U.S. Defeats Thailand to Stay Unbeaten at 2026 Girls U17 Worlds

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 10, 2026) – The U.S. Girls U17 National Team won its fourth match in a row at the 2026 FIVB Girls U17 World Championship with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-16) win over Thailand on Monday in Santiago, Chile.

The U.S. (4-0) faces Czechia (3-0) in a key preliminary round matchup tomorrow at 11 a.m. PT.

The U.S. finished with large margins in kills (39-21) and blocks (12-4), while also recording four more service aces (9-5).

Outside hitter Julia Masselink served five aces in the opening set and finished with a match-high 17 points with 11 kills and a block. Outside Peyton Smith totaled 12 points on eight kills, a block and three aces. Opposite Kari Knotts also posted double-digits with 11 points on 10 kills and a block. Libero Brynli Burgess finished with 11 digs, followed by Smith with nine, Knotts with five and Masselink with four.

Middle blocker Maija Mortensen shared match-high honors with three blocks and delivered six kills for nine points. Middle Madison Middleton recorded three kills and two blocks for five points. Setter Ellie Enger led the U.S. offense to a .312 hitting efficiency percentage, while also sharing match-high honors with three blocks and adding a block for four points. Kaya Young contributed a block and an ace.

A Masselink kill gave the U.S. a 5-1 lead and another 5-1 run pushed the lead to 12-4. Mortensen scored twice in the later run with a block and a kill on a slide while Masselink served two aces. A second Thailand timeout did not stop the momentum with four more points pushing the advantage to 16-4 on a fifth Masselink ace. A Smith ace put the U.S. ahead 21-9. A Masselink kill gave the U.S. set point at 24-10 and two points later, Knotts kept a rally alive with a one-hand ball over the net and finished the set on a crosscourt kill. Masselink scored seven points on two kills and her five aces.

A block gave Thailand a 6-2 lead in the second set. Knotts and Masselink scored to cut the lead to two, but Thailand went up 9-4 with an ace capping a three-point stretch. Three Smith kills helped draw the U.S. within four points, 13-9, before three more Thailand points raised the margin to seven. A block by Knotts marked the third consecutive U.S. point that cut the lead to four points, 16-12. Knotts appeared to have a kill on the next rally, but a pancake dig led to a Thailand point. The U.S. scored the next two points with a hitting error cutting the deficit to three points and prompting a Thailand timeout.

Back-to-back Mortensen blocks tied the set at 17 apiece. Blocks by Enger and Mortensen gave the U.S. a 21-18 advantage. Mortensen scored off the block for a 22-19 lead. Blocks by Middleton and Enger put the U.S. ahead 24-20. Thailand scored the next point and tried to put down an overpass, but Masselink saved it with a one-arm dig and an eventual hitting error by Thailand ended the set. The U.S. finished with 10 blocks in the set, three by Enger and two from Mortensen. Smith led the team with five points on four kills and a block.

A Knotts kill off the block put the U.S. ahead 5-0 to start the third set and force an early Thailand timeout. Smith’s serving run continued for three more points with another Mortensen kill raising the score to 8-0. Thailand responded with a 7-3 run to cut the lead in half. An Enger setter dump put the U.S. ahead 14-8. Mortensen scored on an overpass for a 16-9 advantage. Knotts scored back-to-back points, the second off an overset, and Masselink put away an overpass for a 20-13 U.S. lead. A Middleton kill put the U.S. up 23-14 and a Masselink kill set up match point. Middleton scored on a slide to seal the victory. Knotts led the team with five kills and Masselink added four.

2026 U.S. Girls U17 National Team Roster for World Championship

No., Name (Position, Height, Hometown, School, USAV Region)
3 Lexi Coleman  (PIN, 6-0, Northville, Mich., South Lyon East HS, Lakeshore)
5 Kaelyn Easton (S, 5-11, Saline, Mich., Mercy HS, Lakeshore)
6 Ellie Enger (S, 6-1, Forest City, Fla., Orangewood Christian HS, Florida)
7 Madlen Gloessner (MB, 6-5, Denver, Colo., Lakewood HS, Rocky Mountain)
8 Kari Knotts (PIN, 6-3, Marietta, Ga., The Lovett School, Southern)
9 Grace Hengler (L, 5-6, Frisco, Texas, Coram Deo Academy, North Texas)
11 Taylor Johnson (PIN, 6-0, Plano, Texas, Hebron HS, North Texas)
13 Julia Masselink (PIN, 6-2, Sioux Falls, S.D., Harrisburg HS, North Country)
15 Madison Middleton (MB, 6-1, Roswell, Ga., St. Francis HS, Southern)
16 Maya Ogbogu (PIN, 6-0, Parker, Texas, Allen HS, North Texas)
19 Brynli Burgess (L, 5-9, Van Alstyne, Texas, McKinney North HS, North Texas)
24 Maija Mortensen (MB, 6-3, Draper, Utah, Corner Canyon HS, Intermountain)
26 Peyton Smith (PIN, 6-0, Arlington, Texas, Duncanville HS, North Texas)
28 Kaya Young (MB, 6-3, Rockville, Md., Kaiserslautern HS)

Coaches

Head Coach: Heather Olmstead (NTDP)
Assistant Coach: Amir Lugo-Rodriguez (SC Rockstar/Long Beach State men’s volleyball)
Assistant Coach: Laura “Bird” Kuhn (MLV)
Performance Analysts: Joe Skinner (Texas A&M – domestic leg), Peter Wong (Halton Region Volleyball Club – international leg)
Athletic Trainer/Team Doctor: Madison Hauge (domestic leg), Chris Cornell (Coduhi Clinic – international leg)
Team Lead: Alex Purvey (NTDP)

Schedule
All times PT
Matches are on Volleyball World YouTube

August 6: USA def. Egypt, 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-17)
August 7: USA def. Türkiye, 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-16)
August 8: USA def. Chile, 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-19)
August 10: USA def. Thailand, 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-16)
August 11: USA vs. Czechia, 11 a.m.
August 12: Round of 24 and Round of 16
August 14: Quarterfinals and Playoffs
August 15: Semifinals and Playoffs
August 16: Medal matches and Playoffs