U.S. Women Crush Korea in VNL Opener

The U.S. Women’s National Team just sent a message to the Volleyball Nations League. They swept Korea 3-0 (25-13, 28-26, 25-17) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to wrap up the first week of VNL play.

Igiede's Block Party

Amber Igiede was a wall at the net. She led the match with 16 points, including a massive eight blocks. That's right, Korea had no answer for her. This wasn't just about one player, though.

Madisen Skinner and Sarah Franklin were right there with her. Both notched 13 kills. Skinner added a block and an ace, while Franklin tossed in an ace too.

Logan Lednicky capped off the double-digit scorers for the U.S. with 10 points, combining seven kills and three blocks. Oh, and she led the team with 10 digs. This was a team effort, no doubt.

Set Two Showdown

The second set? A roller coaster. Korea actually took an 8-7 lead before the U.S. Women flipped the script with a six-point run. Molly McCage back set Franklin for a kill, and just like that, the U.S. was up 13-8.

Korea clawed back to tie it up at 18, but the U.S. block party returned. Back-to-back blocks from Igiede and Lednicky sealed the set 28-26. You could feel the momentum shift.

Closing the Deal

The third set was all U.S. Franklin and Skinner again went to work, giving the U.S. an early 11-6 lead. Korea called for a timeout, but it was too late. Amber Igiede continued her blocking clinic, and the U.S. stretched the lead to 12 points.

Coach Erik Sullivan has to be thrilled. This young team is already showing flashes of brilliance. Franklin put it best: "We have had spurts of really good things... bringing more consistency for every single point."

And from here... it's off to Serbia. If they keep up this level of play, watch out. Handled business.

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Source: USA Volleyball