The U.S. women’s volleyball team (4-4) dropped to No. 8 in the International Federation of Volleyball rankings after completing week two of the Volleyball Nations League preliminary phase Sunday at College Park Center.
With a No. 4 start in the tournament, the team went 2-2 in the preliminary phase’s second week.
The team continues to experiment with different lineups and remains optimistic that it will travel to week three with its Olympic team, along with alternatives, head coach Karch Kiraly said. With the decision having yet to be made, the team looks forward to an announcement coming in the next few days.
Even though each player is competing for an Olympic spot, the team prides itself on staying connected, setter Micha Hancock said.
“It's not an easy environment to be in every day and it's cutthroat,” Hancock said. “But we're in it for each other as humans.”
As the U.S. team looks to begin week three against France on June 11 in Fukuoka, Japan, to wrap up the preliminary phase, here’s a recap of the weeklong action at College Park Center.
USA vs Bulgaria
Following a two-day rest after their first win against Canada, Team USA returned to the court to kick off three back-to-back games defeating Bulgaria 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-22). Avery Skinner, outside hitter and Baylor University graduate, led scorers with 19 points, 17 kills and 10 digs.
Hancock said both teams created service pressure early to produce a challenging battle, but it was the U.S. team who made the needed adjustments throughout the match to complete the sweep.
Though Bulgaria fell, they managed to outshine the U.S. team in blocks and receptions. Bulgaria’s blocking changes helped them stay hot early in the match, but USA’s talent matched its opponents, Hancock said.
“It's getting out there, getting our feet wet, looking each other in the eye,” Hancock said. “It's one of those things you get through as a team and I think with the talent, it makes it easier and the connection we have with a group of girls like this is nice, but it is new.”
With three back-to-back games, the team prepared for the physical and mental toll, knowing everyone would have each other's backs no matter what, Hancock said.
The team stayed consistent throughout its match and found ways to win, middle blocker Asjia O’Neal said. Bulgaria had its moments of keeping the U.S. team on its toes but it wasn’t enough.
Team USA’s depth presents perks, O’Neal said. Anyone can play at any time and the team trusts one another to work through tough situations.
USA vs Poland
The U.S. women’s team had its hands full Saturday after falling to No. 3 Poland 3-1 (27-29, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25). The last time the two teams met, the results were the same, with Poland taking last year’s bronze medal.
The U.S. team went into Saturday’s match focused on playing the cleanest version of volleyball, O’Neal said. Unfortunately, the team never garnered enough, as they made 27 errors during the match.
“We had some, some positives, some bright spots and also some real disappointments,” Kiraly said. “It was a tough match in the sense that we were very rarely in the lead except late in the third set.”
He said it felt like the team was constantly digging itself out of a hole. Poland’s clean playing leaves the U.S. needing to focus on its details. Kiraly credited the team for adjusting from its slow start halfway through the match.
After a shaky start, outside hitter Kathryn Plummer was subbed out for Skinner, who boosted the U.S. team, giving them their first point of the match. Kiraly said that outside hitter Jordan Larson played a strong game, contributing to helping win set three.
“Every match is different and how we start is often not how we finish,” Kiraly said. “And so we made some decisions on changes to try to help the team score a few more points.”
Third-set changes were noticeable, as neither team led by more than three points. Coming off the bench, middle Haleigh Washington and Skinner gave the team a set victory but could not replicate the success.
USA vs Türkiye
The U.S. team dropped a heartbreaking thriller to No. 1 Türkiye 2-3 (25-21, 20-25, 21-25, 25-12,) on Sunday night. Fans were equally split as pockets of red and white broke out in “Türkiye” chants minutes before first serve. “USA” chants drowned out the Turkish with both teams heard throughout the match.
The U.S. team got off to a hot start when they overcame adversity early in the first set, setting the tone with the first point. Türkiye wasted no time correcting its errors before the second set to take sets two and three, putting the U.S. team back in a hole.
Sunday’s starting lineup mirrored Saturday’s lineup as Plummer was subbed out for Skinner, again, midway through the third set to provide the much-needed boost for the U.S. team.
With frequent lineup changes, trying to build chemistry in the atmosphere led to their shaky start, Hancock said. Sunday’s performance was a battle of emotions but the team found ways to space the ball to play better defense.
“It was a really hard-fought match,” Kiraly said. “I love that both teams were pushing each other and each was making each other uncomfortable and we found some good combinations, and then the wheels kind of fell off the bus.”
Finding combinations that worked better than others pushed the match to five sets, he said. Going forward, the team will focus on the positives leading into week three.
“We have a starting lineup. Ready or not, we're all ready to help each other out,” Hancock said. “Fourteen strong, we always say that.”
Kiraly said Sunday’s match featured a fantastic environment. Fans provided plenty of energy for both teams — an experience that doesn’t often happen in the USA.
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