ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 27, 2022) – The U.S. Women’s National Team is heading into the final preliminary round of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Calgary, Canada, this week with its third different roster of the competition.
The changes in personnel have not hurt the team in the standings. The U.S. Women are in second place at 7-1 (behind Japan at 8-0) and gunning for a spot in the final round on July 13-17 in Ankara, Türkiye (Turkey).
“We’ve been really impressed with how seamless it has been,” U.S. Women’s Head Coach Karch Kiraly said. “Part of that is the great work that people are doing at home during home training. They are staying ready for any opportunities that come up to travel and compete.
“It doesn’t matter which 14 we travel with; our team is doing a really nice job of connecting quickly and establishing nice teamwork.”
Seven Tokyo Olympic gold medalists are on the roster for Calgary, including setter Jordyn Poulter who will compete with the U.S. Women for the first time since 2021. Other Olympians on the roster are setter Micha Hancock, opposites Annie Drews and Jordyn Thompson, outside hitter Kelsey Robinson, middle blocker Haleigh Washington and libero Justin Wong-Orantes.
Filling out the roster are outsides Kara Bajema, Kathryn Plummer and Sarah Wilhite Parsons, middles Tori Dixon, Dana Rettke and Hannah Tapp, and libero Morgan Hentz.
The U.S. Women are ranked No. 1 in the world and are the three-time defending VNL champions as well as reigning Olympic gold medalists. They will play Belgium (3-5), Serbia (5-3), Türkiye (5-3) and Germany (2-6) while in Canada. All VNL matches are being shown in the United States on VolleyballWorld.tv, a subscription service.
“We’re on a pretty good path to qualify for finals week, but there is still plenty of work to do,” Kiraly said. “We’re excited to get that work done and see if we can qualify.”
U.S. Women’s Roster for 2022 VNL Week 3
No. Name (Pos., Ht, Hometown, College, USAV Region)
1 Micha Hancock (S, 5-11, Edmond, Okla., Penn State Univ., Oklahoma)
2 Jordyn Poulter (S, 6-2, Aurora, Colo., Univ. of Illinois, Great Lakes)
3 Kathryn Plummer (OH, 6-6, Aliso Viejo, Calif., Stanford Univ., Southern California)
4 Justine Wong-Orantes (L, 5-6, Cypress, Calif., Univ. of Nebraska, Southern California)
5 Morgan Hentz (L, 5-9, Lakeside Park, Ky., Stanford Univ., Pioneer)
6 Tori Dixon (MB, 6-3, Burnsville, Minn., Univ. of Minnesota, North Country)
8 Hannah Tapp (MB, 6-3, Stewartville, Minn., Univ. of Minnesota, North Country)
11 Annie Drews (Opp, 6-4, Elkhart, Ind., Purdue Univ., Hoosier)
12 Jordan Thompson (Opp, 6-4, Edina, Minn., Univ. of Cincinnati, North Country)
13 Sarah Wilhite Parsons (OH, 6-2, Eden Prairie, Minn., Univ. of Minnesota, North Country)
15 Haleigh Washington (MB, 6-3, Colorado Springs, Colo., Penn State Univ., Rocky Mountain)
16 Dana Rettke (MB, 6-8, Riverside, Ill., Univ. of Wisconsin, Great Lakes)
18 Kara Bajema (OH, 6-2, Lynden, Wash., Univ. of Washington, Pugen Sound)
23 Kelsey Robinson (OH, 6-2, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Univ. of Nebraska, Southern California)
Head Coach: Karch Kiraly
Assistant Coaches: Erin Virtue, Tama Miyashiro, Alfee Reft
Performance Analyst: Brian Hurler
Physical Therapist/Athletic Trainer: Kara Kessans
Consultant Coach: Sue Enquist
Team Manager: Coley Pawlikowski
Sports Dietitian: Shawn Hueglin
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Brandon Siakel
2022 U.S. Women’s VNL Schedule (All times PDT)
Week 1 – Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
May 31-June 5
USA def. Dominican Republic, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-18)
USA def Canada, 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-19)
USA def Brazil, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-18)
Japan def USA, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-20)
Week 2 – Quezon City, Philippines
June 15-19
USA def Bulgaria, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-20)
USA def Poland, 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-16)
USA def China, 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-21)
USA def Thailand, 3-1 (17-25, 25-13, 25-23, 25-18)
Week 3 – Calgary, Canada
Wednesday, June 29
7 p.m. USA vs Belgium
Thursday, June 30
7 p.m. USA vs Serbia
Saturday, July 2
1 p.m. USA vs Turkey
Sunday, July 4
1 p.m. USA vs Germany
Finals: July 13-17 in Ankara, Turkey