Seasoned veterans, first-timers and a ton of athleticism dot the roster as the USA women take the first step in the summer of 2023 toward the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The USA women play Serbia, Italy, Korea and host Türkiye as the Volleyball Nations League gets underway this week in Antalya, Turkey, and Nagoya, Japan (Click here for a breakdown of all the other teams in the tournament).
Teams provide an overall roster of 30 players, but can only bring 14 to each VNL leg. In the case of the USA, coach Karch Kiraly took a mix of old and new to Antalya. He has the luxury of knowing that no matter what happens, the USA is guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals. That’s because the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship will be played in Arlington, Texas, July 12-16 and the host team is given a spot in the final eight.
Many of the veterans are coming off long pro seasons and simply need the rest. That would include the four who played in the Italian League finals two weeks ago, Kelsey Robinson Cook and Kathryn Plummer of Conegliano, which beat Milano and Jordan Larson and Jordan Thompson.
Accordingly, we’ll take a look at the 14 in Türkiye, which includes three members of the USA team that won gold in the Tokyo Olympics and eight players making their…
