In a nail-biter of a match, the U.S.
women’s national volleyball team dropped set five and came up just short against China on Sunday night in Volleyball Nations League play.
The Team USA squad, including four former Longhorns, lost three consecutive sets to China in Arlington, Texas, after claiming 25-18 and 25-19 victories in the first two.
However, despite leaving this weekend with a blemish on their 3-1 record, the U.S. women’s performances throughout this tournament have helped them qualify for the final round of the VNL, a single-elimination tournament that consists of the top eight teams in the preliminary phase.
“We’ve been challenged in every match in this VNL tournament, and we will continue to be challenged every match this summer, so we are working our hardest to try to be steady and consistent and play some good volleyball,” setter Jordyn Poulter said following their tight win against Canada on Saturday.
Former Longhorns middle blocker Brionne Butler, middle blocker Asjia O’Neal, outside hitter Logan Eggleston and outside hitter Madisen Skinner all embraced these challenges this week with Team USA. While Skinner and Eggleston played a larger role in the team’s win against Canada, O’Neal and Butler saw the court most against China.
O’Neal finished the match with seven attack points and two block points, while Butler accumulated five attack points and two block points.
“It’s always fun to play at home, and we barely ever get the chance,” Butler said after the Canada matchup. “But I saw a lot of burnt orange in the crowd, so I was really excited that we got to play in front of them.”
Team USA won’t have much time to celebrate their winning record this week or to sulk in how it concluded, because the VNL final round
is set to start on July 23.
USA head coach Erik Sullivan said this team still looks to tighten up a few aspects of their game.
“We still have some letdowns that kind of get away from us, so I’d like to clean those up and address those,” Sullivan said after their third game of the weekend. “I feel like we are getting up three or four points in a set and then giving those points back in maybe not the greatest fashion.”
Sullivan also has close ties to Texas, serving as associate head coach for the Longhorns for 14 seasons and helping the program to three titles during his tenure.
He will be at the helm for this team during their finals journey, which will start in under three weeks from now.
