Athletes United added two Olympic names on Thursday for its second season, beginning next month.
U.S. Olympic volleyball players Carli Lloyd and Alisha Glass Childress are among 20 athletes that will join Athletes Unlimited‘s volleyball league for its second season, beginning March 16 in Dallas, the organization announced Thursday.
Both athletes earned bronze medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as setters, with Lloyd being named the Most Valuable Player when Team USA won gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games.
Other notable newcomers include:
- Middle Blocker Lauren Stivrins, who was selected to the NCAA Championships All-Tournament Team in 2017.
- Middle Blocker Yizhi Xue, who plays professionally in China for Liaoning Huajun and Beijing BAIC Motor.
- Outside Hitter Kalei Mau, a member of the Philippines National Team.
- Setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson, the current captain of the Puerto Rico national team.
- Outside Hitter Jamie Peterson, who was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
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Action will run for five weeks at Dallas’s Fair Park Coliseum. The broadcast partners will be the same as AU’s basketball league, with Fox Sports airing 12 live matches on Fox Sports 2 beginning with a doubleheader on March 18. CBS Sports Network will air seven matches, beginning with a twin bill on April 2. Bally Sports’ regional networks will air four matches, starting on March 16. Kevin Barnett, Heather Cox and Katie Carter will call the action.
“We are thrilled to host our second year of professional indoor women’s volleyball in Dallas and cannot wait to welcome fans to Fair Park Coliseum to watch 44 of the best players in the world,” AU’s CEO Jon Patricof said.
Top returning players for 2022 include Dominican Republic Olympian, Outside Hitter and 2021 AU volleyball runner-up Bethania De La Cruz, Outside Hitter and fifth-place finisher Karsta Lowe, Middle Blocker Taylor Sandbothe, and Outside Hitter Lindsay Stalzer. Live weekly drafts will be streamed on Athletes Unlimited‘s YouTube and Facebook pages every Sunday at 1 p.m. ET beginning March 13.
“I’m fired up to have the opportunity to stay in the U.S. and play again, especially within a league that has an emphasis on supporting not just the athlete but the whole person,” Lloyd said. “The fact that Athletes Unlimited has stood by me as a new mom coming back to compete has been very refreshing, and having this league as another option for professional volleyball players is exciting.”
Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Roster (as of February 24)
| POS | NAME | 2021 FINISH | UNIVERSITY |
| MB | Ali Bastianelli | 36 | Illinois |
| S | Alisha Glass Childress | – | Penn State |
| L | Amanda Benson | – | Oregon |
| OH | Aury Cruz | 4 | Florida |
| OH | Bethania De La Cruz | 2 | – |
| S | Carli Lloyd | – | California |
| OH | Cassidy Lichtman | 24 | Stanford |
| OH | Deja McClendon | 6 | Penn State |
| MB | Emmaline Willis | – | Denver |
| OH | Erica Wilson | 29 | Arizona State |
| OH | Erin Fairs | 39 | Louisville |
| OH | Falyn Fonoimoana | – | USC |
| L | Hana Lishman | – | Pepperdine |
| OH | Jamie Peterson | – | Dayton |
| MB | Jenna Rosenthal | – | Marquette |
| OH | Jordan Thompson | 34 | Cincinnati |
| OH | Karsta Lowe | 5 | UCLA |
| S | Kaylee Manns | 17 | Iowa State |
| MB | Lauren Stivrins | – | Nebraska |
| OH | Leah Edmond | 15 | Kentucky |
| MB | Lianna Sybeldon | 11 | Washington |
| OH | Lindsay Stalzer | 12 | Bradley |
| OH | Madison Villines | – | Kansas |
| MB | Molly McCage | 22 | Texas |
| L | Morgan Hentz | – | Stanford |
| S | Natalia Valentin-Anderson | – | FIU |
| OH | Naya Crittenden | – | Illinois |
| OH | Niki Withers | – | USC |
| OH | Noami Santos-Lamb | – | Florida |
| L | Nomaris Vélez Agosto | 16 | Inter American |
| – | |||
| MB | Rachael Fara | – | Colorado |
| S | Ray Santos | – | Arkansas |
| MB | Ronika Stone | – | Oregon |
| OH | Sha’Dare McNeal | – | Texas |
| OPP | Sheilla Castro | 19 | – |
| S | Taylor Bruns | 31 | South Carolina |
| OH | Taylor Fricano | – | North Carolina |
| MB | Taylor Morgan | 13 | Minnesota |
| MB | Taylor Sandbothe | 21 | Ohio State |
| OH | Tyler-Marie Mau | – | Arizona |
| S | Valerie Nichol | 42 | Purdue |
| MB | Yizhi (Eri) Xue | – | Long Beach State |
