The final leg of the Women’s Volleyball Nations League preliminary phase began as Team USA took to the stage with five other national teams set to play Wednesday through Sunday at College Park Center. To begin the tournament in Arlington, the VNL opened day one with a 3-2 win by No. 7 Germany over No. 15 Canada. After a disheartening 3-1 finish to start the preliminary phase in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Team USA bounced back with a 3-1 overall in week two at Belgrade, Serbia. The team has returned to home soil with an No. 8 standing to kick off week three. Team USA opened this week with a 3-1 win over No. 17 Thailand in the final match of the tournament’s first day at 7:30 p.m. at College Park Center. The victory marked the team’s third straight win in the tournament. Team USA has undergone significant roster changes and additions to the tournament team, with 10 week one VNL debuts and four returning players. “I think the players are getting more comfortable on the competition court,” said Erik Sullivan, Team USA head coach. “The systems that we’ve put in place and been working on for the last month, month and a half, are starting to tighten up and be better.” The first three sets were tightly contested, but Team USA maintained the upper hand and found steady momentum, leading for most of the match. The team held a clear size advantage over Thailand and used it to their benefit throughout the series. Blocked spikes and hard-driven serves helped set the team up for success, but Thailand stayed within reach using set pieces and coordinated plays to keep pressure on USA. “They run a very fast and complex offense, which when they’re in system can be really hard to defend,” Team USA libero Lexi Rodriguez said. “I think it took us the first two sets to adjust to their speed, their style of play and it tests you to be a little bit more disciplined and patient.” Thailand took the second set, but USA held off a late rally to win the third. With momentum on its side, Team USA closed out the match in dominant fashion, taking the fourth set 25-15. The team held at least a seven-point lead throughout the latter half of the final frame and had two 4-0 runs. Team USA setter Jordyn Poulter said Thailand is a scrappy and unique team to face. She called the victory a “total team win” and said she was proud of the team’s ability to stay composed and not get caught up in the opponent’s style of play. The tournament will continue with Team USA facing off against No. 11 Dominican Republic at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at College Park Center. The U.S. will play two more matches to close out the women’s preliminary phase, facing Canada at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and No. 6 China at 7 p.m. Sunday. All games are available to stream on VBTV. @kaleivie_

The Dallas Wings (6-13) secured a dominant 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury (12-6) on Thursday at packed College Park Center. The match marked a two game win streak for the Wings, coming off a 79-71 victory over the Mystics. It was also the team’s fourth home game win. On Thursday, Wings guard Paige Bueckers was named June’s Rookie of the Month. She averaged 21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.7 steals. Additionally, Bueckers was named a starter for the WNBA All-Star Game alongside former No. 1 overall pick and this year’s All-Star captain, Catlin Clark. This game also featured the return of center Teaira McCowan and center Luisa Geiselsöder, who were across seas for the FIBA Eurobasket that took place June 18-29 across Germany, Greece, Czechia and Italy. From the first tip-off, the crowd and the Wings were explosive, shown through cheering fans whenever the Wings broke into a fast break or found a bucket. Early in the game, the Mercury played physical against Buecker in an attempt to slow her down. The team resorted to doubling and pressuring the No. 1 overall pick throughout the game. Other players took this as an opportunity to show out and take over. “I’m human, sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me, just in terms of all the physicality that's let go, but I gotta get used to it, gotta embrace it. That's every night in this league,” Bueckers said. In the first quarter, the Wings went on a 16-5 run, stifling the Mercury’s offense. Guard JJ Quinerly led the charge going 3-4 and 50% from range. The Wings ended the first quarter hot with a 32-20 lead. In the second half, guard Aziaha James and Bueckers dominated. James scored 20 of her 28 points in the first half and finished the game with a career-high. The two scored 34 combined points. “One of my areas I need to work on is just being patient, I feel like I was being patient tonight and just allowing my shots to come to me,” James said. In the second half, the Wings came out slow with multiple fouls called on them which allowed Mercury guard Kahleah Copper to gain momentum. Copper went 10 for 17 on field goal attempts and scored nine free throws to record 33 points. “Proud of our team for sticking to a game plan and executing. Wasn’t perfect, still fouling too much,” head coach Chris Koclanes said. “We’re putting teams to the free throw line, but I thought we did a lot of really positive things.” The Wings had 38 rebounds over the Mercurys' 26. Li Yueru was a main contributor, recording 11 rebounds. The game added her fourth career double-double and third with the Wings. The Wings will go on the road for a rematch against the Phoenix Mercury at 9 p.m. Monday. This game will be available to stream on WNBA League Pass and broadcast on KFAA. @tracysansomjr sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu