California State University, Northridge senior setter Donovan Constable and redshirt sophomore opposite Jalen Phillips were among 21 athletes selected to train with the 2025 Men’s U23 National Team for the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup, July 27-Aug. 4 in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The selected 21 athletes will gather for a training block at the National Team Training Center in Anaheim, Calif., from July 20-27. From this pool, 12 athletes will be chosen to represent the United States in Guatemala.

Constable and Phillips both have previous USA Volleyball experience, as each was selected to the 2024 Men’s Collegiate National Team that trained in Anaheim last summer.

“I’m incredibly proud of Jalen and Donovan for earning spots on the U23 USA Team,” said CSUN head coach Theo Edwards. “They’ve put in the work, and now they’re being rewarded with an opportunity that will challenge and elevate them in every way. Having spent years coaching internationally with USA programs, I know how powerful these experiences can be — not just for sharpening skills on the court, but for building character, leadership, and resilience off it. This is a huge step in their journey, and I couldn’t be more excited to watch them grow through it. They’re representing all of us with pride.”

McKendree University men’s head coach Nickie Sanlin will lead the team, assisted by four-time Olympian Reid Priddy (Indoor Volleyball Club) and Luke Reynolds (Pepperdine).

“I am incredibly honored to lead this talented group of athletes alongside such a dedicated and skilled staff,” Sanlin said. “Representing our country with ‘USA’ across our chests is a privilege we don’t take lightly, and I am excited for the opportunity to compete and grow together on this stage.”

The roster features many stars from collegiate programs across the country. Several athletes bring impressive resumes, including past gold medals and MVP honors from international competitions.

Related

The journey to Lodz kicks off as the world’s top women’s volleyball nations gear up for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League, running from 4 June to 27 July.

Watch USA vs Italy Volleyball live on Fubo

Start a Fubo free-trial today!

Eighteen elite teams from around the globe will go toe-to-toe in the preliminary stage, spread across nine pools until 13 July, all vying for a coveted spot in the final eight set to battle it out in Poland at month’s end.

Defending VNL champions and Olympic gold medalists Italy head into the tournament as the team to beat, and they’re thrown straight into the fire with a blockbuster opener—a thrilling rematch of the Paris 2024 final against the USA.

The U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team, ranked No. 3 in the world and fresh off a silver medal finish at the Olympics, heads into the 2025 VNL with a mix of fresh energy and seasoned grit. The Americans, three-time VNL champions (2018, ’19, ’21), were knocked out in the 2024 quarterfinals by eventual gold medallists Italy—a team they’ll now face right out of the gate in Brazil.

Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch United States vs Italy FIVB Volleyball game, plus plenty more.

United States vs Italy FIVB Volleyball game: Date and tip-off time

The USA and Italy will lock horns in a highly anticipated FIVB Volleyball game on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 1:00 pm ET/ 10:00 am PT, at Davaney Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

How to watch United States vs Italy FIVB Volleyball game on TV & stream live online

Fans in the USA can catch all the action between the United States vs. Italy FIVB Volleyball game live on:

• National TV channel: CBSSN

Watch USA vs Italy Volleyball live on Fubo

Start a Fubo free-trial today!

Streaming the game with a VPN

Unable to watch this game due to broadcast restrictions? A VPN could be the answer to your problems.

When it comes to streaming live sports, NordVPN is our pick for the best VPN service in 2024. You can even try NordVPN risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream live anywhere in the world with NordVPN

Find the best deals

If you aren’t sure how to use a VPN, check out our guide on how to set up and stream sports from any country with a VPN.

United States team news & key performers

This year’s roster boasts a new-look setup, with 10 players gearing up for their first-ever VNL action. Despite the inexperience, there’s no shortage of promise, as several newcomers have already made their mark in senior NORCECA tournaments.

The squad’s leadership core includes four returnees—outside hitters Madi Skinner and Roni Jones-Perry, along with liberos Morgan Hentz and Zoe Jarvis—who’ll bring vital know-how to the campaign.

Among the debutants, the likes of opposite Olivia Babcock, setter Ella Powell, outsides Logan Eggleston and Sarah Franklin, and middle blockers Serena Gray, Amber Igiede, and Molly McCage have previously worn the senior national team jersey.

Meanwhile, setter Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres, middle Anna Dodson, and opposite Logan Lednicky are set for their first stint with the senior squad—adding fresh legs and hungry minds to a team chasing another VNL crown.

Italy team news & key performers

Italy’s women’s national team kicked off their preparations for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League with a lively two-match friendly series against Germany in Northern Italy, with both sides grabbing a win apiece.

In the opening clash, head coach Julio Velasco’s squad leaned on Olympic gold medallists Loveth Omoruyi and Gaia Giovannini, who delivered 16 and 14 points respectively. But it was debutant Matilde Munarini who stole the show—dropping 11 points from the middle and earning MVP honors in her very first outing for the Azzurre.

The tables turned in the rematch at Milano, where Germany found their rhythm and took the match 3-1 (25-21, 26-24, 22-25, 25-21). Marie Schölzel was the standout, hammering down 18 points to claim MVP, closely followed by Romy Jatzko with 17. For Italy, it was backup opposite Giorgia Frosini who led the charge, finishing with 16 points in a gritty effort.

Listen to this article

Where a defendant was convicted of honest services wire fraud and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, he must be granted a new trial on the honest services fraud charge in light of United States v. Abdelaziz, 68 F.4th 1 (1st Cir. 2023).

“This appeal concerns the high-stakes world of college admissions. Jovan Vavic was an award-winning head coach of the men’s and women’s water polo teams at the University of Southern California (USC). As head coach, he was responsible for recruiting elite high school players and fundraising for his teams. In 2019, he was indicted for his role in the nationwide ‘Varsity Blues’ college admissions scandal, orchestrated by college consultant Rick Singer. According to the government, Vavic agreed to facilitate the admission of undergraduate applicants to USC as fake athletic recruits in exchange for payment from Singer and his clients.

“A jury ultimately convicted Vavic, but the district court granted a new trial after concluding that certain statements in the government’s rebuttal closing amounted to prosecutorial misconduct. The United States now appeals the new trial order as to two of its charges against Vavic: honest services wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§1343 and 1346 and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery in violation of 18 U.S.C. §371. While this appeal was pending, we issued our decision in United States v. Abdelaziz, 68 F.4th 1 (1st Cir. 2023), another Varsity Blues case, and concluded that payments to university accounts generally could not support a conviction for honest services wire fraud but could support a conviction for federal programs bribery. We now reverse the order in this case in part: We affirm the district court’s grant of a new trial on the honest services fraud charge but reinstate Vavic’s conviction on the federal programs bribery conspiracy charge. …

“… We begin with the honest services fraud conviction under Count Sixteen and conclude that Vavic’s alternative ground for affirming the district court’s new trial order has merit. Our recent decision in Abdelaziz invalidated the legal theory that payments made to USC, the victim of the scheme to defraud, could be actionable bribes under honest services fraud. Thus, we affirm the grant of a new trial as to Count Sixteen because it is impossible to tell if the jury reached the verdict on an invalid legal theory, and the error is not harmless. …

“Next, we turn to Count Three — the conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery charge. Under de novo review, we conclude that the government’s statements in rebuttal did not result in plain error. We then reject Vavic’s alternative grounds for affirming the new trial order on Count Three, holding that the government’s introduction of Singer’s false statements does not require vacating his conviction and there was no prejudicial variance.

“Thus, we affirm the district court’s new trial order as to Count Sixteen and reverse as to Count Three.”

United States v. Vavic (Lawyers Weekly No. 01-107-25) (67 pages) (Rikelman, J.) Appealed from a decision by Talwani, J., in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Alexia R. De Vincentis, with whom Joshua S. Levy was on brief, for the United States; Sarah M. Harris, with whom Katherine A. Trefz, Ashwin G. Shandilya, Jeffrey G. Ho and Williams & Connolly were on brief, for the defendant-appellee; Joy Longnecker, Kian Hudson, Jeanine Kerridge, Eric Sussman, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Sara Silva and Silva Kettlewell & Pignatelli LLP on brief for Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, amicus curiae (Docket No. 22-1787) (May 30, 2025).

Click here to read the full text of the opinion.

Gianna Tewksbury started her track and field journey with a canceled season and ended her high school career on the medal stand at the biggest meet of her career.

Just as the Elk Lake senior stepped onto the platform, a steady rain started to fall, but it couldn’t dampen her spirits when the official draped a medal around her neck. Tewksbury launched the discus 123-5 to finish fourth in the girls Class 2A competition on a chilly Friday morning at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

Lancaster Catholic senior Margaret Bila won with a throw of 137-3.

“This feels great,” Tewksbury said. “I feel like all of my hard work really paid off.

“When I threw, I just kept thinking to myself, whatever happens, happens. If I fouled or made it to finals or not, I got here, and I was proud of everything I achieved.”

As a freshman, Tewksbury, who had her seventh-grade season canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic, finished 13th at the District 2 Class 2A Championships with a throw of 84-7. Her season best was 101-7.

That started her on her way.

She finished third the following season with a third-place finish with a mark of 103-4, and last spring, she was second with a throw of 99-10.

This season, Tewksbury showed steady improvements. She finished second at the Kirby Classic Relays with a throw of 103-1 and was second at the Don Wilhour Selinsgrove Classic with a distance of 114-9.

Tewksbury started collecting medals after finishing with the best throw in the LTC Division IV during the regular season. She finished second at the Walter Godek Twilight Invitational with a throw of 116-9, which at the time was her career best.

Then, Tewksbury won at the Wyalusing Lasagna Invitational with a distance of 116-0, had her best distance all-time of 124-5 when she finished second at the Robert Spagna Championships, and she entered the state meet with a distance of 124-1 to win the gold at the District 2 Championships.

While she didn’t eclipse her top distance of the season, Tewksbury, who will continue her athletic career at PennWest California, the former California University of Pennsylvania, a member of the PSAC.

“I put in a lot of work in the offseason, and in-season,” Tewksbury said. “I have great coaches and unbelievable support from my family and teammates.

“That is what got me here.”

Elk Lake’s Katie McGlynn also competed in the Girls Class 2A shotput for the second consecutive year. The two-time District 2 Class 2A Champion closed out her high school career placing 14th at Shippensburg with a throw of 34-4.25. Laurel’s Alexis Geiwitz won gold with a 41-2.

Elk Lake freshmen Kendyl Weisgold got a taste of the state meet for the first time. The District 2 Class 2A Champion in the 1,600 finished 25th out of 34 runners with a time of 5:21.57. Lewisburg’s Baylee Espinosa won with a time of 4:48.27.

BOYS

Kendel Jones overcame a challenge in his quest to win medals at the PIAA Track and Field Championships.

He overcame some adversity to celebrate on the second day of competition Saturday at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

Jones, a junior at Elk Lake who won two medals as a sophomore, earned the third medal of his career when he finished sixth in the boys Class 2A 3,200-meter run to start the meet and put behind him the heartbreak of a ninth-place finish in the 1,600 a day earlier.

He got off to a fast start, stayed with the lead pack as long as he could and finished strong in 9 minutes, 18.91 seconds.

Mohawk’s Jaxon Schoedel set a PIAA record with a winning time of 8:59.34.

“It feels really good,” Jones said. “It’s great to get back to the medal stand.”

At the gun for the 3,200 race, Jones started on the inside and locked in among a tight pack of 10 runners. He worked his way up to sixth place after 800 meters and climbed to fifth and closed with a 1:07.59 on his final lap to earn a medal.

He improved on his time of 9:27.16 from the District 2 Class 2A Championship meet.

On Friday, Jones was also seeded among the top eight for the 1,600. However, he finished ninth, despite running a career-best time of 4:18.39.

“Yesterday (Friday), I was hoping to get a medal, but sometimes things don’t work out the way you want,” Jones said. “You have to stay positive and look forward to the next day and remain focused. That is what I tried to do, and I had a plan to get a medal, and I got one.”

Last season, Jones won a sixth-place medal in the 3,200 with a time of 9:22.47 and an eighth-place medal in the 1,600 with a time of 4:20.68.

“This track environment here is amazing,” Jones said. “It is a big step up from a district meet. Any time you are running your best, you are running against guys whose best is right there with you. It’s tough competition. I just tried to strategize my race and execute.”

Jones’s distance teammate Cody Adams got to run alongside him on Friday morning in the 1,600. After meeting the state qualifying standard at the District 2 Class 2A Championships, Adams placed 17th overall with a time of 4:26.84.

Lackawanna Trail’s Avery Ronchi got to compete not once but twice after qualifying on time for two events at the District 2 Championships. In the 1,600, he finished 32nd of 40 runners with a time of 4:38.54, and 14th of 28 runners in the 3,200 with a time 9:39.2.

Originally Published: June 4, 2025 at 4:00 AM EDT

MILFORD — As the Milford boys volleyball team lined up numerically on the end line before Tuesday’s MIAA Division I Tournament game against Taunton, they left a space in the middle.

The gap was between No. 9 Jason Comisky and No. 11 Eston Lebron, an acknowledgement that Marcelo Gomes, usually No. 10, was missing.

A week ago, Gomes wasn’t famous. He was a well-liked honor student, a drummer in the MHS band and an outside hitter on the Scarlet Hawks volleyball team that was eyeing a deep run in the postseason.

But on Saturday, Gomes, who was born in Brazil, but has lived in Milford since he was 5 years old, was stopped and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They were looking for his father, whose car Gomes was driving to volleyball practice.

But rather than admit their net hadn’t hauled the intended fish, the ICE agents padded their stats and basically kidnapped a teenager and made Gomes a flashpoint in a polarizing national debate.

Addressing immigration problems humanely in the United States requires a careful scalpel. But, lacking that patience, ICE has plowed ahead with a chainsaw. Milford was just the latest community left with a scar.

So Gomes didn’t drum in the band at graduation on Sunday or the march to the town hall afterward when Milford students and residents gathered to protest his situation.

He wasn’t in school on Monday when his friends and schoolmates walked out of class in a demonstration against the cruelty of his detainment and he wasn’t between Comisky and Lebron on Tuesday night.

But still, his presence was everywhere on Tuesday. Marcelo Gomes was on the minds of everyone at Milford High School as the Scarlet Hawks prepared to play their first game without him.

The largest volleyball crowd long-time Athletic Director Peter Boucher has seen in 12 years at the school, not only filled the seats, but spilled over into the corners where many people stood.

About 80 percent of that crowd wore white T-shirts. Just three days after Gomes’ detainment shocked the Central Massachusetts town where the Mass. Pike meets 495, people mobilized into countless shirt-making gatherings. The result was hundreds of homemade white tops, with different messages in different colors. They included:

“Free Marcelo” surrounded by a heart

“A Kid not a Criminal”

“Jesus told us to love your neighbor”

“It’s too warm for ICE”

There were signs on the walls and in the crowd. The quality ranged from Sharpie-on-posterboard to a rush order created with pictures at a print shop.

Between the first and second games, someone arrived with a roll of newly minted “Free Marcelo” stickers that were quickly passed around the bleachers.

A basket of yellow ribbons greeted visitors at the entrance for anyone to take and wear in solidarity.

When Taunton arrived, its players and even some of their parents were in their own “Free Marcelo,” T-shirts. Like Milford, Taunton is a town that has been enriched by its immigrant population and two of the Tigers players have been club teammates with Gomes. When they learned what Milford was doing, they wanted to show support.

“One of our players, Ike Asiengnbunam, was really emotional because he’d played with him in club,” Taunton coach Toby Chaperon said. “He and Danny Freitas really spear-headed doing the shirts. Coming from the players makes it that much more special.”

The Milford crowd greeted them with an appreciative ovation.

They weren’t the only rivals in the building. Members of the Marlborough and Nipmuc boys volleyball squads came in large groups and Boucher thought several Bellingham players were in attendance, too.

Before the starting lineups, Boucher took the microphone and both praised the Milford students for channeling their energy into making their voices heard and encouraged them to continue to do so with the same maturity that had guided them so far.

“I’m spectacularly proud of how peacefully and professionally we’ve let the world know that we love Marcelo and we want and expect him to be returned home,” he said.

It was a smart announcement to make, but their actions from the start of warmups to the end of the game indicated it was probably unnecessary.

Anger would have been understandable. This game and this tournament should have been remembered for the terrific volleyball, one last time for this group together before the seniors move on and the rest of the team scatters for the summer. Instead, they tried to play a volleyball game through fear and worry that no kids should have to experience.

But there were no middle fingers. No words of rage on the back of their shirts. They stood respectfully through the national anthem.

Just days after Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, was sarcastic and smug in his press conference defending Gomes’ detainment, the Milford students showed a level of class that gave reason to hope that the nation’s future leaders might have more humanity than the current ones.

There were signs throughout the crowd, many with his picture, all imploring the government to send their friend home.

If Gomes is anything like the people supporting him, the country is probably a better place with him in it.

Early on, the Scarlet Hawks looked like they might put together an inspirational win on an emotional night. They came from behind to win the first game and were points away from a commanding 2-0 lead after Game Two, but Taunton rallied to knot the match at 1-1 and scored the first five points of Game Three.

Maybe it was the humidity of the filled gymnasium. Maybe it was toll of the last few days catching up with them. Or maybe it was just some terrific play by Taunton, whose level of play increased with its momentum.

Either way, Milford couldn’t keep up and fell 3-1.

“We didn’t get the win tonight, but we played with him in mind,” Comisky said. “His absence was really known. You could really feel it.”

Season-ending losses are always emotional, but the Scarlet Hawks players stayed on the floor for a long time, huddling, hugging and clinging to a team that has become a support group in recent days.

Milford coach Andrew Mainini was disappointed but proud of the way his team rose to the moment despite the result.

The town remains hopeful that after appearing before an immigration judge that Gomes will come home.

Mainini wanted the chance to tell him about how the town came together for him.

“I want him to see pictures and to see how many people in the community showed up,” Mainini said. “Milford showed up for volleyball, but this wasn’t for Milford, this was for Marcelo. I want him to know he’s loved and that this was for him.”