Arlington, Texas (May 28, 2024) – Playing in front of their home fans in Arlington, the U.S. Women's National Team began the second round of Volleyball Nations League qualifying with a 3-1 win. (25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 25-20) They beat Canada on Tuesday night.
The U.S. women's team (3-2) will return to the court to face Bulgaria (0-4) on Friday, May 31 at 6pm PST/8pm CST. Canada, which will compete for a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympics based on world rankings, has dropped to 3-2.
Outside hitter Katherine Plummer, making her 2024 VNL debut, recorded a team-high 16 points with 14 kills and two blocks. Outside hitter Jordan Larson (12 points, two blocks, one ace) and opposite Jordan Thompson (13 kills, one block, one ace) each contributed 15 points.
Larson anchored the U.S. defense with 18 digs and four receptions, while Plummer had 13 digs and three receptions.
“I think we're trying to balance that with urgency and calm,” Larson said, “and we're kind of a new crew here, so I think we're adapting and adjusting to each other.”
Middle blockers Dana Rettke and Aszia O'Neal, both making their 2024 VNL debuts, combined for 17 points and five blocks to go with six kills each. Rettke had a team-high three blocks. O'Neal returns to the state where she won back-to-back NCAA championships with the University of Texas.
“It's awesome to come back home and play in front of all the familiar faces and see Texas shirts in the stands. It's a great feeling and it's super satisfying for me,” said O'Neal, who is aware of the pressure of trying to make the Olympic team. “You want something to motivate you every day. I'm glad to have that pressure because it means people expect a lot from you.”
Libero Justine Wong-Orantes had 12 digs and three receptions. Setter Jordyn Poulter led the offense with a .418 hitting percentage.
“We had our hands full (with Canada) tonight,” U.S. coach Karch Kiraly said. “A lot of guys are finishing up at the end of the pro season in Europe, so it was only the fourth day for us… It's going to be a tough battle and we're not always going to come out on top, but that's OK.”
Canada finished with a 59-52 advantage in kills, but the U.S. committed just 11 errors in the match compared to Canada's 33. Outside hitter Alexa Gray led all scorers with 20 kills and 23 points, while teammate Kiera Van Ryk totaled 17 kills and 20 points.
Two kills from Thompson sparked a 4-0 run to give the U.S. its largest lead of the first set, 23-19. Canada fought back with three consecutive points highlighted by an ace from Gray. Another tough serve gave Canada a chance to tie the game, but a strong block from Rettke made it 24-22 and an ace from Thompson ended the set. Plummer led the team with six points in the set with five kills and one block.
With the second set tied at 7-7, the U.S. took control. A back-row attack by Plummer sparked a 7-2 run to take a 14-9 lead and force a Canadian timeout. The momentum stayed with the U.S., who closed out the match with another 7-2 run. Thompson closed out the set with her fifth kill of the match. Plummer and O'Neill each had four points in the second set.
Through the first two sets, the United States committed just three scoring errors, while Canada committed 20.
Canada scored six of the final nine points in the third set to cut the lead to 2-1 at two sets. After making many errors in the first two sets, Canada only made four errors in the third. Gray was the leading scorer in the set with seven points on seven kills. Larson scored three straight points to give the U.S. an 18-16 lead in the third set, but she led the team with six points on five kills and a block.
After trailing for much of the fourth set, Canada retook an 18-17 lead on an ace by Gray, his 23rd point of the match. A kill by Larson, a hitting error and a block by Thompson put the U.S. ahead 20-18. Canada pulled within one on the next point, but the U.S. won five of the six points to seal the match. The team's final four points came from four different players: Thompson, O'Neill, Plummer and Rettke.
The Volleyball Nations League is the world's premier annual international indoor volleyball tournament. The top 16 teams in the world compete in a three-week qualifying tournament, playing four matches per week. The top eight teams at the end of the qualifying tournament advance to the final round.
2024 VNL Week 2 U.S. Women's National Team Players
Number Name (Position, Height, Place of Birth, University, USAV Region)
1 Micah Hancock (S, 5-11, Edmond, Oklahoma, Penn State, Oklahoma)
2 Jordyn Poulter (S, 6-2, Aurora, Colorado, University of Illinois Rocky Mountain College)
3 Avery Skinner (OH, 6-1, Katy, Texas, University of Kentucky and Baylor University, Lone Star)
Four Justin Wong Orantes (L, 5-6, University of Southern California, Cypress, California)
Five Ali Franti (OH, 6-1, Spring Grove, Illinois, Penn State, Great Lakes University)
6 Morgan Hentz (L, 5-9, Lakeside Park, Kentucky, Stanford University, Pioneer)
Ten Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Hooper, Nebraska, University of Nebraska, Great Plains)
12 Jordan Thompson (Opponent: 6-4, Edina, Minnesota, University of Cincinnati, North Country)
15 Haley Washington (MB, 6-3, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Pennsylvania State University, Rocky Mountain College)
16 Dana Rettke (MB, 6-8, Riverside, Illinois, University of Wisconsin-Great Lakes)
18 Asjia O'Neill (MB, 6-3, Southlake, Texas, University of North Texas)
twenty two Katherine Plummer (Ohio State, 6-6; Aliso Viejo, Calif.; Stanford, Southern California)
twenty four Chiaka Ogbogu (MB, 6-2, University of North Texas, Coppell, Texas)
29 Kalia Lanier (OH, 6-2, Scottsdale, AZ, University of Southern California, Arizona)
Head Coach: Kirch Kiraly
Assistant Coach: Tama Miyashiro
Second Assistant Coach: Marv Dunphy, Alfie Left, Erin Virtue
Performance Analyst: Lianne Verhoek
Physiotherapist/Athletic Trainer: Kara Kessens
Team Doctor: Lori Boyajian O'Neill, William Briner, James Scheer
Consultant Coach: Sue Enquist, Katie Stanfill
Team Manager: Corey Pawlikowski
Sports nutritionist: Shawn Hueglin
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Brandon Schiakell
general manager: Peter Vint and John Crowley
2024 U.S. Women's Volleyball Nations League Schedule
The match will be broadcast live and on demand Volleyball World
(All times are PDT)
First week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
May 15: USA beats Thailand 3-1 (25-22, 19-25, 25-12, 25-18)
May 16: China defeats the United States 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19)
May 17: Brazil beats the United States 3-1 (25-22, 25-16, 18-25, 25-19)
May 19: USA defeats Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-18)
Week 2 in Arlington, Texas
May 28: USA defeats Canada 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 25-20)
May 31, 6pm PST/8pm CST USA vs. Bulgaria
June 1, 2:30 PM PST/4:30 PM CST USA vs. Poland
June 2, 1pm PST/3pm CST: USA vs. Turkey
Week 3 in Fukuoka
June 10th, 11:30pm USA vs France
June 12th, 8pm USA vs Netherlands
June 14th, 11:30pm USA vs Italy
June 16th, 2:45am America vs Japan
Final Round: The event will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from June 20th to 23rd.
