Following their fifth place finish in Vancouver, the USA Women's Sevens program have arrived in Los Angeles eyeing the podium at their home stop on the 2024 HSBC SVNS. Kris Thomas steps in to the playing roster this weekend as the team prepare for their first-ever SVNS home stop.
As the Eagles continue their build toward Paris 2024, the squad is eyeing improvements through each game. Ariana Ramsey made a big statement in Vancouver with five critical tries throughout the weekend. In her second tournament of the season, Sarah Levy made some big plays, including scoring three tries over the weekend. Both players return to the roster for Los Angeles and bring promise of some exciting gameplay.
HSBC Los Angeles SVNS kicks off Friday, March 1. All action will be live on RugbyPass, with semifinals and finals simulcast on Peacock.
"We’ve had a fast a furious few days since Vancouver SVNS. We had the opportunity to go home and reconnect with our families and then reset as we come into the Los Angeles SVNS. This will be the first time that this iteration of our team - The Highwomen - play at home and that means a lot to us as we take the field this weekend. We were happy with the development we showed in Vancouver in the areas we have focused on and the collective determination that we delivered under pressure. While we dropped to close games, those are the experiences you learn the most from and we are committed to elevating our focus as we progress through pool play this weekend. Our pool will present unique challenges with each team. We are planning on taking things a game at a time and not looking beyond the opponent that is in front of us."
The Eagles meet up with Spain in their first pool match of Los Angeles SVNS. Having last played the USA in Dubai, an energized Spain heads to Southern California after a seventh place finish - their highest placement of the season so far. They'll be looking to make a statement early on Friday against the home team.
The second USA matchup will be a battle from across the pond as they meet Great Britain for the first time since a quarterfinal win in Cape Town. Coming off an 11th place finish in Vancouver, Great Britain will be motivated to make it back to the knockout stages in Los Angeles.
The USA's final pool match is a poetic rematch against Canada, who knocked the Eagles out of the quarterfinal in a nail-biting match in Vancouver. The Vancouver SVNS bronze medalists will want to repeat results from last week, while the USA will be determined as ever to take the win in front of the home crowd.
Los Angeles SVNS kicks off Friday, March 1. All action will be live on RugbyPass, with semifinals and finals simulcast on RugbyPass.
| Name | Position | HSBC Tournaments |
|---|---|---|
| 2. Ilona Maher | Center / Prop | 26 |
| 3. Kayla Canett | Flyhalf | 25 |
| 5. Alev Kelter | Center / Prop | 43 |
| 6. Alena Olsen | Scrumhalf | 20 |
| 7. Naya Tapper (C) | Wing | 37 |
| 10. Steph Rovetti | Scrum Half / Fly Half | 12 |
| 11. Kris Thomas | Hooker / Prop | 41 |
| 12. Kristi Kirshe | Prop / Hooker | 22 |
| 13. Sarah Levy | Hooker | 7 |
| 17. Spiff Sedrick | Center | 16 |
| 21. Ariana Ramsey | Wing | 5 |
| 22. Sammy Sullivan | Prop / Hooker | 10 |
| 23. Lauren Doyle (C) | Fly Half | 42 |
Head Coach | Emilie Bydwell
Assistant Coach | Zack Test
Strength & Conditioning | Trey Ford
Team Manager | Liz Strohecker
Athletic Trainer | Nicole Titmas
Sports Psychologist | Peter Haberl
Nutrition | Jacque Scaramella
Analyst | Lauren Barber
Media Manager | Taylor Dean
Friday, March 1
v Spain | 9:20 pm ET
Saturday, March 2
v Great Britain | 4:32 pm ET
v Canada | 9:08 pm ET
Sunday, March 3
Knockouts begin 12:30 pm ET
