Madi's moments: Successful stint in Serbia yields trio of wins
The United States won three of their four games as Madi racked up the points in Belgrade
Published
23 JUN 2025
Est. reading time
2 min
The U.S. Women’s National Team got their Volleyball Nations League campaign back on track in Belgrade — and Madi played a crucial role for Erik Sullivan’s side.
A tough set of Week 1 matches had seen the United States win just once, as they triumphed over South Korea but lost to Italy, Brazil and Czechia.
Week 2 produced a more positive set of results, however, with three victories from four attempts in Serbia’s capital.
Madi was heavily involved in the first of those wins, as the USWNT beat the hosts 3-2 (25-22, 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 15-11), in front of a sell-out crowd at the Belgrade Arena.
The 23-year-old managed to double her Week 1 points tally in one match — amassing an eye-watering 32 from 30 kills and two blocks, as well as registering an impressive 12 digs.
Things didn’t go quite as smoothly in the United States’ second game on European soil, as they lost 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-18) to a high-flying Poland outfit that found themselves in second place by the end of the week.
But they bounced back in superb fashion, sweeping the Netherlands (25-18, 25-22, 25-19) with their most comprehensive Volleyball Nations League performance yet.
Madi put 13 points on the board on Saturday — from 10 kills, two blocks and an ace — while chipping in with six digs.
That display led Sullivan to throw down the gauntlet, ahead of his team’s final game against France.
“We want to come out and put back-to-back matches together,” he said.
“I don’t think we’ve really been able to do that. France is doing a nice job right now and playing at a very high level.”
And the players responded by edging out Cesar Hernández González’s unit by a 3-2 scoreline (25-22, 26-24, 20-25, 21-25, 15-13), to round off their time in Serbia with consecutive victories.
A further 21 points (19 kills, one block and one ace) for Madi also meant the Katy-born star enjoyed a successful outing in her final game of Week 2.
The United States have now climbed into the top eight with an overall record of four wins and four losses to date.
They will be looking to continue that progress on home ground next month, when the USWNT head to Arlington, Texas, from 9th-13th July.
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