COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 4, 2025) – The young U.S. Women’s National Team opened its 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) season with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 30-28) loss to reigning Olympic champion and the world’s No. 1 team Italy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The U.S., the Olympic silver medalists and world’s third-ranked team, return to the court tomorrow at 5 p.m. PDT against host Brazil.
“Obviously excited to compete and get going,” said head coach Erik Sullivan. “We learned a few things about where we need to be, but I am proud of how we continued to fight. We played with grit and determination. There were a few points where it was easy to give up at the end and we didn’t do that. Italy is a great team and the ability to play them early is huge. They are going to set the bar for us the rest of the summer. Looking ahead to Brazil, there may be some lineup changes, but it is another opportunity to improve by playing an elite team in their home environment.”
Italy finished with advantages in kills (45-30), blocks (13-6) and aces (3-0). Middle blocker Molly McCage of the U.S. led all players with four blocks.
Opposite Logan Lednicky shared the team-high with nine points on eight kills and a block in her U.S. Women’s National Team debut. Outside hitter Sarah Franklin led the squad with nine kills. McCage added three kills to total seven points. Middle blocker Amber Igiede contributed six kills.
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Italy used a strong serve and block to control the first set, taking its biggest lead on the set-clinching point. Lednicky, who will enter her senior year at Texas A&M this fall, led the U.S. with four kills in her first set as a U.S. Women’s National Team member.
The U.S. played some scrappy defense early in the second set, but a 14-4 Italy run turned a one-point U.S. deficit into an 11-point Italy lead, 20-9. Franklin recorded a pair of kills for the second consecutive set.
It was the U.S.’s turn to jump out in front in the third set. Lednicky’s third kill of the set gave the U.S. a 16-9 lead. The lead remained seven points at 21-14 before Italy scored eight points in a row to take its first lead of the third set.
A strong serve by outside hitter Logan Eggleston led to a kill by Franklin on an overpass to give the U.S. set point at 24-23. Italy scored the next two points to reach match point. The U.S fought off four match points before Italy won the set 30-28.
Franklin (five kills), Lednicky (four kills, one block) and McCage (two kills, three blocks) each scored five points in the final set.
U.S. Women’s Week One Roster for 2025 VNL
No. Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, College, USAV Region)
6 Morgan Hentz (L, 5-9, Lakeside Park, Ky., Stanford Univ., Pioneer)
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, Bayou)
14 Anna Dodson (MB, 6-5, Fort Collins, Colo., UCLA, Rocky Mountain)
17 Zoe Jarvis (previously Fleck) (L, 5-6, Granada Hills, Calif., UCLA and Univ. of Texas, Southern California)
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)
27 Ella Powell (S, 6-0, Fayetteville, Ark., Univ. of Washington, Delta)
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)
43 Serena Gray (MB, 6-2, Temple City, Calif., Pitt, Southern California)
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 1 Schedule: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Matches will be shown live and on-demand on VBTV. CBS Sport Network and the Big Ten Network will also air matches.
All times PDT
June 4 Italy def. USA, 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 30-28)
June 5 at 5 p.m. vs. Brazil
June 6 at 5 p.m. vs. Czechia
June 8 at 1 p.m. vs. Korea