USA Volleyball’s World Championship Roster Sparks Debate as Young Stars Eclipse Olympic Veterans

“As we head into VNL, I’m looking forward to seeing this group grow and take on the challenge of international competition together,” said U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Erik Sullivan back in May when the roster of 2025 VNL was announced. The USWNT team included a dynamic mix of athletes in a 30-player long list. Interestingly, Sullivan was certain that “more experienced athletes have done a great job setting the tone and sharing their experience, which has been huge for our younger athletes.” It turned out he was right, as Team USA started the 2025 VNL on a a great note.

Interestingly, as the 2025 Volleyball World Championships are inching closer, Team USA has announced its wide roster. But this time, American volleyball fans are scratching their heads.

That’s because Erik Sullivan and the rest of the coaching staff have left out several big names from the roster. While rising stars like Madison Skinner, Lexi Rodriguez, Logan Eggleston, Rachel Fairbanks, Sarah Franklin, and more have made the WC wide roster, Olympic medal winners are few and far between. In fact, Team USA didn’t add anyone except Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu.

This comes days after Erik Sullivan and Co.’s sudden roster change against China. In USA volleyball’s final prelims game against China, Sullivan put Olympic medalists Avery Skinner and Danna Rettke on the alternate bench. “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,” Coach Sullivan said after their 3-2 loss against China.

“I love the way that we battled tonight,” he added. Giving the young talent a space to play freely against a strong opponent like China without the risk of elimination was a learning experience. However, this is the World Championships, and naturally, the fans are once again scrambling for answers.

USA Volleyball fans wanted answers

To say the fans were surprised to see the lack of Olympic medalists on the wide roster would be an understatement. With just a handful of players, including Avery Skinner, having Olympic experience, fans started dropping names. “What about Plummer, Drews, Wong, Carlini?” one fan commented on the one post, naming four Olympians. So let’s break it down.

Kathryn Plummer Boden, Annie Drews, Justine Wong-Orantes, and Lauren Carlini are not just Olympians but Olympic medalists. Of these four veterans, only Lauren Carlini couldn’t be part of the roster because the 2024 Olympic silver medalist retired from USA volleyball. While she became the driving member of League One Volleyball Madison, the former setter won’t represent the Stars and Stripes again.

However, Kathryn Plummer Boden, Annie Drews, and Justine Wong-Orantes continue to play. Talking about LOVB, Annie Drews just played the inaugural season as part of LOVB Madison. Meanwhile, Justine Wong-Orantes suited up as LOVB Omaha’s main libero, with Lexi Rodriguez as the second choice. So, just like Rodríguez, neither Orantes nor Drews has any upcoming commitments.

And let’s be real, who’ll willingly pass up a chance to play in the world championships? Maybe that’s why fans kept asking questions about the missing Olympics veterans. “Only? There’s Rettke right there,” commented another fan. The fan possibly became hopeful after seeing Danna Rettke alongside veterans Chiaka Ogbogu and Asjia O’Neal among middle blockers in USA volleyball’s wide roster.

Other USA Volleyball fans shared a similar sentiment. “Wish more of the veterans were there to lead this new team…” commented a netizen. However, the X-user was also sure that “the coaches are not gonna do it.” And he wasn’t wrong. You see the 25-member-wide roster, the talent pool available for the 2025 World Championships, and all of them won’t make the final team.

At the end of the day, Coach Erik Sullivan will have to select a 13-member final squad for the upcoming tournament. That’s why one had serious trouble understanding why the national team head coach continues to include Danielle Cuttino and Roni Jones-Perry in the squad. “I don’t understand the inclusion of Cuttino and RJP. Are there no other options?” questioned one fan.

Cuttinio (29) and Roni Jones-Perry (28) are veterans in their own right, winning multiple Pan American Games medals throughout their long careers with USA Volleyball. However, neither player has won an Olympic medal. In fact, they haven’t won a World Championship either. Fans had already questioned why Sullivan removed Skinner and Rettke instead of Cuttino and RJP against China.

Now, seeing them in the roster again had them asking why. “The US has the most number of talented volleyball athletes in the world, and yet this lineup?!! Shhhh…” And although such debates raged on, the names kept on coming. “Where’s Jordan Thompson and Haleigh Washington?” one fan asked after seeing the wide roster.

And you’ve guessed it right, middle blocker Haleigh Washington and opposite hitter Jordan Thompson are Olympic medalists. In fact, both veterans are two-time Olympic medalists with USA Volleyball. While Erik Sullivan has already stated that giving youngsters the opportunity to shine is one of Team USA’s primary goals, it’s safe to say the fans are not really happy about the roster selection. Yet, what do you think of the wide roster? Tell us in the comments.