U.S. Women's National Team Wins First Two USAV Cup Matches

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 29, 2022) – The U.S. Women’s National Team won the first two matches of the USA Volleyball Cup over the weekend in Long Beach, Calif.

The USA Volleyball Cup showcases the gold-medal winning U.S. Women against No. 4 Türkiye in three friendly matches. It’s the first time the No. 1-ranked U.S. Women have competed in Southern California since winning the Tokyo Olympic gold medal in 2021.

The U.S. and Türkiye meet one final time on Tuesday, Aug. 30, in the LionTree Arena at UC San Diego. Get your tickets.

You can also stream the final match live for $9.99 with a subscription to BallerTV. Your subscription gets you access to replays of the first two matches, plus game highlights.

Match No. 1
In front of a sold-out crowd at the Long Beach State Pyramid Saturday night, the U.S. won the first match, 28-26, 25-19, 20-25, 25-15.

Official Statistics

Opposite Annie Drews led all scorers in the match with 21 points on 13 kills, six aces and two blocks. Middle Haleigh Washington scored 14 on 11 kills and three blocks, and outside hitter Ali Frantti scored 14 on 13 kills and one ace.

Outside hitter Kelsey (Robinson) Cook collected nine points on nine kills, and middle Chiaka Ogbogu had seven points on five kills and two blocks. Setter Jordyn Poulter collected three points on a kill and two blocks.

Match No. 2

On Sunday, the U.S. and Türkiye gave fans everything they could want in a volleyball match.

After the U.S. won the first two sets, 25-21 and 25-12, Türkiye regrouped to win the next two, 26-24 and 25-22. The final set went to the wire with the U.S. Women winning 15-13.

Official Statistics

This time it was Frantti leading the U.S. in scoring with 21 points on 20 kills and one ace. Cook collected 20 points on 16 kills, two blocks and two aces.

Drews scored 14 points on 14 kills, and opposite Jordan Thompson came off the bench to score 10 points on 10 kills. Washington had nine points on five kills, three blocks and one ace. Middle Hannah Tapp had eight points on six kills and two blocks.

Poulter scored six off of two kills, two blocks and one ace. Outside hitter Sarah Wilhite Parsons scored one point off an ace.

Roster

No. Name (Pos., Ht, Hometown, College, USAV Region)
1 Micha Hancock (S, 5-11, Edmond, Okla., Penn State Univ., Oklahoma)
2 Jordyn Poulter (S, 6-2, Aurora, Colo., Univ. of Illinois, Great Lakes)
3 Kathryn Plummer (OH, 6-6, Aliso Viejo, Calif., Stanford Univ., Southern California)
4 Justine Wong-Orantes (L, 5-6, Cypress, Calif., Univ. of Nebraska, Southern California)
5 Morgan Hentz (L, 5-9, Lakeside Park, Ky., Stanford Univ., Pioneer)
7 Lauren Carlini (S, 6-2, Aurora, Ill., Univ. of Wisconsin, Great Lakes)
8 Hannah Tapp (MB, 6-3, Stewartville, Minn., Univ. of Minnesota, North Country)
11 Annie Drews (Opp, 6-4, Elkhart, Ind., Purdue Univ., Hoosier)
12 Jordan Thompson (Opp, 6-4, Edina, Minn., Univ. of Cincinnati, North Country)
13 Sarah Wilhite Parsons (OH, 6-2, Eden Prairie, Minn., Univ. of Minnesota, North Country)
15 Haleigh Washington (MB, 6-3, Colorado Springs, Colo., Penn State Univ., Rocky Mountain)
16 Dana Rettke (MB, 6-8, Riverside, Ill., Univ. of Wisconsin, Great Lakes)
18 Kara Bajema (OH, 6-2, Lynden, Wash., Univ. of Washington, Puget Sound)
20 Danielle Cuttino (Opp, 6-4, Indianapolis, Ind., Purdue Univ., Hoosier)
23 Kelsey (Robinson) Cook (OH, 6-2, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Univ. of Nebraska, Southern California)
24 Chiaka Ogbogu (MB, 6-2, Coppell, Texas, Univ. of Texas, North Texas)
30 Ali Frantti (OH, 6-1, Spring Grove, Ill., Penn State, Great Lakes)
31 Anna Hall (MB, 6-2, Laurens S.C., Univ. of Louisville, Palmetto)

Head Coach: Karch Kiraly
Assistant Coaches: Erin Virtue, Tama Miyashiro, Marv Dunphy
Performance Analyst: Brian Hurler
Physical Therapist/Athletic Trainer: Kara Kessans
Consultant Coach: Sue Enquist
Team Manager: Coley Pawlikowski
Sports Dietitian: Shawn Hueglin
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Brandon Siakel