By Megan Kaplon

The 2018 season for the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team officially kicks off on Tuesday, May 15, with the start of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League. 

A new tournament that replaces the World Grand Prix for the women and World League for the men, Volleyball Nations League pits 16 of the world’s best teams—12 top-ranked “core” teams and four “challenger” teams—against each other in a six-week-long tournament with a tantalizing $1 million prize for the champion team.

Watch the FIVB Volleyball Nations League LIVE on FloVolleyball

The No. 2-ranked U.S. women get to celebrate the start of VNL in front of a home crowd at the University of Nebraska’s Devaney Center in Lincoln, hosting No. 7 Italy, No. 12 Turkey, and No. 22 Poland for the first week of preliminary pool play competition. 

Here’s what to expect from this week’s competition in Lincoln.

Team USA

After the 2016 Olympics in Rio, five national team members made the decision to retire or take an extended leave of absence from the sport. The seven remaining 2016 Olympians will all take the floor this week in Lincoln—the first time all seven have appeared on the same roster since the Olympics. 

Outside hitter Jordan Larsen leads that group and will serve as team captain. She’s joined by fellow Olympians Rachael Adams (MB), Carli Lloyd (S), Kelly Murphy (OPP), Foluke Akinradewo (MB), Kelsey Robinson (OH), and Kim Hill (OH). 

Twenty-one players were named to the VNL roster, but only 14 are selected to travel each week. Micha Hancock (S), Annie Drews (OPP), Justine Wong-Orantes (S), Tori Dixon (MB), Lauren Gibbemeyer (MB), Michelle Bartsch-Hackley (OH), and Amanda Benson will also be in Lincoln, joining the Olympians on this pool’s 14-player roster. 

Head coach Karch Kiraly has the option of changing up his 14-player roster prior to each week’s pool. 

The seven additional players who could make appearances later in the tournament are Lauren Carlini (S), Madi Kingdon (OH), Caroline Knop (L), Molly McCage (MB), Chiaka Ogbogu (MB), Aiyana Whitney (OPP), and Sarah Wilhite (OH).

A number of USA players enter the summer season after fantastic showings with their professional club teams. Hill was named to the Dream Team of the European Champions League after leading her Imoco Volley Conegliano team to a bronze medal, while Robinson’s VakifBank Istanbul squad won the gold medal at the same tournament.

The Competition

Poland | Tuesday, May 15, 7 PM CT

First up for Team USA is Poland, one of the four challenger teams in the women’s VNL competition. The two-time Olympic bronze medalist Poles (1964 and 1968) were once one of the most successful teams in the world, but they have been battling to regain their spot among the sport's elite for the past few years.

At the 2017 FIVB World Grand Prix, Poland defeated Korea to win the Group 2 competition, and a number of the key players from that team are back for the 2018 VNL tournament, including team captain Agnieszka Kakolweska, Zuzanna Efimienko-Mlotkowska, Malwina Smarzek, Martyna Grabjer, Monika Bociek, Klaudia Alagierska, Agata Witkowska, and Marlena Plesnierowicz.

A young team with an average age of 22 on its preliminary roster, Poland has not been to the Olympics since 2008 and hasn’t faced Team USA since 2013. The U.S. women hold a 13-4 advantage over Poland in matches since 1983.

“I’m really happy with the way this squad is working and I see progress and the players fulfilling their potential,” Poland head coach Jacek Nawrocki said. “I expect them to fight for every ball, point, set, and match in the Nations League. Our opponents may be ranked higher than us, but that is good for us as it means we have to raise our level.”

Turkey | Wednesday, May 16, 7 PM CT

Like Poland, No. 12 Turkey also brings a young roster to the first week of VNL play in Lincoln. Led by head coach Giovanni Guidetti, the current VakifBank coach and former head coach of the Netherlands, Turkey’s 21-player roster includes five members of the current VakifBank roster: Hatice Gizem Orge (recently named Best Libero at European Champions League), Cansu Ozbay, Kubra Caliskan, Zehra Gunes, and Ebrar Karakurt. 

Missing from Turkey’s VNL roster, however, is 32-year-old outside hitter Gözde Kırdar Sonsırma, who announced her retirement earlier this month, concluding her decorated career by winning the European Champions League with VakifBank and being named MVP of the tournament. 

In 2017, Turkey finished 11th at the World Grand Prix with a 2-7 record and a 3-1 loss to the United States in the preliminary rounds. In the head-to-head series since 1983, the U.S. leads 13-3 and has won the last five meetings.

Italy | Thursday, May 17, 7 PM CT

Italy poses the biggest threat to Team USA in the first week of competition. The seventh-ranked Italians finished second in the 2017 World Grand Prix, handing Team USA two losses on their way to a podium finish. 

The Team USA block and defense will have to contend with 19-year-old Paola Egonu, who made her international debut in 2016 and played a starring role for Italy at the Rio Olympics, in addition to being the most effective hitter in the preliminary round of World Grand Prix last summer. She will once again be one of the biggest offensive threats on the Italian roster.

Middle blocker and Rio Olympian Cristina Chirichella will serve as captain for the Italian team. In total, eight Olympians were named to Italy’s preliminary VNL roster, including 31-year-old two-time Olympian Serena Ortolani and Imoco Volley team members Monica De Gennaro and Anna Danesi. 

The USA and Italian women’s volleyball teams have a long history between them, with the U.S. holding a slim 32-28 advantage in the all-time series.

Non-USA Matches in Lincoln

Turkey vs. Italy | Tuesday, May 15, 5 PM CT

Poland vs. Italy | Wednesday, May 16, 5 PM CT

Turkey vs. Poland | Thursday, May 17, 5 PM CT

Looking Ahead

Following this week’s competition, Team USA hits the road for the next four weeks, traveling to Japan, Thailand, China, and Argentina, before hopefully being one of the five teams (plus host China) to qualify for the Final Round in Nanjing, China, June 27 to July 1.