Penn State Alums Make U.S. Volleyball Nations League 30-Player Roster

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

A handful of Penn State women’s volleyball alumnae made the 30-player roster for the U.S. national team ahead of this year’s Volleyball Nations League.

Kendall White, Ali Frantti, Micha Hancock, Haleigh Washington, and Serena Gray, who spent her final two college seasons at Pitt after graduating from Penn State, were all selected to the roster by head coach Karch Kiraly and his staff leading into the 16-team tournament, which serves as a precursor to the Paris Olympics.

The U.S. will begin play on May 15 when it faces Thailand in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Team USA will also play China, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic in week one of tournament action before returning home to Arlington, Texas, for week two. The preliminary rounds wrap up with a trip to Fukuoka, Japan, while the VNL finals will be hosted June 20-23 in Bangkok, Thailand. Fourteen players will be chosen for each week’s roster.

White is the lone member of this Penn State contingent who’s playing in the inaugural season of the Pro Volleyball Federation, representing the Omaha Supernovas as its usual libero. White began her pro career with Terville Florange Olympique Club in France, spending three seasons abroad before returning home to play in the third installment of the Athletes Unlimited league last fall.

White is among four liberos selected to the U.S. roster, joining reigning Olympic gold medalist Justine Wong-Orantes, who was named Best Libero at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Morgan Hentz, and Zoe Fleck. Only one libero will make the final 12-player roster for Paris. Fellow Nittany Lion Megan Courtney-Lush, who’s currently playing for the Columbus Fury of the PVF, was an alternate at the position during the last Olympics.

Frantti has played professionally in Slovenia, France, Poland, Italy, and now Turkey, where she’s been an integral part of powerhouse club VakifBank alongside Jordan Thompson and Chiaka Ogbogu this season. Frantti will compete with Olympic gold medalists Kelsey (Robinson) Cook and Nebraska assistant coach Jordan Larson, among others, for the four outside hitter spots in Paris.

Hancock and Washington, the first two Penn State women’s volleyball alums to win an Olympic indoor gold medal, will have plenty of competition during VNL play to earn a coveted trip to Paris. They spent two seasons as teammates with Italian club Igor Gorgonzola Novara from 2020-22. Hancock most recently represented VBC Trasporti Pesanti Casalmaggiore in Italy, while Washington is wrapping up her second season with Savino Del Bene Scandicci, playing in the Italian league finals.

Hancock and Washington are both committed to League One Volleyball, which features six U.S. franchises and will begin play in November 2024. Hancock signed with the LOVB Houston team, while Washington signed with Salt Lake City. It will be the first time both Penn State alums have the opportunity to play professionally in the U.S.

Kiraly announced the U.S. Olympic roster on June 7, 2021, as the Tokyo Games were postponed due to COVID-19. Hancock and Washington helped the U.S. go 7-1 and eventually sweep Brazil in the gold-medal match, which you can watch in its entirety right here. Washington gave an excellent, emotion-filled interview afterward. It will be exciting to see if any Nittany Lions make this year’s Olympic team, but first, they will go for gold in the VNL.