Madisen Skinner Makes Honest Confession as USA Volleyball Role Demands Huge VNL Role Adjustment

From losing the first match at the inaugural League One Volleyball tournament to spearheading the charge for the national team in Europe, Madisen Skinner has come a long way. Not to mention the emphatic LOVB triumph with Austin in between that boosted the Texas alum’s confidence by leaps and bounds. And yet, even the 3x NCAA champ had to take some time to ease into her “national” shoes.

Week 2 of the Volleyball Nations League is on, and the USA is finally looking to have found its groove. Closing the second week of the competition with an emphatic 3-2 win over France, the USA has now improved to 4-4. And surely enough, Skinner played a major role in helping the team turn things around after a poor first week. But it wasn’t without any sacrifices.

On June 23, Volleyball Coverage Channel went on Instagram to share how Skinner wasn’t given the chance to play in her otherwise natural position at the VNL. “Madisen shared thoughts on switching positions,” reads the caption of the post, while the accompanying video captures the volleyball star’s comments to the T.

Playing for college or in a pro league is vastly different than representing the Stars and Stripes, Skinner admitted, especially when you have to make adjustments to make it to the national team. “I’m still adjusting and I’m still learning,” said the national volleyball sensation when asked about how she’s dealing with playing as an opposite hitter while all her life she’s been an outside hitter for all her teams so far.

She went on to thank her teammate Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres, a Texas alum herself, who has been incredible as a setter, which in turn has also helped Skinner rake up the points. “I think Saige has been awesome with giving me consistent balls and just trying to give me space to work with something, but it’s a challenge for me but it’s been awesome and I’m excited to see where this position can take me,” Madi was heard saying in the IG upload, while underscoring that she’s eager to hone her skills as an opposite for the time being.

And it’s beyond any doubt that, as an opposite, Skinner is just as lethal. After a pretty drab first competition week, the former Wildcat star entered the field in Belgrade and immediately looked like a formidable force. Thanks to Madisen’s 32 points (30 kills and two blocks the point being double of what she bagged in VNL’s first week), Team USA trampled over the reigning world champs, Serbia, to wriggle out a nail-biting 3-2 victory. Skinner also posted 12 digs.

The American women then went on to defeat Poland and the Netherlands before wrapping things up with another five-set victory over France. In Sunday’s match as well, Skinner shone bright with 21 points.

However, it’s not just Madi who’s turning heads at VNL’s second competition week.

Madisen Skinner is in good company for VNL

The USA’s bout against Serbia was the game that saw Lexi Rodriguez make her VNL debut. The ex-Nebraska star is a certified star in the collegiate circuit, with 1897 career digs as a Huskers libero. She was an instant hit. With a match-high 17 digs, Rodriguez put John Cook’s training to good use as she and her teammates began the second week with a bang. For understandable reasons, Skinner’s foe-turned-comrade was elated beyond words.

“The crowd was amazing and getting to play them on their home court, you could really feel the buzz. Going to five and battling with my teammates was really fun. It was a great day,” said the 22-year-old. Lexi’s VNL debut was highly anticipated by volleyball fans in the USA, and Rodriguez made sure to heed the community’s adoration for her in the best way possible.

The USA will now return home to take on Thailand to kick off the third week of the VNL. Interestingly enough, it was against Thailand that Madi Skinner made her international debut at the 2024 Volleyball Nations League. Scoring 20 points, Madis showed she was more than capable of shouldering the responsibility of carrying even the national team. But will that be replicated in Arlington on July 10? With growing dissatisfaction among fans over how the USA handled business in the first week of the international volleyball tournament, could the team make amends in the final stretch? What do you reckon?