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2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League

Team USA Heads Home For Week 3 Of VNL

Team USA Heads Home For Week 3 Of VNL

After two weeks on the road, the U.S. Women’s National Team is coming home. In the third week of Volleyball Nations League action.

Jun 3, 2019 by Megan Kaplon
USA Named Women's VNL Team Of The Week

After two weeks on the road, the U.S. Women’s National Team is coming home. In the third week of Volleyball Nations League action, the second-ranked American squad will host No. 9 Korea, No. 13 Germany, and No. 4 Brazil in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s VNL competition.

Team USA

Head coach Karch Kiraly utilized a very youthful roster in the first two weeks of VNL, but this week, he’s bringing some of the veterans back to make their 2019 national team debut in front of the home crowd.

Those veterans include setter Carli Lloyd, middles Tori Dixon and Lauren Gibbemeyer, and outsides Jordan Larson and Kelsey Robinson. The local fans will have three former Huskers to get behind in Larson, Robinson, and Mikaela Foecke, who just graduated from the University of Nebraska earlier this year. 

Foecke rejoins the group after taking last week off to get married. The 22-year-old outside hitter saw action in all three Week 1 matches, tallying 22 total points. 

In addition to the three Nebraska alums, six players on this week’s roster played (or currently play) in the Big Ten conference—Jordyn Poulter (Illinois), Tori Dixon (Minnesota), Lauren Gibbemeyer (Minnesota), Annie Drews (Purdue), Megan Courtney (Penn State), and Dana Rettke (Wisconsin)—so their faces will be familiar to the Husker faithful as well. 

With a 5-1 record, USA enters Week 3 in second place in the standings, trailing only Turkey, which has an identical 5-1 record but a slight lead in sets ratio (3.750 to USA’s 2.428).

U.S. Women's National Team Roster for FIVB Volleyball Nations League Week No. 3 – Lincoln, Nebraska

# - Player (Position, Height, College, Hometown)

2 – Jordyn Poulter (S, 6-2, Illinois, Aurora, Colorado)

3 – Carli Lloyd (S, 5-11, California, Bonsall, California)

6 – Tori Dixon (M, 6-3, Minnesota, Burnsville, Minnesota)

8 – Lauren Gibbemeyer (M, 6-2, Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota)

9 – Madi Kingdon Rishel (OH, 6-1, Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona)

10 – Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Nebraska, Hooper, Nebraska)

11 – Annie Drews (OPP, 6-4, Purdue, Elkhart, Indiana)

12 – Jordan Thompson (OPP, 6-4, Cincinnati, Edina, Minnesota)

17 – Megan Courtney (L, 6-1, Penn State, Dayton, Ohio)

18 – Mikaela Foecke (OH, 6-3, Nebraska, West Point, Iowa)

20 – Dana Rettke (M, 6-8, Wisconsin, Riverside, Illinois)

23 – Kelsey Robinson (OH, 6-2, Nebraska, Manhattan Beach, California)

24 – Chiaka Ogbogu (M, 6-2, Texas, Coppell, Texas)

27 – Mary Lake (L, 5-7, BYU, Palm Springs, California)

The Competition

Korea | Tuesday, June 4, 7:30 PM CT | Watch Live

The U.S. women faced Korea twice last season, winning the first meetings in straight sets and the second in four. Korea finished the inaugural VNL competition in 12th place with a 5-10 record. Then at 2018 World Championships, the Korean squad took 17th. 

Italian native Stefano Lavarini just took the head coaching gig with the Korean women’s national team, with VNL representing his first major tournament with the squad, and with just one win in the first two weeks of VNL competition, it looks like the Korean women and their new coach are still getting settled.

Opposite Kim Heejin leads Korea with 67 total points so far in the tournament. The 28-year-old has been a member of the Korea national team since she was just 18, so her leadership comes as no surprise.

Heejin plays her professional volleyball in Korea’s V-League, as do most of the players on Korea’s VNL roster. The exception to that is captain Kim Yeon Koung, who has not yet traveled with the team. The 6-4 outside hitter is rumored to be one of the highest paid players in the world, and currently plays for Eczacibasi Istanbul in Turkey’s professional league, alongside Team USA’s Larsen and Gibbemeyer.

Germany | Wednesday, June 5, 7:30 PM CT | Watch Live

Germany also concluded the 2018 Volleyball Nations League with a 5-10 record, finishing just ahead of Korea in 11th. Then at World Champs, the Germans took 12th.

In 2019’s VNL, Germany has also matched Korea, coming into this week’s matches with a 1-5 record. The Germans’ sole win came over Russia in straight sets to open Week 2. 

With an average age of 23.1 years, Germany is the third youngest team in the tournament, and head coach Felix Koslowski has utilized a number of different lineups so far. No matter the lineup, however, the clear star of this German squad is 24-year-old opposite Louisa Lippman. 

Lippman has played all but one match at VNL, leading the team in points in four of those five matches played. The 6-3 superstar played for Il Bisonte Firenze in the Italian league this past pro season, her first time playing outside the German league (where she earned three back-to-back league MVP honors) and a clear endorsement of her formidable skills.

The Germany roster also includes Nele Barber, a former Marquette indoor and Long Beach State indoor and beach volleyball star who has been traveling with the German squad, even collecting 10 points in the match with Thailand and 11 against Poland. 

Brazil | Thursday, June 6, 7:30 PM CT | Watch Live

USA will play its rival Brazil in the final match of the week in Lincoln. The two teams met only once last year in official competition (with USA taking the four-set win in VNL pool play), but they also played five exhibition matches, with Brazil winning all but one of those. 

Brazil has not stood atop the podium of a major international tournament since the 2017 FIVB World Grand Prix. The Brazilians took home silver at the 2017 Grand Champions Cup, then finished fourth at the 2018 VNL, and seventh at the 2018 World Championships.

Even with a few Brazil national team players recently announcing their retirement, Brazil remains one of the more veteran teams in VNL (with an average age of 26); however, head coach Jose “Ze Roberto” Guimaraes has given plenty of rookie players a chance to prove themselves so far at VNL. 

Leading the charge is 24-year-old Gabriela Barga Guimaraes, aka Gabi, and 25-year-old Ana Paula Borgo Bedani Guedes, with 100 and 86 points, respectively. Veteran setter Macris Carneiro and libero Leia Henrique da Silva Nicolosi have provided stability and helped the Brazilians achieve a 4-2 record through the first two weeks of play (losing rather shockingly to Poland, ranked No. 26 in the world, and Dominican Republic, ranked No. 10).

Non-USA Match of the Week

Poland vs. Serbia | Tuesday, June 4, 10:15 AM CT | Watch Live

Poland has been the surprise of the tournament so far. As mentioned above, the Poles currently rank No. 26 in the world, but they’ve raced out to a 5-1 record at VNL, beating higher-ranked Brazil and Netherlands. Tune in to this match to see how Poland and it’s star player Malwina Smarzek do against reigning world champion Serbia.

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