USA off on right foot in defence of VNL title

RUSE, Bulgaria, May 21, 2019 - It took a little bit of concentration to seal the first set, but USA got off to a cracking start in the 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League as they began the defence of last year's title with a solid and convincing 3-0 (25-23, 25-8, 25-22) win over Belgium at Ruse.

Andrea Drews was top scorer of the game with 19 points, including five of USA's six aces and a 61% (14/23) attacking efficiency. Sarah Whilwhite added 14 in the victory. Kaja Grobelna, with 12 points, was the only Belgian to score in double digits.

Karch Kiraly, head coach of USA: "We have a pretty young group here. There are four people who are playing in the team for the first time and they are doing a great job. They play great, consistent volleyball and everybody is making a contribution. They have a lot to be proud of. We face Japan tomorrow and it is one of the legendary programs and they always have a strong team so we know nothing will come easy."

Madison Kingdon, player of USA: "We started in the first set really strong and I think our passing was good. Our opposites and middles did a great job for the team tonight. We are very happy to be here and the whole team has been ready for this competition for a while and it was just exciting to finally play our first match of the year."