Rosters of 24 teams revealed ahead of July showpiece
From Mireya Luis in the 1980s to Zhu Ting, Paola Egonu and Tijana Boskovic in recent years, the FIVB Volleyball Women’s U21 World Championship has played a key role in shaping careers and serving as a launchpad for some of the sport’s greatest talents. Generations of legends, including Ekaterina Gamova, Jaqueline Carvalho, Gabriela Guimaraes and Brayelin Martinez, also made early appearances at this tournament before becoming stars at the highest level.
This year, the next wave of talent will take centre stage as 24 teams head to Indonesia’s second-largest city Surabaya for the 2025 edition of the U21 World Championship from 17 to 28 July. With rosters now announced, standout players from every continent are ready to make their mark, with Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czechia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Thailand, Tunisia, Türkiye, United States and Vietnam all set to compete.
FIVB Volleyball Women’s U21 World Championship: team rosters (subject to eligibility check to be conducted by the FIVB)
The top three teams from the 2023 edition – world champions China, silver medallists Italy and bronze winners Brazil – return with strong lineups as they chase the title once again in Surabaya.
Reigning champions China return with a new batch of players who stood out at last year’s Asian Women’s U20 Volleyball Championship. Libero Sun Wanjun, middle blocker Chen Houyu and outside hitter Li Chenxuan all earned Dream Team honours, while opposite Fan Boning adds size and scoring. After winning the title in 2023 in Mexico, China now look to defend their U21 world crown with a new group aiming to build on that success.
Italy bring back outside hitter Teresa Maria Bosso and middle blocker Linda Manfredini, both named to the Dream Team at the 2024 U20 European Championship. They are joined by dependable defensive court general, libero Anna Bardaro, forming a solid core as Italy look to go one step further than their runner-up finish two years ago.
Brazil arrive with an experienced and physically imposing lineup. Setter Amanda Mutuano and middle blocker Luana Kuskowski earned Dream Team honours at the 2024 South American U21 Championship. They are joined by outside hitter Helena Wenk and scorer Rebeca Borges, forming a powerful core for a team aiming to return to the top.
A strong group of contenders rounds out the field. Türkiye field one of the most decorated squads, with several standouts from their 2024 U20 European Championship title run. Senior-capped setter Dilay Ozdemir returns as the MVP and Best Setter of that tournament, joined by outside hitters Bianka Ilayda Mumcular and Liza Safronova, both named Best Outside Hitters. Opposite Beren Yesilirmak also brings scoring power and experience to a team looking to carry their continental success onto the world stage.
The United States bring a youthful and dynamic group featuring several players with international experience. Setter Genevieve Harris, outside hitters Audrey Flanagan and Halle Thompson, and opposite Henley Anderson lead a team looking to carry the country’s strong tradition in youth volleyball into another competitive campaign.
Japan return with outside hitter Miku Akimoto, top scorer at the 2023 U19 World Championship, and Anna Uemura, MVP of the 2022 Asian U20 Championship. Setter Niina Kumagai, a Dream Team selection at the most recent Asian U20 event, also features in a deep and balanced squad.
Africa and Southeast Asia will also be well represented. Tunisia’s Eya Toumi, MVP of the 2024 African U20 Championship, headlines a confident African trio that includes Egypt and Algeria. Opposite Alida Bennour, named Best Opposite in that tournament, leads Algeria’s attack, while Egypt field a youthful team with several domestic standouts aiming to make an impression. Vietnam rely on powerful opposite Pham Quynh Huong to lead their scoring, while hosts Indonesia look to libero Zahwa Aliah Jasmien to steady the defence in front of home fans.
Argentina, Dominican Republic, Serbia and Thailand are among other teams to watch, many of them featuring players with international youth honours and top-level club experience.
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