakes)
9 Madisen Skinner (OH, 6-2, Katy, Texas, Univ. of Kentucky and Univ. of Texas, Lone Star)
10 Simone Lee-Wank (OH, 6-1, Menomonee Falls, Wisc., Penn State, Badger)
11 Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres (S, 6-0 Honolulu, Hawaii, Univ. of Texas, Aloha)
12 Jordan Thompson (OPP, 6-4, Edina, Minn., Univ. of Cincinnati, North Country)
14 Anna Hall (MB, 6-2, Laurens, S.C., Univ. of Louisville, Palmetto)
15 Rachel Fairbanks (S, 6-0, Tustin, Calif., Pitt, Southern California Southern Nevada)
16 Dana Rettke (MB, 6-8, Riverside, Ill., Univ. of Wisconsin, Great Lakes)
17 Kami Miner (S, 6-0, Redondo Beach, Calif., Stanford, Southern California Southern Nevada)
18 Elena Scott (L, 5-10, Louisville, Ky., Univ. of Louisville, Pioneer)
19 Elena Oglivie (L, 5-9, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford, Aloha)
21 Claire Hoffman (OH, 6-0, Pleasant Hill, Ore., Univ. of Washington, Columbia Empire)
22 Sarah Franklin (OH, 6-4, Lake Worth, Fla., Univ. of Wisconsin, Florida)
24 Chiaka Ogbogu (MB, 6-4, Coppell, Texas, Univ. of Texas, North Texas)
25 Kara Hallock (OH, 6-2, Lyndon, Wash., Univ. of Washington, Puget Sound)
26 Anna Dodson (MB, 6-3, Fort Collins, Colo., UCLA, Rocky Mountain)
27 Madi Kubik-Banks (OH, 6-4, West Des Moines, Iowa, Univ. of Nebraska, Iowa)
29 Molly McCage (MB, 6-3, Spring, Texas, Univ. of Texas, Lone Star)
33 Logan Eggleston (OH, 6-1, Brentwood, Tenn., Univ. of Texas, Southern)
34 Stephanie Samedy (OPP, 6-2, Clermont, Fla., Univ. of Minnesota, Florida)
35 Olivia Babcock (OPP, 6-4, Los Angeles, Calif., Pitt, Southern California)
44 Torrey Stafford (OH, 6-1, Torrance, Calif., Univ. of Texas, Southern California Southern Nevada)
77 Sami Francis (MB, 6-6, San Diego, Calif., Stanford, Southern California Southern Nevada)
99 Caitie Baird (6-3, OH, Indianapolis, Ind., Stanford, Hoosier)
Head Coach: Erik Sullivan
Assistant Coach: Tayyiba Haneef-Park
Assistant Coach: Brandon Taliaferro
Assistant Coach: Rob Browning
Statistician: Virginia Pham
Physiotherapist: Kara Kessans
Physical Trainers: Shannon Boone, Shawn Hueglin
Mental Performance Coach: Nicole Davis
Team Doctors: Lori Boyajian-O’Neill, James Suchy, Chris Koutures, Mark Hutchinson
Team Manager: Shannon Slatter
U.S. Women’s Schedule for the 2026 Volleyball Nations League
Matches will be shown live and on-demand on VBTV.
(All times PDT)
Week 1: Quebec City, Quebec
June 3 at 8 a.m. vs. Ukraine
June 4 at 5 p.m. vs. Canada
June 5 at 5 p.m. vs. France
June 7 at 11:30 a.m. vs. Germany
Week 2: Philippines
June 16 at 9 p.m. vs. Dominican Republic
June 18 at 1 a.m. vs. Czechia
June 20 at 1 a.m. vs. Italy
June 20 at 9 p.m. vs. Serbia
Week 3: Osaka, Japan
July 7 at 11:30 p.m. vs. Thailand
July 7 at 9 p.m. vs. Poland
July 9 at 9 p.m. vs. Türkiye
July 11 at 8 p.m. vs. Brazil
The U.S. completed its undefeated run through the 2026 Women’s Final Six by taking the gold medal with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-22) victory over host Mexico on Sunday in Zinacantepec.
The U.S. Women’s National Team continued its unbeaten streak at the 2026 Final Six with a 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 25-17, 25-21) victory over Cuba in the semifinals on Saturday in Zinacantepec, Mexico.
The U.S. Women’s National Team finished preliminary round play undefeated after a 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-21, 25-13) win over Puerto Rico on Friday in Zinacantepec, Mexico.
The U.S. Women’s National Team remained unbeaten at the 2026 NORCECA Final Six with a heart-pounding 3-1 victory over host Mexico, 3-1 (25-27, 25-19, 25-23, 28-26) in Zinacantepec.
The U.S. Women's National Team battled back after losing the third set to defeat the Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-19, 25-20, 23-25, 27-25) at the 2026 NORCECA Final Six in Zinacantepec, Mexico.
