Pro teams in Italy, Turkey, Japan, France, Germany loaded with USA volleyball standouts

This report details where American women will play professional volleyball this season. A complete list follows:

Italy 

USA players are a key component of the best teams in Italy. 

Kelsey Robinson Cook and Kathryn Plummer will lead the way as they hit the court for defending champions Imoco Conegliano. Plummer is back for the second year, while Cook returns to Conegliano after playing for the Panthers in 2015 and 2017.

Dana Rettke remains in Vero Volley Monza after a successful first seasons and she will be joined by a familiar face, Jordan Thompson. This is Thompson’s first venture into Italy after previously playing in Turkey.

Igor Gorgonzola Novara will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2021-22 club season and USA setter Jordyn Poulter will lead that effort. Novara is Poulter’s third Italian club. She is joined by McKenzie Adams, who is making her return to Italy after playing for Conegliano two seasons ago.

Savino Del Bene Scandicci, which made headlines by signing Chinese superstar Zhu Ting, has brought in another Olympic gold medalist, Haleigh Washington. Washington will play in Italy for the sixth season after playing for four other Italian teams.

VBC Trasporti Pesanti Casalmaggiore is looking to return to the success of years past. Joining Casalmaggiore will be Lauren Carlini and Ali Frantti. Carlini and Frantti played together for the USA national team this summer in the VNL and World Championships. Carlini returns to Italy for the first time since 2019, while Frantti has played in Italy since 2020.

Also looking to make a splash will be Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia. Micha Hancock has joined the Italian team that was promoted last season. Hancock will spend her sixth straight season in Italy, where she was named “Best Server” four times. Hancock will be joined by Merete Lutz, who played in the Italian second division in 2018-19 and most recently played in Japan.

E-Work Busto Arsizio has the almost impossible task of replacing Poulter, but tabbed another Olympian in Carli Lloyd to be the setter for this season. Lloyd returns to Busto Arsizio after playing for the Butterflies from 2011-2013. Lloyd led Busto Arsizio to win its only league title in 2011-12.

Volley Bergamo 1991 returns Khalia Lanier and Mac May after avoiding relegation last season.

Cuneo Granda Volley will be sporting many new faces, including Dani Drews and Anna Stevenson-Hall, who will make their Italian league debuts. Cuneo reached the playoffs last season.

Tori Dilfer and Stephanie Samedy will make their league debuts with Bartoccini Fortinfissi Perugia. Perugia escaped relegation by the smallest of margins last season. Dilfer will debut in Italy after playing in Athletes Unlimited last season, while Samedy spent the spring in Germany.

Rhamat Alhassan will move from Chieri to Il Bisonte Firenze. Alhassan will replace Lauren Stivrins, who originally signed with Firenze before she getting injured in Athletes Unlimited last spring.

Brionne Butler will make her Italian league debut as she replaces Alhassan in Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri. Butler played in the Indonesian league last spring after finishing in the NCAA in 2021. Butler returned to the national team this past summer, competing in the VNL and the Pan-American competitions.

Albany graduate Akuabata Okenwa will continue with the newly promoted CBF Balducci HR Macerata. She will join Symone Abbott, who returns to Italy for the first time since 2018.

Turkey 

Chiaka Ogbogu will return to VakifBank Istanbul, a season after winning every title with the club. Kara Bajema makes her Turkey debut by joining Ogbobu. Bajema most recently played in Poland, where she had a breakout season including a win over VakifBank.

Madi Kingdon will return to THY for the fourth season. She will be joined by Hawaii alumni Emily Maglio as THY attempts to return to the Turkish League podium.

Tori Dixon will move from THY to Bolu for her second season in Turkey. Dixon will look to help Bolu improve from a 10th-place finish a season ago.

Annie Mitchem will return to Kuzeyboru for the third consecutive season.

Khat Bell will debut in Turkey’s first division as she has joined Galatasaray. Bell previously played in the second division of the Turkish volleyball league in 2020 for Bolu.

Sherridan Atkinson will make her return to Turkey as she has joined Nilufer Belediyespor. Atkinson previously played for Galatasaray in 2019 and Nilufer in the shortened 2020 season.

Kansas graduate Kelsie Payne will make her league debut with SigortaShop after a very successful season in Korea last year.

Japan 

Sarah Wilhite Parsons will return to NEC Red Rockets in Japan after making her debut in the league last season.

Karsta Lowe will venture to Asia for the first time since 2017 as she joins JT Marvelous. Lowe will replace Annie Drews, whose plans are unknown. Lowe previously played in Asia for Beijing in the Chinese League in 2017, while this season will be her first season in Japan.

Hannah Tapp will return to join Hitachi Rivale for the fourth consecutive season. Rivale will look to improve on its seventh-place finish last season.

Danielle Cuttino, fresh off a season with the national team, will make her first venture to Japan, joining Toyota Autobody Queenseis.

Brazil 

Roni Jones-Perry joins SESC-RJ as she makes her debut in Brazil. Jones-Perry played the past three seasons in Poland and was named the best outside hitter of the Polish league last year.

Micaya White will also make the “Europe to South America” switch as she joins Osasco. White was named the best outside hitter in France last year for RC Cannes.

Korea 

Nia Reed will debut in Korea, joining AI Peppers, after an outstanding season in Brazil last year for Sesi Bauru. Reed was named best opposite and best scorer in the Brazilian league last year.

Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani will return to Hyundai Hillstate for the second consecutive season. Bedart-Ghani was named the best server in the Korean league last year and will aim to help Hillstate retain its title.

France 

France will be alongside Italy as one of the most popular destinations for Americans.

Beziers Volley brought in perhaps the most surprising name of the season, Olympic gold-medalist libero Justine Wong-Orantes. Wong-Orantes played in Germany for three seasons. She will join two fellow NCAA champions in Madison Lilley and Avery Skinner. Skinner will join Beziers after making her national team debut this summer in the Pan-American events, while Lilley joins after one season in Germany. Middle blocker duo Blake Mohler and Isabel Fitchel round out the roster.

Pays d’Aix Venelles signed Katelyn Evans, who had an outstanding season in Greece. Samantha Drechsel also joins after making her professional debut for NUC Viteos in Switzerland last season. August Raskie returns to France after one season in Italy. The American trio will join All-American Mariana Brambilla, who played in Greece briefly last spring.

The Stanford duo of Jenna Gray and Madeleine Gates will continue their intertwined club careers as they join RC Cannes. They have both played the last two seasons in Dresden. Fellow Pac-12 alumna Claire Felix will be their teammate. Carli Snyder will also return to Cannes, her second season in the French club.

Kendall White returns to Terville-Florange OC, which was last year’s most surprising club after finishing fourth, its highest finish ever. White will join Alohi Robins-Hardy, Taylor Fricano, and Shannon Scully. Scully will be making her professional debut this season in France.

Malina Terrell returns to France, after a stint in Greece, as she joins Saint-Raphael. Terrell previously played for Beziers in 2018-21.

Alli Stumler-Linnehan makes her professional debut for Neptune de Nantes. She will join Taylor Mims, who played last season in TFOC, and Jaelyn Keene, who renewed with Nantes.

Greece 

Jaali Winters makes her Greek league debut after joining Olympiacos. Winters had a very successful season last year in France. Olympiacos was the league runner-up last season after spending the previous eight as champion.

Payton Caffrey joins PAOK for her first season in Greece. Caffrey was the MVP and top scorer of the Puerto Rican league this past summer.

AO Thetis will play host to a trio of Americans as Mariena Hayden, Leah Hardeman, and Rebecca Latham join. All three will be making their Greek league debut.

Audriana Fitzmorris makes her Greek league debut as she joins AO Markopoulo. Fitzmorris will be joined by Madison Smith, a recent High Point graduate. Canadian and former Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Allyssah Fitterer will also make her debut.

Germany

Simone Lee and Krystal Rivers will return to league champion Allianz Stuttgart. Lee will play in Stuttgart for a third season, while Rivers has played in Stuttgart for five consecutive seasons. Lee was named the best outside hitter of the league last season. They will be teammates with Alexis Hart, who has joined from Vilsbiburg.

Ashley Evans returns to Germany as she joins Ladies in Black Aachen. Evans led her former team TFOC to its highest league finish ever. She returns to Germany after previously playing for Wiesbaden.

Lindsey Ruddins will play her second season in SSC Palmberg Schwerin. Ruddins was a top scorer in the German League last season and was named the league’s best outside hitter in 2021. She will join Canadian and Michigan State alumna, Jazmine White.

ITALY
A1 (First Division)
Tori Dilfer (Louisville) — Perugia
Stephanie Samedy (Minnesota) — Perugia
Akuabata Okenwa (Albany) — Macerata
Symone Abbott (Northwestern) — Macerata
Dani Drews (Utah) — Cuneo
Anna Stevenson-Hall (Louisville) — Cuneo
Carli Lloyd (Cal) — Busto Arsizio
Jordyn Poulter (Illinois) — Novara
McKenzie Adams (UTSA) — Novara
Rhamat Alhassan (Florida) — Firenze
Micha Hancock (Penn State) — Vallefoglia
Merete Lutz (Stanford) — Vallefoglia
Kathryn Plummer (Stanford) — Conegliano
Kelsey Robinson-Cook (Nebraska) — Conegliano
Brionne Butler (Texas) — Chieri
Haleigh Washington (Penn State) — Scandicci
Lauren Carlini (Wisconsin) — Casalmaggiore
Ali Frantti (Penn State) — Casalmaggiore
Jordan Thompson (Cincinnati) — Monza
Dana Rettke (Wisconsin) — Monza
Mackenzie May (UCLA) — Bergamo
Khalia Lanier (USC) — Bergamo

A2 (Second Division)
Gia Milana (Baylor) — Talmassons
Leketor Member-Meneh (Pittsburgh) — Futura Volley Busto Arsizio
Roxie Wiblin (San Diego) — Martignacco
Carly DeHoog (Washington) — Trentino
Courtney Schwan (Washington) — Soverato
Dessaa Legros (South Carolina) — Vicenza

TURKEY
1st Division
Chiaka Ogbogu (Texas) — Vakifbank
Kara Bajema (Washington) — Vakifbank
Tori Dixon (Minnesota) — Bolu
Khat Bell (Texas) — Galatasaray
Annie Mitchem (Hawaii) — Kuzeyboru
Sherridan Atkinson (Purdue) — Nilufer
Kelsie Payne (Kansas) — SigortaShop
Madison Kingdon (Arizona) — THY

JAPAN
Karsta Lowe (UCLA) — JT Marvelous
Hannah Tapp (Minnesota) — Hitachi Rivale
Sarah Wilhite-Parsons (Minnesota) — NEC Red Rockets
Danielle Cuttino — Queenseis

BRAZIL
Anna Wruck (Tulane) — ABEL Moda Volei
Micaya White (Texas) — Osasco
Roni Jones-Perry (BYU) — SESC-RJ

KOREA
Nia Reed (Penn State) — AI Peppers
Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani (Texas) — Hyundai Hillstate

POLAND
Melissa Evans (North Carolina State) — Wroclaw
T’ara Ceasar (Florida) — Bielsko-Biala
Madison Bugg (Stanford) — Radom
Janet Kalaniuvalu (Miami) — Radom
Izabella Rapacz (Temple) — Rzeszow

FRANCE
Madison Lilley (Kentucky) — Beziers
Avery Skinner (Baylor) — Beziers
Justine Wong-Orantes (Nebraska) — Beziers
Blake Mohler (Purdue) — Beziers
Isabel Fitchel (Fordham) — Beziers
Haylie Bennett (Oregon State) — Levallois
Taylor Mims (Washington State) — Nantes
Alli Stumler-Linnehan (Kentucky) — Nantes
Jaelyn Keene (Illinois State) — Nantes
August Raskie (Oregon) — Venelles
Katelyn Evans (West Virginia) — Venelles
Samantha Drechsel (Washington) — Venelles
Jenna Gray (Stanford) — Cannes
Carli Synder (Florida) — Cannes
Claire Felix (UCLA) — Cannes
Madeleine Gates (UCLA) — Cannes
Malina Terrell (San Francisco) — Saint-Raphael
Emily Thater (Missouri) — Paris SC
Alohi Robins-Hardy (BYU) — TFOC
Taylor Fricano (North Carolina) — TFOC
Shannon Scully (USC) — TFOC
Kendall White (Penn State) — TFOC
Shayla Hoeft (Portland) — Nancy
Annayka Legros (Coastal Carolina) — Nancy
Lauren Page (Oregon) — Nancy

GREECE
Audriana Fitzmorris (Stanford) — AO Markopoulo
Madison Smith (High Point) — AO Markopoulo
Nia Robinson (North Carolina) — Aris Thessaloniki
Rebecca Latham (Denver) — ASP Thetis
Leah Hardeman (Coastal Carolina) — ASP Thetis
Mariena Hayden (UNLV) — ASP Thetis
Gabrielle Benda (Georgia Tech) — Ilisiakos
Jaali Winters (Creighton) — Olympiacos
Adora Anae (Utah) — Panathinaikos
Payton Caffrey (Florida State) — PAOK
Alli Cudworth (Ashland) — Zaon Kifisias

GERMANY
Krystal Rivers (Alabama) — Stuttgart
Simone Lee (Penn State) — Stuttgart
Alexis Hart (Minnesota) — Stuttgart
Kayla Haneline (Northern Iowa) — Dresden
Ashley Evans (Purdue) — Aachen
Olivia Nicholson (Colorado State) — Straubing
Shealyn McNamara (Rutgers) — Straubing
Jasmin Sneed (VCU) — Straubing
Lindsay Flory (LSU) — Vilsbiburg
Maggie Speaks (North Carolina State) — Erfurt
Jaidyn Blanchfield (Northern Iowa) — Erfurt
Lindsey Ruddins (USCB) — Schwerin
Anna Church (Kansas) — Munster
Rachel Anderson (Western Kentucky) — Wiesbaden
Hannah Angeli (Bradley) — Suhl
Danielle Harbin (Arkansas) — Suhl
Julia Brown (North Carolina State) — Suhl

SWITZERLAND
Olivia Finckel (Towson) — Biwi VFM
Jody Larson (Wichita State) — Geneve
Annie Ertz (Towson) — Geneve
Maggie Nedoma (Ohio) — Toggenburg
Griere Hughes (Virginia Tech) — Toggenburg
Taylor Lindberg (Arkansas-Little Rock) — Pfeffingen
Tarah Wylie (Pepperdine) — Pfeffingen
Erika Pritchard (Penn State) — Chesauex
Angel Gaskin (Hawaii) — Schaffhausen
Norene Iosia (Hawaii) — Schaffhausen
Molly Lohman (Minnesota) — Schaffhausen
Tessa Grubbs (Tennessee) — NUC Viteos
Kayla Lund (Pittsburgh) — NUC Viteos
Madeline Haynes (Cal) — NUC Viteos
Jasmine Gross (USC) — NUC Viteos
Mita Uiato (Hawaii) — Dudingen
Carinne Gebhardt (North Florida) — Lugano
Jada Stackhouse (Cornell) — Lugano

SPAIN
Marisa Cerchio (Virginia Tech) — Cajasol Voley
Jacqui Armer (Indiana) — Casajol Voley
Julia Brown (William and Mary) — CV Sayre
Avalyn Niece (Washington) — CV Tenerife
Margaret Wolowicz (Northern Illinois) — CV Tenerife
Mica Allison (Illinois) — Alcobendas
Gabriele Horman (Quinnipiac) — Alcobendas
Janisa Johnson (Long Beach State) — Heidelberg
Megan Jacobsen (San Diego) — Heidelberg

HUNGARY
Rowan Ennis (UCSB) — Fatum Nyiregyhaza
Taylor Bannister (LSU) — Vasas Obuda

ROMANIA
M’kaela White (James Madison) — CSO Voluntari

PORTUGAL
Kyra Holt (Washington State) — Porto
Tia Jimerson (Ohio) — Porto
Cali Thompson (UCLA) — Clube Kairos
Elizabeth Reich (Auburn) — Clube Kairos
Jaimeson Lee (George Washington) — SC Braga

CYPRUS
Athena Ardila (West Virginia) — Anorthosis Famagusta
Alyssa Enneking (Oklahoma) — Apollon Limassol
Grace Rigsbee (UMBC) — Dikefalos Geriou

AUSTRIA
Ehize Omoghibo (New Orleans) — Klagenfurt
Harlee Kekauoha (UC Irvine) — Linz
Brooke Botkin (USC) — Linz
Maya Taylor (Saint Louis) — UVC Holding Graz

ISRAEL
Briana Holman (Nebraska) — Maccabi XT Haifa

FINLAND
Megan Vander Meer (Ferris State) — Arctic Volley
Serena Bruin (Oregon State) — Arctic Volley
Taylor Horsfall (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) — Arctic Volley
Jenny Mosser (Kansas) — Hämeenlinnan Lentopallokerho
Adeola Owokoniran (Duke) — Hämeenlinnan Lentopallokerho
Kristin Lux (West Virginia) — LiigaPloki
Breana Runnels (Tennessee) — Polkky Kuusamo
Felicia Marshall (Cal State Fullerton) — Polkky Kuusamo
Ciara Debell (Marshall) — Polkky Kuusamo
Cara McKenzie (Gonzaga) — Polkky Kussamo
Sarah Schmid (Denver) — Puijo Volley

DENMARK
Kaia Rhodes (Idaho State) — ASV Elite
Abby Lee Feyereisen (Sioux Falls) — Brondby
Kailyn Williams (Howard) — Brondby
Ijeoma Moronu (Abilene Christian) — Gentofte
Isabelle Marciniak (Bowling Green) — Holte IF

SWEDEN
Jamie Stivers (Cal Poly) — Engelholm
Madelyn Halteman (Fresno State) — Gislaved VBK
Alyssa Ballenger (Wayne State) — Gislaved VBK
Taylor Bruns (South Carolina) — Goteborg
Hanah Blume (San Jose State) — Goteborg

PHILIPPINES
Tai Bierria (New Mexico) — Cignal HD Spikers
Lindsay Stalzer (Bradley) — F2 Logistics Cargo Movers
Lindsey Vander Weide (Oregon) — Petro Gazz Angels

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