U.S. Women’s National Team to include five Texans

Arlington, TX – FIVB announced the women’s long list team rosters for the upcoming Volleyball Nations League (VNL) to be held at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, May 28-June 2. This will be the last major volleyball event before the Paris Olympic Games and the only VNL matches in the USA this year. VNL is the world’s premier annual international indoor volleyball tournament where the top 16 teams in the world play for the coveted VNL Trophy. The team rosters are subject to eligibility verification and the FIVB reserves the right to remove ineligible players at a later stage. Click here to see the full rosters.  

Top local favorites to watch on the U.S. Women’s Team including sisters Avery and Madison Skinner:

• Chiaka Ogbogu from Coppell, TX - Middle
  • Ogbogu has been a member of Team USA since 2018. Winning the Olympic gold in 2020 and VNL in 2019 and 2021
  • Has played professionally in Italy, Poland and Türkiye
  • Three-time AVCA First Team All-American at University of Texas
  • Left Texas with most blocks, block assists in school history
  • Represented U.S. on Women’s Collegiate National Team
• Asjia O’Neal from Southlake, TX – Middle Blocker
  • Made her senior national team debut at 2023 Volleyball Nations League
  • Two-time AVCA first team All American at the University of Texas who helped the team to NCAA championships in 2022 and 2023
  • Finished at Texas with the most blocks in school history topping her U.S. Women’s teammate Chiaka Ogbogu
• Avery Skinner from Katy, Texas – Outside Hitter
  • Helped the U.S. Women earn berth to Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the 2023 FIVB Road to Paris Olympic Qualifier
  • Made her senior national team debut at 2022 pan Am Cup
  • Won the 2020 NCAA National Championship with University of Kentucky
  

  Avery Skinner from Katy, Texas serves. (credit: Volleyball World)
  • All-American at both Kentucky and Baylor University (played 2017-20 at Kentucky and final season in 2021 at Baylor)
  • Best Spiker and Best Scorer at 2022 Pan Am Cup
• Brionne Butler from Kendleton, Texas – Middle Blocker
  • Butler has been a member of Team USA since 2019 and participated in VNL in 2022
  • Made senior national team debut at 2019 Pan American Cup
  • First-team AVCA All-American in 2021 and 2020; AVCA All-American honorable mention in 2018
  • Invited to train with the senior U.S. team in spring 2020 (canceled due to Covid)
  • 2017 Women’s Junior (U20) National Team
  • 2015-16 Girls Youth (U18) National Team
• Madisen Skinner from Katy, Texas – Outside Hitter
  • Four-time AVCA All American; made the first team in 2023
  • Played two years at the University of Kentucky where the team won the National Championship in 2020
  • Transferred to Texas and won National Championship in 2022 and 2023
  • Named Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 National Championship Tournament
  • Won the 2023 Honda Sport Award for volleyball
  • 2019 USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship All-Tournament Team 

Coaches will select 14 athletes from the long list to compete at the VNL stops in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, (May 15-19), Arlington, Texas (May 28-June 2) and Fukuoka, Japan (June 11-16). The VNL Final round is scheduled for June 20-23 in Bangkok, Thailand.

From the USA Volleyball press release dated April 22, 2024, “U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly has said that he will use the early VNL Matches to help choose the players for his 2024 Paris Olympic Games roster. That team will have 12 players plus an alternate who will travel to Paris.” 

Nine players on the roster return from the team that won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: setters Micha Hancock and Jordyn Poulter, libero Justine Wong-Orantes, outside hitters Jordan Larson and Kelsey (Robinson) Cook, middle blockers Chiaka Ogbogu and Haleigh Washington, and opposites Annie Drews and Jordan Thompson.

Other players who have competed in previous VNL to include setters Lauren Carlini, Ashley Evans, and Jenna Gray, liberos Morgan Hentz and Kendall White, outside hitter Ali Frantti, Khalia Lanier, Kathryn Plummer, Avery Skinner and Sarah Whilhite Parsons, middles Brionne Butler, Anna Hall, Asjia O’Nealand Dana Rettke and opposite Danielle Cuttino.

Those who have not played prior VNL Matches are libero Zoe Fleck, outside hitter Madisen Skinner, opposites Kendall Kipp and Taylor Mims and middle Kayla Haneline and Serena Gray.

The U.S. Women’s National Team, three-time VNL champion and the reigning Olympic Champion, will welcome to Arlington, Texas VNL 2023 Champion Türkiye along with Canada, South Korea, Germany, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Poland. Spectators can expect a week of intense volleyball action featuring the world’s best athletes. Tickets are available at VNLTickets.com, offering U.S. fans the opportunity to Be Part of the Action. Pricing starts as low as $16, for a child’s ticket and $23 for adults, not including fees. Click here to buy tickets.

The Volleyball Nations League is the premier annual global volleyball tournament, which sees 16 national teams per gender compete over eight action-packed weeks throughout Asia and North and South America. North Texas will host week 2 of the preliminary phase at the College Park Center in Arlington from May 28-June 2.

 Volleyball is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States and the city of Arlington is the perfect place to host the world’s best, and a great opportunity for Texas to show the unique volleyball culture they are known for.

 The U.S. Women’s National Team took the Volleyball Nations League by storm when the competition was launched in 2018. After winning gold in Nanjing, China, at the Finals of the first edition, Coach Karch Kiraly’s team also claimed victory at the next two tournaments in 2019 and 2021. That amazing winning streak was interrupted in 2022, when USA lost to Serbia in the quarterfinals. In 2023 at College Park in Arlington, the U.S. Women battled to make it to the medal round where they lost to Poland in the bronze medal match. The reigning Olympic champions are sure to be among the favorites for 2024.

Volleyball World will provide fans, athletes, partners, and other sport afficionados with the ultimate volleyball experience. It will be memorable for all attendees whether new to the sport or a volleyball pro.