For the first time ever, the United States will host the women’s Volleyball Nations League 2023 Final Round on July 12-16 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. As the host nation, the women’s U.S. team automatically qualifies for the final round and will play host to seven more of the world’s top teams for the championship.
The U.S. Women are the reigning Olympic champions and ranked No. 4 in the world. They have won the VNL three times (2018, 2019, 2021) since its inception in 2018.
For the selected players, being a part of Team USA in the prestigious VNL is a remarkable achievement, but it gets even better as they will go on to compete with the other top 15 teams in the world in an eight-week international volleyball extravaganza that began May 30.
Fourteen players from the roster of 30 will be selected to travel to each week’s preliminary round matches. Eight Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalists return to the U.S. roster for 2023 led by outside hitter Jordan Larson, a three-time Olympian who was the MVP in Tokyo.
Among the newest talents added to this year’s team is Ali Frantti who made her international debut at the 2022 VNL. Joining the list of players to keep an eye on is Olympic champion & 2019 VNL MVP Annie Drews. The team is led by Head Coach Karch Kiraly, a three-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist as a player who took over as head coach of the U.S. Women in 2013.
The full match schedule is available on Volleyball Nations League . All matches will be live streamed on VB.TV throughout the competition. Get tickets for the final round in Arlington, TX at tickets.volleyballworld.com/arlington.
Here’s the U.S. Women’s Preliminary Roster for 2023 VNL:
No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
1 Micha Hancock (S, 5-11, Edmond, Okla., Penn State Univ., Oklahoma)
3 Kendall White (L, 5-5, Zionsville, Ind., Penn State, Hoosier)
4 Justine Wong-Orantes (L, 5-6, Cypress, Calif., Univ. of Nebraska, Southern California)
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 Lauren Carlini (S, 6-2, Aurora, Ill., Univ. of Wisconsin, Great Lakes)
8 Brionne Butler (MB, 6-4, Kendleton, Texas, Univ. of Texas, Lone Star)
10 Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Hooper, Neb., Univ. of Nebraska, Great Plains)
11 Annie Drews (Opp, 6-4, Elkhart, Ind., Purdue Univ., Hoosier)
12 Jordan Thompson (Opp, 6-4, Edina, Minn., Univ. of Cincinnati, North Country)
14 Anna Stevenson (MB, 6-2, Laurens S.C., Univ. of Louisville, Palmetto)
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, Puget Sound)
19 Jenna Gray (S, 6-1, Shawnee, Kan., Stanford Univ., Heart of America)
20 Danielle Cuttino (Opp, 6-4, Indianapolis, Ind., Purdue, Hoosier)
21 Simone Lee (OH, 6-1, Menomonee Falls, Wis., Penn State, Badger)
22 Kathryn Plummer (OH, 6-6, Aliso Viejo, Calif., Stanford, Southern California)
23 Kelsey Robinson (OH, 6-2, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Univ. of Nebraska, Southern California)
24 Chiaka Ogbogu (MB, 6-2, Coppell, Texas, Univ. of Texas, North Texas)
25 Brooke Nuneviller (OH, 5-11, Chandler, Ariz., Univ. of Oregon, Arizona)
26 Asjia O’Neal (MB, 6-3, Southlake, Texas, Univ. of Texas, North Texas)
27 Avery Skinner (OH, 6-1, Katy, Texas, Baylor, Lone Star)
28 Ashley Evans (S, 6-1, Liberty Township, Ohio, Purdue, Ohio Valley)
29 Khalia Lanier (OH, 6-2, Scottsdale, Ariz., Univ. of Southern California, Arizona)
30 Danielle Hart (MB, 6-4, Virginia Beach, Va., Univ. of Wisconsin, Old Dominion)
31 Roni Jones-Perry (OH, 6-0, West Jordan, Utah, BYU, Intermountain)
34 Stephanie Samedy (Opp, 6-2, Clermont, Fla., Univ. of Minnesota, Florida)
35 Tori Dilfer-Stringer (S, 5-11, Los Gatos, Calif., Univ. of Louisville, Northern California)
36 Madeleine Gates (MB, 6-3, San Diego, Calif., Stanford, Southern California)
Finn Taylor, Volleyball World CEO, said: “American volleyball fans will have a chance to see the world’s best players and national teams take on team USA in what will surely be some of the best international volleyball played anywhere on the planet this year. We can’t wait to showcase the global superstars of volleyball for our fans in America and around the world”.
About Volleyball World
Volleyball World is a new partnership, between the FIVB and CVC Capital Partners, aimed at driving growth, innovation, and investment in volleyball around the globe. Its goal is to create an integrated ecosystem connecting all volleyball stakeholders (fans, athletes, corporate partners) together through both digital and live events. Volleyball World is responsible for the commercial operation of key volleyball and beach volleyball international events, including: the World Championships, Volleyball Nations League, Olympic Qualifiers and Beach Pro Tour.
About Volleyball Nations League
The Volleyball Nations League (VNL) is an annual international men’s and women’s volleyball competition organized by Volleyball World and launched in 2018. The league features the world’s top national teams competing in pools across numerous weeks in iconic cities around the world. The top teams advance to the VNL Finals which always feature fierce competition and electric crowds wowed by the very best of live volleyball action. The VNL promises to bring the best live sport to volleyball’s most passionate and biggest communities.