Fueled to improve on an 8th place finish in Vancouver, the USA Women's Eagles Sevens are targeting improved performances as the HSBC SVNS tour resumes with back to back weekends in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Having put out the challenge of rising to their fourth place table ranking, the Women’s Sevens have been hard at work digesting the learnings from the last stop, where the team fell short in the 7th Place Play-off against home side, Canada.
Olympian Sammy Sullivan and strike player Nia Toliver return to the fray and will undoubtedly inject an additional element of energy to leave their mark in the new Hong Kong venue - Kai Tak Sports Park. The USA Women will kick off at 4:44am EST on March 28th against 9th ranked Brazil. Pool A will then resume with a familiar line up to that in Vancouver for the USA Women who will be challenged by New Zealand, followed by another meeting with China. All action can be watched live on RugbyPass TV.
Head Coach Emilie Bydwell has named her squad and commented,
“We were disappointed with our performance in Vancouver because we didn’t feel we fully optimized our potential as a group, missing key opportunities to not only return to the top 4 but also elevate our standing. Despite the outcome, it served as an important inflection point in this foundational year. While results are secondary at this stage, it’s critical that we continue to show progress and stay true to the habits and core principles we’ve been consistently training. Since returning to training, the team has been focused and committed to elevating, and ensuring we play the way we want to and meet the standards required to do so. We are excited for the opportunity in Hong Kong to test this growth and expect to take a significant step forward.
“We’re excited to welcome back both Sammy and Nia. Sammy’s work ethic, grit, and ability to make significant impacts on both sides of the ball were key to our Olympic campaign. Her exceptional ability to elevate the energy and intensity of our play is critical, and we’re looking forward to injecting that spark at key moments over the next few weeks. Nia has proven to the world just how impactful she is and continues to work hard to refine her craft, constantly seeking to elevate her game and her role within the team. Her unique combination of speed, power, footwork, and an 'own the moment' mindset is invaluable, enabling her to either score herself or create space and opportunities for others. We have a strong blend of players who complement each other well, and our goal is to optimize our potential and create a collective whole that is greater than the sum of our parts over the next two weekends.”
Hong Kong and Singapore are staged as the last HSBC SVNS tour stops before the USA heads home for the SVNS World Championship, live from Los Angeles May 3-4. Tickets available at lasevensrugby.com
| Name | SVNS Tournaments |
|---|---|
| 1. Ariana Ramsey | 11 |
| 3. Kayla Canett | 33 |
| 6. Alena Olsen | 28 |
| 12. Kristi Kirshe (C) | 27 |
| 15. Rachel Strasdas | 5 |
| 17. Spiff Sedrick (C) | 20 |
| 20. Autumn LoCicero | 4 |
| 22. Sammy Sullivan | 14 |
| 24. Su Adegoke | 4 |
| 28. Sariah Ibarra | 4 |
| 29. Hann Humphreys | 3 |
| 32. Alyssa Porter | 4 |
| 33. Nia Toliver | 3 |
Emilie Bydwell | Head Coach
Zack Test | Assistant Coach
Trey Ford | Head of Athletic Performance
Nicole Titmas | Manager of Medical Services; Head Athletic Trainer
Peter Haberl | Sport Psychologist
Liz Strohecker | Head of Operations – Sevens
Fri, Mar 28
USA vs Brazil | 4:44am ET
USA vs New Zealand | 7:53am ET
Sat, Mar 29
USA vs China | 12:34am ET
Knockout rounds begin Sat, Mar 29 at 3:29am ET
