This is our weekly update on USA women playing professional volleyball around the world. Most of the players are former NCAA standouts:
ITALIAN CUP: Imoco Conegliano easily swept Firenze in the quarterfinals as Khalia Lanier was named MVP with 10 kills (hitting .389), a blockand an ace. Kathryn Plummer followed with eight kills, two aces and a block. Kendall Kipp continued to lead Firenze as she had 10 kills and two blocks. Lauren Stivrins added three kills and one block.
Milano crushed Roma, which had a total of 36 points, as Kara Bajema had five kills and an ace.
Avery Skinner had 16 kills as Chieri came away with a four-set victory over Novara.
ITALIAN LEAGUE: Kelsey Robinson Cook returned to the starting lineup after an injury to help Conegliano (18-0) dismantle Scandicci. Robinson Cook had eight kills, two aces a block and 71% positive reception. Plummer added 11 kills. Haleigh Washington did not play for Scandicci (14-4).
Milano (17-1) kept pace after fighting off Bergamo (4-14) in four sets. Dana Rettke had nine kills (.643), two blocks and two aces. Bajema added seven kills and four blocks.
Chieri (10-8) snapped a two-match skid by sweepingVallefoglia (8-10). Madi Kingdon five kills and an ace but Skinner did not play.
Kendall Kipp had 17 kills and five blocks, but Firenze (9-9) had its three-match winning streak snapped in a four-set loss to Roma (7-11).
Trentino (1-17) was swept by Novara (14-3) despite a big match from Carly DeHoog, who had 22 kills (.400), two blocks and an ace.
Casalmaggiore (4-13, 14 points) earned a massive win in the relegation battle by beating Cuneo (5-13, 13 points) in four as Simone Lee had 12 kills, a block and an ace. Setter Micha Hancock had two kills, a block and one ace. Cuneo’s Anna Stevenson had seven kills (.636), two blocks and two aces. Madi Kubik chipped in a kill.
Mac May was the top scorer and MVP as Budowlani Lodz (11-6) swept Mielec (4-13). May had 16 kills (.448), three aces an a block.
VakifBank (16-1) began the week with a sweep over Muratpasa. Jordan Thompson led with 13 kills, two blocks and two aces. Chiaka Ogbogu added six kills, two blocks and an ace and Ali Frantti had a kill. Muratpasa’s Stephanie Samedy had13 kills, two blocks and an ace and Micaya White had 11 kills and three blocks.
Logan Eggleston and Danielle Cuttino led Galatasaray’s sweep of PTT. Eggleston had 15 kills, two blocks and two aces and Cuttino had 15 kills, two blocks and one ace. Galatasaray (9-9) then was swept by THY (12-6) as Eggleston had 12 kills, a block and an ace and Cuttino had nine kills and one ace. THY’s Julia Bergmann, the Brazilian who played at Georgia Tech, had 12 kills (.524), a block, and an ace.
Setter Lauren Carlini had a kill as Aydin (5-12) snapped its losing streak by upsetting Kuzeyboru in four. Kuzeyboru’s Sarah Parsons was the top scorer with 21 kills, four aces and a block. Kuzeyboru (10-8) was then swept by Eczacibasi (16-1). Parsons had eight kills and two blocks.
Muratpasa (9-9) swept PTT (5-13) as Samedy had eight kills and White had seven kills and three blocks. Payton Caffrey had four kills for PTT.
The Drews, unrelated, starred again.
Annie Drews led unbeaten JT Marvelous to a four-set win over rival Hisamitsu Springs (14-4) with 17 kills, a block and an ace. McKenzie Adams had 20 kills, three blocks and two aces for Hisamitsu Springs.
Then Drews came off the bench to help save JT Marvelous (18-0) in a five-set win over Denso. Drews had 13 kills and two blocks after seeing action as a double sub and only starting in the fifth set.
NEC Red Rockets (15-4) kept its postseason hopes alive with two sweeps. Dani Drews had 16 kills as NEC beat PFU and had 12 kills, three blocks and an ace against Kurobe.
Alexis Hart had 12 kills and an ace as Stuttgart swept Aachen. Kayla Haneline added seven kills, one block and an ace. Gabby Goddard finished with three kills and two blocks for Aachen.
Krystal Rivers led Stuttgart (16-1) with 23 kills and a block, and stayed atop the league by beating Schwerin (14-3) in five. Kayla Haneline came on as a substitute and had three kills, two ace and a block.
Dresdner swept lowly Neuwied as Tia Jimerson had seven kills (.500), six blocks, and an ace.
Then Aachen (6-12) pulled off its biggest win by upsetting Dresdner (12-5) in five sets as Goddard had seven kills and two blocks. Jimerson had 13 kills and five blocks for Dresdner.
Potsdam beat upset-minded Vilsbiburg in five as Breland Morrissette had six kills, three blocks and an ace and Danielle Harbin added eight kills. Justine Wong-Orantes was credited with 55% positive reception. Serena Bruin had two kills for Vilsbiburg.
Julia Brown had 19 kills and an ace, but Suhl lost to Schwerin in four. Eleanor Holthaus had seven kills and two blocks, while Jenny Mosser added three kills. Schwerin’s Meg Wolowicz added two blocks.
Wiesbaden beat Munster in four as Jaidyn Blanchfield led with 11 kills, three block, and an ace. Rachel Anderson had 10 kills, two blocks and two aces. Gloria Mutiri had three kills for Munster, while setter Jenna Ewert added two. Zoe Fleck was credited with 38% positive reception.
Wiesbaden (8-9) then beat Vilsbiburg (5-12) in five as Blanchfield had 14 kills, a block, and an ace. Anderson added 13 kills and a block. Vilsbiburg’s Bruin had eight kills, five blocks and two aces.
Suhl (10-7) handily swept Potsdam (10-7) as Brown had 15 kills and three aces. Holthaus followed with eight kills and two blocks. Harbin had eight kills, while Morrissette added two blocks and one kill. Wong-Orantes was credited with 27% positive reception.
Munster (5-12) finished the week by snapping its three-match losing streak by beating Neuwied (0-18). Mutiri had seven kills, Ewert had five kills and an ace, and Zoe Fleck was credited with 48% positive reception.
Cannes (7-10) earned a much-needed victory by sweeping France 2024 (0-16). Leah Meyer had eight kills, three aces and a block. Madelyn Robinson was Cannes’ top scorer with 10 kills, four aces and one block.
Levellois Paris SC (13-4) needed four sets to beat Venelles (5-12) as Emily Thater had four kills, four blocks and three aces.
Claire Hoffman had 26 kills, hit .490, and had five aces and a block as Beziers (11-4) earned a hard-fought five set win over Quimper (1-15). Taylor Fricano added 14 kills, four blocks and one ace and Serena Gray added six kills, two blocks, and one ace. Setter Ella May Powell had a kill.
Mulhouse (13-4) jumped to second place after beating Nancy (12-5) in four sets. Annayka Legros had 12 kills (.550), two blocks and an ace, Jaali Winters added seven kills and two aces and Carli Synder had four kills and one ace. Nancy’s Katelyn Evans had 16 kills and two blocks, Haylie Bennett contributed 10 kills, three blocks and three aces, while Shayla Hoeft was limited to a kill and three blocks. Setter Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres had a block.
Minas (9-4) was upset by relegation-threatened Brasilia (2-11) in five sets. Minas setter Jenna Gray had two blocks and Annie Mitchem added a kill.
Osasco (10-3) won its fifth in a row with a four-set victory over Maringa (6-7) as Brionne Butler had six kills, two blocks and two aces. The other middle, Callie Schwarzenbach, added five kills and three blocks.
SESC RJ (12-1) stayed atop the standings by sweeping Barueri (6-7) as Roni Jones-Perry had 10 kills and a match-high four aces.
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