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Here is Week One’s final map

Alternate link since Substack compresses the image: Here

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Week One’s Biggest Winners

Some of the biggest land winners from this past week include:

Wyoming (via Texas Tech)

Kentucky (via Utah State)

Pepperdine (via South Dakota State/Villanova)

UNC Asheville (via Boise State → Middle Tennessee St)

SMU (via Northern Colorado → UC Davis and Colorado State)

Back again?

Several teams made their way back to the map after losing their initial land.

Creighton (Lost to Minnesota, beat USC)

SFA (Lost to Idaho State, beat Missouri State)

Texas Tech (lost to Wyoming, beat St. Thomas)

Minnesota (lost to Arizona State, beat Creighton)

Northwestern (Lost to George Mason, beat Georgetown)

Wake Forest (Lost to LSU, beat Houston)

Welcome to the map!

Several teams have made their way to the map for the first time this season after getting big wins this past week. Those teams include:

St. Marys (Cal Berkeley)

UNC Asheville

DePaul (via South Dakota and Drake)

UMBC (via West Virginia)

LMU (via Ole Miss)

Southern Miss (via Jacksonville)

Charleston Southern (Via Butler/Clemson)

Kent State (via William and Mary/Virginia Tech)

Bellarmine (via Purdue Fort Wayne/Rutgers)

Bowling Green (via Ohio State)

Matches to Watch Next Week

The Big Ten/SEC Challenge will force a lot of movement between these two conferences.

The Tulsa/Pepperdine/Creighton/Arizona tournament will also be very interesting.

Utah/Wyoming/Pitt will all meet in Salt Lake City this weekend.

Plus I’m sure quite a few more.

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The NCAAVB regular season officially kicked off for all teams yesterday, and there was plenty of action (and upsets) across the country.

With the first few weeks of non-con play being so chaotic, I’ll probably update the imperialism map a bit more often (time willing).

New to imperialism? Here is an explanation.

Week Zero Map

Here is the updated map through Friday night’s results.

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Substack compresses the image

Here is a link to a clearer version.

New Teams to the Map

A big welcome to George Mason, Middle Tennessee State, William & Mary, Missouri State, Bowling Green, and Purdue Fort Wayne, who all won their way onto the map this week, several of whom beat P4 teams yesterday.

Biggest Winners

Friday’s biggest land winners include

• Kentucky (Utah State)

• Wyoming (Texas Tech)

• Colorado State (UC Davis)

• Middle Tennessee State (Boise State)

Pitt (Kansas) remains the team with the most “territories” through the first week of action. Stanford also picked up multiple territories after taking Wisconsin’s.

Back on the Board

Texas A&M, Louisville, and Kentucky were all absent from the map after losing in First Serve last week. A&M went on to beat both Arkansas State and Grand Canyon. Louisville took down Indiana, while Kentucky swept Utah State.

Matches to Watch

Texas A&M-Cal Poly

USC-Arizona State

Iowa State-Georgia Tech

Colorado State-SMU

Middle Tennessee State-Boise State Round 2

I am a little bit rusty at this, so if you notice any mistakes please let me know.

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If you are new here, an explanation can be found here.

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There was not much movement in Week Zero.

Pitt was the biggest winner this past week, claiming all of the land from Kentucky (which also includes Wisconsin) and Xavier.

Arizona State picked up land in central Texas after upsetting Texas.

Wisconsin and Texas didn’t end the week empty-handed, though. Wisconsin got back on the map after beating Louisville, who had previously beaten Texas A&M. Meanwhile, Texas escaped Marquette’s upset bid last night to claim eastern Wisconsin.

Now onto the chaos that is going to be Week One…

Week One Matches to Watch

Oregon-Western Kentucky (Friday, 6pm CT)

Kentucky-Utah State (Friday, 6pm CT)

Purdue-Creighton (Friday, 6pm CT)

Wisconsin-Stanford (Friday, 8pm CT)

USC-Arizona State (Saturday, 2pm CT)

Wyoming-Texas Tech-St. Thomas triangular

Nebraska-Texas (Sunday, 2:30pm CT)

Honestly, there’s too many games to list in this first week. Depending on results/how much time I have, I might provide more than one update during Week One if its chaotic.

Shoutout to Texas A&M for “winning” last year and ending the season with all of the land available.

Here is the initial/base map for NCAA Volleyball Imperialism 2026.

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What is “Imperialism”?

College (insert sport) Imperialism started as an idea on Reddit for college football. The basic idea is that each team/college is given the land closest to them to “defend” throughout the season. Beat a team? Gain their land. Lose to someone? Lose your land to them. The map is updated each week to reflect movement throughout the sport. By the end of the season, in a perfect world, one team would “own” all of the land available… but that’s not always likely…. and that’s part of the fun with this idea.

Which teams are a part of this?

In a perfect world, it’d include all 360+ NCAA D1 volleyball teams. But it’s not a perfect world, and I don’t have time for that, so the 2026 Imperialism will include all of the 2025 Top 100 RPI teams, plus any other P4 teams not in the Top 100.

If any of these teams lose to a team not initially included, that team will be added to the map. For example, if Bowling Green beats Ball State, they would take Ball State’s land, if there’s any to be taken.

How is the land awarded initially?

The entire USA is divided into counties. Each school is awarded the land that is generally closest to them to start the map. “Closest” is very loose and can be done via the county, county seat, or just general vibes (this is not done exactly and many liberties were taken because who has time for that?).

There were also some liberties taken to ensure each school got land to start. The LA schools were divided based on vibes to ensure each team starts with at least one county.

“but so-so school should have x-county” I’ll be honest, I don’t care enough to do all that work for something that has no relevance outside of our own personal enjoyment.

How is land awarded during each week?

Due to almost every NCAA VB team playing multiple matches each week, land will be awarded based on chronological order of when matches were played based on the NCAA volleyball scoreboard. This will mostly by impacted by early season double match-days. If Team A loses their first game to Team B, Team B would get Team A’s land at the time of the loss. Team B wouldn’t gain further land if Team A were to beat Team C later in the day (and so on).

Also, it will only include official matches. So sorry Nebraska/Penn St/Florida/SMU, the Dallas stadium event will not count.

A new map will be posted each week with the updates from the previous week’s results.

And to reiterate, this doesn’t mean literally anything and it’s just for fun. :)

Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments…

The Volleyball Nations League (VNL) is the first competition of the summer for the women’s national team. The VNL is the only annual FIVB international tournament and thus one of the few chances the women’s national team gets to compete against teams from around the world.

The wide roster for the VNL is a list of 30 athletes eligible to compete for the USA throughout the tournament. In the VNL, there are three distinct weeks of play. Each week, the team is allowed to roster 14 players (and 4 alternates if they choose). These groups of 14 must be formed from the 30-player wide roster, with no exceptions. The weekly rosters of 14 can be changed as often as the coaching staff wants, but the 30-player roster cannot be changed.

The 2026 USA roster features a mix of Olympians as well as young professionals who will compete for Team USA throughout the VNL.

Setters

Jordyn Poulter | Salt Lake | Season Stats: 11.4 assists/set, .293 team hitting eff.

To no one’s surprise, Jordyn Poulter is back in the national team fold. The Tokyo Olympic champion and Paris silver medalist has been a mainstay of the national team for seven years now. Poulter was the starting setter throughout last year’s World Championship run and will probably be expected to be the starter this summer (health willing).

Micha Hancock | Houston | n/a (spent most of the season injured)

Micha Hancock is returning to the national team for the first time since 2024, where she was part of the silver medal-winning squad in Paris. Micha spent most of the 2026 club season injured; however, she did play as a substitute occasionally. Micha has the most USA national team appearances of any athlete in this group, providing valuable experience to this inexperienced group.

Rachel Fairbanks | Atlanta | 10.4 assists/set, .309 team hitting eff.

Rachel Fairbanks is set for her second summer with the USA national team. Fairbanks made her VNL debut last summer, but did not get much opportunity to play, only starting the last match of pool play. Fairbanks has spent the past two seasons playing for LOVB Atlanta, setting one of the top offenses across both seasons.

Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres | MLV Grand Rapids | n/a (spent most of the season as a backup)

Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres made her national team debut last year in the VNL, spending most of the VNL as the starting setter. She then followed that up by being the reserve setter at the World Championships. The 2026 club season did not go as planned for Saige, losing her spot to Camryn Turner for most of the season. But Saige is back and more than likely eager to find the form she had in 2025.

Kami Miner | Milano (ITA) | n/a (spent most of the season as a backup)

Kami Miner has been named to a senior international roster for the first time in her career. She has previously only played in continental events, which she won, including the NORCECA Final Six last year. Kami spent this past season as the reserve setter for top Italian team Vero Volley Milano and will look to find her rhythm in the national team gym after not playing much this past club season.

Notable Absences: Jenna Gray

Jenna Gray is probably the most notable absence in the setter group. She was named the best setter in the Brazilian league this past season after a very successful club season with Osasco.

A nod could be given to Charlie Fuerbringer, Izzy Starck, and Bergen Reilly as the best young setting prospects for the USA right now, especially with Fuerbringer in Anaheim and expected to participate in one of the scrimmages.

Opposites

Jordan Thompson | Houston | 6.15 points/set, .362

Jordan Thompson is back with the national team for the first time since 2024. Jordan is the only active opposite with both an Olympic gold and silver medal. Jordan had a very successful club season, finishing as the top scorer in LOVB by quite a margin. Jordan has established herself as the USA’s best opposite and the objective favorite to be the starter for the time being.

Madi Skinner | Austin | 4.05 points/set, .242

Madi Skinner spent her first full national team season with USA last summer, which was met with some highs and some lows. She was the second-leading scorer for the USA last summer, but only hit .157 with the highest attack error percentage of any attacker. This up-and-down form continued into the LOVB season, but she was successful in the playoffs, leading Austin to the title. Finding the ability to be consistent and hit a variety of shots will be Madi’s key to success this national team summer. With all of the talent in the pipeline, the pressure is on, especially after being the exclusive starting opposite throughout 2025.

Stephanie Samedy | Hisamitsu Springs (JPN) | 5.19 points/set, .310

Stephanie Samedy has been summoned to the VNL for the second season in a row. Samedy did not play much for USA in 2025, serving as a substitute for most of the season, despite being their most efficient opposite (.310) and their most successful opposite at the World Championships. Stephanie had a very successful club season, leading Hisamitsu Springs to the Japanese league title. Samedy will be playing in MLV next season, which is an interesting move in terms of developing her game ahead of LA28.

Kendall Kipp | Bergamo (ITA) | 4.13 points/set, .234

Kendall Kipp has been named to a VNL roster for the first time in her career. Kipp has competed in NORCECA-level events and won the Final Six last year. Kipp also returned to the Italian league and completed her first full season there as a starter. Kipp’s season with Bergamo had its ups and downs, but she spent a large portion of the season as the team’s only attacker. Her most notable match was against Milano, where she went head-to-head against Paola Egonu, scoring 32 points and hitting .440.

Olivia Babcock | Pitt (NCAA)

The two-time reigning NCAA Player of the Year, Olivia Babcock, is back for another VNL after making her debut last summer. Babcock’s first VNL wasn’t as successful as she may have liked, but she also never got to play with Poulter. Olivia is back in 2026 as she looks to transition into the next level of volleyball. She is currently with Pitt as they tour Europe (with notable wins over Italy U22 x2 and the Slovenian and Azerbaijan national teams) and will likely be in the gym once they return.

Notable Absences: Taylor Bannister, Kennedy Martin

Taylor Bannister is a questionable absence. Bannister has been a successful opposite in Europe and was the best opposite in Poland this past year. Bannister has high-level Champions League experience and could be an option to play alongside Thompson. Her absence is interesting if she was not invited, especially considering her success against high-level competition compared to others in the group.

Kennedy Martin, who is unknown if she was asked or not, is another perplexing absentee. Martin is one of the most talented opposites in the NCAA and is clearly a level above her peers (as shown with her performance in the NORCECA youth events). Getting Martin into the gym now would help develop her for the next level, if not even into an option for LA28.

Outside Hitters

Avery Skinner | Scandicci (ITA) | 3.57 points/set, .326

Avery Skinner is back as one of Team USA’s best outside hitters. Since her breakout in 2024, no other outside hitter has been as successful as Avery. She won the Club World Championship this past season with Scandicci and was named Best Outside Hitter. The end of her club season was derailed a bit by a shoulder injury, and it would not be surprising if Avery does not see much action in the VNL.

Sarah Franklin | Scandicci (ITA) | 2.52 points/set, .291

Sarah Franklin made her USA international debut last summer and will look to continue that momentum into this summer. She was the starting outside hitter for most of the summer and was paired with Skinner at the World Championship. Sarah finished the summer as USA’s top scorer and hit .274. She spent most of this past season as a substitute in Scandicci but will look to take that learning experience into this national team season.

Simone Lee-Wank | SESC Flamengo (BRA) | 525 points, .334

Simone Lee-Wank has been named to her first VNL roster since 2019. Simone had an incredible club season in Brazil in which she was the top scorer in the league and was one of the most efficient pin attackers. Simone’s offensive presence will be very much needed for this USA group.

Kara Bajema-Hallock | Goztepe (TUR) | 305 points, .230

Kara Bajema-Hallock is back with the national team for the first time since 2024. Kara had a fairly successful Paris quad, being named to the 2022 World Championship team, but she never really found her way into the starting lineup consistently. Kara had a good club season with Goztepe in Turkey. She finished the regular season as the best blocker overall in the league, the first pin attacker to do that in Turkey. Kara wasn’t the most efficient attacker in the league, but she wasn’t paired with high-level locals around her either.

Logan Eggleston | Austin | 3.37 points/set, .199

Logan Eggleston made her VNL debut last summer and played quite frequently. She finished last summer with 147 points, hitting .231 and made the World Championship roster. Eggleston’s play in LOVB was up and down, in particular her offense, where she hit only .199. Her best skill this past season might have been her passing (well, besides her tough serve), in which she was very consistent and was one of the better passing outside hitters in the league.

Madi Kubik-Banks | Austin | 2.25 points/set, .185

Madi Kubik-Banks has been named to a VNL and international roster for the very first time. Madi has previously played for the NORCECA teams, winning the Final Six last year. Madi spent this past club season with Austin, up close and personal with head coach Erik Sullivan.

Caitie Baird | Osasco (BRA) | 373 points, .281

Caitie Baird has been named to her first VNL roster after her most successful club season. Caitie competed in Brazil with Osasco. Caitie was one of the top outside hitters in the league, finishing as the eighth-best scorer. Caitie helped Osasco win the Brazilian Cup as well as finish third in the Club World Championship.

Claire Hoffman | Salt Lake | 3.30 points/set, .226

Claire Hoffman will make her VNL debut in 2026 after a successful club season with Salt Lake. Claire’s best skill is her passing, and she was the best passing outside hitter in LOVB this past season. Claire has experience at the NORCECA level for Team USA, as she was named Best Receiver at the 2024 Pan American Cup. Passing and defense will be Claire’s ticket onto USA rosters, as she is among USA’s best in those skills in the absence of Kelsey Robinson.

Torrey Stafford | Texas (NCAA)

Torrey Stafford is the lone NCAA outside hitter on this list and will make her USA debut this summer. Torrey previously appeared with USA at the 2022 U19 Pan-American Cup. This will be her first exposure to international play at the senior level. Torrey was one of the best outside hitters in the NCAA last year and will look to develop her skill set (in particular, her passing) with this exposure to a higher level of play.

Notable Absences: Mimi Colyer, Kathryn Plummer, Khalia Lanier

There are three notable absences amongst the outside hitter group.

Khalia Lanier is probably the most notable. Khalia was one of the best outside hitters in the Italian league this past season as she hit .342 in the league for Milano. She also improved her passing, averaging 2.33 this season. Her absence is interesting, especially since she did not get any playing time under Sullivan in last year’s VNL pool phase and was left out of the World Championship roster altogether.

Kathryn Plummer is also a notable absence, but her case may be different. Kathryn, who had a breakout 2024 Olympics, has had a couple of difficult club seasons with Eczacıbaşı, and her father passed away last year. She may have asked for time away from the national team.

Mimi Colyer is another absence (who may have also declined her spot). Mimi was one of the best outsides in the NCAA last fall and followed that up with a breakout year in MLV (which she was arguably robbed of MVP for, though she won the championship anyways). After such a long season (playing since August), Mimi may have asked for time off to rest and recover and avoid burnout.

Middle Blockers

Dana Rettke | Eczacibasi (TUR) | 269 points, .495

Dana Rettke has firmly cemented herself as one of Team USA’s best middle blockers. She was a starter throughout the 2025 national team season, which led into her very successful 2026 club season with Eczacibasi. She finished the Turkish league season as the best-scoring middle blocker and the most efficient middle. She also helped Eczacibasi reach the Champions League final.

Chiaka Ogbogu | VakifBank (TUR)

Chiaka Ogbogu is the most experienced middle blocker on Team USA. A two-time Olympian, Chiaka has been at the top of the game for several years now. She won the Champions League in Europe this past season with VakifBank. Chiaka finished last season with USA hitting .472 and was one of their best scorers at the World Championships. Chiaka will need to bring this level of play to the USA for them to be successful.

Anna Stevenson-Hall | Madison | 2.05 points/set, .269

Anna Stevenson-Hall is back with Team USA after missing 2025 due to maternity leave. Anna returned midway through the LOVB season this past year. Anna was an alternate to the 2024 Olympic team and was named to the 2022 World Championship team. Anna has the experience to be an asset in the middle for Team USA; she just might need some time to get back into the flow of the international game after such a long break.

Asjia O’Neal | Austin | 2.84 points/set, .363

Asjia O’Neal has been named to her fourth VNL roster now after making her debut in 2023. Asjia was not part of the 2025 World Championship team, but she did follow that up with a very successful club season. She was the catalyst for Austin’s run to the title, being the best middle blocker in the playoffs. Asjia will look to take that experience and translate it into impact at the international level.

Molly McCage | Austin | 2.23 points/set, .339

Molly McCage made her return to the USA national team last summer after a lengthy absence. Molly played in two of the VNL weeks but did not see any action after that. Molly had a successful LOVB season, especially in the playoffs.

Anna Dodson | Monviso (ITA) | 2.47 points/set, .438

Anna Dodson made her VNL debut last year, appearing in Week One in Brazil. Anna had a very successful club season as she was the top-scoring middle blocker in the Italian league during the regular season. She was also one of the most efficient attackers, hitting .438 in the league.

Sami Francis | Osaka Marvelous (JPN) | 2.68 points/set, .400

Sami Francis has been named to her first VNL roster. Sami made her USA debut last summer as a starting middle blocker on the NORCECA Final Six–winning team. Sami had a very successful first international pro season with Osaka Marvelous, helping them to a second-place finish in the league as she hit .400.

Notable Absences: Serena Gray (injury), Amber Igiede (injury), Brionne Butler, Tia Jimerson, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla

There are quite a few absences in the middle group.

Serena Gray and Amber Igiede are both absent due to injury, unfortunately. Serena and Amber were two of the top middles in LOVB this past season and would without a doubt be on the roster otherwise.

Brionne Butler is a puzzling absence. Brionne finished another season in Japan as the best middle blocker, leading the league in blocks. She is also historically one of USA’s best blockers, although she has not made a major championship roster yet.

Tia Jimerson is also absent after being named to last year’s VNL and World Championship rosters.

Ifenna Cos-Okpalla was also not named. Ifenna was one of the best middles in the NCAA last season, winning the title with A&M and was named MVP of the U23 Pan-American Cup last summer. She did not play in LOVB this past spring, but that seems more like a Tama Miyashiro-related issue than anything else.

Liberos

Lexi Rodriguez | Nebraska | 2.45 passing grade

Lexi Rodriguez made her VNL debut last summer and was one of USA’s best passers. She finished the VNL passing at 2.33, which led the USA. This did not transfer to the World Championships, where she lost her spot in the first match after really struggling with her passing. She rebounded this past LOVB season, becoming one of the top passers in the league and routinely passing two with Nebraska. Her defense improved as the season progressed, which was key given her lack of experience in 2025.

Morgan Hentz | MLV Grand Rapids/Omaha | 2.27 passing grade

Morgan Hentz is back for another VNL after making her debut in 2022. Hentz was the second libero for most of the VNL but took over the starting spot at the World Championship. She finished the tournament passing a 2.18. Her club season was really a tale of two halves. In the first half of the season with Omaha, it was… quite rough. She was pulled from passing duties and was eventually traded to Grand Rapids. Her stint with Grand Rapids was a much-needed change of scenery, and she played at a much higher level.

Elena Scott | MLV Indy | 2.43 passing grade

The 2026 VNL will be a first for Elena Scott and mark her first USA appearance since the 2023 NORCECA Final Six. Elena is coming off her best club season yet, having been named Best Libero in MLV this past year for the Indy Ignite. Elena might be the most well-rounded libero in the USA gym and will use that to her advantage as she navigates a higher level of play than she has ever faced before.

Elena Oglivie | MLV Omaha/Grand Rapids | 2.31 passing grade

Elena Oglivie is also making her VNL roster debut. Elena has previously played for Team USA at both the junior and senior levels. She helped the USA win the NORCECA Final Six last summer, narrowly missing out on the Best Receiver award. Elena was very successful with both Grand Rapids and Omaha this past season, playing a key role in Omaha reaching the MLV championship match.

Notable Absences: Lauren Briseno

Lauren Briseno might not be the most notable absence compared to some of the other names on the list, but it is an interesting omission since she is currently training in Anaheim after a successful club season with Houston.

Personal Thoughts

Overall, this is a much better roster for Team USA than it was last year (which was almost disastrous). There are still some questionable absences (in particular, Lanier and Gray), but we may not know why they are not in the gym. I find it inexcusable the way Lanier (from a playing perspective) has been treated. She is one of the USA’s best outside hitters and she never gets an opportunity to show that?

I would like to see better (and hopefully objective) use of game time in this VNL than Sullivan and co. showed in last year’s VNL, which saw too many wasted development opportunities. Players like Rachel Fairbanks and Anna Dodson saw little to no action at all, despite having much better club seasons than their peers.

Speaking of development opportunities, I find it odd that players like Charlie Fuerbringer and Andi Jackson are not on the roster, given that they are/were in Anaheim training. Their development (along with the development of Izzy Starck/Bergen Reilly/Kennedy Martin/Eva Hudson/Kyndal Stowers/Brooklyn DeLeye/etc./etc.) could be valuable, especially since there are some players on the roster who really aren’t at the level of international volleyball.

Anyways, I am very excited to see this group of players develop and compete. This roster/group is in its least experienced USA group in years and the development of this group will be very important.. so as long as the coaching staff is capable of that.

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I’ll be using the same approach by putting players into four categories (roster locks, probable, questionable, and developmental picks) based on my own opinions.

I am going to harp on passing, passing, passing because I do believe that’s the most important skill for an international libero (you can feel free to disagree, lol). The American system is going to be built on a high-good-pass percentage and a high first-ball sideout percentage because they don’t have the big opposite attackers that their rivals do to get out of bad passes. Jordan Thompson’s biggest strength is her fast, in-system attacks.

Comparing digs per set (across leagues) is a bit useless, since MLV has lower termination rates in attack which will inflate dig statistics.

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Roster Locks

Lexi Rodriguez | LOVB Nebraska (USA)

Season stats: 2.44 passing grade (205 attempts)

Lexi is going to be my lone roster lock at libero this summer (for reasons to be explained later). She was the USA’s best passer last summer, averaging a 2.37 in her debut VNL. Lexi has (mostly… I have thoughts about Suzie Fritz) earned the starting position this year at LOVB Nebraska, and by the eye test, her defense does look improved. Experience at the international level is something that Lexi very much needs. She was shell-shocked in the first World Championship match last fall and never got her spot back after passing poorly against Slovenia.

Probable

Elena Scott | Indy Ignite (USA)

Season stats: 2.42 passing grade (353 attempts)

Elena would most definitely be in the “locked” category if she hadn’t declined last year’s national team invite (for whatever reason). Even then, Elena will be on the national team roster if she accepts. She is having a good season with MLV leaders Indy so far. Elena offers a bit more balance between her passing and defensive skills (compared to Lexi) and also offers high-level setting (rip the rumored libero setting rules, iykyk). The VNL would be a good place for Elena to break into the national team fold and get used to playing with the international ball (Mikasa), which does not have the same touch as the ball (Franklin) that MLV uses.

Questionable

Lauren Briseno | LOVB Houston (USA)

Season stats: 2.31 passing grade (219 attempts)

Lauren was named to her first national team roster last year for the VNL but did not see any action. She has excelled in her first pro season as the libero for LOVB’s first-place Houston. Lauren has showcased her all-around play, from high-level passing to excellent covers and digs. Playing in LOVB has also allowed Lauren to gain experience with the Mikasa ball and taking a more prominent role in the passing line to cover some of Houston’s outsides.

Elena Oglivie | Omaha Supernovas/Grand Rapids Rise (USA)

Season stats: 2.21 passing grade (138 attempts/Omaha), 2.41 passing grade (175 attempts/Grand Rapids)

Elena made her national team debut last summer in the NORCECA Final Six, narrowly missing out on Best Receiver honors (it was a technicality with Norah Sis). Elena has continued to improve in MLV, posting a high passing grade with Grand Rapids before taking a slight dip in Omaha’s mess. Elena is a libero who quietly does all of the little things well. She’s not going to “wow” you with eye-catching plays, but she is going to do her job (and do it well).

Morgan Hentz | Grand Rapids Rise/Omaha Supernovas (USA)

Season stats: 2.34 passing grade (153 attempts/Grand Rapids), 1.90 (277 attempts/Omaha)

Morgan has been around the national team scene consistently since 2022, mostly as the backup libero. In 2025, she took on a more involved role, battling with Lexi Rodriguez throughout the summer and ultimately taking the job at the World Championships. Morgan finished the national team season with a 2.23 passing average.

So why is she in the “questionable” section? Her club season has left… quite a bit to be desired. Her stint with Omaha was nothing short of a disaster, as she was pulled from passing duties before being traded to Grand Rapids. Morgan’s numbers have improved with Grand Rapids, but they are perhaps still not near the elite of the league.

Developmental

Maya Sands | LOVB Houston (USA)

Maya Sands was one of the best liberos in the NCAA last year, picking up SEC Libero of the Year honors the past two seasons. Maya is currently the backup libero for LOVB Houston (I love LOVB’s player distribution, if you couldn’t tell…) and is passing well (2.56 on 36 attempts) as a defensive specialist. Maya’s involvement with the national team could be a good option to develop one of the top NCAA liberos from this past season.

Kylie Murr | Dallas Pulse (USA)

Kylie might be a bit of a curveball pick at first glance. She has never been involved with USA and lost her spot last season to Elena Scott for the Indy Ignite. But Kylie has come back this season with a vengeance. She is the best passer in MLV this season, averaging 2.56 on 262 attempts. That’s better than the likes of international libero veterans Teodora Pusic (2.36), Aleksandra Jegdic (2.35), and Shara Venegas (2.34).

Is that enough to warrant a national team spot? I’m not sure… but I don’t think you can deny she’s having an incredibly successful season (Dallas sits second), especially compared to the other MLV liberos.

Rachel Van Gorp | Iowa State (NCAA)

Rachel Van Gorp was by far the best passer in the NCAA last fall, averaging 2.43 on 534 attempts. She did have an NCAA Tournament to forget, but those pressure moments are important to learn from. She picked up Libero of the Year honors from the AVCA and was asked to attend the collegiate national team camp this spring in Colorado Springs. Van Gorp could offer a different look in the gym and reward one of the NCAA’s most successful players.

My Picks

If I were picking my four liberos, I would take Lexi Rodriguez, Elena Scott, Lauren Briseno, and Elena Oglivie.

I think all of these liberos have the potential to be high-level passers at the international level with enough experience, and that really is the deciding factor for me.

I know there will be “what about Morgan Hentz?” questions, and my response to that is she is simply not a good enough passer to compete at the Olympic level. This season should be about figuring out what Plan B is going to be in case JWO does not return.

Hentz’s passing numbers with USA:

2022: 2.25 (60 attempts)

2023: 2.33 (45 attempts)

2024: DNP, Olympic year

2025: 2.23 (166 attempts) (2.12 against the World Championship medalists)

At some point the USA needs to see return on investment on the passing front and they’re not.

Predictions

I think Sullivan will go with the tried-and-true and select Rodriguez, Hentz, Scott, and Briseno. I guess I forgot about Zoe Fleck, but she is not starting for LOVB Austin at all and probably won’t be an option (not that that stopped anything last year, I guess).

If you’ve missed the other positions, here are the setters, outside hitters, and opposites.

Middle blocker might be USA’s strongest position across the board. They have several good middles competing both in abroad and in LOVB with complementary strengths.

I’ll be using the same approach by putting players into four categories (roster locks, probable, questionable, and developmental picks) based on my own opinions.

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Roster Locks

Chiaka Ogbogu | VakifBank (TUR)

League Stats: 88 points, 61% attack, .510 efficiency, 17 blocks

Chiaka has been a national team staple since breaking into the fold after Tokyo 2021. Chiaka was named Best Middle at the 2024 Paris Olympics and will have any roster spot she wants. She is currently competing for VakifBank in Turkey, mostly as a reserve player due to foreigner limits in league play. She has been a starter in Champions League matches.

Dana Rettke | Eczacibasi (TUR)

League Stats: 238 points, 57% attack, .510 efficiency, .71 blocks/set

Dana might be having the best season of any American middle this year. She was the top-scoring middle blocker in the Turkish league regular season. She was the only middle to hit above .500 (with over 100 attempts). She was also the second-best blocking middle (in total blocks). Dana has improved each of her pro seasons, and it’s going to be hard to deny her one of the starting middle spots on the national team.

Amber Igiede | LOVB Houston (USA)

Season Stats: 2.83 points/set, 58% attack, .486, .46 blocks/set

Amber had a breakout season last year in her first VNL, as she was the starting middle in Ogbogu’s absence. She finished the VNL as one of the top-scoring middle blockers. Amber carried that momentum into the club season, where she played for Novara (ITA) in the fall and was very successful. She returned to Houston in January and has been one of LOVB’s best middles so far this season.

Probable/Questionable

I’m going to lump these two categories together because I can’t differentiate this group of players. I think they’re all competing on similar levels and it could just come down to personal preference.

Brionne Butler | Astemo Rivale (JPN)

Season stats: 2.43 points/set, 44% attack, .344, .88 blocks/set

Brionne might be one of the best pure blockers that the Americans have. She has been successful in the Japanese league and also in the VNL as a blocker, but she has not yet made a major roster for the USA national team. She’s been in limbo for the past couple of national team seasons. Part of this might be due to her streaky offense, as she only hit .270 in last year’s VNL.

Anna Dodson | Monviso (ITA)

Season stats: 2.49 points/set, 52% attack, .438, .33 blocks/set

Anna Dodson made her national team debut last summer in the VNL, playing in the first week in Brazil. Anna carried that momentum into the Italian league season, where she was the top-scoring middle blocker in the regular season and one of the most efficient attackers. Anna’s season was notable for her success on offense (where she can run both in front of/behind the setter), but perhaps not as much on blocking, which is an area of her game that she needs to improve. She’ll be staying overseas as she heads to the Turkish league next year.

Serena Gray | LOVB Salt Lake (USA)

Season stats: 3.28 points/set, 56% attack, .473, .50 blocks/set

Serena is having the best season of her career so far in LOVB, as one of the league’s top-scoring middles and one of the best attackers. Serena also made her senior team debut last summer in the VNL. Serena’s connection with Poulter could be valuable, and her serve has proven to be one of the best in LOVB among middles.

Tia Jimerson | LOVB Atlanta (USA)

Season stats: 2.3 points/set, 48% attack, .379, .37 blocks/set

Tia also made her national team debut last year in the VNL and made her first major roster at the World Championships. Tia saw limited action in the VNL but was successful in the two matches she did play. She hit .470 against the Dominicans and Canadians. Tia isn’t having the same level of success in LOVB that she did last year, but Atlanta’s roster has been very fluctuating with all of their different injuries.

Asjia O’Neal | LOVB Austin (USA)

Season stats: 2.7 points/set, 43% attack, .357, .62 blocks/set

Asjia has been on two VNL rosters now after she debuted with the national team in 2023. Asjia finished last year’s VNL playing in only two matches, hitting .190, and ended up not making the World Championship roster. Asjia is having a more pronounced season with Austin this year, serving as one of their main offensive weapons and one of the better blockers and servers in the league.

Developmental

This section isn’t going to be purely NCAA players, but perhaps NCAA players and some inexperienced pro players that I think show potential.

Onye Ofoegbu | LOVB Atlanta (USA)

Seasons stats: 2.77 points/set, 59% attack, .515, .46 blocks/set

Onye has never played with the senior national team but is enjoying a successful LOVB season. Onye has been switched in and out with Jimerson in Atlanta. Onye is one of the league’s best attackers and has a very good connection with Rachel Fairbanks.

Sami Francis | Osaka Marvelous (JPN)

Season stats: 2.74 points/set, 45% attack, .395, .72 blocks/set

Sami made her USA debut last summer in the NORCECA competitions, where she was named “Best Middle” at the NORCECA Final Six. Sami is currently having a very successful season in Japan, serving as the starting middle for the third-place Osaka Marvelous.

Ifenna Cos-Okpalla | LOVB Salt Lake (USA)

Season stats: N/A

Ifenna is one of the USA’s most exciting middle blocker prospects. She was named Best Middle and MVP of last year’s U23 Pan-American Cup and then went on to win the NCAA title with Texas A&M last fall… and then… she got subjected to Tama Miyashiro’s madness and hasn’t played a single point in LOVB so far this season, despite the fact that the starting middle is hitting .286 and has three matches hitting zero or negative. Anyway, if Ifenna wants to find her way onto the A national team, she needs to leave LOVB (this is a common trend if you haven’t put that together yet).

Andi Jackson | Nebraska (NCAA)

Andi might be one of the most physically talented middles that the USA has to offer. Her potential is off the charts, especially offensively. However, her blocking game leaves something to be desired and has been taken advantage of even at the NCAA level. Exposure to a higher level of play could help Andi address and improve that weakness in her game.

My Picks

If I were to pick the middles for the VNL, my eight would be Ogbogu, Rettke, Igiede, Dodson, Gray, O’Neal, Butler, and perhaps Jimerson. Middle blocker is probably the most straight forward position if they’re taking the “top” middles. Last year Chiaka skipped the VNL and should probably could again this year which might open a spot for Onye, Sami, Ifenna, or Andi.

I’m not sure how much they’ll balance in front of setter attackers/sliders but this group does offer a pretty equal balance with options for different lineups.

Predictions

I would predict my picks to be the same as Sullivan’s: Ogbogu, Rettke, Igiede, Dodson, Gray, O’Neal, Butler, and Jimerson (as long as players like Ogbogu and Rettke are playing). If they are not, I imagine Francis and Cos-Okpalla to be the first two summoned (he summoned Lexi Rodriguez last year after not playing in LOVB behind JWO).

Last, but certainly not least will be the liberos!

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Opposites will be the third position looked at after the setters and the outside hitters.

I’ll be using the same approach by putting players into four categories (roster locks, probable, questionable, and developmental picks) based on my own opinions.

Subscribe now

Roster Locks

Jordan Thompson | LOVB Houston (USA)

Season Stats: 6.27 points/set, .383

Jordan Thompson is by far the best American opposite at the moment. She is the only active Olympian and a two-time Olympic medalist. Currently, she is dominating in LOVB, with clearly no other player at her level. Thompson was absent in 2025 after taking a rest year post-Paris, and she was sorely missed. Her return to the fold this summer will give USA a much-needed right-side presence.

Probable

Kendall Kipp | Bergamo (ITA)

Season Stats: 4.17 points/set, 39% attack, .248

Kendall Kipp missed the last VNL with an injury but returned later in the summer to compete in the NORCECA-level events. Kendall has had a successful club season so far this year, making the playoffs with Bergamo and was their top scorer. Kendall has the physical tools to be a successful opposite for the Americans, but experience at the international level is needed. She has been the main offensive scorer for Bergamo this season, but has struggled at times with errors.

Stephanie Samedy | Hisamitsu Springs (JPN)

Season Stats: 5.2 points/set, 42% attack, .310

Stephanie did not get much playing time in the VNL or World Championships last year (which I have thoughts on), but she was successful in the time that she did. Samedy finished with 48 points, hitting .310 in her USA appearances last summer, in which she did not start a single match. Samedy has been the go-to player for her club team in Japan, and they currently sit second in the standings. Samedy’s biggest asset might be her ability to be low error. This does come with a lower termination rate (perhaps due to her height), but it is a trade-off that could be worth it, especially compared to her peer’s error rates.

Olivia Babcock | Pitt (NCAA)

Olivia Babcock is Olivia Babcock, one of the most successful NCAA players over the past two seasons. She did not have the best VNL debut last year (20 total points, .130), but she also never got to play with Poulter, only the reserve setters. Babcock should be on the roster to continue her international development ahead of her final NCAA season this fall. Babcock’s development should be of the utmost importance to this staff.

Questionable

Madi Skinner | LOVB Austin (USA)

Season Stats: 3.95 points/set, 39% attack, .239

Madi Skinner made her full-time USA debut last summer, serving as the main opposite for the entire summer. This… wasn’t very successful. Outside of the Serbia match in the VNL (where she had 32 points and hit .350), she only hit .108 for the rest of the summer at the opposite position. Skinner also hasn’t fared well in LOVB this season, hitting under .250 and having three matches with negative efficiency. The obvious physical talent is there for Madi, but is everything else? I’m not sure.

Taylor Bannister | Rzeszow (POL)

Season Stats: 4.60 points/set, 49% attack, .320

Bannister has never been given much time in the USA gym, but she has continued to have success overseas. Currently, she is in the Polish league, atop the standings with Rzeszow. She has also had success in the Champions League, being the top scorer and hitting over .400 against Turkish side Eczacibasi last week. Bannister has the experience and club success to earn a spot in the USA gym, will she get it?

Danielle Cuttino | Queenseis (JPN)

Season Stats: 5.0 points/set, 43% attack, .320

Danielle Cuttino is one of the most physically gifted athletes in the USA system. But at the same time, it seems a position change earlier in her career (from middle to opposite) has hindered her development at opposite. So many times we can be wowed by something Danielle does and then scratch our heads at the very next play. Danielle has had mixed success with the national team over the past quad, making her lone senior team appearance at the 2022 World Championship (when Thompson was concussed). I think there could be value in a Cuttino double sub, but can USA find that value?

Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani | Fenerbahce (TUR)

Season Stats: 135 points (pps is tricky), 46% attack, .342

Yaasmeen is a bit of a curveball pick (and not just a #TexasExes pick). She has been successful in the Turkish league and is currently the backup opposite for Fenerbahce. She has seen success against the weaker teams in the league but hasn’t played against any of the top teams this season. She will move on to being a starter in the league next year for Nilufer, and that could be worth a look for the USA. There aren’t many American opposites starting in the Turkish or Italian leagues these days.

Sherridan Atkinson | Goztepe (USA)

Season Stats: 4.26 points/set, 43% attack, .294

This might be another curveball pick, but I don’t think you can deny the success that Sherridan has had in Turkey. She did not play on a very good team, yet she scored at a high rate and hit almost .300 in the league. She was one of the top blocking opposites, a skill that has value in the double sub. She had notable performances against Fenerbahce and Galatasaray to end the season, scoring 20+ points in both matches and hitting just under .400.

Taylor Mims | Novara (ITA)

Taylor Mims was named to her first VNL roster last summer and mostly appeared as a sub. This season for Novara, she has been injured for a large part of the season and has only appeared in limited opportunities (mostly because starter Tatiana Tolok is very, very good). I don’t expect Mims to return to the national team fold.

Developmental

Kennedy Martin | Penn State (NCAA)

Kennedy Martin is probably the most obvious pick from the NCAA for the VNL (that isn’t named Olivia Babcock). She is one of the best in-system attackers in the country, and her serve (with some development) could prove to be a weapon on the international stage. Kennedy will also be going pro in winter 2026, so exposure to the pro game beforehand will be beneficial.

Logan Lednicky | LOVB Houston (USA)

Season Stats: 42 points, .213 efficiency

Logan made her national team debut last summer in the VNL and had mixed success. She finished with 43 points and hit .160. Logan won the national championship with A&M last fall. Logan has some time in LOVB, appearing in the double sub for Houston, again with mixed success. Logan was able to take advantage of poorly formed blocks in the NCAA, but that doesn’t exist (often) at the next level, and her scoring ability has been affected by that, especially as an attacker who doesn’t jump out of the gym like some of her peers.

My Picks

If I were told to make my picks for the VNL opposites right now, I would choose Thompson, Kipp, Samedy, Bannister, Babcock, and Martin. I think this group offers a variety of skill sets and levels of experience that could be useful in the VNL.

Thompson is the obvious pick. She is by far the best American opposite at the moment and will be a starter as long as she wants to play.

I think Kipp, Samedy, and Bannister should all be rewarded for their level of play and commitment to getting better in the international leagues. They’re all being exposed to different challenges that force them to improve their games. Kipp went head-to-head with Paola Egonu just two months ago, Samedy is having to play against Japanese defenders, and Bannister is playing in the Champions League.

Babcock and Martin would round out my choices (taking an extra spot from the outside group). They are by far the most obvious choices to develop and try to prepare for LA2028. Their physical qualities are above all of their peers. They need exposure to levels beyond the NCAA and the NORCECA youth tournaments.

In regard to Madi Skinner, I think she needs to go overseas to grow her game (I hold this opinion for any young player who wants to be in LA2028 and is currently in LOVB, sans the liberos). Watching LOVB Austin this year, it’s clear that she is not developing or evolving under Erik Sullivan, and she likely won’t with the national team. Madi has the physical talent; she just needs to develop the volleyball skills. It’s not worth (or fair) taking time away from the other American opposites to only develop Madi like they did last summer.

I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Bedart-Ghani or Atkinson. I think they could both offer different looks that we haven’t seen in Sullivnan’s USA gym, and risks are worth taking in 2026 since USA doesn’t have Olympic qualification. The USA needs to figure out how to get the most out of the opposite position without having the superstar opposite that European teams do.

Predictions

I think Sullivan will summon Thompson, Kipp, Samedy, Skinner, and Babcock. I think he could perhaps summon Martin if he’s willing to drop an outside hitter like I was. I just don’t envision Sullivan taking many risks or going away from the Texas players he is comfortable with. It’s what we saw last year.

Up next… the middles.

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I’ll be using the same approach by putting players into four categories (roster locks, probable, questionable, and developmental picks) based on my own opinions.

Roster Locks

Avery Skinner | Scandicci (ITA)

Season Stats: 3.74 points/set, .336, 2.26 passing grade (3pt scale)

Avery has been a national team staple since her breakthrough in 2024, and that should continue heading into 2026. Avery is one of the top outside hitters in Europe, competing for Scandicci in the Italian league, and was named Best Outside Hitter at the 2025 Club World Championship. As long as she is healthy (she has had some shoulder injuries) and willing, Avery will have her spot on the roster.

Sarah Franklin | Scandicci (ITA)

Season Stats: 2.68 points/set, .306, 2.12 passing grade

Sarah had a breakout season for the national team last year, ending the year as the starting outside alongside Avery. Franklin should find her way back into the national team fold after serving as Avery’s backup in Scandicci for most of this season. Franklin has worked on her passing, defense, and shot selection this past club season and will look to improve on her termination in this national team season (and next year in the Turkish league where she’s headed).

Khalia Lanier | Milano (ITA)

Season Stats: 3.41 points/set, .329, 2.31 passing grade

Khalia joins Avery in the running for the best American outside hitter this club season as she competes for Milano in Italy. I am putting her in the “locked” category because it would be absolutely absurd if she’s not on the roster. Last year, Khalia was iced out of the national team for who knows what reason, not even making the World Championship roster (which I have plenty of thoughts on). Either way, Khalia is in Italy doing Khalia things, hitting over .300 and drastically improving her passing.

Simone Lee | SESC RJ Flamengo (BRA)

Season Stats: 387 points, .359, 55% passing efficiency (Brazilian league stats)

Simone Lee is another player who has been snubbed by Sullivan’s staff, not even being put on wide rosters last year despite being the top-scoring outside hitter in Italy. That hasn’t stopped Simone, as she has taken the Brazilian league by storm this year, and even she might have an argument for the best American outside. Simone’s out-of-system attacking might be her best skill, a skill desperately needed among the American group.

Probable

Mimi Colyer | MLV Dallas (USA)

Season Stats: 4.67 points/set, .287, 2.11 passing grade

Mimi doesn’t have any international experience, but it’s hard to deny both her success in the NCAA and MLV. Mimi’s ball control will raise questions, but her attacking ability is something that could translate very well to the international game and be needed by the national team. She might be wasting her time in MLV (in regard to development/level of play), but I guess it’s better than rotting on LOVB’s bench (#freeIfenna).

Questionables

This is where I have a hard time trying to figure out what USAV might want vs. what they need. I think Skinner, Lanier, Lee, and Franklin are by far the top four outsides right now, and the other slots could or should be what will complement that.

Kathryn Plummer | Eczacibasi (TUR)

Season Stats: 1.5 points/set, .230, 25% positive passing,

I wasn’t sure where to put Plummer, and I am not sure if she even plans on returning to the national team. Plummer had success in Paris, most notably in the semifinal matches, but she also has her limits (which have been shown in many of her other national team matches, especially in passing and defense). Her club season with Eczacibasi in Turkey has been nothing short of a disaster, as she hasn’t even played in most matches. Plummer will have to evaluate what she wants to pursue, or she could even try moving to the opposite position.

Caitie Baird | Osasco (BRA)

Season Stats: 277 points, .287, 52% passing efficiency

Caitie has had the best pro season of her career this year with Osasco in Brazil (alongside Jenna Gray). Caitie has had notable performances in big matches and could be an answer at outside in finding the next outside hitter for the national team. Caitie has been successful on both offense and passing. Caitie is rumored to be moving to the Italian league next season, yet another reason to invest in a player who is committed to playing among the best.

Claire Hoffman | LOVB Salt Lake (USA)

Season Stats: 3.27 points/set, .230, 2.42 passing grade

Claire is by far one of, if not the best passing outsides in the American group right now in the absence of Kelsey Robinson, and I feel she could play a role in helping shore up the American reception. Her offense has improved this season, and she will have a connection established with Poulter.

Logan Eggleston | LOVB Austin (USA)

Season Stats: 3.25 points/set, .182, 2.27 passing grade

Logan made her national team debut last year in the VNL, and it went fairly well. But at the World Championship, she didn’t appear much at all, usually being limited to serving as a substitute. With greater competition at the outside position and her unsuccessful club season, I moved her down into the “questionable” category. I think Logan needs to go back overseas. She is not improving in LOVB (and the stats back this up). Is that an indictment of LOVB or of Erik Sullivan?

Kara Bajema | Goztepe (TUR)

Season Stats: 3.91 points/set, .230, 32% positive passing

Kara might be a bit of an outside pick for this summer, but it’s hard to deny someone who was the best blocker in the Turkish league an opportunity. Kara didn’t play on the best team, so she likely had to carry more than her fair share of the offensive load (and her efficiency reflects that). They did manage to compete with, and even beat, some of the top Turkish teams. I am not sure if Kara wants to return, but I’m also not sure USA can be in a position to be picky.

Not Inviting Back

Roni Jones-Perry, McKenzie Adams, Ali Frantti

Sorry.

Developmental

If the USA does want to give players like Skinner a break or doesn’t summon Lanier/Lee, I think they’ll look to the NCAA or other young pro players to fill out their lineup.

In no particular order (and not limited to this list) I think they could ask:

Torrey Stafford, Kyndal Stowers, Eva Hudson, Harper Murray, Elia Rubin

(Brooklyn DeLeye seems to be recovering from a surgery)

My Picks

Last year, the staff only included seven outside hitters, and I will be doing the same to accommodate an extra opposite pick.

My picks would be Avery Skinner, Khalia Lanier, Sarah Franklin, Simone Lee, Caitie Baird, Mimi Colyer, and Claire Hoffman (with Kara Bajema as the 8th if they do invite eight).

I think this group of players has skills that complement each other and offers a good combination of experience and developmental potential, which will be important looking toward LA2028.

I think it’s hard to justify Eggleston’s inclusion when she’s not playing well/improving in club play. Players like Hoffman and Bajema offer top skill sets (passing and blocking, respectively) that Logan doesn’t. I think some of these LOVB athletes do need to go back overseas for development and to earn their spot for LA.

Mimi Colyer takes the Eggleston spot as an unproven athlete in an American league.

I think Skinner, Lanier, Franklin, and Lee (as long as they are willing) are non-negotiable. If there are still spots to fill, my next picks would be Stowers and Stafford. I think Bajema could deserve an opportunity as well, to reward a successful club season and even serve as a blocking sub. Plummer needs a space to find her game again, and I’m not sure that the VNL is that space, especially with how close LA2028 is and the lack of development from this coaching staff (e.g., LOVB Austin).

Predictions

I don’t think the staff will summon Lee, especially since they didn’t last year. I imagine their seven will be Skinner, Franklin, Lanier, Eggleston, Colyer, Plummer, and Stafford (?), which is fine, but not the seven I would choose. I think ball control got lost at times last summer, and that was never addressed.

Opposites are next…

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If you are new to the international/pro game, the national team season will run from June 1 (training will start in April/May) until September 27 in 2026. This will include a variety of competitions, namely the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) and Continental Championships in 2026. The VNL is the premier annual tournament for international volleyball, where teams compete against each other around the globe with hopes of qualifying for the VNL Finals in July. 2026 is also host to the Continental Championships, the first opportunity for teams to qualify for LA2028 in August. Each continent will award one automatic bid to LA 2028 this year. The player pools for these tournaments are usually the same, but with 2026 being an odd year for USA, that could differ.

2026 will be an odd year for Team USA because they do not have to qualify for LA2028 since they are already the host team. There’s not necessarily the same pressures on them that it will be for other teams since they don’t have to qualify and they can take their own approaches to these tournaments. The VNL and Continental Championships could feature two different groups of players, depending on what the staff wants to get out of this summer. I see two ways that the staff could approach which players they summon.

The first option would be to fully embrace getting the best American athletes in the gym and working on developing what they want their team and identity to be going into 2027 (when USA will host the World Championship) and then into LA2028. In past quads, this season would be where the ramp-up to figuring out who the Olympic candidates are would take shape. One caveat is that in past quads this year would typically be a World Championship season. But with the FIVB change to biannual World Championships, that is not the case in 2026.

This leads to the next option: full development. In this scenario, veteran players would get the opportunity to take a break from the grueling volleyball calendar (which really has no breaks) and relax before getting back into the grind of the 2027 and 2028 seasons. This would give opportunities to USA’s young players who haven’t been tested at the international level, or even the professional level, in the case of NCAA athletes.

It’s not really possible to know what the staff is planning to do since there isn’t much media to ask or that regularly covers the national team. My approach here will be to assume they’re taking the first route (while throwing in some developmental picks at the end).

Setters will be the first position to be looked at.

I will be putting players into four categories:

Non-negotiable: If they’re not there, it better be because they did not want to

Probable: Likely going to be there (at least in my opinion), but not a foregone conclusion

Questionable: Some factor is holding me back or there is an unknown about their level of play

Developmental: Young and/or inexperienced players

Non-Negotiable

Jordyn Poulter | LOVB Salt Lake (USA)

Jordyn Poulter is Jordyn Poulter. The 2021 Olympic champion is going to be on any roster she wants to be on (as long as she is healthy). Poulter is by far the best American setter, albeit probably the most injury-prone. Poulter has seen some extended time on the sideline this LOVB season due to injury, and that might be the biggest risk to her roster spot. No other American can run an offense like Poulter does, and no other setter has anywhere near the experience of the two-time Olympic finalist.

Rachel Fairbanks | LOVB Atlanta (USA)

If there was anyone who could come close to Poulter’s pure setting ability, it would probably be Rachel Fairbanks. Fairbanks is successful at running a similar fast style of offense as Poulter and excels when she has quality passing to work with. Fairbanks has struggled with consistency this LOVB season, but with Atlanta’s injury/personnel problems, I’m not sure anyone can blame her. Atlanta has the third best hitting efficiency in the league, behind Jordan Thompson Houston and Salt Lake. Fairbanks has limited international experience, and getting that experience on the big stage will be vital (especially after she only started one VNL match last season).

Probable

Jenna Gray | Osasco (BRA)

Season Awards: 3rd Club World Championship, Brazilian Cup Champion

Jenna Gray, for any other national team, probably wouldn’t be in the “probable” section. Jenna has had successful seasons in Germany, France, and currently in Brazil, and has won several titles, including the Brazilian Cup just a couple of weeks ago. But for whatever reason, she has never started a match in the VNL, despite being on several rosters. If it were purely up to me, Jenna would be in the “non-negotiable” category, but it seems there is some disconnect between the two. Jenna is definitely what I’d consider a well-rounded setter, capable of playing well both at setting and on defense.

Kami Miner | Milano (ITA)

Fellow Stanford alum Kami Miner might be one of the most hyped setting prospects since Poulter. Kami finds her way into this section due to having limited international experience (only appearing in the continental tournaments) and being the reserve setter for Milano in the Italian league this season. Timing in last year’s VNL did not work out with Stanford’s schedule, but I fully expert Kami to be on the roster this summer.

Questionable

Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres | MLV Grand Rapids (USA)

SKT was USA’s backup setter at last year’s World Championship after featuring the most in last year’s VNL. SKT ends up in the “questionable” category because she has lost her spot in MLV with the Grand Rapids Rise. It was already a bit problematic that she was in MLV to begin with (even if the reasons were beyond her control), but losing her spot to Camryn Turner (who has, in turn, won more games) does not inspire confidence heading into the national team season.

Jenna Ewert | Conegliano (ITA)

What would this list be without another Texas player? (Kidding.) Ewert is currently the backup setter for Italian giants Conegliano. Ewert has seen more time than Miner this season and has played well in her appearances (although, Conegliano tax). I think Ewert could be successful at the international level, and her experience in Conegliano will be valuable (especially compared to the coaching in the American leagues).

Developmental

If the USA does not want to take players like Poulter or Gray to the VNL, I could see them looking towards the NCAA top setters to get them experience.

Bergen Reilly | Nebraska

Bergen feels like an obvious choice to fill in a spot if need be. She has played with the national team before and will be the lone senior member of this group (which is important because she’ll have at least one full pro season before LA2028). Bergen had her best NCAA season this past fall and could use that to push herself to the next level.

Charlie Fuerbringer | Wisconsin

If there’s any setter that just exudes “USA fast,” it’s Charlie. Charlie’s style might be the one most equipped to succeed in the USA system. The fallback for Charlie will be timing. Is it worth the investment in this quad when she’ll only have four months of pro experience (in 2028) before the Olympics? Is it worth getting her into the gym instead of other potential backups? Those are questions they’ll have to ask.

Izzy Starck | Pitt

I don’t think this is realistic, but I would be remiss not to mention Izzy. Izzy might have been in position without the “events” that happened this past fall, but they did. Izzy is definitely one of the top setters in the NCAA, but she hasn’t played in months and recently did not attend the national team camp in Colorado Springs. But never say never to the 2024 National Champion.

There are probably other names that could be thrown out, but no one has enough time for a comprehensive list of American setters (and the other positions).

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My Picks

If I were responsible for picking the five setters for the VNL wide roster, my picks would be Poulter, Fairbanks, Miner, Gray, and Fuerbringer (as of right now).

Poulter brings the most experience (and success) of any setter. Fairbanks and Miner are probably the next best options at running the style USA historically has, and they very much need the international development. Gray offers stability, even with her lack of international matches. Last year, USA faced so many issues with injuries to the setter position, so having any pro experience is valuable.

Charlie would be my last pick for getting a setter into the gym. I think she offers the best chance of unseating any of the aforementioned setters before LA2028, similar to how Poulter did before Tokyo 2021. Using time to develop an additional “backup” doesn’t seem like the best use of this gym time, especially when USA has typically been behind the rest of the world at developing young talent. The “graduating in 2027” problem might be a concern, but there’s no better time to get her started at the pro level than now.

Is this snubbing SKT? Perhaps. I think being in an environment where you can be competitive is important… and even though Miner (and Ewert) are not starting, they are training with and against the likes of Paola Egonu, Gabi, and Isabelle Haak every day. SKT is, well, not in Grand Rapids.

Looking back on 2025, there were two quarterfinal exits. I think if USA has to make changes and take risks, they should, even if that means excluding players who played big roles in previous years.

Predictions

I feel like Sullivan and the staff won’t stray too far from last year.

I imagine they’ll bring Poulter, Fairbanks, SKT, Gray, and probably Miner.

And as always, this is a random person the internet with no real influence on any of these decisions. It’s not that serious (if you disagree). I’m just here to talk about the sport.

Anyways, the official rosters won’t be out until late April or May, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see…. Outsides are next….

If you’re new, here’s last week’s map.

Here is the map through Week 7

Biggest Gains

Welcome back to the map Penn State! The Nittany Lions used their big upset of Wisconsin to claim their way back onto the map.

UC Davis took control of the Big West as well as all of Long Beach State’s land with their four set win on Saturday.

SMU is back after downing Miami. Miami had upset Pitt and acquired their large section of land on Friday night, but couldn’t hold onto it through the weekend. SMU ended Miami’s 15 game win streak.

Arizona State claimed the mountain region after knocking off Colorado in four sets last week. Arizona State remains the lone unbeaten team in the Big 12.

Utah State is back on the map after they beat Wyoming and defended their land against perennial Mountain West favorite Colorado State.

Matches to Watch in Week 8

Cincinnati vs TCU: Wednesday 6:30pm CT ESPN+

Arizona State vs BYU: Thursday 7pm CT ESPN+

Louisville vs SMU: Friday 6pm CT ACCNx

Xavier-Marquette: Friday 7pm CT Youtube

UC Davis vs CSUN: Saturday 8pm CT

Kentucky vs Florida: Sunday 2pm CT ESPN

Last Week's Map

Wisconsin is back on the map for the first time since Week One. They earned quite a bit of land after beating Illinois and then following that up with a win over Michigan (who had beaten Minnesota).

Louisville beat Stanford yesterday to earn their biggest share of land to date across the country.

Cornell in on the map for the first time after they beat Harvard to earn their share in the northeast.

Xavier hops onto the map for the first time this season after they earned a big five set win over Villanova in Big East play.

SMU is also back on the map after they started their week with a win over Georgia Tech.

Matches to Watch in Week 7

Kentucky-Texas A&M: Wednesday 6pm CT (SECN)

Miami-Pitt: Friday 6pm CT

Colorado-Arizona State: Friday 9pm CT (ESPN+)

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Week Five kicked off the first conference matches of the 2025 season and it did not disappoint. We entered the week with several unbeaten teams and now we are down to just two, Nebraska and Texas (no surprise there).

Last Week's Map

Week 5 Map

Biggest Winners of Week 5

• Colorado

  • Colorado is the easiest answer. They picked up BYU’s small empire after knocking off the Cougars in Provo and then backed it up with another Top 25 win against Utah.

• Wyoming

  • Wyoming knocked off Mountain West rival Colorado State in five sets to pick up their land (including their original designation).

• Long Beach

  • Long Beach consolidated land in the northwest and midwest after they knocked off Cal State-Fullerton (who had previously beaten UCSD earlier in the week)

• Illinois

  • Illinois might have had the upset of the week as they beat #9 Purdue in four sets at Purdue, picking up their land in the southeast.

New to the Map

• Harvard

  • Hello Harvard! Harvard beat Dartmouth (who had beaten Bryant) to claim the northeast corner of the map in Week 5.

• UTSA

  • UTSA is roadrunning onto the map after they beat Charlotte (who had beaten North Texas) to claim the Arlington area.

Welcome Back to the Map

There are quite a few teams returning to the map this week including Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Northern Iowa, UCLA, Auburn, Louisville and Georgia Tech (amongst those already mentioned).

Week 6 Matches to Watch

BYU-Cincinnati: Wednesday 5:30pm CT (ESPN+)

Illinois-Wisconsin: Thursday 7pm CT (BTN)

Nebraska-Penn State: Friday 7pm CT (FOX)

Long Beach vs UCSB and Cal Poly (ESPN+)

Villanova-Xavier: Saturday 6pm CT

Pitt-Georgia Tech: Sunday 11am CT (ACCN)

Stanford-Louisville: Sunday 4pm CT (ESPN)

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If you are new, FAQ/Info Last Week's Map

Imperialism Map through Week 4

The Biggest Winners in Week 4

• UCSD

  • UCSD is probably the most obvious answer out here. UCSD had only won one match all season before they took down San Diego on Saturday night to claim one of the biggest pieces of land for the Big West to fight over this conference season.

• Colorado State

  • Colorado State earned their way back onto the map with two wins over in-state rival Colorado, earning most of Colorado and Wyoming for the Mountain West to battle over.

• Stanford

  • Stanford beat UCLA in four sets yesterday to claim parts of California and Texas to bring into ACC play to defend.

Biggest Losers from Week 4

• Colorado

  • Colorado had opportunities to keep their land but couldn’t quite find their way past Colorado State’s block in their two matches. The BYU+Colorado corridor could’ve been one of the larger sections of land to play for in the Big 12.

• Boston College

  • Boston College had held onto their northeastern corner all season long… until they met the mighty Bryant. Bryant hadn’t beaten a P4 team all season, but squeaked out a five set win to win their fourth match in a row and claim the northeast. Bryant is not quite to America East play yet, they have to battle New Haven and Dartmouth before this weekend.

Welcome to the Map

• Bryant

• UCSD

Welcome Back to the Map

• Western Kentucky

  • WKU earned their spot back on the map as they swept Indiana last weekend. They have an immediate battle to their land as they will play Louisville tonight.

• SMU

  • SMU beat SFA, who had beaten Tarleton State, to reclaim some territory in Texas and Louisiana after losing all of their land in Week 3.

• Arizona State

  • Arizona State claimed the area previously held by UCSB after they lost to Grand Canyon, who then fell to Arizona State later in the week.

• Missouri

  • Welcome back Tigers. Mizzou found their way back onto the map, in the northeast, after beating Valparaiso over the weekend, highlighted by Maya Sands’ defensive performance.

Team Represented by Conference

SEC: 5 (Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina)

Big 10: 6 (Nebraska, Michigan, Michigan State, USC, Purdue, Minnesota)

ACC: 6 (Stanford, Clemson, Pitt, SMU, Miami, Florida State)

Big 12: 3 (BYU, West Virginia, Arizona State)

Big West: 2 (UCSD, Long Beach)

American: 2 (North Texas, Tulsa)

Big East: 1 (Villanova)

Conference USA: 1 (WKU)

Mountain West: 1 (Colorado State)

America East: 1 (Bryant)

Patriot: 1 (Colgate)

Big Sky: 1 (Montana)

Matches to watch Week 5

Louisville-Kentucky: Monday 5:30pm CT

Nebraska-Michigan: Wednesday, 6pm CT

Pitt-SMU: Home/Away this week

Michigan State-Minnesota: Thursday, 7:30pm CT

Miami-Georgia Tech: Friday, 6pm CT

Arizona State-Kansas: Friday, 6pm CT

Tulsa-Rice: Sunday, 1pm CT

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If you are new to imperialism: FAQ/Info Last week's Map

Here is the map through Week 3:

The Biggest Winners in Week Three

• Kentucky

  • Match order is one of the “most important” aspects of imperialism so far… No better example than Kentucky this week. Kentucky started the week by being swept by Pitt, but they didn’t have any land anyways. They ended the week with a huge top ten win over SMU, claiming all of land they had acquired (even more after SMU beat A&M earlier this week in the ACC/SEC Challenge)

• Yale

  • Yale didn’t have a single win going into this week and yet they come out with probably the biggest share of real estate on the map. They upset UConn in five sets on Friday behind 25 points from Ava Poinsett.

• Long Beach

  • Welcome back Long Beach. They toppled San Diego State, who had taken Oregon’s land, to get back onto the map.

• UCLA

  • UCLA has had a bit of a rough go to start the season…. They fixed that by sweeping UTEP on the road, earning two large areas in the western half of the country.

Biggest Losers from Week 3

• SMU

  • SMU will be kicking themselves (if they cared about this lol). They got a big win over Texas A&M in the ACC/SEC Challenge and had as much land as anyone. Scheduling did not favor the bold as they could not beat Kentucky on their home court and missed out on bringing all of that land to ACC play.

• UConn

  • UConn probably shouldn’t have lost to Yale. UConn came in playing a lot better and had a great opportunity to keep that land Husky territory until Big East play.

• USC

  • USC lost all of the land they acquired to BYU, who is claiming quite the hold in the mountains. Not to many comments to be made here since the game wasn’t streamed at all. Lame.

Welcome to the Map

• Valparaiso

  • Welcome Valpo! Valpo earned their first appearance on the map after being Lehigh at their own tournament.

• FIU

  • We’re going international? FIU entered the map for the first time this season after upsetting Georgia (who had originally won the land from Georgia Southern).

• Tarleton State

  • If I’m completely honest, I don’t know where Tarleton is in Texas, but that doesn’t matter as they knocked off Sam Houston State to claim two areas in/near Texas.

• South Alabama

  • South Alabama earned their place on the map after handing SELA their first loss of the season.

• UCSB

  • UCSB might be the most underrated team so far this year. They knocked off Kansas State in straight sets to claim their territories in Kansas and in North Carolina.

• Weber State

  • Weber State claimed their territory in Iowa after they beat SEMO (who beat Iowa… which ?? lol). Weber State defended their new claim by beating Iowa later in the weekend.

• North Texas

  • UNT is the last team to earn their place on the map as they knocked off UT-Arlington in five sets in the last match on Sunday.

Welcome back to the Map

Honestly, there’s quite a few this week so I won’t go through them all but notables include: Kentucky, San Diego, Colgate, Florida State, UCLA, and Long Beach.

Matches to Watch in Week 4

South Alabama-Mississippi St: Tuesday, 6pm CT, SECN+

BYU-Weber State: Tuesday, 7pm CT, ESPN+

Pitt-Penn State: Wednesday, 6pm CT, BTN

Kentucky-Louisville: Thursday, 5pm CT, ESPNU

San Diego vs Yale: Thursday, 9pm CT, ESPN+

Indiana-Western Kentucky: Friday, 7pm CT, ESPN+

Miami vs FIU: Saturday, 12pm CT, no stream?

UCLA vs Texas St/Hawaii/Stanford: take your pick

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If you’re new to imperialism: FAQ/Info Week One

Here is the Week Two map:

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The Biggest Winners in Week Two

• UConn

  • UConn is the obvious answer after they went unbeaten in their home tournament and claimed all of the land previously held by Colgate.

• SMU

  • SMU helped almost complete the Texan takeover of the north as they swept Northern Iowa to take their land in Illinois and in the Dakotas.

• USC

  • USC swept through their own home tournament to claim the land that was San Diego’s last week, earning Hawaii and a large portion of the Mountain West.

Honorable Mentions: Michigan, Purdue, LSU, Texas

Biggest Losers

• Colgate

  • Unfortunately for our dentist’s favorite school, they were not able to keep hold on their land in the Northwest + Alaska after falling to UConn in their tournament (as well as to South Dakota later in the weekend).

• Kansas

  • Kansas held all of the land that Purdue holds now… and just needed to beat the Boilermakers after dispatching their first two opponents… If it only were that easy… Kansas fell to Purdue in five sets, despite out-passing Purdue by a large margin.

• Stephen F. Austin

  • SFA were victim to the upset-bug this weekend as they fell to fellow Texas team Sam Houston State, costing them their land in two areas of Texas.

• Creighton

  • Creighton had a very good chance to take home the land from San Diego after starting their weekend with two wins…. Then everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong in their game against USC.

Welcome to the Map

• Montana

  • Hello Grizzlies! Montana earned their first appearance on the map after beating North Dakota State in Missoula.

• Sam Houston State

  • As previously mentioned, Sam Houston State upset SFA to earn their place on the map. SHSU needed 27 points from Lauren Malone to pull off the upset.

• Lehigh

  • Lehigh won their first land in this season after beating James Madison (who had previously beaten Princeton).

• Tulsa

  • The Golden Hurricane might be a team to watch this season. They beat Oklahoma for a very good resume win to earn their land.

Welcome Back!

• DePaul

  • DePaul earned their place back on the map after they beat Missouri State (who had previously beaten Lindenwood) to claim their part of Virginia.

• South Florida

  • What a great weekend for the Bulls. They beat Florida State to claim their land in Florida and Illinois. Maria Clara Andrade is a must-watch for any fan.

• Wright State

  • Wright State beat Cal in their second match of the week, giving them their land in Berkeley before Nebraska could claim it for themselves.

• Cincinnati

  • Cincinnati earned their second P4 win of the season after sweeping Alabama to claim their land in the South.

• Illinois State

  • Illinois State took down Butler to earn their way back onto the map. They won the land previously owned by Loyola Chicago.

Matches to Watch in Week 3

• The entire SEC and ACC will play each other in the ACC/SEC Showdown at the Net Challenge on Tuesday/Wednesday.

  • Texas A&M-SMU: Tuesday 6pm CT ESPN2

  • Kentucky-Pitt: Wednesday 5:30pm CT ESPN

  • Texas-Louisville: Wednesday 8pm CT ESPN

• USC-BYU: Thursday 8pm CT (TBA?)

• UTEP-UCLA: Thursday 8pm CT (TBA?)

• App State-Michigan State: Friday 1pm CT (No Stream)

• Louisville-Creighton: Friday 8pm CT (FS1)

• Arizona State-Texas: Sunday 2pm CT (ESPN2)

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If you’re new here, Imperialism 101 Week 0

Here is the Week One Imperialism Map, post-all of the madness…

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The Biggest Winners in Week One

• Colgate

  • Colgate is the biggest landmass winner in Week One, as they claimed Alaska, Washington, and part of Colorado/Nebraska. The Raiders had an interesting week, as they actually dropped their first match to Colorado State, but they reclaimed their land by beating both Northern Colorado and Washington.

• UTEP

  • UTEP was able to hold onto its large portion of Texas and New Mexico while adding a good portion of California by going unbeaten in the Sacramento State tournament (Pepperdine, UC Davis).

• Pitt

  • Well, guess who’s back again. Pitt lost its land in Week Zero but had an impressive Week One to take it back. They used their two wins to regain the land lost to Arizona State (via Penn State) as well as TCU.

• San Diego

  • San Diego won one of the larger pieces of land as they took out Utah State in the Hawaii tournament this weekend. They also gained the islands and part of Wisconsin (via Marquette) as they held off Natalie Ring’s insane weekend (over 90 points scored).

• Special Mention: Indiana, Northern Iowa, Georgia Tech, Colorado

Biggest Losers

• Penn State

  • This was a weekend to forget for Penn State. Coming off their national title and high expectations, they were upset by Arizona State, which cost them all the land they had acquired in Week Zero. To rub salt in the wound, they lost their next match to TCU in five sets… in which TCU had only two kills in the fifth set. Yikes.

• Texas Tech

  • If we’re being honest, Texas Tech is not a volleyball school… but I did expect them to put up more of a fight in their opening weekend. They lost their land right off the bat as they fell to Western Carolina.

• Western Kentucky

  • The Hilltoppers had everything going for them. They had acquired some nice pieces of land by beating Loyola Chicago (who had Drake’s land) and Wright State, but then they fell in five sets to Drake in the last match of the day. Drake took home all of the “winnings” despite winning only one match in the tournament.

Welcome to the Map

There are a few new faces to the map (which only started with last year’s top 100 teams + the rest of the P4).

• Florida Atlantic

  • FAU earned the biggest piece of land by beating Western Carolina, who had previously beaten Texas Tech.

• Liberty

  • Liberty won a portion of the NYC area after they beat Rutgers in five sets.

• Illinois State

  • Illinois State beat two teams with land on this map when they opened their season with wins over DePaul and Western Michigan.

• Denver

  • Denver was the beneficiary of their match schedule, opening their season with a loss to USC but gaining the land of Loyola Marymount after beating them (USC would also go on to beat LMU).

• North Dakota State

  • NDSU had a great opening weekend, beating perennial MAC favorite Bowling Green in Fargo. They reinforced that win with a five-set victory over St. Mary’s.

• Lindenwood

  • Lindenwood earned what I believe is their first ever P4 win as they beat Virginia Tech in five sets in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Matches to Watch - Week 2

Purdue-Georgia Tech on Wednesday (6pm CT, B1G+)… The winner of that match will also play Kansas on Thursday (GT) or Friday (Purdue).

Colgate will travel to Storrs as they take on UConn, as well as South Dakota and Ball State.

USC will be hosting San Diego and Creighton (as well as UCSB).

Michigan-FAU on Friday (6pm CT, B1G+)

BYU-Wichita State on Friday (7pm CT, ESPN+)

Northern Iowa-SMU on Friday (7pm CT, ACCNX)

App State-Virginia on Saturday (1pm CT, ACCNX)

Texas-Stanford on Sunday (12pm CT, ESPN)

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Nebraska and Penn State were the only teams to win two games this weekend, thus collecting the most opposing teams’ land.

Nebraska claimed Pitt’s, Stanford’s, and through Stanford’s win, Florida’s land. They are the first team to go coast-to-coast this season.

Penn State entered the Midwest with their win over Creighton and took Kansas’s land after a five-set thriller, which also included Vanderbilt’s.

The biggest land move might belong to Texas A&M, as they claimed the North with their win over Minnesota.

Important Matches to watch going into Week 1

All of the teams on the map will be in action in Week 1 and it should be a hectic week.

Here are *some* of the key matches:

South Dakota-Oregon (8/29 5pm CT No Stream, frauds)

Washington-Northern Colorado (8/29 7pm CT ESPN+)

Utah State-San Diego-Hawaii-Marquette quad tournament (ESPN+, only Hawaii matches)

UTEP-Pepperdine-UC Davis-Sac State quad tournament (ESPN+, all matches)

BYU-Central Michigan-High Point-FDU quad tournament (ESPN+, all matches)

Nebraska-Kentucky (8/31 11am CT ABC)

Wisconsin-Texas (8/31 1pm CT BTN)

TCU-Pitt (8/31 1pm CT FS1)

Colorado-Wyoming (8/31 2pm CT Mountain West Network)

Arizona State-Penn St (8/31 4pm CT FOX)

Imperialism FAQs and Notes

What is “Imperialism”?

College (insert sport) Imperialism started as an idea on Reddit for college football. The basic idea is that each team/college is given the land closest to them to “defend” throughout the season. Beat a team? Gain their land. Lose to someone? Lose your land to them. The map is updated each week to reflect movement throughout the sport. By the end of the season, in a perfect world, one team would “own” all of the land available… but that’s not entirely likely…. and that’s part of the fun with this idea.

Which teams are a part of this?

In a perfect world, it’d include all 360+ NCAA D1 volleyball teams. But it’s not a perfect world, and I don’t have time for that, so the 2025 Imperialism will include all of the 2024 Top 100 RPI teams, plus any other P4 teams not in the Top 100.

If any of these teams lose to a team not initially included, that team will be added to the map. For example, if UCSB beats USC, they would take USC’s land, if there’s any to be taken.

How is the land awarded initially?

The entire USA is divided into counties. For the most part, each school received the counties they were closest to (by straight-line distance to the county seat). But these are not perfect, because I don’t have time for that. Eastern US schools are very much based on vibes/what felt close. Western schools are a bit more accurate.

There were also some liberties taken to ensure each school got land to start. This mostly applies to the Los Angeles and Chicago schools. For example, UCLA and LMU technically aren’t the closest to any county seats… so the SoCal counties are distributed to make sure each school got at least one, and the rest went to whoever was closest. (Which is why Long Beach has a large area but no actual beach county, and why Cal Poly doesn’t have Kern County, lol.)

“but so-so school should have x-county” I’ll be honest, I don’t care enough to do all that work for something that has no relevance outside of my own personal enjoyment.

How is land awarded during each week?

Due to almost every NCAA VB team playing multiple matches each week, land will be awarded based on chronological order of when matches were played based on the NCAA volleyball scoreboard. This will mostly impact early season double match-days. If Team A loses their first game to Team B, Team B would get Team A’s land at the time of the loss. Team B wouldn’t gain further land if Team A were to beat Team C later in the day (and so on).

And to reiterate, this doesn’t mean literally anything and it’s just for fun. :)

There has been a lot of discourse about the two leagues, the why, the how, etc. More info can be found here.

There will be a variety of ways to watch both leagues from different places around the globe.

League One

For the most basic explanation, the LOVB schedule will let you know where you can stream each match based on the location/country you are located. All matches will be available to be streamed in one way or another.

For specific countries,

USA

In the USA, LOVB matches will be streamed on ESPN networks and on LOVB Live. ESPN/ESPN+ will require a subscription, while LOVB Live is available for free on LOVB's website. Additionally, the Women's Sports Network and DAZN will stream some LOVB Live matches on their apps.

Canada

TSN and its networks will broadcast a variety of matches, including those streamed on ESPN networks in the USA. TSN+ will be the primary outlet for these games in Canada. DAZN will also stream 16 matches for free that are not available on TSN. Additionally, LOVB Live will be available for viewing

Brazil, the Caribbean, Latin North Region (Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Central America), Latin South Region (Spanish Speaking South America), to the Pacific Rim Region (Aus, NZ & Pacific Islands)

ESPN and its affiliated companies will have the rights in these countries/regions. In Brazil, for example, these matches will be streamed on Disney+. Local listings will provide more detailed information.

The remaining matches will be available for streaming on LOVB's website via LOVB Live, which is free and not geoblocked

Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Macau

In these territories, all LOVB matches will be streamed on SPOTV. SPOTV is available on TrueVisions in Thailand, Signal TV and Sky Cable in the Philippines, and other platforms

More info on SPOTV can be found here.

Belgium, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Japan, and Taiwan

DAZN will stream 16 matches for free in these territories on their platform. The remaining matches will be available to be streamed on LOVB Live.

Countries not listed

If you are located in a country without a TV/media entity streaming matches (the ones listed above), specific streaming information will be available on the LOVB schedule for how to stream each match. These matches will be streamed on LOVB’s website.

(This is all potentially subject to change, we’ll learn as we go lol. For more information, stay tuned to the website and social media networks")

Highlights for every match will be available on LOVB’s website and their Youtube channel.

LOVB’s full press release.

https://twitter.com/leagueonevb/status/1875959338436796468

Pro Volleyball Federation

USA

In the USA, matches will be found on TV or on Youtube. PVF is partnered with CBSSN and FS1/2 for their league matches. A full schedule is available here.

International

Internationally, none of the TV matches will be available for live viewing. PVF will upload those matches to Youtube at a later date. International audiences will be only able to stream matches schedule for Youtube, which are not geo-restricted in any way.

PVF will also upload highlights to their website.