USA Volleyball has made its mark on the Volleyball Nations League stage, thanks, in no small part, to how debutants like Lexi Rodrigues and Sarah Franklin linked up with more seasoned VNLers like Avery and Madisen Skinner. However, while Team USA has clinched the eighth and final spot for the VNL finals, things did not end on a winning note.

The 3-2 loss in their last preliminary game against China did put Team USA in a tight spot, as they will now face defending champions Italy in the first round of eliminations. Yet, as the women representing the Stars and Stripes prepare to face the uphill battle against Italy on July 23, the national team has dropped something for fans to discuss in the meantime. And this one’s even bigger than the VNL.

“VolleyballWorld has released the WCH wide rosters for (USA).“ Avid Volleyball wrote on X. With the VNL entering its most exciting phase, USA Volleyball announcing their World Championship roster shows the team is planning ahead. And from the look of things, they’re taking VNL performances into account.

Rodrigues, Fairbanks, Franklin, and others playing in the VNL have made Team USA’s wide roster. However, it wasn’t all about the VNL players making the World Championship wide roster. As Avid Volleyball reported, Olympic gold medalist middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu is part of the list. Outside hitters Khalia Lanier and Alexandra Frantti also made the list.

Then again, the USA Volleyball stars on that wide list do have one more step to complete. You see, the wide list, as its name suggests, is a wider pool of 25 players who will be available to coach Erik Sullivan for Thailand. However, the national team will then have to select its final 12-to-14-player roster for the World Championships in August. That being said, Team USA’s current focus is the ongoing VNL.

USA Volleyball will look to bounce back

After booking their finals spot in a five-set thriller against Canada, the USA women took on #6 China in their final prelims match. The first thing that startled fans was Erik Sullivan’s team selection. The head coach put veteran Olympians, Avery Skinner and Dana Rettke, on the bench as alternates. The decision puzzled fans, as China was already two positions above Team USA.

Fans scratched their heads trying to understand why Sullivan would decide to pull out experienced players against a strong team like China. Although many feared the worst, USA Volleyball did show a lot of grit in how it battled China. Rachel Fairbanks especially stole the show in her VNL debut. And while China did win a hard-fought five-setter, Sullivan cleared the air on his decision.

“Giving an opportunity to some of the less experienced players is one of our big goals this summer, so I am really happy we got that. I love the way that we battled tonight,” said the national team coach. The coach also explained that taking on China was a learning experience that highlighted exactly what the team needs to improve. And that’s something they’ll need against Italy.

“We are going to learn a lot from this and continue to grow. We saw a lot of really good things out there on the court. China did a really good job changing up in the third, fourth, and fifth sets. We just need to be better at responding to that,” said Erik Sullivan. With top-ranked Italy as their very first opponent in the elimination round, USA Volleyball will get only one shot to show those improvements.