ANAHEIM, California — The respective USA Olympic volleyball coaches, Karch Kiraly and John Speraw, will both end up in Paris the third week of July, but their teams are taking different paths to get to the Olympics.
Kiraly and his USA women start Volleyball Nations League play next Wednesday against Thailand in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The USA women’s 12-person, one-alternate Olympics roster is far from decided.
Speraw’s men’s team begins VNL play against Poland May 22 in Antalya, Türkiye, and though not announced, the roster is closer to being finalized.
USA women
The USA women will take 14 players Saturday to Rio where they also play China, Brazil and the Dominican Republic.
“When we get back we’ll get the whole group together,” Kiraly said Monday. “We still have five people who haven’t been in the gym yet with Haleigh Washington, Dana Rettke, Kelsey Robinson Cook, Kathryn Plummer and Khalia Lanier, four of whom just finished their pro seasons yesterday at the Champions League final. So they’ll be in here middle of next week while we’re in Brazil.”
Washington and Cook were members of the USA team that won the Tokyo Olympics gold medal; the other three are strong contenders to make the roster this time around.
The second leg is in Arlington, Texas, site of last year’s finals. The USA plays Canada on May 28, Bulgaria on May 31, Poland on June 1 and Türkiye on June 2.
When the team gathers again here in Anaheim, “We hope to select our Olympic team that week,” Kiraly said. “The week of June 3-7.”
The Olympic team will head to Fukuoka, Japan, and starting June 10 play France, Netherlands, Italy and Japan.
The finals are in Bangkok, Thailand, June 20-23.
In addition to the 12-player roster, teams can bring one official alternate to the Games.
“We expect to have an alternate at each position because of injury or illness. But one of those five will be designated as the official alternate and have a credential and be there with us in Paris. And then another of those five will be an unofficial alternate and will travel with us to Paris to make it so we can have the most productive training sessions possible, with seven on each side of the net and a full contingent of personnel.”
After VNL the USA team will come home until leaving for…
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