How the USA women's volleyball team are warming up for Paris 2024 in the Volleyball Nations League
The U.S. women’s volleyball team is warming up for Paris with the Volleyball Nations League. With stops in different cities around the world, the U.S. gets a chance to face several top-ranked teams.
Team USA started with a mixed record for the Volleyball Nations League. Starting with a stop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Americans notched wins over Thailand (3-1) and the Dominican Republic (3-0), but dropped matches to China (1-3) and Brazil (0-3).
The stop in Brazil ended with the sweep over the Dominican Republic, which featured a standout performance from Avery Skinner. She was the top scorer with 18 points on a match-high 18 kills, and she added 10 digs and seven receptions.
“We’re happy with how we finished,” Skinner said after the match. “We wanted to come out strong today. We’re going to get back in the gym and work hard for week two.”
Jordan Larson among the top volleyball players in the VNL
Two American women are ranked in the top of 30 of the league’s scorers. Skinner is ranked 14th with 52 points, and Jordan Larson is 18th with 46 points. Larson is also counted among one of the best servers in the league along with Anna Hall. Meanwhile, Brionne Butler is tied for seventh in blocks, with nine.
At the end of May, they get the rare chance to play in the U.S., with the VNL headed to Arlington, Texas. There, the U.S. will face Canada (28 May), Bulgaria (31 May), Poland (1 June) and Türkiye (2 June). These tests will be important for the U.S., as Türkiye is the top-ranked team in the world, while Poland is in third, just in front of the U.S. in fourth.
The U.S. has already obtained a quota for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, picking up their spot after winning the Road to Paris tournament in Lodz, Poland, in September 2024. They are joined by France, who obtained a quota thanks to being the host nation, and the Dominican Republic, Serbia, Türkiye, Brazil and Poland, who secured quotas via the qualifying tournaments. The final five countries will secure quotas in June, based on their FIVB rankings.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.