COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 21, 2025) – The U.S. Women’s National Team put together its strongest performance of the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-19) victory over the Netherlands on Saturday in Belgrade, Serbia. The U.S. (3-4) returns to the court tomorrow, June 22, against France at 7:30 a.m. PT. […]
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 21, 2025) – The U.S. Women’s National Team put together its strongest performance of the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-19) victory over the Netherlands on Saturday in Belgrade, Serbia.
The U.S. (3-4) returns to the court tomorrow, June 22, against France at 7:30 a.m. PT.
“We want to come out and put back-to-back matches together. I don’t think we’ve really been able to do that. France is doing a nice job right now and playing at a very high level,” U.S. head coach Erik Sullivan said.
The U.S. led in every statistical category with 10 more kills (49-39) and two more blocks (6-4) and aces (4-2). The U.S. Women committed just 14 errors in the match with the Netherlands making 16. The U.S. hit .330 or better in each set.
Veteran middle blocker Dana Rettke hit at a 56 percent efficiency rate for the match with 11 kills and just one error in 18 attacks. She recorded seven points on six kills and a block in the third set with five coming on slide attacks off consistently good sets from Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres.
“This group has so much great energy and is so willing to adapt, adjust and get better. I’m proud of how they have been able to rise up to this challenge. I know this is a lot of their first VNLs, and it’s been so much fun to play with them and have that experience with them,” Rettke commented. “In general, I’m just proud of the way this group has continued to get better every single day whether that is a match or a practice.”
Outside hitter Logan Eggleston led all players with 14 points on a match-high 13 kills and a block. She hit .480 with only one error in 25 attacks and shared match-best honors with seven successful receptions.
Opposite Madi Skinner totaled 13 points on 10 kills, two blocks and an ace. Outsider Sarah Franklin delivered nine kills. Libero Lexi Rodriguez equaled a match-high with 11 digs, Skinner added six and Ka’aha’aina-Torres finished with five.
“I thought there were moments in that match where in the past couple of matches we’ve let it get away from us that we made a progression and grew in that space today,” Sullivan remarked. “We’re talking about the process, not worrying about the results, and that showed today.”
Trailing 7-5 early in the first set, the U.S. scored the next six points and rolled the rest of the set. A block and kill by Skinner followed by a Franklin kill off hands made it 11-7 and forced a Netherlands timeout. The U.S. Women hit .370 in the set, which included a kill by opposite Logan Lednicky on her 21st birthday. Eggelston led a balanced attack that saw five U.S. players score two points or more with four kills.
The second appeared to be a near replay of the first set when the U.S. used a 7-0 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 17-11 lead. Eggleston scored three of the final four points in the run, one off a set from Franklin, another on a swipe off the block, and the third on a roll shot.
Setter Rachel Fairbanks made her VNL debut in style, serving an ace when she entered the match to make it 19-12. A Franklin kill gave the U.S. a 21-14 lead before the Netherlands ran off six consecutive points to cut the lead to one. With a narrow 22-21 lead, the U.S. scored a key point when Skinner took advantage of no libero in the back row, placing a shot in the middle of the court.
Another Franklin kill gave the U.S. set point at 24-22 and the set ended as the Netherlands struggled with an Igiede serve. Eggleston recorded six kills in the set, while Skinner scored six points on five kills and a block.
The Netherlands jumped out to an early three-point lead for the third set in a row, but Rettke scored four points in a 6-1 U.S. run, the final two on slides. The U.S. lead was just one point, 12-11, when Brionne Butler’s smart play to push the ball into an empty back court put the lead back to two points and the Netherlands got no closer.
Eggleston scored on a block and then a deep push shot to make it 17-13. Rettke’s seventh point of the set gave the U.S. a 22-18 lead and a Franklin call off a one-handed set from Ka’aha’aina-Torres made it 23-19. Skinner closed out the match with back-to-back kills.
Week Two Roster for 2025 VNL
U.S. Women’s Preliminary Roster for 2025 VNL
No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
6 Morgan Hentz (L, 5-9, Lakeside Park, Ky., Stanford Univ., Pioneer)
7 Lexi Rodriguez (L, 5-5, Sterling, Ill., Univ. of Nebraska Great Lakes)
8 Brionne Butler (MB, 6-4, Kendleton, Texas, Univ. of Texas, Lone Star)
9 Madisen Skinner (OH, 6-2, Katy, Texas, Univ. of Kentucky and Univ. of Texas, Lone Star)
13 Amber Igiede (MB, 6-3, Baton Rouge, La., Univ. of Hawaii, Delta)
15 Rachel Fairbanks (S, 6-0, Tustin, Calif., Pitt, Southern California)
16 Dana Rettke (MB, 6-8, Riverside, Ill., Univ. of Wisconsin, Great Lakes)
21 Roni Jones-Perry (OH, 6-0, West Jordan, Utah, BYU, Intermountain)
22 Sarah Franklin (OH, 6-4, Lake Worth, Fla., Univ. of Wisconsin, Florida)
24 Olivia Babcock (Opp, 6-4, Los Angeles, Calif., Pitt, Southern California)
28 Logan Lednicky (Opp, 6-3, Sugar Land, Texas, Univ. of Texas A&M, Lone Star)
29 Molly McCage (MB, 6-3, Spring, Texas, Univ. of Texas, Lone Star)
32 Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres (S, Honolulu, Hawaii, Univ. of Texas, Aloha)
33 Logan Eggleston (OH, 6-2, Brentwood, Tenn., Univ. of Texas, Southern)
Reserve
27 Ella Powell (S, 6-0, Fayetteville, Ark., Univ. of Washington, Delta)
Coaches
Head Coach: Erik Sullivan
Assistant Coach: Mike Wall
Second Assistant Coach: Brandon Taliaferro
Second Assistant Coach: Tayyiba Haneef-Park
Second Assistant Coach: Joe Trinsey
Team Manager: Rob Browning
Team Doctors: William Briner, James Suchy, Chris Lee, Andrew Gregory
Physiotherapist: Kara Kessans
Physical Trainers: Shawn Hueglin, Shannon Boone
Mental Performance Coach: Andrea Becker, Katy Stanfill
Performance Analyst: Virginia Pham
Week 2 Schedule: Belgrade, Serbia (all times PDT)
Matches will be shown on VBTV, Big Ten Network and/or CBS Sports Network. Please check listings for BTN and CBSN.
June 18 USA def. Serbia, 3-2 (25-22, 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 15-11)
June 19 Poland def. USA, 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-18)
June 21 USA def. Netherlands, 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-19)
June 22 at 7:30 a.m. vs. France
Week 1 Results: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 4 Italy def. USA, 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 30-28)
June 5 Brazil def. USA, 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-19)
June 6 Czechia def. USA, 3-2 (23-25, 20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 27-25)
June 8 USA def Korea, 3-0 (25-13, 28-26, 25-17)
Photo Credit: Craig Dudek Photo Credit: Craig Dudek This article contains references to products from our advertisers and/or partners, and… Photo Credit: Craig Dudek Photo Credit: Craig Dudek This article contains references to products from our advertisers and/or partners, and we may receive compensation when you click on links to products and services Use the […]
Photo Credit: Craig Dudek Photo Credit: Craig Dudek This article contains references to products from our advertisers and/or partners, and…
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– Disney’s $960M trading volume ranked 86th as streaming reforms and sports expansion drove investor optimism. – Integration of Disney+ and Hulu into a unified app aims to cut costs, boost ads, and retain subscribers amid 1% Q3 growth. – ESPN+ relaunch with NFL Network acquisition secures exclusive sports content, differentiating Disney from Netflix’s subscriber […]
– Disney’s $960M trading volume ranked 86th as streaming reforms and sports expansion drove investor optimism.
– Integration of Disney+ and Hulu into a unified app aims to cut costs, boost ads, and retain subscribers amid 1% Q3 growth.
– ESPN+ relaunch with NFL Network acquisition secures exclusive sports content, differentiating Disney from Netflix’s subscriber dominance.
– Theme park revenue rose 8% while streaming growth lags, highlighting reliance on cross-platform synergies for long-term value.
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian police said Monday there were no injuries after shots were fired near an Under-20 World Cup women’s water polo game between China and Canada in the city of Salvador. China won 12-8 on Sunday — the opening day of the tournament — but footage showed the game being briefly interrupted […]
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian police said Monday there were no injuries after shots were fired near an Under-20 World Cup women’s water polo game between China and Canada in the city of Salvador.
China won 12-8 on Sunday — the opening day of the tournament — but footage showed the game being briefly interrupted as players got out of the pool, laid down and took cover by a small barrier after hearing gunshots outside the water polo venue in the Pituba neighborhood. China led Canada 3-2 at the time.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Story Links Coming off of its first-ever Big West regular season title, Hawai’i will open its 2025 season with a nonconference match at Long Beach State on Thursday at 4 p.m. HT. Following Thursday’s season opener, the Rainbow Wahine will head up the California Coast to take on Pepperdine Sunday at […]
Coming off of its first-ever Big West regular season title, Hawai’i will open its 2025 season with a nonconference match at Long Beach State on Thursday at 4 p.m. HT.
Following Thursday’s season opener, the Rainbow Wahine will head up the California Coast to take on Pepperdine Sunday at 9 a.m. HT. UH trails the all time series against both schools (3-10-4 vs. LBSU, 0-6-1 vs. PEP) but won the last meeting against The Beach with a 1-0 victory in the regular season finale last year.
| HAWAI’I (12-8-1, 8-1-1 Big West) at Long Beach State (6-9-3, 3-5-2 Big West) // Pepperdine (12-4-5, 6-1-3 WCC) | ||||
| Date / Time | Thursday, Aug. 14 Hawai’i at Long Beach State — 4:00 p.m. HT Sunday, Aug. 17 |
|||
| Location | Long Beach, Calif. | Malibu, Calif. | |||
| Live Stream | Thursday | |||
| Live Stats | Thursday | Sunday | |||
| PDF Notes | Hawai’i | Long Beach State | Pepperdine | |||
| Social Media | @HawaiiWSoccer  | #HawaiiWSoccer | @HawaiiWSoccer  |
|||
HEAD COACH MICHELE NAGAMINE
At Hawai’i: 86-115-25 (14th season)
Collegiate Record: 110-145-26 (17th year)
SERIES VS. LONG BEACH STATE
Overall: LBSU leads, 10-3-4
Last Meeting: Oct. 31, 2024 (UH won, 1-0)
Streak: W1
SERIES VS. PEPPERDINE
Overall: PEP leads, 6-0-1
Last meeting: Sept. 19, 2010 (PEP won, 2-0)
Streak: L2
ON THE PITCH
DID YOU KNOW?
2024 Big West Midfielder of the Year Nalani Damacion finished tied for third nationally and first among all freshmen with seven game-winning goals. Her seven game-winners were also the most by any NCAA freshman since 2015 (Cece Kizer, Ole Miss).
REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS!
Hawai’i is coming off of a magical 2024 season in which it captured the program’s first ever Big West regular season title. The Rainbow Wahine dominated the Big West regular season, going 8-1-1 and setting a school record for conference wins while finishing with 25 points – the most by a Big West school since 2016. The regular season title gave UH the right to host the semifinals and finals of the Big West Championship, however, the ‘Bows saw their historic season come to an end with a semifinal loss to CSU Bakersfield.
» Set a school record with a nine-match unbeaten streak that ran from Sept. 12-Oct. 20.
» Seven match winning streak was the longest in a single season and tied the overall program record.
» Outscored teams 12-6 in 10 league games, with all eight wins coming by one goal.
» First Big West team to start 5-0 in conference play since 2010 (UC Irvine).
RAISING THE EXPECTATIONS
The Rainbow Wahine enter the 2025 season with lofty expectations following last year’s conference regular season title. UH was picked first in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, marking the first time since 2008 that the program has been tabbed as a preseason conference favorite. It’s also the first time since Hawai’i joined the Big West that it has been picked to finish atop the conference. Additionally, Amber Gilbert and Nalani Damacion each earned Preseason All-Big West recognition.
FAB FRESHMEN TO SUPER SOPHOMORES
A huge key to last season’s Big West regular season title run was the contributions UH got from a number of freshmen. The Rainbow Wahine’s group of eight sophomores combined for three Big West All-Freshman honors and eight conference player of the week recognitions a year ago as freshmen and will be counted on to play key roles again in 2025.
» Kennedy Justin earned Big West Goalkeeper of the Year honors last year as a redshirt freshman.
» Justin became the first freshman ever to claim that honor and matched a school single-season record for goalkeeper wins with a record of 11-8-1.
» Nalani Damacion was named Big West Midfielder of the Year after leading the team with seven goals.
» Damacion became the first freshman ever to claim the honor.
» All seven of Damacion’s goals were game-winner, ranking third nationally and first among freshmen.
» Alice Davidson earned Big West All-Freshman honors after finishing with four assists (T-1st on team).
» UH earned six total Big West Freshman of the Week honors (Damacion: 5x; Laule’a Ah Mook Sang: 1x)
RAINBOW RELOAD
The Rainbow Wahine will welcome in a talented group of eight newcomers to compliment their deep pool of returnees. UH brings in three players out of the transfer portal while adding five freshmen to the mix in 2025. Defenders Rikako Hayami and Solala Nasu will fill some key roles on the back line while three-year Division I goalkeeper Julia Ortega gives UH depth in the net. Isabella Kaemmerer, Karissa Kira, Saira Johal, Montana Longcrier and Sophia Nygaard make up the group of five incoming true freshmen.
» Hayami spent the 2024 season at Arizona and previously was an NJCAA All-American in 2023.
» Nasu returns home after spending freshman season at South Dakota State; was the three-time HHSAA State Tournament Most Outstanding Player from 2022-24.
» Ortega has totaled 137 saves in 29 career starts in goal at Southern Utah and Arizona State.
» Kaemmerer and Kira were high school and club teammates, winning an ECNL U17 national title in 2024.
Olivia Ekponé made her return to Aggieland to join head coach Pat Henry’s staff at the start of the 2024/25 season. Since landing back in College Station, she took on the role of athletics assistant for the Maroon & White, helping in multitude of roles for the track & field program. Assisting on the track, she […]
Assisting on the track, she aids both Coach Pat Henry and Coach Kurt Henry with the decorated 400m and sprint groups for practice and meet day preparation. Her experience as an athlete helped those groups, as she contributed to the men’s programs fifth NCAA Outdoor National Title and first SEC Indoor Championship during the 2025 season.
Her groups on the men’s side accounted for 10 points at the NCAA outdoor championships and eight points at the indoor championships. Collecting honors throughout the season, Ekponé’s squads tacked on 13 All-America accolades and three conference medals. The women’s team also saw success through her leadership, with 19 All-America honors and three league medals.
As an athlete, Ekponé was a four-year letterwinner and 12-time All-American for the Maroon & White. She played a key role in securing the women’s team’s fourth NCAA outdoor championship in 2014 and the program’s first SEC outdoor team title in 2013. She also anchored the women’s 4x100m relay team to a national title at the 2014 outdoor meet, winning the final in 42.80. Her outstanding performances won her SEC Runner of the Year honors in 2014, and helped guide the team to another trio of top-three program finishes during her time as a student-athlete.
She also etched her name in the Aggie history books, as Ekponé remains the school-record holder in the women’s outdoor 200m with a time of 22.23, as well as ranking in the top-10 in both the indoor 60m (7.25) and outdoor 100m (11.11).
Following her graduation, Ekponé stayed in the track & field world, as she worked for MileSplit and FloTrack in a sports media roll covering athletes from the youth to professional levels.
Saturday will mark the start of my 20th year here at SBJ. Twenty years since I shifted away from a career as an attorney and into sports journalism — and I’ve never looked back. Research. Data analysis. Writing. Editing. Podcast hosting. Moderating panels. Even playing beach volleyball in my suit jacket and pants alongside Olympian […]
Saturday will mark the start of my 20th year here at SBJ. Twenty years since I shifted away from a career as an attorney and into sports journalism — and I’ve never looked back.
Research. Data analysis. Writing. Editing. Podcast hosting. Moderating panels. Even playing beach volleyball in my suit jacket and pants alongside Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings. I’ve tackled a number of duties and responsibilities at SBJ. Now, it’s time for my next role: sports media beat reporter.
As many reading SBJ Media will know, I’m no stranger to this area, having written about TV viewership for years. Now, I’ll formally expand on that expertise and take on all intersections of media and sports business.
I’m champing at the bit to start this next challenge. Thank you to so many in the business that have already reached out. I look forward to working with all of you!
And I want to hear from all SBJ readers. What are you paying attention to? Who do we need as a guest on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast? Got a tip? Email or call anytime.
SBJ remains the tip of the spear for those seriously tuned in to sports business, and I’m incredibly honored to be taking on this new role.
Let’s rock!
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